So, I have started my psych clinicals. I am pretty much liking it, although my patients are teenagers, so I have to work really hard at relating to them. I was a good kid - or at least I think I was a good kid. So I don't have any personal background with getting so angry I found it necessary to take a sledge hammer to my parent's house (my first patient). I was also a pretty healthy kid so I don't have any personal background with suicidal gestures after being told I have lesions growing on my brain, especially after having had cancer and my thyroid removed the year before (my second patient). So I went from kids with cancer in my pediatrics clinical to teenagers with serious coping problems in my psych clinical.

We laugh a lot during my psych clinical post-conference. During the conference we are supposed to discuss our experiences on the floor and how we related to our patients and what we learned. I don't know why our painful attempts at therapeutic communication are so hilarious, but they are. What is even better is when we try to therapeutically communicate with each other - "So, how did that make you feel?" "So, what I am hearing you say is that you were uncomfortable when your patient started drawing a picture of her stabbing her baby?" Good times, good times.....

I am sure this is a common phenomenon, but my nursing school class has reached the end of our patience with nursing school. It seems to be pervasive, even the most chipper and positive students are getting bitter and jaded. Most of us truly hate going to our lectures, dread our clinicals, really dread the writing assignments for our clinicals, despise our two nursing professional classes. The volume of snide comments and crossword puzzles done today in our leadership class surpassed the previous records. We are barely halfway through the semester with one more left. I hope that we get our second (or third or fourth) wind by next semester. I don't know anyone who has started studying for an exam earlier than the night before, people are actually writing papers the day they are due, and class attendance has really dropped. I am right in there with them and can not get motivated - hopefully it gets better.

We put together a women's soccer team to play in our university intramural recreational league. We have had two games and confirmed the fact that we really suck. Our team name, The Sterile Fielders, is the best part of our game. But, I have to say, we have a really, really good time. And we did much better on our second game - we only lost 4 to 1. We lost our first game 10 to 0. Actually, I think they scored more than 10 goals, but I'm pretty sure the league quits counting at 10. Granted that first game we were only playing with 7 people instead of 9 and the other team had all of their players. Oh yeah, and there are more people on the team who have never played soccer than those who have. I played in high school and a little in college my first time around, but it has probably been at least 10 years since I played any soccer other than Marine Corps combat soccer (not the same!). We have one of those girls who is good at everything she does and another couple of girls who played in high school. The rest are just out there to have a good time, and I love 'em! During the last game I had to remind a couple of them what direction we were going in! The off-sides rule has them all confused and one, in typical nursing student fashion, questioned the rational behind the rule. We may not be able to play soccer, but we sure can be entertaining! My only beef - there were more than 20 people who signed up on the roster and the first game we didn't even have enough people to field a whole team. It was better this week, but it still pisses me off that some of my fellow students can't take a commitment seriously. I know it is only a recreational soccer game, but there are some people who really enjoy this and it isn't fair to them if we have to forfeit a game because we don't have enough people. Not to mention the $20 we forfeit if not enough people show up. So, I am sore as all get out from playing soccer, but we are really having a good time!

So that is the past week - suicidal and homicidal teenagers, un-motivated nursing students, therapeutic communication gone bad, and horrible soccer games

Next week - more homicidal teenagers, probably more un-motivated nursing students, hopefully therapeutic communication gone good, a horrible soccer game and the US Marine Corps Birthday Ball.