So I took my laptop to school with me on Monday and got a surprising amount done, um, in between taking notes for class. I finished my financial aid application, started the NCLEX one, and looked up a bunch of stuff I had kept meaning to do but hadn't gotten around to. So it was good.
This week has been pretty tiring because clinicals are Tuesday thru Friday. They are short days (7-1) but for some reason it feels exhausting because there is no break from getting up superearly and we are working with psych patients who tend to be rather exhausting in and of themselves. But the thing about having an instructor who never ever everevereverever lets your class out even two minutes early is that when he ends clinical postconference 20 minutes early, PRICELESS. Oh my God, YES!!!
I like the unit where I am working, though I am still getting used to it. It makes me sad to see so many people with chronic mental illness. I used to work in an adult day health care center and, yes, it was sad. But it was different. Our program was based around activities and helping the clients live as satisfying, full, independent, and dignified lives as they could. Most of them had families and belongings and, most importantly, they went home at the end of the day. I am still learning about the unit where I am now, but it seems to be a place where people go to try and stabilize. Many of the clients were homeless and have no family. They have few posessions and recieve a $10 stipend from the program. I know it is good that they are in the program and being cared for. But it just makes me sad to see these people and know that they could easily be on the streets and also that there are hundreds of people with the same illnesses and situations who still are.
Okay, I'll get off that subject now or else I'm going to have to do some serious weeping. Something else that is kind of... odd... about the unit is that, because of the specific lisencing for the program the run, they have to provide a space and opportunity for their clients to smoke. I find it, um, horrifying? Here are these people with, like, heart conditions or COPD or asthma and we have to hand them cigarettes??? Yikes.
Okay. Nap time for me now. And then I've got big plans for this later involving going to Target, maybe readingish for class, and hitting the hay early.
