Clinical II winds down

Clinical II concludes today, marking the end of the second of five clinical phases of my paramedic program. In addition to three emergency department shifts, this clinical saw us rotate through the central emergency dispatching center. We would have gone through the stroke center during Clinical II as well, but now-resolved accreditation issues on the part of the hospital postponed the stroke center to Clinical III.

I find the clinical rotations incredibly rewarding. Practicing our skills on manikins in the lab is fine, but there's nothing like actually performing the skills on live patients. In addition to being more realistic--I've never seen a rubber IV arm with rolling veins--there's a psychological element to treating real people that can't be simulated in a lab. Beyond that, there's just no substitute for experience, and I'm finding that I gain confidence and proficiency in my skills much more rapidly during clinicals than in the lab.

I've been reading a spate of marriage books recently, and while each has offered pearls of wisdom, my favorite was Gary Chapman's The Five Love Languages. If you haven't read it, I'd recommend picking it up. Married couples stand to reap the maximum benefit, obviously, but there's a good portion of the book that can be applied to better understanding non-marital relationships as well.

From the I-can't-believe-they-got-a-grant-to-study-this file, a recently concluded Australian study suggested that the more hours you spend watching television every day, the likelier you are to die from heart disease. Downright earth-shattering news.