A Stressful Couple Of Weeks

A requirement of my new job is that I had to be certified to give medications to our residents. Last week I had two days of training and then should have taken a test. I did not feel confident enough to take the test, so I pulled out of the class. Here in Tennessee you can only take this certification test twice. If you fail it both times you can never take it again or be certified. I felt really guilty about pulling out of the class and I think work was disappointed as well. The Instruction Coordinator scheduled me for a second class this week. I was a little nervous about taking it again. The most difficult part has been mentally changing from a vocational training focus to a residential focus. At the Opportunity Center we were restricted from giving any type of medications. Now in this position, it is expected. There is definately a mental shift.

The testing consists of a written test with 100 questions, appropriately filling out a Medication Administration Record (MAR) from a doctor's prescription, completing a Medication Variance Form and finally, confidently demonstrating 8 different medication procedures/techniques. There is alot to this medication administration stuff. The training this week was three days and went at a slower pace. Our instructor this time was excellent! I actually enjoyed the training. I passed and will soon be receiving my card in the mail. I learned so much about medications and how to dispense them.

Another thing I walked away with was an increased awe of our God. The human body is so complex. The Creator thought of everything. Did you know there is a flap at the back of our mouth (the Epiglottis) that closes to keep food from entering our airway so we don't gag or aspirate?

It feels so good to have this completed. I studied hard the last couple weeks and it has paid off. Tina passed along a couple tricks for studying for tests. (She is a fantastic student) They worked very well. I am rewarding myself (and the family really) by installing a garbage disposal in the kitchen tomorrow. I also want to free up some room in the garage by taking a load of inherited items (item left here when we bought the house) to the thrift store, as well. We are all enjoying having a garage. It has been pretty chilly here over night, dipping down into the upper 20's. It is nice to get into a warm dry car that is free of frosty windows. Oh, yea we another project for tomorrow is to get a new garage door opener. Apparently, the one we should have received with the house could not be found.

That's all the news for now. Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

-Norm