Whole Lotta Strokin' Goin' On...
2005-05-08...6:59 a.m.

Last night was great! The one skill I was worried about not getting the hang of was arterial drawing. They're a little harder, because the arteries are much deeper than veins, and it's typically necessary to do it by feel, because the arteries are usually not visible. First, I have to locate the pulse in the wrist, then, after prepping the site, the needle goes in at a much straighter angle. There's also a slightly greater risk of injury to the patient, for a couple of reasons: First of all, it hurts more, so the patient is more likely to try to jerk away. Second, there are a lot of bones and tendons and nerves and muscles in there, so it's vital that extra care is taken.

Anyway, as part of my training, I have to successfully do 3 arterial draws. Last night, I got 5! One more boost for my confidence, not to mention how it looks for my supervisors.

Last night, I caught one of the other phlebs talking behind my back. I was drawing a patient, and I heard her whispering behind the curtain to the nurse: "Yeah, she knows what she's doing. She's good."

Ooh, baby, yeah, right there. Stroke that ego. Heh.

After work, Corey and I had plans to go out with our friends Paul and Sarah for karaoke. Before we left, Christine called. She was going to come visit, so I asked if she wanted to go out with us. She (sort of) declined. I figured I'd just see her today, though, so I didn't worry about it.

Then she showed up while we were out! I was so happy and excited to see her. I've been missing her all week. Well, she brought me a present. She made a shirt of my favorite favorite band for me! I'm going to end up wearing it until it's holey. Or holy. Whichever comes first. I think it's awesome. I'm the only one who has one exactly like it. Kick-ass shirt for me, free advertisement for The Dresden Dolls. Does it get any better than that? I love love love it! I kept petting my shirt all night!

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