A Day in My Life (weekend clinical day)
I haven't done one of these in a while, soooooo, let's go!
Normally my clinical days go from 6:30-2:30, but this was a shortened one (we made up the two hours the week prior).
5:00
My alarm goes off!
Then I roll over, grab my phone, and play my New York Times word games (Wordle, Connections, and The Mini).
Of course, I also check my text messages and emails.
(Like a good GenX-er, I faithfully check my emails. I can never quite understand why GenZ doesn't do this! Kids these days... 😉 )
I shower, do some simple hair and makeup, and get my student scrubs on.
Then it's time to unload my dishwasher...
pack my lunch (prepped the night before)....
and cook some breakfast/make coffee.
I also feed Chiquita her pate. 😉
6:10
Time to head out the door!
6:22
Location: hospital parking garage.
I walk inside, go up the elevators, and then it's time to clock in for clinical.
6:30-11:30
Clinical time!
What I do at clinical depends on the week; this time I was just doing bedside nurse kind of stuff, so nothing remarkable.
But I was proud of myself because when I listened to a patient's lungs, I was pretty sure I heard crackles in both of his lower lobes.
And sure enough, when I looked at his chart, I saw that other people had heard the same thing.
I am always happy when my nurse-in-training ears hear things correctly!
I also shadowed a floor nurse, analyzed EKG strips, made some care plans, and did head-to-toe assessments.
11:30
We all went down to the cafeteria with our professor for lunch/post-conference.
Post-conference involves things like us telling each other about the patient care we did that day; on this day one of our classmates shadowed in the ICU, so she was sharing about that.
12:30
Woohoo for a short clinical day!
I left the hospital and drove straight to the gym where I changed clothes (I packed them the night before) and did a workout.
I always put the weights in order before I leave.
Are they always messed up again when I come back? Yes. But for some reason I still organize them when I leave. 😉
2:30
I stopped at Aldi on the way home for a few items I needed to make granola.
Then I went home and took a quick neck-down shower to wash the sweat off.
3:30
I set my laptop up in my kitchen and got some lecture videos going.
Then I made some overnight cinnamon rolls.
Zoe's birthday was earlier in the week, but it hadn't worked out to do her birthday breakfast that day! So this was a pan of belated cinnamon rolls. 🙂
I also made a batch of granola.
And I got some yogurt started and put the jars in the cooler to incubate.
5:00
I brought in my Chewy order and put it away, with Chiquita supervising.
And then I sat down to try to write down some of my day before I forgot it all!
6:00
I made some soup for dinner, put my granola in jars, and cleaned up my kitchen.
7:00
Time for a Zoom call with two of my friends from an online divorce support group I joined back in 2022! We have remained friends all this time, and it had been so long since we caught up.
Their divorces happened for almost identical reasons as mine did, so we understand each other super well.
Of course, I am not delighted they experienced the same thing I did, but it is nice to have friends who can relate.
9:00
All of us were starting to feel sleepy (like me, they're not night owls!), so we ended our Zoom.
Time to get ready for bed!
I brushed my teeth, washed my face, put my bite guard in, did my Duolingo lesson, and off to sleep I went.
And that's the end of my day. 🙂
Kristen - all the pictures are beautiful and paint the picture of your day in such a descriptive way, and I really enjoyed reading your words (as always).
My favorite sentence was "I always put the weights in order before I leave." I love that! It made me think of your post about trying to leave things better than we found them.
Yay for the mini ... my newest game obsession.
And the picture of the cut-up butter is extra lovely to me too, for some reason.
@BJS, I agree @ Kristen's ability to capture great pictures that describe her day - I love the pictures of delicious food and inquisitive cats - for some reason my favorite this time was elongated Kristen in the elevator!
I had to put my camera on the 0.5 focal length to snap that!
Aww, you are always so encouraging. ♥️
@BJS, I was impressed by the butter slices too. . . so perfect.
Kristen, I know you are interested in L&D. Have you already done clinicals in that area (maybe I missed it) or is that still coming up before you graduate?
I did have a short labor and delivery rotation last spring but alas, I got assigned to a quiet rural hospital and didn’t get to see a lot. I did get to stand in on an emergency c section for a placental abruption. But no regular deliveries!
Do your fellow clinical students ever remark on your lunches when you all meet? I have to imagine your lunches are very different from theirs, and I wonder if they comment. My co-workers when I worked in an office were always examining my lunches of leftovers. 🙂
Sometimes they’re like, “oh my gosh Kristen, you are so healthy.” And I jokingly say back, “Well, I don’t have youth on my side.” because I am always by far the oldest person in my groups. lol
I’m almost always older than even our clinical instructors.
Hi @Kristen, what is in your lunch containers in that picture? Looks good!
@Kristen, wow, those are some young instructors!
I mean, I'm going to be 47 in April! So they're not THAT young if they're younger than me. 😉
@Kristen, I love that response! I often get similar comments about what I'm eating (or not eating) and I suspect as an older student I'll get the same...that response is perfect and I'm borrowing it for future use.
@Central Calif. Artist Jana, I'm taking Chem 101 right now as a pre-requisite, and both my lecture prof and lab prof are younger than me. The lab prof is a mom of a five year old and has been known to relate an anecdote about her son and turn to me and say, "It gets better, right?" (DS#2 is in the class with me, so she knows I'm a mom...) 😀
@kristin @ going country, I wondered about that, too. I looked at her lunch and thought it looked both delicious and like a very adult choice of foods to pack, perhaps something that her younger adult classmates wouldn't think to bring.
@Ruth T, Kristen can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's this salad: https://marginmakingmom.com/chickpea-and-edamame-salad/
with some chicken added in.
Side note: two of my kids, and DH, absolutely love that salad. I really need to make it again soon.
@Andrea G, Me too! @Kristen what is in that bowl? chicken and chickpeas?
Yes it’s the copycat Aldi chickpea salad with chicken added in!
I am impressed that you have so much energy after work! I never feel motivated to anything after a busy day. I also love that you put the weights back in the correct order!
On a side note, in Europe we write down time with the 24 hour clock, so whenever I see 5.00 written my brain interprets it as 5AM! Even though I know it's 5 in the afternoon!
If it’s a 12 hour shift like the paid ones I do as a tech, then I do nothing afterward besides eat, shower, and go to bed! But clinical shifts are way shorter and less exhausting.
@Kristen, I usually have to push myself to work out even if I've had a short shift (or in general 😉 )
It helps that I go straight there from the hospital! If I went home first I might struggle more.
Do you still have Shelley? Or did I blink and miss something?
Oh yes! Shes here! She just avoided me and my camera that day.
@Kristen, I love that your cats have different personalities and it shows in your posts...Shelley is the introvert and Chiquita mugs for the camera. 😉
@Kristen, I think that Shelley is your quieter kitty, I can imagine that she gives Chiquita the side eye sometimes!
Busy busy! ( I enjoyed this content!).
Thanks for sharing, I've been curious. It also made me thankful that I no longer need to wake up before 5 am. There are many things I miss about my old job but that is not one of them.
@WilliamB, ditto.
@WilliamB, I wake up before 5 am even as a retiree, but that's because my cat Betty thinks I ought to be up and feeding her breakfast. As I've noted in the past, Betty has a will of iron, and I have the will of a feather duster. And I see that Chiquita gets an early breakfast as well.
@A. Marie, Haha! I love the description of yours and Betty’s will!
@A. Marie, Dora sits on DH's head before 6 every morning. She is impossible to ignore!
My day is not interesting like yours, and I have no fun, colorful pictures to go with it, especially of a cat doing its thing by laying on a bag, but I digress.
I find it amusing that you put the weights in order, because I "have" to do that type of thing, too.
I'll share my day! No one asked for it, but hey, you get it anyway, in all its glory!
5:30 am, my alarm clock goes off. I refuse to use my phone as an alarm, because I don't want it near my bed. I take my thyroid meds, which are bedside.
If I slept enough, I get up, if not, I hit the snooze and get up at 5:40. I always make my bed as soon as I get up.
I do a few minutes of mild exercise. I get dressed, put on makeup, go downstairs to overly-excited dogs prancing about the living room and give them fresh food and water.
If the dishes are clean, I empty the dishwasher. I heat and eat my breakfast, which I make ahead on weekends. I study my devotional while eating, pack my lunch I fixed the night before and give the dogs their stuffed Kong toys, shutting them in the laundry room. They have a pet door in there to the fenced yard, so they run outside to see me off through the fence.
I water flowers, uncover tender plants, carry out the trash on trash day or whatever is needed, go to the car, tell the dogs to be good and drive 55 miles to work, quite literally "over the river and through the woods." I usually leave just after seven am.
I work from 8 to 5, including through lunch. I eat at my desk and answer the phone, check emails, do small tasks, accept packages, finish paperwork, etc. I usually take a short walk outside or spend a few minutes just relaxing.
I often have a bank deposit to drop in the night drop at the bank and I put gas in the car every other day after work to avoid running low on gas on my drive home. I might pick up an item from a store on occasion, then drive home. I am most often home by 6:30 to 7 pm.
I'm greeted by overly-excited dogs. One dog always brings me a toy. I check my mail, feed the birds, feed the fish, feed the dogs, locate the Kongs so they will be ready for the next day (this can be a challenge) check my plants' and garden's needs, unpack my lunch bag, make a meal or heat up leftovers, pack my lunch, clean up the kitchen, run a load of dishes or laundry if needed, vacuum the main living area floor (sand and dog hair are daily things), update my budget, take a shower, maybe make more iced tea and take things out of the freezer if needed. If everything works well, I get a little time to read, sew or watch a little TV, but sometimes none of that gets to happen. Last thing I do before bed is briefly write in my journal, which also serves as a prayer journal.
And in a year.... much of this will change!
@JD, I loved hearing about your day. And in a year . . . are you excited? I'm retiring in December and I'm excited.
@JD, That is a DAY. I'm tired just reading it.
@Lynn,
I am beyond excited!
@Cheryl,
It is a busy day, but I'm used to it now. Not blaming my dear DH, but it was much harder when he was needing my care in addition to my everyday duties and job, as some others here can also attest. The schedule I have now, I can handle.
@JD, I enjoyed reading about your chock-full day. Telling your dogs to be good on your way out the door reminds me of my co-worker who would tell her mischievous dog: "Sam, make good decisions today!"
Kristen, Your lunch looks yummy to me, as always, but this time, the edamame gleamed like little gems. Just last night I said to my DH that I’m jonesing for some edamame.
Our microwave died a while ago and we haven’t replaced it yet. It’s not a high priority since we use it sparely. But it does make delicious edamame in the pod.
@ErikaJS,
So many things you are able to pack into a day, it’s very energizing to read about. I’m sorry that you ever had to join divorce groups but since you had no choice, I’m so glad you found lasting friends among them. You seem to be doing the same with people in your cohort. You have a friendly personality that makes buddies easily. It bodes well for a life filled with joy.
@ErikaJS, "Energizing"? I was thinking "intimidating"!
@JDinNM, Haha yes also. But she makes me think that I can do hard things too!
I love your “A Day in My Life” posts. It is always so interesting to me to see what a day looks like in others lives.
That's a very busy but productive day. Clinical sounds very interesting.
My day starts @5:30, I get up and get coffee that has been made the night before( the Cuisanart comes on at 5am.).I read emails, news, blogs, check bank stuff. Then 6:15 I head out to walk for 30 minutes. On days I dont walk, like today, I'm heading to the gym and then the library. On alternate days I go to the pool and swim for 40 minutes. I'm usually home either way by 10:30. If I havent eaten I make breakfast or something. Then I do my daily chores( Flylady) for 15-30 minutes edpending on what needs doing. If I have a project I might do that till 12 or 1.
With DLS ending though, I get up way earlier as I only walk when it's predawn because my eyes are very light sensitive. Usually I'm walking by 5:30 during the summer.
I like a structured day and being organized helps me with life.
Some weeks are different where I don't get to the pool because I get chemo therapy once a month. For interest, Kristen, its a subcutaneous shot in the abdomen called Velcade( or Bortezomib).
I'm an avid reader so books are a big part of my life( and the library).
Oh I am interested! I am familiar with cancer drugs ending in -mab (stands for monoclonal antibodies) but I hadn't heard of the -mib ones before!
It is hard to understand why youngsters don’t check email; it almost feels like an “in-your-face” to adults.
ELEVATOR??! Why not the stairs? 😎
Doncha just love Chewy? It’s a wonder that grocery stores and pet stores even sell pet food anymore. But I bet the delivery drivers hate those heavy boxes, especially when we order kitty litter.
Do you ever have time to read for enjoyment these days?
There are stairs at that part of the hospital that go up one level, but to get to the rest of the hospital from there, you have to take the elevators (unless you want to walk a long way to the corner of the building, and I usually don't get there early enough to do that!)
Also: trust me, you walk enough at the hospital to make any elevator use forgivable. 😉
I barely read for enjoyment these days; I will once I graduate though!
@Kristen, that makes sense. I wasn’t reprimanding you about elevator use—only surprised. I despise the elevators in our hospital and have learned all sorts of routes to find stairs through my various stints of visiting people there. It’s very confusing, but there are always helpful people when I find myself in the wrong hallway.
We have to park on the fifth level of the parking garage, and I do take the stairs down to level one there! Then you walk down a hallway into the main hospital and then you go up again. 🙂
@Central Calif. Artist Jana,
I'm a big, BIG fan of Chewy! What I did before discovering them, I don't know. We order our cat's special vet-prescribed food on there (they have the best price I can find, plus, hellooooo Autoship!), as well as bird seed, dog treats, and sometime kitty litter. (I know what you mean....those Chewy delivery people must dread those heavy boxes!). We use the Tidy Cat clumpable litter, and I am thrilled that you can now buy bags of "refill" litter, instead of collecting a zillion plastic buckets.
Wow! Busy woman.
When you mentioned making granola and yogurt yesterday, I wondered when you had time to do that. Now I know! 🙂
Also, the overnight cinnamon rolls look so good. I think I will try to make them sometime in March.
Well, the main reason I find time is that I can listen to lectures while I do those tasks...so it doesn't eat into my study time!
You are such a power house. You pack so much into every second of your day. You make me look geriatric. I used to have all your energy, but 31 years later as a nurse I am ready for rest and retirement!
You must be like me: I like to leave any place I am at in better condition than I found it, whether a classroom (I'm a sub) or a doctor's office where I straighten chairs and magazines!
@Teri, I do the same wherever I am. It feels right and good - and just plain looks better than before.
you are AMAZING. i'm tired just reading about everything you accomplished. thanks for taking us along on your day.
for the longest time amazon does not deliver to my apt. but chewy does. i put the pkgs in the lobby in apt order and the people in my building make a mess of them. it gets me so upset. but then other people thank me and tell me they appreciate me.
I am NOT a morning person. I used to joke I don't believe in 5 a.m. because I've never seen it. ;o)
(Of course I have, I've been working or going to school full time since I was 17 and I'm in my mid-60's and couldn't always choose my hours).
Thanks for sharing your day. Making time to nurture friendships is as important as any other thing you do.
Busy, busy day! I'm absolutely impressed that you can duolingo with a bite guard in! Can Duo really understand you around the guard? I think you're practicing Spanish; maybe it's more conducive to the potential slurring of plastic. I have to have my guard out if Duo is going to approve my speech.
It does approve my speech exercises even with the guard in!
Fun post! Thanks! I’m impressed that you can do Wordle and Connections first thing! I definitely need to be caffeinated before taking that on!
Happy birthday, Zoe! How old is your baby now?
Thank you for sharing and your gym etiquette is beyond reproach.
I really really love these day in the life posts! It's so interesting to peek into other people's lives. My days are usually fairly routine but yesterday I had a special evening event with my sister:
5:45a wake up, pack lunches for the kids, get ready
6:30a drive to lab
7:15a work on a presentation
9:00a attend a science symposium
12:30p quick lunch, catch up on emails
1:00p meeting with a student
1:30p continue working on presentation and a paper revision
4:15p subway down to New York Public Library to finally return some library books
5:00p drop off the books
5:15p meet my sister for dinner
7:00p attend a musical (Maybe Happy Ending - we loved it!)
9:00p subway back up to work to get my car
9:30p drive home
10:00p go to bed