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!
Friday, January 21, 2011
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
