Flu Clinic Day

I got to participate in our Community Flu Clinic at El Humongus Arena of Podunk U.  I don’t know why we weren’t busier, except that it was poorly marketed.  I don’t think enough people knew about it.  All in all, I did give about 40 flu vaccines today, so not too shabby.

Another beautiful memory:  One of the clients that I’ve worked with a lot at Big Mental Health Day Service (where  I’ve been at for my Psych rotation) came to me today for his flu shot!  Bless his heart, he was nervous and was holding the LPN’s hand who brought him for dear life, but wanted me to be the one who did it.  He did great.  My heart overflows with all kinds of gushy emotions. J

By the way, I’m loving my Psych rotation.  They day service I’ve been at the last couple of weeks is awesome.  So awesome, I’m even considering a career in Psych.  And I never saw THAT one coming.   My problem, as usual, is I like everything.  Well, at least I know I won’t be an OB nurse.  Don’t think that one is for me, though I did have a successful rotation.

I digress.

My Community Health teacher took me and a couple of the guys to a couple of our ritzy/eclectic/cool shops in town today to give flu shots, too!  So we were the traveling flu clinic service today.  We gave a bunch of shots at a florist/boutique owned by a lady…then went down the street and gave shots to a bunch of guys at a Music/Guitar/Guitar Lessons shop…owned by her husband!

So when you give 40-50 shots in a day, you’re bound to hit bone.  Yup, bone.  I did…a few times.  I am glad they prepared us for the possibility because it makes you bounce back the first time you do it.  Stream of consciousness: “ok, little stick…needles going in great, see that wasn’t so WHOA WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?”  It’s like hitting a brick wall.  And amazing that the patient doesn’t know it.  Of course, I hate it when it happens, because you never know what kind of soreness someone may have later, but it often cannot be helped in thin arms and in the emaciated.

We used these cool needles today that retract when you give a little more pressure on the plunger at the end of the injection.  All in a blink, it withdraws the needle from the skin and retracts into the barrel.  Because most needle stick injuries happen after you withdraw the needle, ya know. J  So we were taught.  Every 8^th one didn’t retract as it should, so we had to discard of it in the usual way; carefully.

Hmmm, what else?

I’m doing Weight Watchers again to get off the 10 pounds I gained as a Bank Trainer and the 5 I gained as a Credit Analyst before that.  Almost 8 lbs down the drain so far.  WW is a great program for teaching boundaries, eating healthy foods, getting in your dairy and veggies, etc.  It is also great because it teaches you to have NO taboo foods.  Which is great, because other ‘diets’ I’ve done have created cravings out of deprivation.  Now if I want birthday cake, I have a piece of cake coated in Lard and Powdered Sugar!  And I count the points honestly, and budget my balance for the remainder of the day.  It just works for me.  Calorie counting doesn’t.

So this semester, Pharm is great, albeit hard.  Mental Health’s teacher is from New York and puts off a lot of my classmates.  I had a boss years ago from Boston and she’s much like her.  I ‘get’ her and we get along great.  She is dumpy, though she can be pretty, has a decent limp, and is overweight.  And I feel very at home with her. J  She let me help her lead a stress class in Group Therapy at Big Mental Health Day Service this week – yea!  Community Health is good—it’s Dr. Community Health that took me and the guys to the florist and the music shop.  She is…brilliant.  And Californian.  And odd.  I think she has breast implants.  No condemnation here; I love plastic surgery.  She is very different, and I think I will like her.  She is super dry, so it is hard to get a read on Dr. Community Health.  So 3 classes and 2 clinicals right now.

That’s all for now.