Cath lab observation

For whatever reason, I was sent to do a cath lab observation today rather than the floor/ECCO routine. This is nice thing to do, but it wouldn't have been my first choice for the day.

Although the "main event" in the cath lab was an ablation, the most interesting was an ICD interrogation which afforded the first opportunities to see an actual defibrillation and real, live use of conscious sedation.

Isoproterenol: I had a frustrating experience of not being familiar with this med today. I've been reviewing meds every day trying to relearn (a) things I've forgotten and (b) things I learned in a warped, half-assed fashion in school. I had skipped isoproterenol because I never remembered hearing of its use in school or while working as a ward clerk. Today, I couldn't remember what class of drug it was. Sure, go ahead and yell it out: β1,2-agonist. Embarassing to have to look it up.

All day observation was a real downer. I felt like I was being punished by not being allowed to really participate. Like I had been sent back to school. It didn't help that one of the techs was ribbing me about it.

At the end of the day, I helped pick up a patient from ICU for a procedure and got to see excellent Lori (right), who I haven't seen but fleetingly since she left PCU and not at all since I graduated. I got a graduation fist pound. Cool.

The rest of this week is the cardiac arrhythmia class, which I feel pretty good about. But I'm anxious about being back on the floor after that. There's still a lot to learn, not just cardiac-specific but basic nursing. I don't know what I'm supposed to know. They kept telling us in school not to worry about things because we would pick up skills on the job, but when I'm getting ribbed by the cath lab techs about shit it makes me wonder...