During my senior year of high school, I was privileged to be a part of the medicine strand at the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS). In order to be a part of this program, you have to have fulfilled all graduation requirements, taken an anatomy and physiology course, and be able to devote three periods of the typical seven period school day to the classes. Classes only last one semester, so I was able to take both a Foundations of Medicine course and a CNA course. In the Foundations of Medicine course, I was able to learn so many essential skills that I will actually use someday as a nurse. Some of these skills include: taking vital signs, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, completing a head-to-toe assessment, venipuncture, placing sutures, putting in a catheter, using an EKG, and taking various x-rays. In addition to just …show more content…
The lessons that I learned each week corresponded with the college medical terminology lessons, and I took the same college-level exams. I was also fortunate enough to gain college credit for an electronic medical records class. Every week, a college professor would come to my class and assign a new patient that we would have to chart for. Through this experience, I was able to learn all of the ins and outs of the medical charting program, Cerner. I am confident in my abilities to document family history, home medications, and allergies, as well as order x-rays, consultations, medications, and other treatment options. I also know how to send test results and messages to other medical professionals. This will be very helpful when I begin working as a registered nurse because it will allow me to jump right into the work, without having technological issues or barriers that would prevent me from providing the best care for the