My Nurse's Notes

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My Morning Workout Nightmare
2008-04-01 05:40:00
I'm quite proud of myself that I was able to partially complete my objectives for this day. After a month of procrastination and exhausting my scapegoats I finally did it! I went jogging early in the morning! I was quite amazed at my determination to lose weight hehehe. I woke up at 4:30 and started jogging at around 5:00 am on the highway. Yup the highway since of some reasons that I have posted here. The dawn was actually beautiful, it seemed as if it was still 12:00 am and the stars were still twinkling and the moon was still up. I told myself that this was a good day to jog. But the beautiful "evening like"-dawn turned to a scene taken out from a horror movie.So there I was jogging with my headset on and my workout playlist playing. I was running and occasionally slow down my pace when I see people passing by and I keep a safe distance (for all I know they could be dangerous and I couldn't see their faces). The wind was very refreshing but suddenly I realized that this part of...
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My Workout Songs
2008-04-01 04:10:00
I actually don't workout hahaha! But I plan to do some jogging and decided to create my workout playlist. It is undeniable that music affects our emotions, intelligence, and health. Even without words, music can make us joyful or depressed, energized or sleepy.Listening to music that induces relaxation, before taking a test has been proven to temporarily enhance IQ and improve scores. Music also has unending benefits on our health.With regards to health, it has been proven that music reduces blood pressure and music is also used as a form of therapy to pain and to calm patients in mental hospitals.Mark Tramo, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, commented on a study which "showed that the heart muscle of people exercising on treadmills didn't work as hard when people listened to music as it did when they exercised in silence."That is why I spent some time creating my perfect workout playlist and here it is:Any songs from Britney Spear's Blackout (yup I love it!)Stronger - ...
More About: Songs , Workout

Corazon Aquino & Colon Cancer
2008-03-31 12:57:00
I was actually shocked to discover that the former Philippine president, Cory Aquino, was announced by her daughter, Kris Aquino, a famous celebrity, that Mrs. Aquino was diagnosed with colon cancer. We know Mrs. Aquino as a living symbol of democracy as she was swept into power by a peaceful EDSA I revolution to overthrow the then President, Ferdinand Marcos. She also was the one that helped bring the current President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to power and is also ironically the one joining protests to bring President GMA down. But this time she faces a far more bigger battle, a battle for her life as she fights against colon cancer.So what is colon cancer? To know that we must first define what cancer is.In a normal body function, rapid division and multiplication of cells are needed to regenerate and heal the body. But there are times when the growth is uncontrollable and spreads (metastasizes) into other parts of the organs where it continue to divides and replaces normally funct...
More About: Cancer , Colon Cancer , Colon

Deciphering the Doctor's Handwriting
2008-03-29 09:16:00
We all heard about the Da Vinci Code right? But there is something more difficult to comprehend and very difficult to decipher: the doctor's handwriting... it's a great mystery why Doctor's handwriting is illegible. There is also this study conducted by the British Medical Journal to check if doctor's handwriting were legible. Guess what the result is? Doctors Fail Handwriting Test!For years now I have always been told that my handwriting is like a doctor's. This is meant to be a joke of course, but can also be misunderstood for an insult. It is true that I had my own share of horror and eye strain from trying to read and make sense of the scribbles and marks written by doctor's on their Doctor's Order.In fact I always have to team up with my other duty mates to help me break the secret of the doctor's handwriting. But we always end up making mistakes. It amazes us though that my clinical instructors are able to understand this foreign handwriting. We always ask our CI's in...

Skipping a Meal Leads to Brain Death
2008-03-29 08:28:00
Hypoglycemia is the medical term for a level of blood glucose (blood sugar) that is too low to meet immediate energy needs of the body. Glucose is a sugar that our bodies use for energy. A normal level of glucose in the blood is between 60-110 mg/dl . If you are hypoglycemic you will encounter the following symptoms: sweating, feeling warm, dizziness, difficulty speaking, inability to concentrate, hunger, drowsiness, anxiety, confusion, nausea, trembling and headaches.There are two types of hypoglycemia. And these are:Fasting hypoglycemia can occur when a person goes without food for eight or more hours. It can be caused by certain underlying diseases (tumors of the pancreas, severe liver disease, adrenal failure) that upsets the body's ability to balance glucose.Reactive hypoglycemia is when blood glucose levels fall too low within a few hours after eating. This type rarely has a serious underlying cause. and is not easy to diagnose.But I guess that the type of hypoglycemia that s...
More About: Leads , Death , Brain , Meal

Don't Eat Anything That Doesn't Rot
2008-03-28 15:34:00
Before I talk about food that doesn't rot please take time to watch this video. Trust me, the video is very interesting and it kind of makes you think what large food companies are creating these days, not to mention what chemicals they add to our food.Some would say that http://diet.com author and obesity activist Julia Havey is a load of bullsh*t and that it's understandable that any food item would decay and this is just unreal. My comment? No comment, Lol. But another acclaimed author and journalist Michael Pollan agrees with Ms. Julia Havey and argues that what most Americans are consuming today is not food but "edible foodlike substances."If you want to read the full interview with Michael Pollan then you can check it out at Alternet.org. But the bottom line of the interview is are we really eating real food or a frankenstein-creation that is not really living because it does not decay because it is filled with different kinds of chemicals and preservatives.I will not be sur...

Writer's Block!
2008-03-28 14:51:00
Aah! Oh my God! I'm having writer's block! I don't know what to post in my nursing blog anymore! Like I had thought of an idea a while ago but then it just *poof* flew away. I hate being out of school. I feel like I'm being drained of ideas and such. I know that there are so many things to write about but nothing seems to be nursing related and I want this blog to be 100% nursing or health related.But posting this ranting won't do anything right? Wait! I just remembered the topic that I'm going to write about. It seems that my memory isn't that bad, Lol!
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Signed up for BloggerWave!
2008-03-28 12:42:00
I just signed up for BloggerWave and boy am I happy! You might already have an idea what BloggerWave is and yup you sure are right! BloggerWave is an excellent program that gives you the opportunity to earn money while doing what we bloggers love the most: BLOGGING!So what are you waiting for? Why don't you check out BloggerWave for yourself? You have nothing to lose but instead you earn money!
More About: Signed

Delaying Tactics
2008-03-24 15:17:00
Boy! Am I good with delaying stuff hahaha! Last night I have planned again to continue my dream of losing weight (for health reasons, not for image reasons hahaha!) even if it meant disobeying the wishes of my mom! But sadly I stayed up late talking with my brother in the living room. Who would've thought that I could have those 7th Heaven mushy heart to heart talks with my brother... ewe... hehehe... I realized that I don't know much about my little brother and having that talk makes me think that he's human after all hahaha! I respect and understand him more now that we had that talk and I promised myself that I won't be that strict to him and be mean and all that stuff.Anyway as expected, I didn't have a good sleep. In fact I woke up before 4:15 am, the time I plan to wake up to exercise. I knew by then that I wouldn't be able to wake up and have the energy to exercise. And to my surprise my mom actually woke up at 3:00 am and checked up on me to see if I was actually in my...
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Nursing: Back To Basics
2008-03-21 14:34:00
Today I have heard what I have feared the most... It's bad enough that I have to transfer to another school and lose my chance and my dream of graduating from Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan. But my fear had been realized. My mom has told me that I might have to take some 12th Year Subjects and then go back to 1st Year College just like what a friend's child had gone through...I was at first at denial and I was rationalizing, a defense mechanism, that I would not actually have to go back to the very beginning because I already have an Associate in Health Science Education and I had already been capped and badged... but then I realized that the education system in Canada is different from the Philippines and that some of my subjects might not be credited at all.It's sad but if you weigh the pros and cons, going back to first year in a new country and a new life might not be bad at all. Here are the pros and cons that I have thought of:the CONS:my batch mates will graduate ah...
More About: Back , Back To Basics , Nursing , Basics

THE GASTRO-WARD NURSE
2008-03-20 04:14:00
Ooh! I feel so invigorated! It was my first time to handle a whole ward! That’s right! I have only tried handling one or two patients but now, I’m the master of the whole Gastro Ward ! As you might have guessed the Gastro Ward has patients (normally pediatric patients) who suffer from acute gastroenteritis and other GI problems. It was an honor for me that my practicing clinical instructors would give me such an important responsibility, but again the gastro ward had only three patients so it was no big deal hehehe. Working in the gastro ward was quite ok. It was air-conditioned (it was a private hospital, thank God) and there was a TV (but I didn’t watch it because I was busy regulating IV flow rates). The patients were just adorable and the patient’s family were very nice and accommodating to my questions. There was this 1 year old boy who was so cute and hyper-energetic. I really liked this patient a lot and I loved playing with him during my free time. I just have a ...
More About: Nurse

Nurses Needs FUN Too
2008-03-20 03:34:00
Being a nurse is not an easy job (especially if you're an RN in the Philippines). One is faced with an extremely unfair patient to nurse ratio that you are overworked but underpaid. Nurses are faced with so much stress from trying to save their patient's life to having to do with disgruntled and discontented family members. There are times that nurses suffer from ulcers and distended bladders because they are so busy (from caring for a lot of patients) that they forget to eat and even neglect relieving them selves in the bathroom.I won't be amazed if a nurse suddenly had enough and just have a total break down. That is why nurses should also have their own "ME" time and take some time to relax. And what better way to relax than play some online casino games right? Gambling could be quite relaxing and just having the thrill of the game is the best cure for a nurse's fatigue and stress from the hospital. But the thing about online casino is that there's just too much of them aro...

My Brain is on Vacation
2008-03-10 20:00:00
As of this very moment I am officially an Out-of-School-Youth. Yup damn right I am. It's time to have my summer vacation started and have the rest period that I have been waiting for for the past few weeks now.Finally, a little more "me" time and more time for sleeping and all that none sense. "None sense" you ask? Well, although I've been praying to be out of school and just bum around it's not that rewarding.I'm at home all day with out anything worth doing. The past few weeks I've been fiddling around with my computers at home doing system checks, downloading/updating softwares, and downloading pc games which I don't have the interest to play with (well not yet of course).I have prepared well for this summer vacation from buying anime DVD's and PC games so that I won't get bored. But surprisingly, I find playing PC games and watching movies a complete waste of time. Oh my God! What am I saying? I love PC games and watching anime. But for the past couple of days now I have...
More About: Vacation , Brain

I Passed My Exams!
2008-03-05 16:13:00
I'm quite happy that I got through my exams and passed both my nursing lecture and related learning experience final exams. I'm quite confident that I will also pass in the final grade (well I'm still hoping at least). My quizzes aren't that good but my term exams are quite ok.On the other hand, my block mates and I were able to pass our grand case study/presentation of a 47 year old male with acute coronary syndrome and pulmonary embolism likely with hypercoagulable state secondary to polycythemia vera. Our grand case presentation may have a lot of corrections and errors but it was quite amazing that we even passed.In nursing research my group's thesis proposal of "Factors that Influence the Adherence of Delivery Room Nurses to Sterile Technique in Cagayan de Oro" has been accepted even if there were also errors and corrections starting from the cover page to the last page.But you know what's ironic? I may have passed my major nursing subjects but I have doubts if I passed En...
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Things You Don't Want to Hear During Your Surgery
2008-03-01 05:48:00
document.write(''); Read this doc on Scribd: 21 Things You Never Want To Hear During Surgery var scribd_doc = new scribd.Document(1385648, 'key-2cwdn2slxypajts3gv00'); scribd_doc.write('embedded_flash_1385648_ pq9k6');
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December 2007 PRC Nursing Board Exam Results
2008-02-23 12:57:00
I didn't know how to react when I've heard that Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan College of Nursing didn't have it's normal turn out of 100%. Ever since the opening of the College of Nursing, it had always garnered a 100% passing rate (well except for one time when it had a 99% passing rate). But never the less, Xavier University has once again proven that it's graduates are not to be looked down at. Nurses who graduate from Xavier University are certified to have the 3 C's: Competence, Commitment, and Compassion...I am proud to announce that my school is the 2nd Best Nursing School in the Philippines as of the December 2007 PRC Nursing Board Exam s. XU had a passing rate of 98% (still close to 100%) with 229 passers out of 233 examinees. I pity the 4 who failed because they not only carry the burden of failing but also the shame and the pressure of being the cause of XU's decreased passing mark... but we cannot blame them because the board exam is not easy. Imagine out of ...
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Beer and Fireworks = Bad Combination
2008-02-21 12:30:00
This is just one of the many reasons why I don't drink and why I highly discourage anyone else from drinking. Beer makes someone lose their selves for a while. Beer is a very good CNS depressant so your thinking and good judgement are impaired. This is the reason why there are so many drunk people out there who does stupid things like murder, rape, theft, and just plainly making a fool of themselves by lying unconscious on street corners. Not to mention that most vehicular related accidents are caused by drunk drivers.There are so many health risks that I could give you that is related to drinking. Increased risk of accidents strokes caused by bleeding medication interactions - including non-prescription drugs breast cancer - alcohol increases estrogen levels, which is a risk for premenopausal women birth defects - fetal alcohol effect (FAE) and low birth weightliver cirrhosisheavier drinking - many people, such as recovering alcoholics, can't maintain moderation source: ht...
More About: Combination , Fireworks

The New Face of Colgate Fresh Confidence
2008-02-21 11:30:00
You just have to love the creativity of people these days. You can't help but just be amused and admire the unexpected talents of people. Just like the picture above. If you're wondering, that's actually his real teeth decayed from eating too much chocolates and other sweets. He's using the new Colgate Fresh Confidence toothpaste to bring back the shine and whiteness of his teeth.No I'm just fooling around. This isn't actually his real teeth. That's just some toy dentures made to look like real rotten teeth. Realistic isn't it? And the model's expression fits the whole picture perfectly.But this should serve as an important reminder to children of all ages out there that they should never neglect proper oral hygiene because they might soon get the same teeth like the ones shown above, and this time it won't be just a toy dentures.So kids, if you don't want rotten teeth brush at least three times a day with any toothpaste that is rich in flouride to protect your teeth from...
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My Definition of Doom
2008-02-21 08:39:00
Doom as defined by Answers.com is the following: 1. Inevitable destruction or ruin. 2. Fate, especially a tragic or ruinous one. 3. A decision or judgment, especially an official condemnation to a severe penalty. 4. Judgment Day. 5. A statute or ordinance, especially one in force in Anglo-Saxon England.But in my own personal life, doom is my inability to manage my time effectively and mismanaging my priorities. So what happens next? My work and responsibilities piles up and I am unable to prepare for these responsibilities well enough resulting in massive and successive failures.Time is not on my side here people. I still have a lot of things to do and I am panicking already. It's quite handy though that I have an excuse for being tardy and lazy. And this excuse is the nursing life is hard and difficult. This is even manifested by the great number of casualties in the college of nursing at Xavier Universirty...But I have no one else to blame but myself... at least I'm not fai...
More About: Student life , Definition , Doom

The Proper Handwashing Poem by Ms. Ansay
2008-02-21 07:48:00
I was searching the net for guidelines on proper hand washing when I stumbled upon a poem by a fellow nursing student, Ms. Danica Ansay, who studies at University of the East Ramon Magsaysay (UERM)., Here is a link to her poem: Proper Hand Washing!^_^At first I was wondering why it sounds like a poem until I realized it is a poem. After reading the whole thing I was quite amazed how Ms. Ansay was able to incorporate the nursing procedure of handwashing into a delightful piece. The poem is very witty and funny. Why don't you read the poem for your self: *Assuming that I did demonstrate the Hand Washing to you Upon opening the door You first stole me with your machong-machong body Standing beside the sink located beside the door Waiting for me, ay shit! Joke lang! I mean waiting for the next student to demonstrate the Proper Hand Washing Suddenly after we sat, I heard you call my name, Ms. Ansay! OMG! I can?t believe I hear you call my stolen name Walking towards the sink...
More About: Reading , Student life , Poem

Weekly Evaluation
2008-02-21 07:04:00
This week of duty may perhaps be the most exciting and memorable as compared to all the other rotations. This may be because of the fact that this week is the last time that we will have to sleep late at night for the following day?s requirements, wake up early in the morning to prevent being late and incurring extensions, and be stressed out from the day?s duty. But it was quite sad that instead of rejoicing we were reprimanded because we were not courteous to the patients and staff nurses, I don?t really know much of this issue because I was late for the post-conference because I wasn?t informed that we were going to have the post-conference already. This was my first time to handle three patients at a time. Thank God we didn?t have to administer meds for this day, or else it would be quite a mess. I have to prepare the meds, do a drug study with my PCI then CI, and then administer them, and finally document the procedure. I was also quite lucky that I didn?t have...
More About: Student life , Evaluation , Weekly , Sharing

Why Am I Always Late?
2008-02-19 12:17:00
$Aah! Is it me or do I really lack time management because once again I am late! Well at least this time I won?t get an extension because I?m only late for an assessment but still it?s so frustrating to be late. It?s also quite a shame because of all people, a nurse should never be late. It has been reiterated over and over again back in RLE 2 that a nurse should never be late because every minute is important for the life of the patient. Plus one should also think of the other nurse on duty that one should from her/his 8 hour straight duty. Darn it!Well at least I wasn't late for the medical rotation. It was really great that my colleagues and I agreed to carpool to save money. We meet at Dunkin Donuts 30 minutes before our pre-conference so that we could then share a taxi and split the fare. It's also a good motivation too since I don't want anyone waiting for me... and I don't want people to make me wait... hahaha! I sound like Sasori of Naruto!Anyway, lesson learned and I'l...
More About: Student life , Bloopers , Late

Take the Stairs Instead of the Elevator
2008-02-15 23:55:00
It's quite frustrating when the elevator doors are locked. Like my class is on the 6th floor and it's so tiring to climb those stairs especially when you're carrying my big and heavy Medical-Surgical Nursing book.What's even more frustrating is when you find the first floor elevator closed, the second floor elevator closed, the third floor elevator closed, the fourth floor elevator closed, the fifth floor elevator open! What?! Like I'm going to the sixth floor! Might as well take the stairs...But despite all of my frustrations I finally got over them and realized that it's actually really better to take the stairs because it's a form of exercise which I really need since I have a sedentary lifestyle.I just have to make sure though that I won't be late for my class. So I got to go now, I still have to take the stairs to my room...
More About: Student life , Elevator , Sharing

I signed up for PayPerPost!
2008-02-15 23:34:00
I am so happy that I signed up for PayPerPost! As said by the name I get to post about anything that I want but still get paid for it. How cool is that? It was quite easy to get approved as long as your blog is legitimate and doesn't have pornography and such.What I like about PayPerPost is it's very user-friendly website where you can easily select sposored topics and then post. You can also download a Firefox toolbar that you can use to easily keep tract of your earnings and so that you can easily log-in to your account.I wonder what I will do with my earnings? Buy more nursing books or a new stethoscope perhaps? Or I could donate my money to some charitable institutions. With PayPerPost you can actually do both. You can easily donate through PayPerPost by simply selecting which institution you would like to donate to as shown below:(Click the Image to Enlarge)Isn't PayPerPost great? Why don't you sign up and let's blog together about things that we love but still get the cha...
More About: Signed , Payperpost , Sharing

On Memory Enhancers
2008-02-14 02:46:00
Tomorrow is our semi-finals exams and I bet I'm going to be really busy again cramming (hahaha)... but I bet cramming would only work if I had photographic memory but fortunately I don't. For years now I have been searching for a way to improve my memory because as a nursing students I have a lot of stuff that I need to memorize like normal level of hemoglobin or different drugs used to treat a disease and all of that stuff.I have tried using memory enhancers like glutaphos but it doesn't seem to have worked for me. Well I did pass pharmacology with all those drugs and their classifications (thank God!) but I don't think that taking glutaphos has helped me pass pharma. In fact, whenever I take glutaphos I just sleep and I don't even get to study.Anyway, glutaphos is just a vitamin supplement that contains vitamin B12 (as they call brain-food) and such. So why waste on money and risk damaging my liver when I could take Vitamin B12 from normal sources like meat, dairy products, a...
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Weekly Evaluation: Medical Rotation
2008-02-13 10:38:00
This week was a full of firsts for me. It was my first time to have ever go on duty at Madonna & Child Hospital and it was my first time to have been under my current clinical instructor and practicing clinical instructors for this rotation.Although everything was new to me, I was able to adapt and carry out my nursing responsibilities. I was also blessed to have been assigned such wonderful patients who were very cooperative and very welcoming. I really did not feel awkward as I stayed in their rooms for the whole day as their student nurse. I was also quite glad that I didn't have to chart any nurse's notes (because it takes so much time, not to mention effort ^_^) and all that was required of us was a sample nurse's notes.For this week I had two patients. A 6 day old baby girl with septicemia neonatorum and a 51 year old woman with pneumonia. I am glad that they are not that toxic and that they are already getting well.For both case, it is important to note the presence of...
More About: Medical , Student life , Evaluation , Weekly , Rotation

Being A Nurse
2008-02-13 01:59:00
Being a nurse isn't about grades.It's about being who we are.NO book can teach you how to cry with a patient.NO class can teach you how to tell a family that their parents have died or are dying.NO professor can teach you how to find dignity in giving someone a bed bath.A nurse is not about the pills, the IV's and the charting.It's about being able to LOVE people when they are at their WEAKEST moments and being able to forgive for ALL their wrong and make a difference in their lives today.NO one can make you a nurse...JUST YOUThis is a very nice message that our beloved clinical instructor, Ma'am Asne, has given us. It really has made an impact on me. Truly, being a nurse is not easy. The job itself is stressful but you also have to deal with patients who are in pain and who needs understanding even if they mistreat you out of their frustrations of being sick. It's very demanding indeed. But I will try my best to meet the expectations of a nurse who is compassionate, competent...
More About: Reading , Student life , Nurse

Psoriasis
2008-02-09 19:16:00
You know what? It was really quite an amazing experience when I was able to encounter a patient with psoriasis. It's amazing because it's my first time to see a patient with that disorder and this kind of disorder is very rare and doesn't really occur with Filipinos.Anyway, psoriasis is a "chronic, non-contagious disease characterized by inflamed lesions covered with silvery-white scabs of dead skin (www.answers.com)" just like the picture above.At first I didn't really think that the disorder was contagious or something like that. I was reluctant to touch the patient and aid him in going down and up his bed because he had scaly white skin and lesions all over his body and he was obese, so he was very heavy to carry. But one of my colleague really had somatic effects. What I mean by somatic effects is that he had bodily manifestations of a psychological induced disorder or disease. He was thinking that psoriasis is highly contagious so he suddenly had pruritis or itchiness on hi...
More About: Student life , Psoriasis , Sharing

My New Acer Aspire 4310 Laptop!
2008-02-08 10:48:00
For many days, or rather weeks, I have been going on and on about laptops and I have been obsessed with laptops to the point that I couldn't concentrate on studying.But after several weeks and with one swipe of a Citibank Credit Card, presto! My new Acer Aspire 4310 Laptop :Picture Credits goes to: http://komku.blogspot.com/2007/10/acer-as pire-4310-and-3dmark03.html as I am very lazy to take a picture and upload photos of my laptop anyway, they look the same.You might be wondering why I didn't get the Acer Aspire 4315 or the Asus X51R... anyway the Acer Aspire 4315 is actually phased-out in the Philippines and the 4310 is way better as it has a built in web camera and microphone perfect for web video conferencing! Here are the specs: Operating System - Linux (but mine is windows XP)Processor - Intel Celeron® M Processor Processor Type - Celeron M 530 (1.73Ghz, 1MB, 533 FSB) Chipset - Mobile Intel® 943GML Express Chipset Memory - 512 MB DDR2 ( Upg...
More About: Student life

The Making of the Case Presentation
2008-02-02 17:55:00
Who ever thought that I could also be a control freak and an organized systematic person. It was quite amazing how I made up a Daily Plan of Activities for Saturday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I was quite glad that my group mates were cooperative and had had the same passion "uwag" like my self in the making of our case presentation (CP).There was someone though that wasn't able to come because of some serious reasons but I do hope that this person was telling the truth and didn't absent himself for nothing unimportant.Anyway, I have a positive feeling for the good outcome of our case presentation. I'll just post the contents of the CP here when it's already finished.
More About: Case , Presentation