Nursing...The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

Sigh

2009-05-10T14:45:00.002-04:00

I haven't felt like writing much lately, mostly because there has been so much happening. I'm so torn right now about 2009. Most of me has come into this year thinking "this is MY year". Now, there is also that small part saying "well...maybe not yet". As most people reading this blog probably already know, my first nursing job did not work out. (by my choice) After working 7 days on the floor, I knew in my heart it was not the right place for me. I left with absolutely no regrets, and now am searching for a better fit. I had mixed emotions about it, and although it was mostly feelings of happiness for standing up for myself, there was still a bit mixed in that I didn't succeed at my first nursing job. (I probably shouldn't use the word succeed, but I can't quite think of the right way to say it...)

There are a couple other issues going on in my life right now, but unfortunately, this is not the place for them. I know that they will be resolved eventually, but the present added stress is not so good. I'm trying to balance it out by continuing to go to the gym on a regular basis, which always serves as a mood booster.

I got together with my family yesterday to celebrate Mother's Day a little early, due to work schedules. I met up with my parents at lunchtime, spent some time with them, then went to my brother and sister-in-laws house. We went out to get a bite to eat around the same time we were hit with some horrible storms. My brother's house lost power, so when we got back, we opened cards and ate a Mother's Day cake by lanterns and candlelight. (it was actually kinda neat) I have definitely been blessed with the best Mom in the world, and hopefully I was able to show her how appreciate I am at least a little yesterday! :)

Ok...now it's REAL.

2009-04-25T00:04:00.003-04:00

I am a nurse.

What a weird feeling! I figured it would be slightly strange coming out of school, but it is WEIRD! I landed a full time job and completed a 2 day facility orientation earlier in the week. I started the 3-11 evening shift last night, which means I just got home from day 2. (its now after midnight, which means a. I am usually never up this late and b. its now my birthday)

I like the facility so far, I like most of the people I have met so far, and I like working the 3-11 shift.....again so far. :) I think the weirdest things so far are.....saying out loud to a resident "I am your nurse", signing initials behind my name, and being in charge of the nursing aides. The biggest things I see so far that will take some getting used to are passing meds to so many patients at once and the documentation.

I'm lucky to have this weekend off and hope this coming week's orientation continues to go well!

YIPEEEEE!

2009-04-10T16:51:00.002-04:00

I was offered a full time nursing position today and accepted! I will be starting my career at a nursing and rehab center in the evenings, with every other weekend on. I felt good about touring the place, meeting some of the employees, and in general just getting my very first nursing job! :)

Nursing Job Interviews

2009-04-04T21:00:00.002-04:00

I have found over the last few days that interviews for nursing jobs are somewhat different from other jobs. I did a lot of preparation, expecting to be bombarded with questions. Instead, the directors took a look at my resume, cover letter, and references...then pretty much told me I was in the running. One director even told me that I presented myself very well and should hav no problem getting nursing jobs. (I don't officially have one yet by the way)

It has become apparent that the job crunch has not only affected the rest of the world, but healthcare jobs too. I asked the opinion of a couple of the girls I graduated with and they agreed. At first, we thought there would be a plethora of jobs waiting for us once we passed our boards...yeah, not so true. I do have a couple options that have opened up now though, so I'm just waiting to hear the results. Monday morning I will also be calling to follow up on some other resumes I dropped off.

I will say this though, I feel extremely blessed to actually be employed currently while so many others aren't. It may not be the greatest job or the job I finished school for, but it's a job. I pray for the many people that are out of work and I really hope the situation with the economy starts to turn around soon.

April Fools

2009-04-01T18:44:00.002-04:00

Every year I go into April Fools Day very prepared and have prided myself on the face that no one has ever really gotten me...until today. I spent the morning filling out job applications, each time writing the date and being reminded it was the 1st. I stopped for lunch at a drive-thru, handed over my debit card, and was told my card was declined. I started to get frantic, thinking "didn't we just get paid YESTERDAY"??? I was going into my purse when the woman handed me the card and receipt and said "april fools". My mouth literally dropped open, I even told her she got me good.....I asked if she had been doing that all day, she said I was her second try, but I'm sure my reaction probably kept her going all day! :)

The search continues...

2009-03-12T20:03:00.002-04:00

So, I was delayed slightly in getting a lot of my applications/resumes out, primarily because I was trying to write a cover letter that I liked. I had one all prepared a few days ago, but then decided it didn't sound quite right, so I rewrote it. I now have two envelopes going out tomorrow to different nursing homes/retirement communities. I also completed some online applications a few days ago, so now I suppose is the waiting part.

On another note, I have been consistently going to the gym every week and am actually enjoying it. I decided not to work with my trainer one on one (primarily for financial reasons), but I feel good about trying things on my own. Plus, I have a couple friends who joined around the same time, so it's nice to have other "newbies" with me. I was there this afternoon and the door was open on a spinning class...it still intrigues me to see that...the room is dark, there is some sort of glow in the dark paint on the walls, and the music is awesome. One day....maybe....I'll try it out....I think I have a long way to go though before I can handle that! :)

The search is on...

2009-03-04T08:35:00.002-05:00

Now that I have my nursing license, the search is on for a job. The thing that is different about nursing jobs is that there are SO many options it may be hard to find what area is right for you. I have thought about going into pediatrics, psych, a nursing home, home health care, or a doctor's office. The thought of going into a hospital really didn't cross my mind, but I know it's recommended for a new nurse to do that for one year before going into their chosen field. So, I have officially applied with a couple area hospitals and will be taking my resume/cover letter by one of the HR departments in the next few days.

I am pretty terrified of leaving my current job (or at least cutting down my hours) to take on something completely different. I have been at my current job almost 11 years now. That is also how long it's been since I have sat down for a job interview! I talked to a friend (Zandria) who gave me some good advice about being terrified at the thought of switching careers.) I just hope that whatever road I choose is right for me!

Finally a SNOWstorm!!!

2009-03-01T19:52:00.002-05:00

I love snow...being originally from the north, I grew quite accustomed to it when I was young. It has been quite a while since we have seen a significant snowfall here, until tonight! A lot of my memories growing up involved making snowmen, snowball fights, and most importantly, sledding. It seems we have about 2-3 inches here as of right now, and I'm hoping when I wake up in the morning, I'll see much more and get some really good pictures!

Also, some of my friends at work surprised me on Thurs with my 2nd cake!!

The NCLEX

2009-02-24T14:11:00.003-05:00

This past Wednesday I took the NCLEX-PN exam. A couple people had asked me to share my story, so I figured what better place to do it than on here. Prior to taking the test, I had done my fair share of research about the test, including joining an online forum to read about other people's experiences. I have to say, some of the information was quite nervewracking, but the common factor seemed to be that there really is no way to prepare for it. I did purchase one book, the new 2010 Kaplan guide. I highly recommend it for the sole purpose of their strategies for taking this type of test.

Fast forward to Wed morning at 7:30am when I arrived at this building.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but walked in with 50% confidence, 50% nervousness. I went through the following steps:

1. Check In (consisted of showing id, giving proper form, and reading a list of rules)

2. Be fingerprinted and have picture taken. (total of 3 fingerprints taken)

3. Get personal locker and leave all possible belongings except for ID.

4. Go to next Check In station, present ID, be fingerprinted again. Have pockets checked, also have wrists checked. (no watches allowed) Get Earplugs.

5. Be escorted into exam room to PC. (You must be escorted in and out at all times and if you leave to take a break or use the restroom, you are fingerprinted again...I did not do this.)

That basically brings us to the exam. They are very strict about what information you can discuss about the exam, but we'll just say it was not what I expected. It was unlike any test I have ever taken in nursing school, not to mention school in general. I received the minimum number of questions, which for this particular exam, was 85. This told me that at that point, the system knew that I had either surpassed the level of competency or had not. I left feeling numb (the best word to describe it) and had no instinct whatsoever about whether I had done well or poorly. (weird huh)

The next 24 hours were the longest of my life. (good thing I don't live in another state where they have to wait 3 long agonizing weeks for results) I called a toll free number about 6 times before my results were listed on the automated system. I am a licensed nurse!!!!! I proceeded to remain in shock for probably a good 48 hours. In hindsight, the first 30 min were hilarious, I was at work when I heard the results and literally did not know what to do. I ran to a couple friends desks, then proceeded to call some family members. My hands were shaking, my heart racing, and I had a perma-grin.

About an hour later one of these was mine...

A couple days later, my family surprised me with this...

I ran over one of these today...

2009-02-12T18:19:00.003-05:00

In my years of life so far, I have prided myself on having never hit any animals, not even a squirrel. Well, this morning that all changed.

Babies & Muscles

2009-02-09T20:32:00.002-05:00

Seems something must be in the water, because quite a few people I know have had babies in the last few months. It has also been a string of boys...3 in the last couple months. This means great things for me...I get to hold babies and take their pictures. :)

On another note, it's been almost 2 weeks now since I joined the gym. I have been off to a great start and honestly, have never felt better. The only downfall is that I wish working one on one with my trainer wasn't so expensive. Looks like I will be on my own after the free 8 week program they offer. I knew it was expensive to work with a trainer, but didn't realize it would equal a pretty substantial car payment each month. (I am happy with having paid off my car in '04, not ready for another car payment yet)

Going to the gym is interesting, there really are people of all shapes and sizes at different workout levels. I've seen kids as young as 1-2 doing fitness activities in the kids area and people as old as 80. (maybe older) There are those in their fancy matching workout clothes and those in their old t-shirts (ahem...me). There are those running on the treadmill at 5+ miles per hour and those trudging along on the elliptical (ahem...me again). I'm confident I will build up my strength though with a little more time. One thing is for sure though, I have never felt better!

My Dream Gift

2009-02-07T09:26:00.002-05:00

What is yours?

Justin

2009-01-30T22:41:00.003-05:00

This is Justin, one of my parents cats. He went to kitty heaven tonight around 7pm. When my parents got him, I was still living at home, in fact my Mom and I went to the SPCA together to adopt him and Dixie. When we adopted him, he ran up and jumped up on my lap and started snuggling my face, which is how I knew we were taking him home. Unfortunately, that was only about 4 years ago. I know we will all miss him greatly!!

Memories

2009-01-25T15:09:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I spent a few hours at my parents house going through my childhood things. I climbed up into the attic, knowing there would probably be a few boxes, but there were actually about 12. I am very fortunate that my Mom decided to save pretty much everything from the day I was born until my moving out days. I was able to go through so much yesterday, weeding out what I didn't mind getting rid of. (there was not much)

My favorite finds were my ballet box (I pretty much lived ballet from age 4-13), my Cricket Doll , and my first ever Fisher Price medical kit. I distinctly remember playing with this medical kit, but had to take a picture on my cell after seeing how great it looked after all these years!

Your neighborhood store...

2009-01-12T21:35:00.002-05:00

I have a new friend at Kroger, his name is Leon. A new store opened close to where I live and last week I decided to check it out for some grocery shopping one evening. As I was loading my bags into my car, he came up and asked if I needed help, which of course started a conversation. I was so impressed that evening by his service and the store, I decided to email the store manager. (working in customer service I know that complaints far outweigh compliments) I received an email back from the store manager pretty quickly thanking me for my comments.

Tonight, I had to pick up a few more things, so I headed back to my new favorite store. As I was walking out, who was coming in with some carts but Leon. Although he didn't remember my name, he recognized me and told me to wait where I was for a minute. He promptly returned his carts and came back to not only wheel my cart to my car, but to insist on loading all of my groceries into the car. We then had a great conversation, which led me to believe we both have the same philosophy on life. You see, Leon is much older than me, but he told me that he believes in karma and that by being nice to everyone and helping where he can, it will come back to him. I try to do the same, though sometimes I slip, however Leon renewed my motivation as well. As he was walking away, another customer spotted him and called him by name. I knew then that this 60 or 70 something man would probably touch a lot of lives there in that parking lot.

Things to do...

2009-01-11T08:21:00.002-05:00

I've been working on trying to get my resume updated, so that I can start applying for nursing jobs. Am I the only one who has problems with resumes? Even though I can use the "resume wizard", I just never feel like it's the best it can be. Am I thinking too much into it?

Yesterday, I went to a blood drive in memory of a family member of a friend of mine. We took her 5 year old son with us, who is insistent that he will be a doctor when he grows up so he can "give the whole world shots". I made sure to tell him all about blood donation, so when it was my turn, he told the woman that my blood would be going to someone who is sick to make them feel better. Everyone of course thought it was adorable. He held my hand and intently watched as the needle was inserted into my arm, he thought it was great when the blood started flowing, then he proceeded to sit down on the floor and watch the bag fill up. The woman said its pretty rare to see a child like that, most go running in the other direction fast. haha

Today is my 2nd Sunday off since going back to a normal M-F shift at work. I am loooooving it. I worked Sundays for so long (10 hour days) so it's nice that I have a normal 2 day weekend back. Hope everyone is having a great one!

The Circle of Life

2008-12-30T08:26:00.002-05:00

I just arrived home yesterday after an unplanned trip to NJ. We lost a very close family friend who has been part of our lives since even before our parents were born. The services were held at the same funeral home (and same room) where I stood 2 years ago when my Grandma passed away. It was a very emotional night Sun.

Earlier that day, I went to visit my cousin and his wife who just welcomed their first child about 5 weeks ago. If you know me, you know the thing I love most is spending time with children of any age, so of course I was walking on cloud nine. When we left for the drive back, my mind started wandering...I had to transition from seeing the beginning of a new life to honoring the end of another life. It was an interesting shift of emotions.

While I was there, my Aunt surprised me with a graduation gift, a short train ride into New York City. We mostly walked around for the day and stopped for lunch at an Irish pub, and I took everything in like a little kid on Christmas morning. I was a little overwhelmed at times, due to the mass number of people there for the holidays. I also saw a taxi almost take out a group of people crossing the street when they weren't supposed to. I commented "that's crazy", to which a woman next to me responded "welcome to New York." :)

A great Christmas gift....

2008-12-24T11:12:00.002-05:00

This past Friday when I accomplished one of my major goals, I knew it would be one of the best Christmas gifts ever! I cannot even put into words how it felt to work so incredibly hard for the past 16 months, then to have it finally pay off. I mailed out all of my paperwork a couple days ago to the Board of Nursing, so I have one more major hurdle left to get over, which is my NCLEX exam. I've heard all sorts of stories about it, received lots of advice, even heard about someone passing out prior to the test. I'm going to give myself a little break for about a week to enjoy the holidays, then I'll start studying for it. There really isn't a "best" way to prepare from what I've heard, but I have plenty of practice questions and flash cards.

Also, it's time to start a job search. I have already found one place that I would be interested in looking at. It just so happens that one of my nursing instructors from a few years back is a resident and put in a good word for me with the director of nursing. I have left a message already and am waiting for a call back to find out if they are hiring. That leads me to something else. After working for over 10 years in the financial field, it is quite scary to me to know that I will be making a career leap in a completely different direction. I guess it's mostly normal to fear the unknown and such a big change though.

Does anyone have any advice about changing careers or jumping into something brand new?

I DID IT !!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-19T21:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have not blogged in about a month and a half....

BUT

I DID IT !!!!!!!!!!! I am officially a graduate of the LPN program as of 11:11am today!!!

WOOO HOOOOOO

(more to come)

Stayin' Alive

2008-10-28T12:51:00.003-04:00

Did I ever mention that I love disco music? Oh, maybe I mentioned that I should have been born in a different era. Anyway, I looooove disco. So, you can imagine my delight when I read the recently published article about using the ever popular Stayin' Alive when performing CPR. I've been certified for quite a few years now, so should the day ever come for me to use my skill, it's nice to know I can use a fabulous song to help keep my compression rhythm going.

The funniest part? A different song, Another One Bites the Dust, was ruled out but not for having the wrong rhythm, but sending the wrong message to people. :)

I waited a long time for this....

2008-10-17T15:34:00.002-04:00

I got a 97 on a nursing test.

I got a 97 on a nursing test.

Sorry, had to type that twice, it felt really good. For those who don't know me really well, you probably miss out on hearing just how difficult a nursing test really is. I have been walking on cloud nine ever since my grade was put online today. Not to mention, it was the respiratory unit, which personally I feel is the second hardest unit, following cardiac.

I also gained a lot of experience in clinicals today, especially in the form of IVs. The day flew by and I learned a lot, thanks to one nurse in particular that recently became licensed as an RN. (she remembers how it felt to be a student)

I have my balcony door open, listening to the rain, and I'm getting ready to watch a recorded show from this past Fri evening, Most Haunted Live. :)

Fun Weekend

2008-10-15T16:36:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to my good friends Teresa & Kevin who got married this past weekend!

Um....Yeah

2008-10-06T21:49:00.003-04:00

I didn't realize how long it had been since my last post. Trying to juggle nursing school, a job, family, friends, studying, and sanity takes quite a lot of effort. I don't even know what to say. I have been feeling slightly overwhelmed recently, but really I should be more than used to it by now. Currently, I am repeating my med-surg class, which is the final class I need to graduate from my LPN program. I'm looking into some options to pursue my RN degree, but haven't chosen one yet. I would looooove to be done with school mid-December, but I know I should go on.

A good friend of mine that I have known for years is getting married this weekend. I'm very excited for her! I am also serving as the mistress of ceremonies, which means much responsibility, but that is right up my alley. I've always like planning things, organizing, throwing parties, etc. Plus, weddings are just plain fun. :)

Has anyone ever watched that show "Jon & Kate plus 8"? It's one of my favorites, maybe because the kids are so darn cute, but maybe because I have always secretly dreamed of having that many kids. (won't happen now of course, not getting any younger!) There was also an article recently that they were looking for a new home pretty close to my area. Now, that is exciting...if they moved here, I would go to their door and offer to be their personal live-in nanny/nurse. (haha)

This is why....

2008-08-20T21:07:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted much recently and it's because I've been.........reading. I have always loved to read, probably more than most, so when a friend recently recommended a book series to me, I decided to check it out. She went on and on about it and even showed me pics from a recent book party she had gone to with some friends. The name? The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. I quickly came across the first 2 books in the series, at a low price I may add, and started reading. I got to the second chapter of the first book and was officially hooked. I finished the first book in a little over 24 hours. It was true when Rebecca told me she couldn't put it down and apparently she was not alone. I'm on the second book now, which I will finish in the next day or two. I will then go buy the next two books in the series to take on vacation with me next week. I highly recommend checking these out......

790 Miles

2008-08-11T16:10:00.002-04:00

A lot has happened over the past week....first and foremost a good friend of mine Chris was in a car accident and thankfully is ok. I was so worried about him and made sure to keep in contact with another friend for updates (thanks Sunshine). Please keep him in your thoughts!

I drove 790 miles in the past week, going up to and throughout NJ. I had originally planned for a 5 day vacation to stay at the shore with some family members, but when my aunt passed away suddenly, it turned into a week long stay to help everyone out in any way I could. I feel that it was meant to be that I was already scheduled off work and heading up there.

If the week wasn't filled with enough events, yesterday's drive home proved to be quite a stressful one. I started out my drive and when I hit the Jersey Turnpike ran into a storm unlike one I have ever seen before. There was high wind, rain, thunder/lightening, and hail about the size of grapes. Needless to say, traffic was at a standstill with most people, including me, pulled over on the side of the road. The hail was so loud at one point that I covered my ears for a few minutes, the sound on top of the car roof was almost deafening. After about 30 minutes, it finally passed and I started moving again. Once I got through Delaware and Maryland, I thought I was in the home stretch, but fate didn't have it that way. I hit the standard northern VA traffic and was creeping along when a lady (a nurse none the less) started honking at me. I rolled down my window and she said my back tire looked really low. Luckily, there was an exit 1/4 mile away, so I quickly made an escape and pulled into a nearby Exxon. Sure enough, my tire was almost to the ground and there was a nail in it.

I looked around and there was a man sitting next to the door of the building with a backpack, shaving with an electric razor. I knew right away he was homeless, but he quickly came over and introduced himself. He looked at my tire and his next words were...do you have a spare? This very kind man changed my tire in the rain and all I had was a measley five dollars left to offer him. He told me that he believed God puts people in our path for a reason and yesterday he was mine and I believe that 100%. I will never forget his name or the kindness he offered me at a time when I was feeling run down and pretty desperate to get home.

Eye Spy

2008-08-02T16:51:00.001-04:00

Friday I had an appointment with my retinal specialist for her to check up on both of my eyes after I have been having more issues recently with my left eye (the one I had surgery on). She said both eyes look ok and the left one looks stable right now. She did do some photos of my eye and found some fluid again, but last time that happened, it resolved on its own.

While I was there for 2 1/2 hours.....yes that is 2 1/2 hours (which actually is a fairly quick appt for that place), I managed to find some people to chat with. One of the ladies had a 2 month old baby who was born 3 months premature (which basically made the baby look like she had just been born). Apparently one of the doctors who makes rounds through that particular office now does baby eye exams, which is pretty neat. Also I observed 3 elderly people who had been sitting in the waiting area for quite some time talk for 20 minutes about what candy bar is best frozen...the winner overall according to them was 3 musketeers. It was a really in depth conversation.

Also, in a day where I am getting used to be calling m'am (am I THAT old?) it was refreshing to be called "kiddo" by the lady who took me in the back to dilate my eyes. Judging by the fact though that usually I am the youngest one in there by about 50 years, its understandable. :)

No Words

2008-08-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

Guardian Angel

2008-07-27T18:14:00.004-04:00

So, as I round the corner to the last few days of the summer semester (including finals), I had a couple special things happen yesterday reminding me that I'm not alone. I attended a close friend's bridal shower yesterday and went to visit my parents beforehand. My Mom keeps a framed picture of my Grandma on one of the shelves of her entertainment center. It's heavy enough that it couldn't move on its own and when you walk past the entertainmen center (its huge) nothing rattles. A few times now we've noticed that the picture will turn in a completely different direction and nothing else will move. Well, yesterday my Mom and I were sitting there on the couch and she looked up and noticed that the picture had turned the other way again. She said to me "look Grandmom's picture turned" and as soon as she said Grandmom, a loud bang came from inside the entertainment center. Coincidence? Maybe.....but I think it was her.

I mentioned to my Mom that I didn't have that particular picture of my Grandma, one that had been taken professionally in '88. She told me she had an extra and when I got in my car to leave, I set it in the dashboard, where the speedometer is. I started to drive to the bridal shower and had my AC on. All of a sudden, this smell came over me, like it was coming out of the vents. It was the exact same smell of my Grandma's house, particularly her attic. The only way I can describe it is that it has a slight smell of mothballs and just the smell of her house. It lasted maybe 20 seconds and if anyone was looking at me in my car, they probably thought I was crazy, because I was leaning forward smelling the vents.

I called my Mom and Aunt right way to share the story with them. No matter what, I KNOW my Grandma was there yesterday and despite not knowing the reason why she was making her presence known, it was incredibly comforting. I feel like my Guardian Angel is truly with me.

8 Days

2008-07-22T14:47:00.002-04:00

The countdown to the end of the summer semester is on.....8 more days, then I have FOUR glorious WEEKS off. That includes 1 definite summer vacation and 1 possible summer vacation. Then back to the grind for 16 weeks, which hopefully will be followed by me passing my boards and being a nurse!!! (the light at the end of the tunnel is finally getting a little brighter)

Movies & License Plates

2008-07-20T18:20:00.004-04:00

I saw Mamma Mia on Friday.....fabulous!! I highly recommend it, but make sure you at least slightly like musicals, because if the reviewers got one thing right it's that there is a song every 5 minutes. (don't listen to anything else they say though) I thought Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep were awesome...oh yeah, I also bought the soundtrack yesterday at Target.

On another note, personalized license plates with a couple's initials make me want to throw up. I never thought I would say that, because I too want to be part of a couple one day, but I would never put initials on a license plate. You know the ones I talking about......A*E & R*E (starred so that I don't accidently guess someone's license plate), UGH.

Apples?

2008-07-14T19:30:00.002-04:00

"Sex and apples were the only thing missing from this buffet"....were the words a friend and I heard walking out of a restaurant at lunchtime today. Ok....so my friend thought he said "ass" not "apples", but I swear I was right! :) This came from a somewhat creepy looking guy walking out behind us.

The point of this post though is what I actually go to do today. As part of our leadership class, we got to go the Board of Nursing and watch some trials this morning. I guess you could call it a field trip of sorts....but anyways, we watched 2 trials before breaking for lunch. That was the end of our assignment but one of the board members invited all of us to come back to the afternoon case. Most of the students couldn't attend, due to other commitments, but I decided to sit in on it. There were actually 5 of us who arrived for the 1:00 session, but by the time they actually started at 2:00, I was the lone ranger left standing. Did I mention I didn't leave until 7:00??? I am very glad I stayed, despite the looooong trial and deliberation. It was a joint hearing with the Board of Nursing and Board of Medicine, something I found out later rarely happens. The case also involved a family nurse practitioner, who was at stake of losing all of her licenses.

Without going on and on.......I was able to see opening statements, witness testimony, examination and cross examination of the person on trial, and closing statements. I sat in the waiting room with a small group of people for an hour and 15 minutes while the board deliberated. I got to see the final results, which were part good, part not so good. I also happened to run into an old nursing instructor of mine from my CNA program, and after talking for about an hour, she invited me to have dinner with her at her retirement community to check it out as a possible nursing opportunity. :)

Good day....good good day.

A future journey...

2008-07-09T20:42:00.002-04:00

Today was my first clincial day for peds. Although I would have really enjoyed spending the time on a peds unit at the hospital, I spent the day at a child care center in a junior toddler room (15-24 months). Anyone who knows me knows that I love children and focusing on their development today reminded me that I had almost completed my associates degree in early childhood eduation a few years ago before going back to nursing. I believe I would only have to take a few classes to finish, so more than likely I'll do that after finishing this nursing program. I figure I already put in most of the work and it would look great to have something extra on my resume, especially if I go into a field of nursing dealing with children.

Why?

2008-07-04T13:50:00.003-04:00

So, I just finished psych nursing with an A, getting ready to start our pediatrics rotation on Monday. While I'm excited about moving on, I have some other things on my mind. There is a family in my apartment complex who just lost one of their children, a 5 year old girl. To make it even harder, she has an identical twin sister and their mom was driving the car when the accident happened. I had met them at the pool and played with the girls a few times. I guess the thing is.....its one thing when you lost someone older, whether it be to natural causes or an illness, but why why why do these things have to happen to children? It breaks my heart...

I found my calling....(maybe)

2008-06-26T22:23:00.002-04:00

So today was round 2 in psych. I worked with a very nice patient, with a long history of alcohol and cocaine abuse. Also, 2 DUI's. Her age? 23. It was difficult at first to get things started, I wasn't sure what questions to ask. I overheard her talking to one of the nurses about her job that she likes, so when I introduced herself, I asked more about her job. That broke the ice pretty well and we went from there.

Psych nursing is totally different from any other field of nursing...I think the thing I like best is that no 2 patients are the same. Of course, there are similarities between some of them, but they definitely have their unique characteristics. My favorite part of today was a group therapy session I got to sit it on. Being a very observant person, I was able to see how the different individuals handled their turn to talk. Some made eye contact, some looked at the ground...some seemed rock solid, while some were brought to tears.

There have been a couple areas of nursing so far that I have loved, but this one seems to intrigue me the most. I had about a 30 min talk with my instructor one on one at lunch today, which was wonderful. She has always taught psych and has her doctorate, so she is incredibly full of knowledge. She even agreed to write a letter of reference for me that I can use should I decide to go into psych nursing. (or I could use it for another position)

Psych Ward

2008-06-19T19:33:00.003-04:00

I spent my first day today in the psych ward. It's basically divided into 5 areas: critical, chronic, child/adolescent, mood disorders, and detox. The 8 of us drew numbers to see who would get to pick first where they wanted to go. They don't generally send students to the critical unit, so that was out. I ended up in the detox unit, which was not my first choice, but it was still interesting. I was with a partner and we basically were able to walk around the unit and interview whatever patients we wanted to talk to. There are a lot of noticeable differences between a psych unit and a regular med-surg unit. The patient's rooms are very basic (no telephone, no tv, just a bed and dresser) and made more to look like a bedroom to make them feel more at home. If the patients want to watch tv or use the phone, they have to come out into the main commons area where the nurses station is. Also, there is one main table where everyone eats together, as well as playing cards, games, puzzles, etc.

I think the biggest thing I noticed was the range in emotions of the patients. Some were just beginning detox and were very angry or still in denial, while some were towards the end of their stay and seemed very in control of things. One patient that I spent quite a while talking to was a man in his 80's who just this year experienced his first major loss and couldn't find any ways to deal with the grieving other than to increase his alcohol consumption. Luckily, he realized he had a big problem and with the help of his wife, checked himself in for treatment. I'll be on the same unit next week, most of the patients there now will probably be gone, but I look forward to going back.

Sooo...

2008-06-19T07:04:00.000-04:00

I made a left hand turn yesterday. I saw flashing blue lights behind me. The turn cost me $86.

Psych Nursing

2008-06-18T09:19:00.002-04:00

I'm now a week into my psych rotation and tomorrow we go to the psych ward for the first time. You're prepared a lot more for working with these patients than those in any other area. We don't need our stethescopes, blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, etc...we just need our ability to listen, ask the right questions, and develop a therapeutic relationship with our patients. We're given a list of things you should and should not do, primarily to attempt to avoid upsetting the patient or even violence in some cases. One fact that surprised me is that women are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide, but men are 4 times more likely to succeed at suicide. I feel strangely drawn to the area of psych nursing. It's too early right now to know if I'll like it, but I just have a feeling I will. I enjoy the aspect of nursing where I actually get to sit and spend time with a patient and unfortunately in most areas, its too busy to do that.

Bonding

2008-06-09T21:10:00.002-04:00

One thing I cannot deny after my first 9 months of nursing school is the amount of bonding that goes on between nursing students. I have met quite a few girls who I would now call close friends. Basically we spend almost every day together and on top of that, we support each other through the ups and downs of the program. In 9 months, I have laughed with these girls, cried with them, had days where we feel incredibly proud of ourselves, had days where we want to quit, and talked endlessly about catheters, IVs, medications, and patients. (just to name a few) One thing I do know is that I could not do this program without the girls I've become close to. The downfall though is that along the way you lose people who don't make it past a particular class. Sometimes we stay together, sometimes one falls behind. We still try to maintain communication though. I know that these girls will be friends for life and possibly one day maybe coworkers depending on where we end up!

Yes...more babies

2008-06-05T20:07:00.002-04:00

Today was my last clinical day for maternity nursing. One of my patients told me that I could take her baby home. She also told my instructor I could take her baby home. Part of her seemed to be serious. :) I was in the postpardum unit today, so I got to experience not only taking care of the newborns, but taking care of Mom too. It was pretty laid back, most of the patients are just focused on resting and bonding with her new baby. For the most part they are so happy they could care less what you are in the room to do. It 250% cemented my decision that I want to have a baby and if time keeps on ticking I may do it on my own. The only thing that gets to me in maternity nursing is the young (and I mean young) girls that come in to have a baby (99% of them unplanned) and could care less. It's a shame to think sometimes how the world works.....girls/women who don't care about having a child have them, but someone like me who desperately wants a family doesn't have one. (sigh)

Next up starting Tuesday is psych nursing. Basically, some things I have heard so far is that we will be riding the "special" elevator up to the psych ward, the doors get locked behind us, and we will be interviewing and helping care for a variety of patients....should be fun!! :)

Both ends at once?

2008-05-29T17:53:00.002-04:00

So, my day consisted of the following:

medications
IV's
feeding tubes
vital signs

Oh wait.....and:

bottles
diapers
a rocking chair
baby blankets

The best part? All of my care today at the hospital was to babies 3 days old or less!

I spent the day in the newborn nursery, more specifically the room for babies who need additional care. I worked with the nurse in the room to care for 4 babies. Although the care is similar to what you would provide to an adult, its definitely interesting to see an IV in a tiny little hand or a little one with cool "sunglasses" under a bilirubin light. I did take to one little guy especially, who had the IV and various other monitors. Despite all of the wires, I was able to hold him, rock him, and feed him. I didn't even care when I changed one of his diapers and he decided to pee and poop at the same time.....after I removed the dirty diaper. :)

Babies!!!

2008-05-23T14:57:00.002-04:00

I was very excited to be going to the hospital today for my first clinical day of the semester, primarly because we are doing our rotation in maternity nursing. I was assigned to the postpardum unit today, but much to my surprise, a nurse came and pulled me back to labor and delivery. I followed her to the OR to scrub in, and minutes later a mom was brought in for a repeat C-section. Yes, that means I got to see my very first section!!! Of course, I have seen them on tv, but that doesn't quite compare to being there in person. The biggest thing that surprised me was that the time from the first cut to the baby coming out was only 6 minutes. (The longest part of the process is actually the stitching back up.) If I had to describe the experience in one word.....awesome.

I also got to spend time with a couple other Mom's, one was 30 weeks pregnant and having a lot of pain, which at first to me seemed like contractions, but in the end.....unfortunately she tested positive for drug use and that was making her have some bad reactions. Another Mom had just been wheeled back to her room after a C-section so I got to take part in some of the after care. It was a wonderful day, lots of learning and new things. Next week I go to the nursery!

Gas Prices

2008-05-18T17:22:00.002-04:00

Like everyone else, I can't believe how quickly gas prices keep jumping. I drive a very gas efficient Honda Civic and sometimes can't even afford to fill it up...I can't imagine what it would be like to have a gas guzzling truck or SUV. I hadn't really taken the time to consider this affecting businesses as well until tonight. I hadn't called to order Chinese food in about a couple months, but had a craving. I ordered my "usual" and was told it didn't meet the minimum for delivery. They told me they had to up the minimum due to high gas prices. Since I have ordered from them before, they let me slide this time, but I am going to include a bigger tip than usual. Just made me think about all of the smaller businesses that are being affected by this.

Also, I got the dreaded letter recently from my college telling me oh-so-nicely that I no longer qualify for any student aid, including student loans, grants, or anything similar. This is due to the fact that I have too many credits now, after switching my major a couple times. I was able to pay for my summer classes and books thanks in part to a little thing called a tax refund, but I need to start saving now to pay for my fall class. Ugh.

On a happier note, my brother and his new wife got back from their honeymoon yesterday. They went to Clearwater Beach, FL. I went to visit them for a bit, they were so excited to give me my gifts they found for me. The best thing though? My brother bought clear jars from a craft store in FL, and filled them with sand, shells, and the clearest ocean water I have ever seen. So, we all have a piece of their trip! :)

Yay for Babies!!

2008-05-15T14:58:00.002-04:00

Everything seems to be more in place now....I have my school and work schedules straight and classes start Monday. The first 3 weeks of the summer semester will be spent in maternity nursing, which for those who know me, know this will be right up my alley! I am extremely excited, but am keeping in mind too that I could also run into a sad situation along with the happy ones. Following that will be psych for 3 weeks, then pediatrics for 3 weeks. The psych I could take it or leave it, but the maternity and peds I'm sooooo looking forward too. I hope I get to spend the day with at least one Mom who is in labor that gives birth while I'm there. (of course most of the time these are unpredictable) I picked up my books yesterday, complete with pictures and even a handy DVD you can use to watch videos of births and C-sections. YAY!!!! :)

Readjusting

2008-05-13T13:47:00.003-04:00

I just found out that I can still take my summer classes despite not making it through my med-surg class.....what a relief!!!!! Mostly because summer classes start this coming Monday. I also planted some flowers today on my balcony, so that made me feel better too.

I'm Here

2008-05-12T08:04:00.002-04:00

Just haven't felt like writing recently....I found out I have to take my med-surg class again. I tried to prepare myself either way, but there was still quite a range of emotions when I found out for sure. I'll write more soon!

My little brother is married!!

2008-04-30T16:39:00.002-04:00

Our day started out at 8:30am. The girls met up at my parents house, where we had a wonderful "glam squad" come to the house to do our hair and makeup. The photographer also met us there at 9am and stayed with us until almost midnight. (She is awesome...let me know if anyone needs a recommendation!) I think its so funny that while girls go through a whole day of preparation, the guys play basketball, cook out on the grill, sleep in late, have a few beers, and relax. :)

We did get a little downtime after the hair and makeup was done, and ate pizza for lunch. After that, all of the girls headed to the gardens to get dressed and have our pictures done. This was especially fun for me, being that our photographer gave me tips along the way on how to make my photography better! After about an hour of pictures, we headed to the tea house to set up some of the details of the reception. While we were doing this, the guys arrived and took their turn at pictures in the gardens. By this point, time was starting to fly by and before we knew it, it was time to start the ceremony. The hardest part was getting Tommy and Angela both near the ceremony site outdoors without him seeing her.....we managed to pull it off though!

So...it began.....and it was the most beautiful, sweet, breathtaking thing I have ever seen. I know I was especially moved because it was my brother getting married. Watching them say their vows and exchange rings, I was just overcome with feelings of being so proud of my little brother! I could go on and on.....but this was the end result of the ceremony:

To be continued...

A Birthday & A Wedding Rehearsal

2008-04-28T20:46:00.004-04:00

My birthday this year was wonderful. Lots of calls, emails, text messages from people I love. I was cooked 2 wonderful birthday dinners by my friends Rose & Bri. I got a Coldstone ice cream cake, cupcakes with butterflies, & home made brownies. My birthday fell on our last day of clinicals this semester and a few of the girls surprised me with balloons, a gift card, and the yummy brownies. :)

It also marked the day of Tommy & Angela's wedding rehearsal. I couldn't believe the time had already come for my little brother to get married. My aunt, uncle, & one of my cousins made it down early from NJ and were able to join us for the rehearsal and dinner. We all met up at the gardens to meet with the Reverend and run through a practice ceremony. We were then presented with gifts from Tommy & Angela for being in the wedding party, parents, etc. They they surprised me with the cupcakes and more gifts! We then proceeded to O'Charleys for a wonderful dinner, our nice server even brought our free desserts for me as well as the bride & groom.

I got home that evening and went to sleep fairly early, since I knew Sat would be a long and exciting day. I said one last prayer that the rain would hold off until after the 6pm ceremony Saturday...

More to come....

Random Numbers

2008-04-23T15:35:00.002-04:00

1: # of Smirnoff Wild Grape drinks I had a few nights ago (they are very good I might add)

2: # of days until my 28th birthday (starting to feel old)

3: # of days until my little brother ties the knot (very exciting)

4: # of days until bridal party brunch

5: # of days until final nursing exams begin

9: # of days until final nursing exams are over!

10: # of days I do NOT have to set foot into my workplace

16 Days

2008-04-16T14:30:00.002-04:00

The next 16 days are going to be crazy. Not just a little crazy....more like sleep-for-3-days-after crazy. I picked up my bridesmaid dress this afternoon for my brother's wedding, which is in 10 days! That also means that finals start in 12 days. That is a week consisting of 4 tests starting just 2 days after the wedding. (of course it wasn't meant to be planned that way, but hey what can you do) I am totally serious about sleeping for 3 days after everything is finished too.

I had a test this morning and am taking the rest of today study-free. I'm having dinner tonight with some friends that I don't get to see as often as I'd like. Then tomorrow its back to work and studying. When you hear someone say that they don't have much of a social life while in nursing school, believe it 100%.

Body Bags

2008-04-14T20:02:00.002-04:00

Did you know that there are body bags under every bed in the ER? I'm not sure if this applies to all hospitals, but a local former ER nurse told me about this. He said they need to keep things rolling since the ER stays so busy, and with keeping the bags inverted under the beds, they can get them out quickly as needed. I'm not sure why this surprised me so much. I had never heard of it before, I guess being that I haven't been able to observe in an ER yet, it didn't cross my mind how quickly things happen there.

I'm getting ready for another test Wed morning. The good old digestive tract, stomach, intestines, well you get the picture. Plus, all the things that can go wrong. I'm also preparing for a presentation I'm doing with classmate on organ donation. I emailed someone at the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and they graciously are emailing me brochures to hand out as well. I'm currently an organ donor (as the icon on my drivers license displays), however I learned recently that even if you have the icon or a signed donor card, if something happens to you, your next of kin can still refuse to donate your organs, despite your wishes. So, if anyone out there is reading this and wishes to be an organ donor, please discuss this with your family if you haven't already!

Ahhhh...Comfort

2008-04-12T16:48:00.002-04:00

The #1 thing you need as a nurse is supportive, comfortable shoes. Hands down. Thanks to my Aunt, I received an early birthday gift. :)

Where did I go?

2008-04-11T21:35:00.003-04:00

The morgue.

I arrived at the hospital this morning for my rotation/observation in dialysis. I met 3 wonderful nurses (LPN's & RN's). During the course of the next 6 hours I saw 8 patients come through and receive their dialysis treatment. I asked a lot of questions and the nurses answered every single one. They explained everything to me and even drew pictures for me to illustrate. It was interesting to say the least, this dialysis unit is in an acute setting, so some patients were there for the very first time and some were repeaters. So, you wonder in all of this how the morgue came into play. One of the very nice nurses had worked in the ER for about 5 years and was sharing stories with us of things he had seen, done, etc. (crazy stuff!) During the course of the conversation, he mentioned that there were some nurses and techs who don't like to go to the morgue, so they usually ask someone else to go if the situation calls for it. I started asking about what the morgue looked like, what was kept there, etc. Luckily for me, during a little bit of downtime, the nurse was able to take me down to see it. Without going into too much detail, yes there was a body on a table in the center of the room. (in a bag) There were two coolers, one of which was empty and the other had a small bag which contained a newborn baby we discovered. (sad) I also got to see a wall of body parts, kept in jars, some clear and some not. The ones that were clear mainly contained brains. I was fascinated. I even had to get up close and look. I asked the nurse if it was strange that I thought it was neat being in there and he said no, but I was among the "lesser" group. I don't know what made me feel comfortable going in there, maybe it was just seperating my emotions from what I was seeing. (something you have to do a lot in nursing) Needless to say, it was an eventful day!

Frustration

2008-04-09T13:12:00.003-04:00

Nursing school definitely has its ups and downs. The biggest downfall is frustration for me. Up until nursing school, I always made great grades. (including middle, high, and college) Then came nursing school. I can tell you facts until I'm blue in the face, I can take care of patients with competency and a caring nature, but when it comes to the tests I just can't seem to get over the wording of the questions. Some are tricky, some are just worded differently from what you actually learn in lectures, but something just doesn't click with me. Don't get me wrong, I won't let this stop me, as a matter of fact, it just makes me more determined to improve and get through it. I had heard prior to nursing school that it would be tough from other people, but you don't realize it until you are up to your neck with information. I have 3 weeks left now until final exams. The week of exams is going to be killer, one on Monday, one on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, and one on Friday. After that? I will be hibernating for a few days. :)

Me

2008-03-30T19:17:00.003-04:00

This is me at the hospital Friday. I'm in between 2 doors...one that goes to the hallway and the one behind me goes into my patient's room. This is called being on contact isolation, to enter the room you must put on all of the necessary protective equipment to protect yourself from infection. Certain infections can be passed just from touching a person with the infection, or in this case, a table, piece of equipment, or any inanimate object that the infection can live on for hours. (aside from the patient) The downfall is that the gowns do not breathe at all, so its extremely hot to wear them for any longer than about 5 minutes at a time. The mask was not really necessary in this case, but we thought it would be fun to get a picture of me wearing everything. :)

IV's, Injections, and Feelings

2008-03-21T15:00:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I only gave one injection today, but it was still more practice. Also gave a bunch of other meds and hung an IV bag that ran for an hour. My patient today was most definitely the most complex situation I have had since starting nursing school. Multiple health issues with a not so good prognosis. I can't go into too many details due to privacy laws of course, but it was definitely the most emotional day for me, as far as feelings go towards a particular patient's situation.

I am also studying my butt off for an upcoming cardiac test which Monday morning. Basically meaning I'll be spending most of the weekend at home studying and listening to my lecture recordings again. I believe we have about 5 weeks left of this semester, so its definitely flying by. I just need to maintain focus and work on preparing for the last tests, working on a project I have to present with a partner, and keeping up with clinicals. My brother's wedding is coming up as well, which just so happens to be the Saturday before final exams. (yes you read that right) :)

Please take 8 minutes to watch...

2008-03-17T21:19:00.002-04:00

If you can, click on the link and watch the video. This family's story has truly changed my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wB8cYug0WI

Prayer Request

2008-03-15T20:22:00.002-04:00

I read a lot of websites that I come across from time to time. There is one in particular that I have kept up with for quite some time. The family is one of true strength and courage, and they just lost their little miracle baby, Joshua, after 67 days of him being on Earth. They live in New Zealand, I don't even recall how I came across Susie's website, but please keep their family in your prayers and thoughts right now. If you would like to read their website and more about Joshua and his medical condition, here is the website address:

http://mnssams.blogspot.com/

They have had over 66,000 visitors to the site as of right now and we're asking people to pray from all over the world!

American Idol Update

2008-03-12T16:26:00.003-04:00

I feel like I must commit some of my posts to something other than nursing school, so how about an AI update. Here are my top picks:

Women: #1 Brooke White #2 Amanda Overmeyer

Men: #1 Jason Castro #2 Michael Johns

If you watch, who are your picks?

(ps..this week is spring break, but I somehow caught a horrible cold, why does it happen that way??!! ) :)

Medication & Chipmunks

2008-03-08T08:01:00.002-05:00

My day at the hospital yesterday went great, it was my turn to give meds and my patient was a wonderful younger woman struggling with MS. Giving oral meds has pretty much become second nature, but I did get to do something new today. I was able to flush a saline lock IV and give a med IV push. I hadn't done it before, so of course I was a little nervous, but by the second time yesterday I was much more confident. My instructor wrote a great note for me yesterday, that she thought I did an excellent job with the meds and that she noticed my caring nature toward the patient throughout the day. That made me happy. :)

As for the chipmunks, I saw the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie last night (with a four year old of course) and it was pretty cute, although in my opinion they should have had more chipmunks and less adult story line.

My ICU Experience

2008-02-29T18:27:00.002-05:00

As always, I was slightly nervous this morning about seeing a new area of the hospital. I actually went with a guy from my group (yes we have one guy) and the nurses told us we could pick which nurse we wanted to work with for the day. The nurse I chose was originally based on her cute pink and black butterfly scrubs, and she was extremely nice and helpful. I love butterflies and so did my Grammie, which made things even more ironic when the first patient we went to was in bed 11. (for those who don't know, my Grammie's number was 11) I definitely took that as my sign she was with me for the day and my nerves were gone! The nurse and I cared for two patients, the first being a man who was just admitted last night through the ER with respiratory failure. He also had some sort of mental impairment and was extremely agitated, so being that he was on a ventilator, he had to be sedated for the most part. We had to keep a close eye on him because due to his confusion, he kept trying to reach up and pull out his breathing tube. I had to run to him numerous times and hold his hand down, before the doc finally ordered a restraint for him. (he was very strong for being sedated!) The other patient we were caring for had already been in the ICU for the past 2 weeks and will probably be there a while longer. He has cancer and had surgery, a lobectomy, which is the removal of one of the lobes of the lung. He had a tracheotomy done, so most of our care centered around suctioning, his feeding tube, and his MRSA. He tested positive for MRSA only yesterday, so we had to teach the family today about wearing the appropriate protective garb. (unfortunately the isolation gowns do not breathe at all so its HOT to wear one, especially if you're a nurse trying to do other things). I also observed a situation that was on the not so happy side of nursing, which is really a first for me while in nursing school. It involved a younger woman who came in for a procedure, ended up throwing a blood clot, and having a massive stroke. Needless to say, the outlook was not good and I was able to see the process of the doctor coming in, the family members going through their emotional process, things like that.

Overall, it was a great experience for me, and I definitely learned a LOT. I don't know what is going on, but every time I go to observe a new area of nursing, I start out nervous, then end up thinking wow.....I love this, I could work in this area. Which may basically mean that I have no clue where my nursing career could take me and what areas I'll end up in!

Off to the ICU...

2008-02-28T18:38:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow that is....I'll be spending my day at the hospital in the ICU. My last observational experience was in the Cath Lab, which was interesting, but I'm sure not as exciting as the ICU could be. I think I'll have to chance hopefully to see some things I haven't seen before. I realized today that I'm now a little over 5 months into my nursing program. Time sure does fly, even when it doesn't feel like it. One thing I have learned is that no matter how hard you study, how many hours you devote to reading, how confident you feel working with the patients, the tests are HARD. I didn't understand at first when I started the program why there were so many "repeaters". (they actually call them that) Now I know why......when you try to work full time (in my case), take care of kids, maintain a household, etc......sometimes it takes more than one try to get through it. The tests are difficult because of the way the questions are worded...and also the fact that some questions have multiple answers that could be right (you have to pick the best one) or you have to choose all of the right answers. There are only a few people in my program who have not been overly stressed by test anxiety. (I am not one of the few) Speaking of tests, our next one is coming up this Tuesday!!

Icy Day

2008-02-22T20:42:00.002-05:00

This morning I was up at 5:15 waiting to hear if our clinicals were cancelled for the day due to the ice/sleet/rain mix. Luckily, they decided to delay the school opening by 2 hours, meaning our day was cancelled. (with the hospital we can't go in late, its all or nothing) I ended up going to see a movie, The Spiderwick Chronicles. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but it was actually a great movie. I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening studying, cleaning, and now relaxing. It was nice to have a day off, as I was starting to feel the stress of everything building up.

Test #3

2008-02-19T07:28:00.002-05:00

I'm getting ready to leave in about an hour to go take our third test. I feel pretty comfortable with the information, so hopefully I will do ok. Our clinicals Friday went great. My patient was a very nice lady who came in with a dislocated/fractured shoulder after falling off of a treadmill. We've been learning about fractures, arthritis, etc...so they try to match us with patients that week that go along with our lectures. A few of us also got to go into another patient's room who agreed to let us watch his physical therapist work with him a day post knee (joint) replacement. With my patient, I enountered my first "don't know what to say" moment when a family member started throwing a barrage of questions at me. I handled it the best I could, answering what I could according to my care that day and then letting her know the nurse would be in shortly to answer the others. This week hopefully I'll be giving meds, which I have missed since last semester. Yes...I miss giving shots. :)

Tried to vote...

2008-02-13T18:28:00.003-05:00

So, I tried to vote yesterday, went early in the morning before school. I called ahead of time to find out where I needed to go, since I had moved in May of last year. They couldn't find my name on the list, so a woman called to find out why I wasn't on it. Somehow things got messed up and I wasn't registered in my new county or my old county. Not sure how it happened, as everything was updated correctly, and while it made me angry, it would have made me much more angry had it been November and I was turned away.

Nothing much is going on in school this week, just learning about fractures, joint replacements, arthritis, osteoporosis, etc. Friday of course we'll be at the hospital then Tuesday we have our next test. As we walked out of class today, our instructor said we should all ace the next test, I think all of our eyes widened in disbelief. :)

Where do I begin?

2008-02-08T20:08:00.000-05:00

Today was a very eventful day at the hospital. Each week our instructor is sending a few of us off the floor to observe in different areas of the hospital. Today, I got to spend the day in the cath lab, including pre and post care. I was able to watch 2 full cases from prepping the patient, the procedure, and post care. The first patient had a heart catheterization done to find out the extent of damage/disease to his coronary arteries. They used contrast when capturing the photos of the arteries which was amazing to see. Unfortunately, it revealed that the patient needs bypass surgery, most likely 4-5 blockages. The next patient I observed needed peripheral catheterization of the lower limbs. This revealed some blockage of one leg from about the knee down. The most interesting part though was when they did a scan of his abdomen and we noticed that one of his kidneys had atrophied and pretty much shrunk down to almost nothing. (previously unknown for this patient) Everyone was pretty surprised, and the doctor ended up taking a closer look at the remaining kidney to check its function.

We had enough time after lunch to meet one last patient, an elderly lady, but unfortunately we didn't get to watch the entire procedure. I will most likely remember her best though. She dealt with her anxiousness and fear with humor. While prepping her for surgery, she busted out a few hilarious answers to questions posed by the RN. However, as soon I began helping the nurse wheel her down the hall, her coping mechanisms fell to the wayside and she began to cry. I held her hand from that time until we were ready to transfer her onto the table.

It was an amazing day for me...every time I am exposed to a new area, I think...I could do that!
The technology we have presently in hospitals never ceases to amaze me, but today it blew me away. Most of the things I saw today I have never seen before and some I never even knew existed. I could go on and on!

Not such a good week....

2008-02-06T13:03:00.000-05:00

I should have been at the airport right now picking my Dad up and finally bringing him home. That would have been if the airport had not changed his flight gate this morning without making an announcement or updating the boards. So, he is still stuck in FL, waiting for his first 30 min flight, after which he has to wait four hours for a flight home to Richmond. (his arrival is 9pm now) I am so frustrated...its one thing if this were to happen in a normal situation, but he is still trying to recover from the issues with the blood clot and still not completely out of the woods. We were also supposed to take him this afternoon to see his doctor here, which has now been rescheduled for first thing tomorrow morning. (any delay is bad though when dealing with something like this)

Not to mention on top of all of this, I took my test yesterday and it was extremely difficult. One person thought it was easy....that person was not me. Today in class our teacher told us grades will hopefully be online by tonight...I'm not holding my breath. I'm debating whether to check tonight or wait until I'm having a better day.

Ok...

2008-02-02T11:46:00.000-05:00

So, I didn't have to worry about my assignment changing yesterday. As I was about to walk out the door at 6am, I got a call from one of the other students saying that clinicals were cancelled for the day due to our instructor having a family emergency come up. We spent a few min on the phone expressing our excitement (this sort of cancellation almost never happens) and then called everyone else. It was nice having a day off, especially being that it came at a pretty emotional time for me. My Dad was admitted to the hospital Thurs for a DVT (deep vein thrombosis/aka blood clot) in his leg. The good thing? He was being well taken care of. The bad? He was 14 hours away in FL working temporarily. They kept him overnight and released him yesterday afternoon, so he is recovering in his hotel room by himself, giving himself injections and making trips to the hospital to have his blood level checked. He wanted to come home early (so did we) but with DVT's its unsafe to fly until the dr. says its ok. So hopefully he will get to keep his normal flight home which will be Wed morning. Needless to say, it was a very scary experience for all of us....he went through the same thing a few years ago with the other leg. Please keep him in your thoughts/prayers! Meanwhile, I will be studying for my next test which is coming up quickly Tues morning!

Change in Assignment

2008-01-30T21:12:00.000-05:00

So, I posted last week about picking up my assignment at the hospital and it being a great patient to start with. That would have been the case...except for the fact that overnight the patient was moved, so I ended up with a change in assignment. Yes, this means the couple hours I spent preparing for patient #1 went out the window and I was forced to rush through the day Fri doing a write up on patient #2. It was a female with an ovarian mass and acute renal failure, which basically equals severe pain among other things. It was a great first day at the hospital this semester. Tomorrow I go to pick up my next assignment for Friday which hopefully will stick this time. I'm still struggling a lot right now feeling overwhelmed, but trying to stay focused on my dream and the "light at the end of the tunnel" in relation to my current job. If anyone is reading this, I would just like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support everyone is giving me. I couldn't do this without the support of my family and friends!

Yes, I have had one of those moments...

2008-01-28T19:52:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Zandria, I found a new website tonight to start reading. (another nursing blog) One of the posts mentioned having a "I did NOT sign up for this" moment. I started to think...have I had one of these moments yet? The answer is yes. Last semester while doing clinical rotations at an area hospital, I had a patient who was incredibly sick and weak, which normally equals one common thing....the bedpan. I knew of the bedpan prior to nursing school, but you never really KNOW about the bedpan until you work with it. First off, its pretty impossible to actually get a patient directly on top of it, and even if you do, its usually too small. Not to mention if the patient is a lot bigger than you are or is fully dependent on your strength. Back to my former patient...to keep it quick and simple (and less gross for those with weak stomachs)...let's just say she had a blowout of sorts and about 20% of it actually made it into the bedpan. Top that off with the smells and there you have it....my "I did NOT sign up for this" moment.

Week 3

2008-01-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, so technically it's not quite the end of week 3 yet, but I've already deemed this week "ok now I feel overwhelmed again". The first couple weeks were what I expected, going over rules and expectations, adjusting to new instructors, orientation to the new hospital, etc. Now, its back to the grind...we had our first test on Tues. Not really sure yet what to say about it other than that it was much more difficult than the tests from the 1st semester. I agree, tests should be hard, because you are dealing with people's lives, but man are they stressful. Our grades should be online tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, its actually the first day of clinicals for the semester. I went to the hospital after work today to pick up my patient assignment for tomorrow and I think it will be a good one to start with. (major major major kidney stones) I'm slightly nervous, but not nearly as much as the first go round. Will be back with more updates soon!

Living without a phone...

2008-01-22T07:22:00.000-05:00

So yesterday around noon, my oh-so-lovely cell phone company decided to finally give in to my wishes and let me out of my contract without penalty. The only problem? They didn't tell me. Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely happy I'm done with them, they have the worst customer service I have ever experienced, but if they would have informed me, I could have transferred my number over to my new cell phone company. I can deal with it though.

Since yesterday around noon, I have been cell phone-less. Reminds me of the old days when I didn't have a cell phone...with one exception....I have no home phone. Last night was very strange, I needed to study for my upcoming test this morning, so I was at home, with my only contact being email. I actually did reach for my cell a couple times before remembering that I couldn't make any calls. Today? Same story...I'm about to head out to school, but hopefully thanks to the new company I will have a new phone waiting for me at home this afternoon. I also don't have a number yet, but will let everyone know as soon as I do!

Snow

2008-01-20T20:32:00.000-05:00

We saw a little bit of snow fall yesterday, didn't really accumulate but it was still nice to see. I have my first test of the semester coming up Tues morning, so I'm preparing for that as much as I can. The main focus of the test is fluids and electrolytes in the body and how they all work together to make the body run as it should. It's actually pretty interesting once you start understanding it and learning the different facts. I knew prior to nursing school that it must take a lot to make the human body function, but never to this extent. Sometimes the words run together when I study too much.....hyperkalemia, hyponatremia, hypermagnesia, etc.....but sooner or later I'll remember them all. :)

American Idol

2008-01-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am a huge AI fan. Most of you already know that, but those reading who don't know me personally, yes its true. Needless to say, I was extremely happy when the new season started back up again this week. I read that the ratings went down from last year and overall from when the show first started, but I really don't think that will make much of a difference as millions of people still watch. My favorite from this week? I don't remember her name, but she had the personality of a rock. The judges asked her what song she was going to sing and she replied....The Power of Love by Celine Dion. Ok, fair enough...until she started singing and the first line was "If you asked me to". Last time I checked, that was a different song and the judges noticed quickly as well. It was hilarious!

School is going well. Basically, we are now in the midst of lecture after lecture, along with some skills thrown in such as administering meds through IV's and administering blood transfusions. Tomorrow we go to the hospital for more orientation, then next week hopefully will start clinicals. So, after week 2, I'm still alive, still happy, and still enjoying every second of it! (well except for having to work full time, but that's another story)

An uneventful first week...

2008-01-13T19:46:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a few days, primarly because nothing exciting or out of the ordinary happened this week. Though the semester started out with some scheduling issues, it seems to have calmed down now. We started our hospital orientation Friday (we will be at a different hospital this semester). I was pretty excited to learn that we will gain more experience this go round, including cardiac patients, cancer patients, time in the ICU and dialysis centers, and much more. I'm sure I'll be faced with more challenges, but feel pretty confident I will be able to continue to overcome them. Our instructors seem great again and its nice sticking with the same group of girls I became close to the last 16 weeks. I am going to be juggling quite a bit though the next few months and need to be careful about keeping my priority on studying. My brother's wedding is coming up in April, which happens to fall the weekend before finals (for me and the bride!!) And no...they didn't plan it that way. :) My cousin Stacy is also getting married in June and I am a part of that wedding as well......so lots to do over the coming months aside from school and work! Eeek.

Day 1 or Day 2?

2008-01-08T07:48:00.001-05:00

So, I arrived at school yesterday a little early for our first class (though technically when do I not arrive early for anything) and met up with the other girls outside. We were pretty excited to be back and to get things started again. When we stopped in at the nursing office to say hello, we were greeted with these words..."we had to change the schedules". To make a long story short, they changed our class day from Mon to Tues and decided not to use the phone list they had for us or post it online. In the words of one of the instructors...."we'll just see who shows up today and then start making calls." What does not make sense about that sentence? Needless to say, we were all pretty mad, especially those of us with full time jobs like myself, not to mention one of the girls who drives an hour to school. So, I headed back home, then to work. Now, I'm getting ready to go to our "first" class. Work was ok with me changing my schedule for next week, but I have to use 5 hours of vacation time to go to class today...isn't that lovely. This is not a unique event, they changed the schedule on us last semester and I've heard from people who have been through the program before that they are known for it. So...off to start school!

One last hurrah....

2008-01-05T21:17:00.000-05:00

I decided to do something fun this weekend and spend some time in northern VA. I knew it would probably be the last weekend for a while where I'm not overwhelmed with school work. Yesterday after work I drove up to my cousin Stacy's place (who lives with her fiance) to spend the evening. Then this morning we met up with my good friend Zandria who lives within walking distance of Old Town in Alexandria. We walked a lot, went into quite a few very cute shops, and had a delicious lunch at Austin Grill. I think my favorite part of the day though was visiting the Torpedo Factory Art Center. It features studios of all different types of artists, my favorite of course being the photographers. I had a chat with one woman about her photos, mainly how gorgeous they were and what kind of cameras she uses. I got another artist's card after falling in love with a print of Koi fish. I've always had a love for these beautiful fish, which have meanings generally of luck or strength and determination. All in all, it was a wonderful day and I look forward to going back again. Now, I'm enjoying an evening of relaxation before working 10 hours tomorrow and starting school Mon morning! :)

Hmmm

2008-01-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

A conversation I had with a coworker this evening. (who previously completed the same nursing program I'm in)

Her: How is school going?

Me: Good...I start Mrs. C's class on Monday! After what I've heard, I'm pretty scared.

She gives me THE LOOK.

Her: I'm not going to sugar coat it..you should be scared, good luck. I'll check back with you in a few weeks to see if you're still alive.

Wednesday Wonderings....

2008-01-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

I ran across this picture on my computer tonight....it reminds me how much I have loved my brother since the day he was born, but it also reminds me of how much I want to be a mom. I guess you could say I have always had that longing to be a mom, and feel that is one of the main reasons I was put on this earth. As time goes by and I watch some of my friends and family members become mothers, I wonder...will it happen for me? It may end up happening in the traditional fashion, it may not, but I just can't imagine it not happening for me.

That's one of the factors that led me to try nursing too. I would absolutely love to work in pediatrics or the maternity ward, possibly even the NICU. (neonatal intensive care unit) I would love to help mothers before, during, and after having their babies. My semester of school which starts on the 7th includes a maternity/pediatrics section, so that is the part I am most looking forward to. I could probably take or leave the post-surgical portion, but we'll see. :)

The Year in Review

2007-12-31T10:09:00.001-05:00

2007 was a pretty good year, but I guess anything could have been better than 2006. My biggest accomplishment this year by far was applying for and starting nursing school. I remember the day in July when I opened the letter from school telling me I had been accepted, I was so excited. The 16 weeks I have completed this year of school have been interesting to say the least...I have been filled with all kinds of emotion, met some great new friends, and jumped major obstacles I would have never thought possible for me.

Also this year, my brother Tommy proposed to Angela in Feb. I liked her since the day I met her and that has turned into being super excited to finally have a sister. The latter part of this year has been spent helping them with wedding plans and watching as they prepare to start the rest of their lives together. I never thought I would see the day where my brother would get married before me, but here we are. :) They are planning an April wedding.

This year also held the one year anniversaries of my Uncle Rich and Grandma passing away. I've always heard people say that time heals all wounds, but I can personally say that even though time has passed there never really is an easy day. I miss them greatly and think about them all the time. I was able to participate in a blood drive on my Grandma's birthday this month, hoping to at least do a little something in her spirit of generosity and love.

I also feel like I have started a more personal journey towards the end of this year and look forward to where it takes me in the new year. 2007 may not have been the most eventful year, but I know its giving me a good running start into 2008. I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and wonderful new year!

I'm Back

2007-12-28T14:14:00.000-05:00

So, I have tried the blogging thing a few times before and never stuck with it very long. I'm in the middle of a new journey though, and about to start a new semester of nursing school in 10 days. I miss being able to write about my experiences in an open forum for friends and family to read. I also met someone pretty special recently, so there may be new experiences to write about in that front as well. I love reading other blogs and hope people will read mine, even if just a few. :)