Well.....

...officially, I suck at keeping up with a blog!

I just finished nursing school and graduated a week and a half ago. Now I'm studying for the NCLEX, can't wait to get that over with. Hopefully my ATT (authorization to test) will come this week and I will be able to schedule my test around the first of June.

Nursing school....was an experience that I have no desire to repeat but was worthwhile. Our nursing program is set up in semesters, we do not have individual classes. We have one class: Nursing I, II, III, and IV. They threw everything at us in a big jumbled mess (although I think they had a method to the mess, lol!) and tested us on everything at once. 1st semester was not bad, we learned the basics in skills that a nursing assistant would learn and the basics on body function and mobility. I got an A (94%) that semester. 2nd semester they advanced us, built on what we had learned. We started the wonderful torture called nursing care plans. That semester wasn't really that bad, I ended up with a B (89%).

I started working right after school got out. I love my job working in the ER of a big busy hospital and I feel, even now, that it was one of the best things I did to help me along in regards to my basic skills, comfort when walking into a patient's room and communicating with other ER techs, nurses, and the doctors.

That said however between a job, moving during the summer and a teenage daughter that decided to be a teenager instead of my loving, obediant child, 3rd semester was a booger!!

We have to keep our test scores 70% and above or we fail. If we keep our test scores above 70% then they add in all our homework assignments, quizzes, and care plans to it and it ups our score nicely. I got really close to that 70 and it really scared me. I failed 2 tests out of 5 but still ended the semester with a B (82%).

4th semester was not as hard. It was the content I was really looking forward to: mother/baby, L&D and critical care. While it was not as bad as 3rd sem. it was still pretty tough, especially the care plans we had to do. I finished the semester with another B (86.5%).

All in all, very good. Failing that first test....my self-confidence really took a blow. I failed the 2nd test because I doubted that I was smart enough to know the answer and chose my 2nd choice answer instead of the 1st choice. After all, I failed the last test. I struggled with that the rest of nursing school. I think I could have done much better overall if not for failing that test. The thing is, there were extenuating circumstances that helped me fail that test, I probably should have done the makeup exam instead. (I heard the make up tests were/are horrible though and I didn't want to do that!!)

So, now I am a graduate nurse, enjoying my job, hating all the documentation that I have to do now instead of patient care and studying for the test that will make me a RN!

I will update on the pass or fail.....after that, I am no longer a student for a year or 2.

YAHOOOOOO!!!!!

House Hunting

Why hasn't someone told me how hard it is to find a house that makes everyone in the family happy?

We have been house hunting since January....almost 3 mo later we still have yet to find the right one. It only has to be 3 bed, 2 bath and 2+ acres in a certain county. You wouldn't believe how hard that has been!!!

We go tonight to look at another one with the realtor.

All this and school and kids and husband and parents and work too!!!

ummmmm........

Well, time flies when you are having fun and when you are totally stressed out! (in case you were wondering, I fall into the totally stressed out catagory)

I am already 5 weeks away from finishing my first year in the nursing program. We have had a tiring semester. There aren't as many assignments but they added medications to the list of things to do.

It has been tougher this semester and my test grades are not as good. But our clinicals are in the hospital now and I LOVE that!

I am neglecting my family, sad to say, my 16 year old daughter went with me to do laundry yesterday instead of something else. When asked why she went with me instead of the other place, she said, "I wanted to spend time with you cause I never see you anymore." Awwwwww, 'bout breaks a mommy's heart. I feel so bad about not spending time with them, I spend so much time studying and still am only making a low B in the class... Where and how do you draw the line?

It was a great day at the hospital today, great patient, great nurse that I got to work with, and a great day outside when I left! Sunshine, blue sky and puffy white clouds.

Really amusing, this morning we all meet in the cafeteria at the hosp. to have preconference, there were only 3 students there and the clinical instructor waiting for the other 3 to show up. One of the other students arrives, plops down in a seat and says, "Is (clinical instructor) hard? I totally stayed on facebook way too long and haven't done my nursing diagnosis and interventions yet." another student (all of us trying not to laugh) says, "ummm, (clinical instructor) right there, why don't you ask? Oh...my...goodness.... student says, "Guess I just got myself in trouble."

The End is in Sight....Already!!

Wow! We only have two and a half weeks of school left! Where did it go? I guess that's what happens when you live assignment to assignment and test to test. It seems like this semester has just flown.
We have ATI tests in two weeks and the physical assessment part of the final exam. Then on the 16th of December is our final exam!! Yeah! Then we get a whole month off. I can't wait for the break.
School hasn't seemed that hard, we had a lot of time intensive assignments but... so far nursing school hasn't been as bad as I expected. I read that it was really hard and people just barely struggle to get a passing grade.
Knock on wood, I have an 88 average on my exams and a 97 average on my homework. There is only one assignment due a week from today and the ATI and the Final exam left.
We went to a nursing home for our few clinicals, most of clinical days were spent in the lab learning skills. I don't think long term care is what I want to do. I never have been very fond of nursing homes and this hasn't made it any more of a positive experience.... not a bad experiance, just not good enough to make me gung ho for doing that job.
Well, guess I have to go hunt down the daughter.
Bye bye

Oh where, oh where has the time gone???

The semester is just flying away!! I can't believe it is more than half over.

So far, it has just seemed so crazy. I live from one assignment to the next. Some days nothing is due but other days there are 3 things due. Some assignments are huge and others, not so bad. We have had to do a diversity in religion assignment. I thought it was pretty neat, as I haven't studied many faiths. Christianity is my religion and most of them, no matter the denomination, have lots of similarities. I've also studied Latter Day Saints. But for the project I studied: Greek Orthodox Christians (lots of similarities to Catholic), Buddhism (wow! way different than anything I've ever seen!) and Southern Baptists (much like other christians), but it was still an eye opener.
We've done some case studies and applied the nursing process to it in order to get us familiar with nursing process.
We did our Vital signs in the community. That was fun, interacting with people in the community, although it was a little nerve wracking when they ask questions related to blood pressure or other health questions that they just assume we know the answer to.
Pediatrics in the community was tons of fun! We did vitals on 5-7 year olds and on some we did a little interview. If only ya'll could have heard some of the answers!!! lol!!!

Tomorrow, we will be at our first clinical site! Whoo hoo!! It's only orientation to hospital, charts, and Kardex and we'll get to meet some patients but we are all excited anyway. Some of my clinical group is really nervous but I'm not. Maybe it'll hit me in the morning on my way in.

We've had three tests so far. Everyone keeps asking what subject my test is on but the thing is is that I don't have separate classes. We have one class, Nursing 101, in which they throw everything at us. When we have a test it is on everything we have learned so far. It is a Nursing test. I had a really hard time adjusting to the type of testing in the nursing program, it is very different than the pre and co req classes that are simply memorization and regurgitation. In nursing we learn all kinds of things, our tests expect us to apply what we have learned to real life problems. I think I am figuring it out. My first test was am 82, the second was 87 and the last one was a 97. We have one more test, the ATI test and the final exam. I hope I can keep it up.

I am having a hard time adjusting to not being able to spend time with my family. They are having a hard time with that too but have still been really supportive anyway. I have a private place to study and use it alot. I get 5 or 6 hours of sleep and then am off for another day.

For now, I am off to bed for the night, since I have to be up at 0430 to prepare for clinical and get there in time.

Already not doing so well...

at keeping a journal through nursing school.
I feel like I don't have enough time for anything anymore! Reading is overwhelming, assignments galore and of course the all panic inspiring.... test 1!
Our first test is over, everyone says it is the easiest but the hardest. I now understand. It is probably the easiest in content but the fact that we didn't know what to expect in the what and how we would be tested was hard. I think I know how to study now. I got a B on my first test which is pretty good considering I didn't get to study the way I wanted to.
We are setting up a room for me to study in so I can go in and close the door. If I can see the messy house it bugs me til I get up and do something about it or my little guy thinks momma is fair game since she is home.
Well, off to hit the books for a bit before going to pick up the kids...

Well, we had orientation.
I am more nervous than before orientation! They make it sound so hard and terrible on everyone and everything.
Why was it I wanted to do this??? I'm sure there was a reason, was it reason enough?? For better or for worse, I am too stubborn to quit. Sooooo, here we go, first class is on Monday. I've already done a ton of reading for the first day of class and have about 18 pages to go before I have finished the assignment.
Next time I type I will officially be a nursing student!!