57 days until I am through with nursing school.
it is crazy to think that it has already been 14 months and I am just shy of 2 left.
the time has flown by and at the same time drug on (no pharmacological pun intended).
spring break just ended (sigh). my dear friends mindy and mike came to visit. wonderful times, i miss seeing their faces on a regular basis. i had a list of assignments to complete during break. didn't finish it by any means. the thing about nursing school is that there is always something that you could be working on. nclex questions, case studies, studying for upcoming tests, papers to write, projects to begin. and during my spring break i did none of this! i sat on my couch and watched tv (caught up on 2 seasons of Big Love). do i feel guilty about not getting a head start on things? absolutely! in the grand scheme of things does it really matter-likely no.
it is official, i have senioritis. along with all 85 of my classmates we are weary from this journey through nursing school. depending on the path we have taken to reach this point the time spent on this endeavor it has been upwards of 4 years. my journey commenced in january of 2008.
i am ready to be done.
i know these last 57 days will fly by, i am praying they do.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Breakthrough...
As many of you know I have spent the last 13 months in an intensive Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program. The time has flown by (I have 95 days until graduation) and much of it is a blur. I often think about how in the world am I going to be working as a REAL nurse in just a few short months??? I don't know anything (or really much of anything). And then I have a breakthrough...
Last semester I found a roommate who was just beginning the Accelerated program I am in and I spent quite a bit of time with her answering questions, giving advice and so on. I have found I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences with others. This semester I was looking for a new "Mentee". And I was hooked up with one through a classmate. We met for the first time this evening to talk about the basics...how to study, what to do first, how much time...etc. For those of you with no nursing school experience it is a whole OTHER world! You may have been a AMAZING professional in your other life but nursing school will kick you in the tutees (or for those of you unfamiliar with Yiddish-butt)! After spending time with this woman giving pointers as to what to study, how much to study, organizational tips and so forth I realized HOW FAR I HAVE COME!! I really have learned so much since beginning this program and well it makes me want to kvell (cry)! I put explanations into nursing terms and it was just all flowing out of me without even realizing it! I am SO PROUD of my accomplishments! It really take putting it all together and helping others out to figure this out. Maybe I should write more of it down but here are a few of my survival tips...
1. GRACE- those of us in an accelerated nursing program are the very definition of NEUROTIC!! We are Type A to the max and will stress ourselves out to the point of a MI (heart attack) if we don't remember to be gracious to ourselves! Being a straight A student in nursing school is darn near impossible and with a grading scale like we are up against having a B+ average is FANTASTIC!! The Belmont the school of nursing grading scale a B+ is a 90-92%-which again is fantastic!
2. Balance-One MUST MAKE TIME for other endeavors if a nursing student is to maintain their SANITY!! I have learned that I study better in the morning so I often get up early to study. On any given day I will study until 7 PM and then I am done. After 7 I am free to do the things that I enjoy doing such as knitting and watching TV. This is VERY important as if I all I ever did was homework I would come to resent it and its ability to take over my life. I have found that I am a big fan of audiobooks as well and between listening and reading I have "read" about 20 NON-SCHOOL books since beginning the program. This was a tip that I learned from my dear friend Ruth who will be graduating with her PhD the day after me and her support and encouragement as well as her accomplishments I am SO PROUD OF!!
3. This one goes along with the previous two but I learned it from my Favorite former boss Pattie (who learned it from her former boss Ian) Fuck it! Sorry if that may be offensive to some however this is also necessary to maintain sanity. Or you could say it another way in the words of my Mental Health professor Dr. Fold, "I did the best that I could under the given circumstances" and thats the best you can do and to stress over in the end is pointless!
This whole process has truly been an amazing learning/personal growth experience and though it has been challenging, trying, and infuriating at times I know that when it is all said and done...graduation and the NCLEX behind me I WILL be ready to begin my new career as a RN!!
Last semester I found a roommate who was just beginning the Accelerated program I am in and I spent quite a bit of time with her answering questions, giving advice and so on. I have found I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences with others. This semester I was looking for a new "Mentee". And I was hooked up with one through a classmate. We met for the first time this evening to talk about the basics...how to study, what to do first, how much time...etc. For those of you with no nursing school experience it is a whole OTHER world! You may have been a AMAZING professional in your other life but nursing school will kick you in the tutees (or for those of you unfamiliar with Yiddish-butt)! After spending time with this woman giving pointers as to what to study, how much to study, organizational tips and so forth I realized HOW FAR I HAVE COME!! I really have learned so much since beginning this program and well it makes me want to kvell (cry)! I put explanations into nursing terms and it was just all flowing out of me without even realizing it! I am SO PROUD of my accomplishments! It really take putting it all together and helping others out to figure this out. Maybe I should write more of it down but here are a few of my survival tips...
1. GRACE- those of us in an accelerated nursing program are the very definition of NEUROTIC!! We are Type A to the max and will stress ourselves out to the point of a MI (heart attack) if we don't remember to be gracious to ourselves! Being a straight A student in nursing school is darn near impossible and with a grading scale like we are up against having a B+ average is FANTASTIC!! The Belmont the school of nursing grading scale a B+ is a 90-92%-which again is fantastic!
2. Balance-One MUST MAKE TIME for other endeavors if a nursing student is to maintain their SANITY!! I have learned that I study better in the morning so I often get up early to study. On any given day I will study until 7 PM and then I am done. After 7 I am free to do the things that I enjoy doing such as knitting and watching TV. This is VERY important as if I all I ever did was homework I would come to resent it and its ability to take over my life. I have found that I am a big fan of audiobooks as well and between listening and reading I have "read" about 20 NON-SCHOOL books since beginning the program. This was a tip that I learned from my dear friend Ruth who will be graduating with her PhD the day after me and her support and encouragement as well as her accomplishments I am SO PROUD OF!!
3. This one goes along with the previous two but I learned it from my Favorite former boss Pattie (who learned it from her former boss Ian) Fuck it! Sorry if that may be offensive to some however this is also necessary to maintain sanity. Or you could say it another way in the words of my Mental Health professor Dr. Fold, "I did the best that I could under the given circumstances" and thats the best you can do and to stress over in the end is pointless!
This whole process has truly been an amazing learning/personal growth experience and though it has been challenging, trying, and infuriating at times I know that when it is all said and done...graduation and the NCLEX behind me I WILL be ready to begin my new career as a RN!!
Friday, January 21, 2011
The home stretch...
My final semester of nursing school has begun! It started a week later than I had originally thought but I will not be complaining about a longer vacation.
This semester I will be taking Adult Health II (a critical care-ICU) class, Leadership & Management, Aging Adult, Senior Capstone, and Senior Practicum. I am really looking forward to this semester as I will have the opportunity to complete my Adult Health II clinical in one of the many ICU's at Vanderbilt Medical Center. (I would love for it to be in the Cardiac ICU! Keeping my fingers crossed!!) I will also be doing my senior practicum (which is a 72 hour internship) on the Hematology/Oncology Floor at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. This is a cancer floor for those of you unfamiliar with medical "lingo". I did half of my Peds clinical on this floor and absolutely LOVED it so I am excited about this experience.
One of the many "joyful" assignments we get to complete this semester is 2800 practice NCLEX (the "boards" for nursing") questions. I have completed 200 of them so far and did horribly on 100 of them...hope this is not a sign!
This will be a very busy semester but it will be good. Many of my already nurse friends have told me to enjoy it while it lasts as soon enough I will be out there having to use all of this knowledge and working. I look forward to that (though I am also scared).
I am also planning on completing many knitting projects this semester. I have 2 sweaters currently in progress and 3 blankets (ugh) that I need to finish plus something for a dear friend who will be having a baby soon! I would rather spend my time knitting than doing homework but alas that is not an option...
Until the next time!
This semester I will be taking Adult Health II (a critical care-ICU) class, Leadership & Management, Aging Adult, Senior Capstone, and Senior Practicum. I am really looking forward to this semester as I will have the opportunity to complete my Adult Health II clinical in one of the many ICU's at Vanderbilt Medical Center. (I would love for it to be in the Cardiac ICU! Keeping my fingers crossed!!) I will also be doing my senior practicum (which is a 72 hour internship) on the Hematology/Oncology Floor at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. This is a cancer floor for those of you unfamiliar with medical "lingo". I did half of my Peds clinical on this floor and absolutely LOVED it so I am excited about this experience.
One of the many "joyful" assignments we get to complete this semester is 2800 practice NCLEX (the "boards" for nursing") questions. I have completed 200 of them so far and did horribly on 100 of them...hope this is not a sign!
This will be a very busy semester but it will be good. Many of my already nurse friends have told me to enjoy it while it lasts as soon enough I will be out there having to use all of this knowledge and working. I look forward to that (though I am also scared).
I am also planning on completing many knitting projects this semester. I have 2 sweaters currently in progress and 3 blankets (ugh) that I need to finish plus something for a dear friend who will be having a baby soon! I would rather spend my time knitting than doing homework but alas that is not an option...
Until the next time!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Another semester has bit the dust...
Last semester was intense...heinous (a word that has become a regular part of my vocabulary thanks to my friend Judith) to be honest. There were times when I did n'o think I would survive. But I did (whoo hoo!) and managed to scrape out decent (though not as good as I would have liked grades). It is over and I don't have to look back.
The holidays have come and gone. I was supposed to fly home the afternoon of Dec 10th. I took care of everything and Earl and I headed to the airport. Checking in at the American Airlines counter the woman looked up the temperature in Seattle for our arrival time that evening. It was supposed to be 43 degrees according to whatever "official" site American Airlines uses for temperature. This meant that it was 2 degrees, yes 2 degrees "TOO cold" for Earl to fly home without a letter or acclimation. I had taken him to the vet the day before and what I thought would be a free visit ended up costing $70 and we left with no letter as that clinic would not give one! After 4 hours of trying to figure something out at the airport, of crying and pleading, my friend Whitney came to the airport to take us back to my car as we had to go home for the night. The last woman I spoke with, a supervisor, let me know that she would make sure that we made it on a plane the next morning. We did and made it home fine. While I was home I took Earl to the vet and secured one of those letters which was good as I would need if for the return flight.
I returned to Nashville on January 5th as I would be attending a PALS (Pediatric Advance Life Support) class the following Saturday and Sunday. I needed the class for my Senior Practicum which is like an internship we done in our final semester following one nurse for 72 hrs. I will be doing my practicum at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital which I am very excited about. I am not sure yet as to what area I will be working in but will be finding out in the upcoming week. School I thought began on Jan 12th but it turns out due to my schedule and holidays that it does not begin until Jan 18th. This gave me an extra week of vacation which has been nice. I have spent much of the time working on knitting a sweater. I spent much of my time at home doing the same. The body of one is done and needs sleeves (which is my least favorite part) and the other has about half of the body done. I am ambitious in thinking I will be able to finish both of them this month...maybe one will be finished next month.
Tuesday begins my final semester of nursing school. It is a bit surreal thinking that in 118 days I will be graduating. It seems like I have been on this journey forever and I have not quite grasped the fact it is almost over. I will be taking 17 credits this semester; Adult Health 2 (which is critical care), Leadership & Management, Senior Practicum, Senior Capstone, and Aging Adult. I look forward to Adult Health 2-we will be doing our clinicals in one of the ICU's at Vanderbilt Medical Center and my practicum. I am hoping my practicum experience will solidify whether or not Peds nursing is the route I want to follow. I am thankful for my experiences at Belmont (most of them that is) and for our ability to have clinicals in a facility as well known as Vanderbilt! I am hoping this gives me some extra points when it comes to finding a job!
Too much has happened since the last blog entry as I find myself overwhelmed with them amount of info I could include. I will try to do this more often so posts are shorter.
It is time for bed, a fact reiterated by my small dog who is asleep in the recliner next to me! Until next time!
The holidays have come and gone. I was supposed to fly home the afternoon of Dec 10th. I took care of everything and Earl and I headed to the airport. Checking in at the American Airlines counter the woman looked up the temperature in Seattle for our arrival time that evening. It was supposed to be 43 degrees according to whatever "official" site American Airlines uses for temperature. This meant that it was 2 degrees, yes 2 degrees "TOO cold" for Earl to fly home without a letter or acclimation. I had taken him to the vet the day before and what I thought would be a free visit ended up costing $70 and we left with no letter as that clinic would not give one! After 4 hours of trying to figure something out at the airport, of crying and pleading, my friend Whitney came to the airport to take us back to my car as we had to go home for the night. The last woman I spoke with, a supervisor, let me know that she would make sure that we made it on a plane the next morning. We did and made it home fine. While I was home I took Earl to the vet and secured one of those letters which was good as I would need if for the return flight.
I returned to Nashville on January 5th as I would be attending a PALS (Pediatric Advance Life Support) class the following Saturday and Sunday. I needed the class for my Senior Practicum which is like an internship we done in our final semester following one nurse for 72 hrs. I will be doing my practicum at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital which I am very excited about. I am not sure yet as to what area I will be working in but will be finding out in the upcoming week. School I thought began on Jan 12th but it turns out due to my schedule and holidays that it does not begin until Jan 18th. This gave me an extra week of vacation which has been nice. I have spent much of the time working on knitting a sweater. I spent much of my time at home doing the same. The body of one is done and needs sleeves (which is my least favorite part) and the other has about half of the body done. I am ambitious in thinking I will be able to finish both of them this month...maybe one will be finished next month.
Tuesday begins my final semester of nursing school. It is a bit surreal thinking that in 118 days I will be graduating. It seems like I have been on this journey forever and I have not quite grasped the fact it is almost over. I will be taking 17 credits this semester; Adult Health 2 (which is critical care), Leadership & Management, Senior Practicum, Senior Capstone, and Aging Adult. I look forward to Adult Health 2-we will be doing our clinicals in one of the ICU's at Vanderbilt Medical Center and my practicum. I am hoping my practicum experience will solidify whether or not Peds nursing is the route I want to follow. I am thankful for my experiences at Belmont (most of them that is) and for our ability to have clinicals in a facility as well known as Vanderbilt! I am hoping this gives me some extra points when it comes to finding a job!
Too much has happened since the last blog entry as I find myself overwhelmed with them amount of info I could include. I will try to do this more often so posts are shorter.
It is time for bed, a fact reiterated by my small dog who is asleep in the recliner next to me! Until next time!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Overwhelmed and Irritated...
As Thanksgiving has just passed I know that I should be remembering to be thankful. Thankful that this semester is almost over! But at this point I am so ready to be done I would love to just be done right now! 12 days is all I have left. 12 days! If I have made it this far certainly I can make it a measly 12 days...
Here is a list of what is left to do in these 12 days:
1. Test in Community Health
2. Peds summative lab
3. Meeting about my LAST semester of nursing school!!
4. Summative lab in OB
5. OB Final (which I haven't begun to study for)
6. 2 hour presentation in my Professional Nursing (PN) class
7. Working with my PN project teammates to collect and finalize our presentation information.
8. Finish the final details and do all of the writing for my teaching project I had to do for PN.
9. Write a paper for peds on ALL (a type of leukemia) that is due Dec 7.
10. Make a powerpoint presentation of this info and prepare a 5-6 presentation on my information from my ALL paper.
11. Present this information on Dec 7th.
12. Take my peds final on dec 10th.
13. Pack to go home.
14. Collect whatever wont fit into my suitcase and get it ready so that I can mail it home.
15. Do final essays for PN due dec 10th.
16. Put together final portfolio for PN class to be turned in on dec 10.
17. Fly home on Dec 10th!
18. CAN I GO BACK TO BED????????
Oy vey! I am thankful...I am thankful...
I really am thankful for many things including my family and friends back home, my dog Earl, my friends the Wests who invited me to their Thanksgiving dinner, and this semester is almost over.
I guess now I need to get back to schoolwork...but I DON'T WANNA!!!!!!!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
My Oh My...
This past week has been very sad for Seattle Mariners fans. Our beloved Hall of Fame Broadcaster Dave Niehaus passed away at the age of 75. Dave has been the voice of the Mariners since their beginning in 1977. Every Mariner fan has fond memories of his voice (which is the Seattle Mariners) and his one liners like "Fly, fly away" and "My Oh My". Mariners games will never be the same...you will be missed Dave!
Just for a minute...
I should be working on two projects that I have due this week for school. Somehow thanks to the glorious invention of the internet (Thanks Al...yeah right) this ADD'er finds more excuses to NOT do homework! I think I might have a record of the number of Facebook log-ins in a day!
I am currently in the midst of writing a paper on Bulimia for my Community Health class and info for a powerpoint presentation for my Professional Nursing class. Both of these classes have become my Achilles heel in nursing school...the bane of my existence! To say that I despise these classes and the ridiculous amount of busy work they require is putting it mildly. I could go on and on about how these classes are completely ridiculous and how I have not learned anything in them nor will/are they preparing me to be a better nurse. They just serve to irritate me...must have a positive attitude...must have a positive attitude...yeah right sea cow! I have also beyond this have made 2 posters for projects in classes. Yes, you read this right, POSTERS! The trifold, print things out and glue them on pasteboards just like a junior high science fair project. I am 33 years old...I do NOT want to be making posters!!!!
I must remember that this semester is almost over...23 days until I am on a plane COMING HOME!! and 9 of those days do not involve school! However another thing I have learned in nursing school is a break such as Thanksgiving doesn't mean that you can take a break from school...it just means that you have 4 days without having to be anywhere that you can work on school! Oh boy!
I came into this semester thinking it would be my favorite. With classes like Pediatrics, Community Health, OB, and this Professional Nursing this was going to be my face semester. YEAH RIGHT! This is BY FAR the worst and the funny part is my best grade is likely going to be in OB which is my least favorite content! "I don't want to know nothin' 'bout birthing' no babies!"
But I have Christmas Blend in my coffee cup (whoohoo!) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 just 2 days away so for the moment I will survive. (I really do try to find the bright side in things despite how this post sounds.)
I should sign off for now...but "I'll be back!"
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