Orientation/Downtown Adventures
Yesterday was a super adventurous day in orientation! We were trained and certified in Non-violent Crisis Intervention, which was very hands-on and fun. We learned how to recognize different ways that a person might act out and then respond appropriately. The hands-on part comes when you learn various methods of physically restraining acting out people, and that was super fun! Our hospital really makes an effort to minimize the use of restraints (indeed, I’m told that the use of them has gone down 78% over the last decade), but they are sometimes necessary if a patient is becoming dangerous to him/herself or others, so we must know how to use them safely. Part of that training also includes how to block strikes and release yourself from various holds that a patient might try on you. It was a lot of fun but also practical. I’m quite certain I will have to use some of these techniques at this job.
(The other exciting thing about yesterday was that I got my flu shot and the nurse gave me a Scooby Doo band-aid! I know you’re jealous…)
Today was also really exciting (except for the fact that we were back in the classroom and I didn’t get enough sleep last night). You see, part of my training for this job includes CNA (Certified Nurse’s Aide) certification. Today, we thickened up various beverages with a thickener (for patients who can’t have thin liquids) and tried them. Here is the verdict: Water—eh, not too bad; Coffee—gross; Milk—couldn’t even bring myself to try; Juice—not too bad, actually kinda tastes like applesauce. Then we spend the afternoon learning a few skills. We did brushing teeth, denture care, oral care for the comatose patient, and partial dressing. They’re fairly easy and straight-forward, but I gotta tell you that each time my turn was up, I kept wanting to start by saying, “THE SCENE IS SAFE. GOT MY BSI.” It just felt natural to me that that’s how I should start. I mean, hell, those EMT skills were drilled into me pretty good. But I’ve got to get used to the way of doing nursing skills, which always starts with knocking on the resident’s door, introducing yourself and explaining the procedure, making sure the breaks are on the bed/positioning the patient, washing your hands, and putting on gloves. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it soon.
The other really cool thing that happened today (besides going to ACE Hardware and getting an elastic band to keep my keys on) was that I went downtown to a bar with one of my classmates. It’s a really cool place right by the river that serves beer and wine. It was great to go out after work and do something with someone and try to make friends in this new town, but that’s not even the best part. The best part was that I had a Czech beer!
Isn’t that crazy? I thought I would go have a casual drink and bond with a classmate and sure enough, I end up in a bar in a beautiful location drinking one of my favorite Czech beers, bonding with my classmate, and learning more about my new city. I can’t wait until spring/summer! I think this is a nice place with some nice outdoor activities to do then.
So I’ve had a pretty cool last couple of days. There’s a good chance that I’ll have some more awesome adventures in the coming days as well because it looks like my internet will be cut off either tomorrow or Thursday (my roomie is in the process of moving out) and I don’t think I can afford to get it reconnected right away. So I should have plenty of time on my hands after work to explore the town, maybe get a hobby, and also, you know, a life. 
