Archive for October, 2008
Happy Halloweenie
Nothing exciting going on here tonight. Just gonna catch up on some sleep and cry about my latest test scores.
85% on my Medical Asepsis/Vitals Exam
82% on my GI/HEENT exam
Im so mad. I studied my ass off for those exams. (Although everyone seems to have done around the same) Stupid NCLEX style questions.
Im still waiting to hear how I did on my Gerontology exam, and my Communications project. I should know the results of those next week.
Next week also brings a big test in Professional RN Development and also a big test in Foundations. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
DId I mention that I am drowning?
Proud moment
Some of you may have noticed the general lack of RN blogging material. A big reason for that was because I was waiting for my grade in dosage calculations. This class was taught at an accelarated pace and requireda 3.7 to pass the class. The final was last saturday and I have been anxiously waiting for my grade since if I fail I have to drop out of the program and start all over.
Today I got my grade and I am excited to announce that I pulled a beautiful 4.0!
I’m going to just keep on keeping on!
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My Beautiful baby sister
Lil Sis standing pretty.
Warmed up and ready to go
Look, she’s flying!
(Thanks Dad for the great pictures)
Dog-gone Adorable (Pictures)
“That Little Dog is gonna get me”- Giada being scared
“Im gonna get the ball” -Kaylee showing who’s boss
Happy Kaylee.
Dylan the shy man
“Kaylee you chase the ball, I’ll chase you”- Giada misunderstands fetch
“Im gonna bite your legs” -Kaylee getting Giada in the achiles
Giada the Pony
Giada looking for trouble.
Pretty Little Baby
Did someone say “bye-bye”?
Mini-mouse ears
My pretty Harley Girl
“Im sitting pretty, now where’s my treat?” -Harley showing her knowledge of commands.
“Did someone say cookie?” -Harley waiting for her rewardThe mama Meyah
Looking for trouble!
My pretty Mama.
Meyah keeping watch.
Its like having a new baby, right?
As I am talking to one of the staff at my work, I mention how tired and sleep deprived I am. She asked what my sleep schedule was like and I said
“I sleep every free minute I have”
To which she responds….
” Wow, so nursing school is like having a new baby, right?”
Yes, I guess it is. I guess I got my baby afterall. There are some similarities toRN school and babies, they are subtle, but they are there.
RN school wont poop on me, but it can be pretty shity.
RN school wont barf on me, but it makes me nauseated.
RN school wont cry and keep me up at night, but it will keep me up all night until I cry.
RN wont smile at me and touch my heart, but when Im done I will be smiling and that thought touches my heart.
One full month gone by, and there is so many things Ive learned. Ive learned what sacrafice I have to make to survive. Ive learned that no one cares if my hair looks like crap. Ive learned to sleep in my car between classes. Ive learned that I love the people Im in school with, more than I ever thought I could.
This coming week I have 3 exams, 7 papers, and 4 clinicals to do. Wish me luck. Week 6 here i come!
One month down and 20 more months to go! Coming up, a post a day with pictures of the Dogs, I promise! (I already even pre-wrote each post!)
The bet, or dare…
Alright…the Hobby has dared me to let my hair grow for an entire year. 12 months. It would be the longest amount of time I have ever gone without cutting my hair. (its kinda a fetish of mine.)
And………..
I agreed. I figure, with nursing school being such a time constraint anyway, it would be nice to have hair that can be pulled back into a pony tail. Also, when the year is up my hair should be long enough to donate. Something I have always wanted to do.
So there you have it. The dare.
I will be posting monthly pictures of the length change. Anyone else want to join me?
I missed this weekend. And Week 5 begins
Mid terms are in full swing. And while most of my classes are not having exams, there were projects to be completed. Typically I am not a big fan of the “group” project. But this time I was pleasantly surprised to be paired with some very good students. I suppose that is the difference between RN students and just regular students, we all had to be extreme overachievers in order to get into this program so we are all interested in continuing to be that way (or perhaps we just dont know any better.)
School is going better. Things have either gotten more organized or I have just adapted. This weekend flew by in a flash, I cant believe that its Wednesday again. WTF?? I dont know what Ive been doing.
This weekend I have a babys baptismal to go to, my final for Dosages, and finally a little room to breathe. And by little, I mean little! Oh yes….And sushi this weekend too! Yummy!
Prism effect
We are somewhere in this picture. Us playing at the pumpkin patch.
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My new toys
Too tired for a real blog. So here is a huge thanks to mom and dad for my new book! They are great and fun!
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I promised Dogs, but will you settle for doughnuts?
My drive this morning
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Clinicals and intro to concept mapping
My first clinical experience went wonderfully. The way my school has our clinicals set up we don’t do the standard clinicals first. We actually get assigned an older adult and a child and we go to their houses to do basic health assesments and health historys on them.
Today was my older adult. It was so wonderful. I only covered med/surg hx and the really basic health hx (meds taken, med allergies, pcp, last visit, etc). And then I discussed the topics and activities we would be doing over the next several visits. I am so excited. My older adult ROCKS!
Tomorrow I meet my fanily with the child. I’m not sure what to expect here. So send some positive vibes, ok!
Now onto the lecture material. Today we started discussing concept mapping, and I am totally lost. I can understand the value of it, I just don’t really comprehend how to actually start one. I guess I will be reading about those a lot this weekend.
Coming up…dog pictures..I promise!
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And finally…the start of clinicals!
So today is my very very first clinical EVER! I am so nervous. I am so excited!
I intend on doing a basic health history, some vitals, and thats about it. I know its not glamourous, but its a start. Ive practiced and practiced…and now here I go.
Keep all fingers and toes crossed for me, please! I need lots of positive energy!
Oy, how disorganized!
I know the headline said “Oh how disorganized” but I was so frazzled that I felt the need to throw in an emphasized “OY“.
I should probably have waited until the end of my first month to publish this review, but I so feel the need to express what it now, that I am posting it now.
Let me start off by saying how privileged I feel to be in the Nursing Program. Truly. I know that there are tons of other people who didnt get in who would kill to be where I am right now. Also, I have wanted to be a Nurse for so long and looked forward to joining the ranks of nurses for such a long time that I had huge expectations for this program.
The program is a good one. It has a great reputation, and produces good nurses…so why am I feeling like my expectations arent being met? Basically its because of how disorganized everything is. When I ask a professor a question about clinicals, the answer is always to direct me to another professor (usually one that is not in the building at that time). Im sure you can guess where that leads…a wild goose chase. Also, maybe this is just me….but whats with giving a syllabus with strict due dates and project assignments but not giving the information on how to complete those things?
Im sure this is all just bubbling up to the surface because of being overwhelmed. And again, I am so proud to be doing this. I am so grateful for getting the chance to do this.
I just need to remember to breathe. Inhale, exhale, repeat.
Exam 2 results
94%! And that was the one I thought I did bad on! Yipppeee
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Is that your stomach I hear? HEENT HEENT
So yesterday in our clinical labs we learned how to do abdominal assessments. I was a little confused by the curriculum putting HEENT (Head, Ears, Eyes, Nose, Throat) with Abdominal/GI, but I guess I will just roll with it.
The ABD/GI system made me realize that I seriously need to go back and review my anatomy. Its been far too long since I took those classes, and it took me a minute to remember which quadrant the appendix was in (RLQ if you wondered). We listened to bowel sounds, which was really fun for those of you who ate Mexican food before class! We palpated, auscultated, and percussed ’till our little hearts were full! Now just to do it over and over until everyone at home runs screaming when I take out the stethoscope!
Then we moved quickly onto HEENT. What fun! Does anyone have any good acronyms for the lymph nodes in the neck? I never learned them, and just by looking I can see that it is gonna be a PITA (pain in the a$$). It all looks like alot to remember, but I know that practice makes perfect…so….does anyone wanna volunteer their Head and Necks? I’ll be gentle, I promise!
Pregnancy and Infant loss remembrance day
Stop to think and remember and love all the should have beens, all the angel babies.
Is it really possible?
Has it really been 23 days since Nursing school started? My little ticker in the right hand corner must be wrong. Oh my goodness…..time sure does fly by!
So much has happened. There is so much about to happen. My brain feels so full right now. Can I get an upgrade on the memory in my noggin?
Welcome Sailor
This beautiful piece of artwork has joined our navy community. He is called “The Lone Sailor”. I hope to get to go down and take a peek at him sometime in the next few weeks, before it gets too cold. Just looking at this picture reminds me of my childhood, seeing my Dad off to sea.
Thank you to those who sacrafice everything for our freedom. Take a minute to thank a Sailor, a Soldier, a Marine, or any service man/woman, they deserve our praise.
Week 4 begins
This weekend was a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of working full time and going to school full time. But now it is time to get back to the grind.
Headlines for this week:
“Welcome Sailor”
“Is that your stomach I hear?”
“Oh how disorganized”
“The begining of clinicals!”
Stay tuned…its about to get fun!
