November 30, 2007

Graduation Here I Come....



I'm finished with precepting forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO, Hell Yeah, Hallelujah, Bless the Lord, Praise Jesus, 'Bout damn time too! But, I'm kinda too tired to care right now because I just worked 12 hours. Hmmpf.

Today was a booger of a day. We did the nurse job and CNA job because she was sick. It was just a mess, but we managed. When you have 2 people doing work for 4 patients, who does what and who charts what gets really confusing. Anyway...it's over and I can now retire my white scrubs and apron "bib" forever. I will however miss the 1000 pockets I had though. :-/ I don't think I ever want to wear white again. EVER! Ugh!

I've waited for this day for so long. Now, I just have one more class and we're finished and get to get pinned! I'm excited and ready to move on from school. School is for the freakin' birds. LOL I definitely had a love-hate relationship with it for sure. I loved it when I was on breaks and I hated it when I wasn't.

Precepting for 120 "real nurse" hours has taught me more than what I learned in school. That's kinda sad. I mean, HELLO, they never even taught us how to use an i-med machine. Kinda makes you feel stupid to go through 3.5 years of nursing school and not even know how to hang a primary bag of fluids. Anyway...I know now and that's all that matters. I have done so much. Yesterday I was with the IV team all day and I stuck about 9 people. I got blood return on most, but blew the vein. I did get one stick though, so it was satisfying. Many of the pt's that they see are hard sticks so I wasn't discouraged. I'm just glad I now have a better idea of how to manipulate the IV and get it in the vein...at all! Ha ha.

Damn, I'm tired and my brain is fried. I'd better end this post and go relax. I'm off for the next two weeks and am going to enjoy it because I start my new job on the 17th. Kinda not ready for all that yet, but I am ready to be free of school. I feel satisfied. Tired, but satisfied.

November 28, 2007

Snoop is in the hizzouse

Not many people would know this about me, but I love Snoop Dogg. He is the shizz. I have loved him since The Chronic days with Dr Dre. I think he's a genius, talented and the coolest cat in the world and this is why: LOL!


Check out Snoop's Crib. Ya Digg?:

November 25, 2007

Cocky Doctors Are Sucky!


My son got sick on Friday with a fever and our stupid ER didn't know how to treat him. I told them they had to call the oncologist at our other hospital before they did anything but the damn egomaniacal DR thought I was giving him orders and did his own thing to spite me. Prick! He waited for 5 hours to call the oncologist and to give Aidan his IV antibiotic. What he doesn't know, because he wouldn't listen to me, is that Aidan has to have an IV antibiotic within 90 minutes if he has a temperature of 100.5 greater because it could have been deadly. So, what happened was that Aidan had to be taken by ambulance to his hospital 2 hours away all because he thought he knew what he was doing, but he essentialy made matters worse. Unbelievable. Do they not think that I know what I am talking about since I go through this every week? I may give the director of the hospital a call. They need to know how to treat oncology pt's because they may cost someone their life. I'm just disgusted. Anyhow...he's fine and is home now. He had an infection of some sort and luckily his hospital knows exactly what to do in those situations. The oncologist asked why I didn't have them call her and I explained that I tried and she said she worried all night as to what happened to Aidan. GRRRRRRRRRR! I hate cocky dr's and if I ever run across him again I will let him know that what he did was stupid and wrong.

Tuesday Aidan gets another spinal tap/lumbar puncture. Let me tell you....my child has been through so much. :-( He is so traumatized by everything, literally. If you try to remove a bandaid he screams bloody murder and gets so worked up he doesn't hear or see anything but fear. I don't know what to do. You can imagine what it's like to access his port. :-/ It makes me want to cry because he is so terrified, but it has to be done. The nurses have the hardest time even flushing his port because he's so scared they're going to hurt him. I try to calm him, but it never works and I sometimes can't even watch him go through it. He tries to bargain by saying things like "wait a minute, I need to tell you something" or he tries to say he has to do something else....anything he can to get out of it. When we try and give him his oral meds he clenches his teeth together and refuses so we usually have to hold him down like a couple of monsters and force it down. Sometimes he throws it back up, but like our nurse said....his mouth is the only thing he can conrol and he wants to prove to us that he has some semblance of control over something. I feel so horrible because all I can do is watch him go through it and hope that one day it will all be over and life will be "normal" again. That's all I want....for my baby to have a normal life.

I finish my precepting this week, thankfully. Friday is my last day. Tomorrow we have class from 8-10 to talk about how Wellness Day went, as if we haven't already beaten that dead horse. (Eye rolling). I think they just want to make sure we're all still alive because we haven't seen them in a couple of weeks. Then after precepting I have class on Dec 7th to talk about our pinning and to turn in a few extra things and I'm all finished! Lord, give me the strength to go on. I want to nursing school to be over for good and I don't want to look back. I'm not sure if I'll ever choose to get my BSN...maybe years later when the memory of how horrible it was wears off.

I'm excited to start my new job and to finally get paid for all of this time spent away from my family. For those of you who are just beginning, try not to let it interfere with your personal lives. It's hard to do because you don't have the time, but you have to make time. My husband and I have really grown apart, but we're trying to pull things back together and when you have 4 kids and one of them is sick, it's hard to focus on eachother. I think after school is over and I have some vacation time we are going to go somewhere for a little while to regroup...ALONE. We love the boys, but parents need time too!

Aidan gets to Make-A-Wish and he wants to go to Disney. Hopefully, this summer he will get his wish. He deserves that and more and my guilt level for being away from him so much is unbearable. Moms deserve metals because they're whole beings are wrapped up in their children and often times they forget themselves. So if you're a mom give yourslf a HUGE pat on the back, because having a sick child or no sick child it's the hardest job in the entire world!

Because I have been so busy my husband has had to take a lot of time away from work, therefore money has been very tight and that never feels good. Cancer or no, those people want their money and that's that. I'm trying to reconcile in my head that these people are just doing their jobs, but you can't help but have a part of you that feels they're all soulless blood-sucking vampire leeches who could care less for mankind. Sigh. All of this because I'm trying to finish school and have MORE money. Sigh. It's a lose-lose my friends.

I'm not throwing a pity party becaus it is what it is, but there comes a point where you look to God and ask- WHY?

Onto the positives:
Precepting ends Friday
Last day of school is the 7th
Pinning is the 14th
New job orientation starts the 17th
I'm free the week of Christmas
My son is home and is OK
My other boys all made the honor roll this term (They're amazing!)
We were able to get our holiday decorations up despite the madness
Santa is visiting us soon
Soon we will have more money
We have a roof over our heads
Good food on our table
We're all together

End of rant!
Have a nice week folks.

November 21, 2007

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!



This Thanksgiving I am thankful for my upcoming graduation, my new job, my awesome family and most of all MY SON'S REMISSION!

I hope you all have a Happy Turkey Day!

November 20, 2007

always smile and the whole world will smile at you

So yesterday I precepted and worked for 12 hours. I got there at 7am and didn't get a smoke break until 5pm. We were slammed, but no smoke break for 10 hours? That's some crazy shiz right there. I have to precept this Wednesday, Friday and next MWF and I'll be finished....and damn glad too! I need a break! Nursing school expects too much of their students. If we had done this precepting all the way through school then we would have learned a heck of a lot more than waiting until the end.

Those people who work in the hospital setting already have an advantage. For one, they know the ins and outs of everyday things, such as contacting the lab, knowing what to look for with certain patients, charting, etc... However, those of us who are just now getting our feet wet do not know the "little" things and shouldn't be looked down upon because we don't. Some people are patronizing and it gets my goat. I hope if I'm ever in the position to direct someone in the right direction I do not come across as a know it all, or act preturbed because they don't know. How else are they suppose to learn? Nursing school doesn't teach the hum drum things about the job, but only about the patients. I think they need to incorporate these things in our learning experience so we can be spared any feelings of incompetence when we are learning on the job. Just my opinion. My preceptor is really good with the positive feedback. She is tolerant and patient with my newness. LOL However, there are always others out there who don't have the capacity to be patient and those people make me crazy. Weren't they new at some point too? Grrr. Surely they weren't perfect, no one is perfect.

It seems like this journey will never end. I still have a "paper" due on Dec 7th and I haven't started. Haven't we already payed our dues? I mean we are working for free right before the holidays...I think that is enough and we should just be able to graduate already. This semester has made us do more busy work than any other, yet we've been the busiest we've ever been aside from all the extra stuff. This needs to be reevaluated. Stop giving us so many stupid papers and extra assignments to do and let us focus on nursing. UGH!

They train you for 2 + years for a specific career, yet when you enter into the field you feel like an idiot. I think as far as pt care, assessment, med administration and my skills go I have done fantastic, it's just the little stuff, as I said. Knowing what kind of progress note to write, knowing what paperwork goes where etc... That's the stupid stuff and the "easier" stuff, but it takes some time to really get it down pat. I'll get there and I am learning a lot, but I'll be glad when I'm on my own, learning my own way of doing things and feeling more confident in why I'm doing the things I'm doing.

Hope you all have a wonderful day, and OH..don't let others get you down. Some people like making others feel stupid. Just smile, always smile. Stupidity is not lack of knowledge, but knowing better and doing it anyway.

November 16, 2007

She Works Hard For The Money

How do you spell gorgeous? P-A-T-R-I-C-K!




Well, I finally accepted the job that I wanted. It's a general surgery floor, basically anything but heart & lung surgeries and we get a lot of medical too such as pneumonias, diabetics etc. I'm super excited, but scared as all get out. It's a heavy floor with lots to learn, I just hope I can catch on fairly quickly. My official start date is December 17th, but she said she wouldn't make me work the week of Christmas...I'm not arguing with her. lol My new manager seems super nice and we laugh a lot together, which means she gets my twisted sense of humor. I love her already. I'll tell you what my starting pay is because I don't care if people know and I'm not pretentious like that. It starts at $18.65 an hour with 10% differential between 7p-11p and 12% between 11p and 7a. So basically, if I get technical about it, I'm making $20.51 from 7p-11p and $20.88 from 11p-7a. Which means I'm making roughly $250 per shift (before tax of course). Not too shabby. It beats working for free = precepting UGH! I'm not going to complain one bit about the money. I think it's a fair considering I'm so green between the ears. So, now you know what I'm worth. LOL. Between my husband and I we should do fairly well, so I'm excited about that too. I haven't worked in apporximately 5 years so, unless you count school as a "job" and I do because nursing school was the hardest, most demanding job I've ever had! (Notice I used past tense-He Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!)

I'm still precepting and was actually supposed to work today but I have a major case of GI distress. A-Hem! I don't know why I got this, but I have it and it would be very uncomfortable to be working right now. My husband was sort of sick all week and I think he passed his increased peristalsis onto me. Thanks doll.

Moving along...this week we had our community Wellness Day. It's basically a day that the seniors put together for the whole school and community where we have information about everything under the sun and we give free glucose checks, vitals, flu shots, cholesterol screening etc. We also supply refreshments, have giveaways and lots of other fun stuff too. It was nice, but I'm glad it's over, it was so much work putting it together and getting the other clases on board...yuck. Here are a few photos from the day and of some of the booths that were made:


Ha!







The ending note of this post...is school ever really going to end?

November 10, 2007

Love like a Hippy


It's late and I'm up and unable to sleep. You ever have those nights? I have a milion things running through my head and none of it is coming together. I think I'm feeling sad, yes that must be it. I'm sad for a lot of reasons and tired....tired for many reasons too. One reason is that the 12 hour shifts I've been working are kicking my ass. I never realized how long 12 hours was until I was on my feet the entire time. Thank God for Nurse Mates. I hope this is something I can get use to, because it kinda sucks and I kinda knew it would, but realizing it doesn't make it better.

I have been through a lot of things in my life... I sometimes wonder why God would think I can handle all of this. I guess you could say I'm "handling" it. But what does that mean exactly? What I take from it, is that unless I'm insane or dead, I'm handling it...so yea, I guess I am. Do I sometimes feel like my life is falling apart...uh huh, yep. Cause you know what? It sorta is and I can't control it. How 'bout them apples? So you know what I do? I breathe. I breathe and I try to think of something positive to shove all the ugly thoughts away, because what else can I do? This is the roller coaster I ride daily. I go up, then I come down....sometimes I'm upside down and then I do it all over again. Is this unstable? For my situation, I would consider myself pretty stable...I mean...I'm not insane, or dead and I'm functioning, which means I'm "handling" it right? I want things back to the way they were...before the cancer. I sometimes feel like I have cancer too. I'm being eaten up by the realities that is my life, my fears.....then I breathe and remember that I am alive, we are alive and I force myself to believe that he will live a long life, because any other thought just isn't freaking suitable!

I try and remember the days when my biggest problem was getting through a stupid test. Please, thank your lucky stars it is one of your bigger issues. I know they suck so horribly bad, but I wish those were my only problems now. I would take a million more tests over this battle. My biggest enemy is my thoughts. If they would just leave my mind alone, I could find some peace. I don't mean to be a depressing, raging, sad little crybaby, but you know lack of sleep, a few beers and worry will do that to a person. I see my friends go on about their daily lives, and sometimes I do too, and then I think...damn....

Sometimes I can't even say the word...it still seems so unreal, so foreign, so unbelievable... I pray to God to PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take this away, take it all away and give me and my family some peace. Give my child his innocence back. That is all I want...
In my heart, I know he will be ok, I know this. I guess I can't help but analyze it in my brain and worry until I'm sick. I wish my heart could tell my brain to shut the hell up. I just pray I, we can get through this....one more day. One day at a time.

Hold on tight, don't take anything for granted, don't let go of those you truly love (EVER), follow your instincts, follow your heart, don't sweat the small stuff, laugh a lot, pray a lot, live life, love hard, dance as if no one is watching, apologize, forgive, take in the sunshine, smell the flowers, hug tighter, kiss sweeter, call more often, and don't do as I do...only do as I say...stop worrying! Life is so precious and we take advantage of way too much. Get off of your cell phone, turn off the tv, rest your mind, ease your soul and live life in the moment, love like a hippy and let the rest fall away.

May you all find peace and love in your lives,
Christy

November 8, 2007

Animal Antics

Have you seen THIS? The skateboarding dog.....seriously, this is awesome. He even knows how to turn his board. This is the nuttiest thing ever!

November 7, 2007

A first time for everything.....


Hey bloggers. I've been so busy I haven't had time to write, so here's an update for ya. BTW..whoever visits my blog from Austrailia, England and Japan....Hello from the US!!!!!!!!! It's so cool you read my stupid little blog, but 'Welcome' and leave me a message sometime too! Anyway, moving on... so Monday I was all nervous because I had 2 interviews back to back. I was suppose to have 3, but the position was filled, so I only had 2. Both interviews went incredibly well. I liked both managers a lot, but wanted one job more than the other and guess what??!! I was offered both positions! Yay! So now, I just have to think on it and let them know which one I want. Here are the pro's and cons of both jobs:

Job A: Pay's almost .65 more per hour
Job B: .65 less on the hour than job A (ha!)

Job A: 36 bed (mostly detox) unit
Job B: 26 bed general surgery unit

Job A: Can practically make my own schedule
Job B: "We'll do the best we can"

Job A: 5 to 1 nurse to patient ration
Job B: 7 to 1 (they're smokin' some crack) nurse to pt ratio

Job A: Super sweet manager
Job B: Super sweet manager

So job A I think, right?

Anyhow...that's where I'm at...makin' decisions and I hae decision making because I over analyze everything to death!

Tonight I worked my very first 12 hours shift...EVER. It was brutal, but time flew pretty quick actually. We were slammed and I had 4-5 pt's all day, another first. My preceptor is as sweet as can be, but I know I have to get on her nerves at times. I mean, I'm new at this and she knows it blind, so she wants everything to go fast, fast, fast, like she's use to and I want rationale. Why am I doing this? I can only learn something if I know the "why". Thank goodness she's patient, or I'd be screwed. I did some stupid things today, it's not the first and I'm sure it won't be the last time. How else are you suppose to learn, right? You know something else that threw my off? It was that the same nurse that I got report from in the am was the one I was giving report to in the pm. That will mess with your head right there. Basically... a 12 hours shift is a loooong damn time! Thank God I only have to do this 3 days a week.

Now I'm exausted and can only think of my bed....sweet dreams!

November 2, 2007

My Tips and Tricks for Nursing School


Oh my gosh, I don't have to study for exams anymore. Yes, I know I've said this before and I will probably keep saying it until I believe it. It's so awesome not having a test to prepare for. Ahhhhhh, sweet freedom.

Today was my precepting orientation. It went well and I can't wait until I get to handle some patients on Wednesday. (See the previous post for other updates). The floor I am working on is a women's unit which deals mostly with hysterectomy's and general gynie issues. It's a small unit, so it's a very good floor for learning. I like my preceptor..she's very patient and loves to teach. Hopefully I get as lucky when I start on my real floor.

I decided to compile a list of tips and tricks for new nursing students. I get a lot of questions about what to do and what not to do, so I'll post some here.

Inform your family that you'll need their support. Nursing school is like no other program. You will be busy, no matter how organized you are or how well you plan. There will always be something to do so getting some extra help will be a life saver.

NEVER get behind! Remember that old saying...don't put off tomorrow what can be done today? Live by this code. Stay on top of everything or you will get behind and catching up is hard to do!

Find a note taking style and stick with it. It took me almost a year to get a good note taking style down pat. I found that if you follow the same pattern it helps your learning and helps you remember come test day.

Buy a digital recorder. Instructors talk fast. They have a hellacious amount of info to teach you and really don't care if you're keeping up or not. If you have a backup (recorder) write down the time on the recorder of the info you missed and return to it later for clarification.

Understand the theory, patho and concepts. Don't memorize info unless it's required, Ex: immunizaition schedules etc... If you UNDERSTAND the material then you'll be able to answer most any test question about the topic. Example: Diabetes: know that the insulin is what drives the glucose into the cell and without it, your blood sugar will be high. When your blood sugar is high you become thirsty. One of the S&S of diabetes is thirst. If you have a test question on this topic you can think of the patho and answer accordingly. It also wouldn't hurt to learn mnemonics for certain disorders. One I clearly remember for diabetes is the 3 P's: Polydipsia, Polyphagia and Polyuria.

Make friends! Your classmates will become your family. You will see them sometimes more than your family and they will be the only ones truly understanding what you're going though. Besides, when you're sitting at home banging your head against the wall trying to understand Increased Intercranial Pressure, it never hurts to call a classmate and ask for some clarity.

Organize your time. This has to be one of the biggest issues. I always planned time for study and time for home and you have to stick to it! If you're on your "home" time, leave thoughts of school alone and save it for your "school" time.

Buy a backpack with wheels. Yea, it may look stupid and nerdy, so what! It will save your back. 300 lbs is no fun to carry around. Don't worry about standing out, most every nursing student has these bookbags. :-)~

Don't beat yourself up! I went into the program with a 4.0 and am leaving with a 3.4, and guess what? It's ok with me! Only do your best. If you fail a test... don't be too hard on yourself, just do better next time. If you fail a skill...practice, practice, practice until you are confident enough to retake it. Don't freak out...take your time. There isn't a time limit on the majority of the skills. Everyone has had days where they have felt like they sucked...it's ok, but don't dwell because you don't have time to. lol

Turn off your cell phone. Instructors hate cell phones and some will make you leave class...as juvenille as it sounds, they do. We had one girl whose phone went off during every test and it really is disruptive. Just leave it off during class.

Take pictures and journal your experiences. This is something I am glad I did. Whether you write in a diary, or in a blog, you will love having this for later. Nursing school is an experience and sometimes it's best to vent to someone. My someone is my blog. Plus, it's always fun to refer back to a year ago and read what I was going through at the time. I recommend this to everyone.

Keep all of your notes. Don't forget...at the end of this journey there is a much bigger, more important exam called the NCLEX. You will want to have your notes for reference, even if you do buy a gazillion NCLEX prep books. (grin)

Get some sleep and eat right. I wish I had followed this advice. Vending machine food DOES NOT keep your body fueled. I repeat...STAY AWAY FROM THE VENDING MACHINE!Go to bed early....you'll regret it in the morning if you don't.

Don't miss class. In one day you could cover a variety of topics. Other's notes are nice, but if you don't hear the subject yourself, it can be harder to understand. Also..don't be late...instructors hate that and many will not let you in and will give you a 0 for the test or quiz if you're late.

Be prepared for clinical. There is no worse feeling than when your instructor asks you what a drug is for and you have no clue. Double check everything before you enter a patient's room. Drug errors are scary...cover your ass!

Know your ABC's. No, I'm not talking about the alphabet. The ABC's are: Airway, Breathing and Circulation. Airway is alywas your first check...if their airway isn't patent, more than likely they aren't breathing, now are they? Know that is it the FIRST assessment....exceptions... if your test question is about blood circulation, more than likley the answer will also be about circulation too.

Understand test questions. Nursing questions are different from any other test questions. Sometimes it will make you want to pull out your hair. Many times you will have more than one right answer, but you need to know the one that is the MOST right. Ex: A pt enters the emergency room complaining of chest pain and he states his left arm is numb and tingling. The most important thing the nurse should do first is:
a) Assess the patients arm
b) Start an EKG
c) Assess the patient's pain level and administer Morphine
d) call the doctor

All of these are the right answers, but B is the correct answer because before you do the other things, the EKG takes priority. Also notice in the question it asks what the MOST important thing that the nurse will do. Assessing the pt's pain is a nursing action, but it's always one of the last things a nurse will do. It's considered psychosocial and his physical needs outweigh the pain at the moment. (Understand Maslow's heiarchy of needs and you can answer these correctly). Call the doctor is rarely the right answer because the nurse can always do some kind of pt care before the doctor has to be called. Think about it..if a pt is having a seizure before you call the DR (which some might want to do-inlcuding me-HA!) you want to make sure they aren't going to hurt themselves or choke on their tongue. There is always something the nurse can do...according to the textbook anyway.

Understand the test questions: Part deux! Look for keywords in the stem of the question such as: All, Never, Can't, Always etc... rarely does something NEVER or ALWAYS happen. Anything is possible. Avoid answering questions with these words in them. Another lesson I learned the hard way was answers that had part of the right answer in them. Example...the pt has increased intercranial pressure. The nurse should: Raise the HOB and administer a vasopressive. Well,...yes you will raise the HOB, but you won't admin that med...just use your common sense and don't fall into this trap. They say they aren't our to trick you, they lie. Opposites....if you see opposites in the answer bank, generally one of them is the answer. Ex: answer: use cold compresses Answer 2: use a hot pack. It's is usually one or the other.

Help your classmates. If you are at clinical and you aren't that busy and you see your friend buried up to her elbows in work, lend a hand. They won't forget this. Teamwork really is the best way to work. You scratch my back....

Make clinical cheatsheets. Make a document in Word, or whatever, for your pt's meds. Put times (military) on one side and meds on the other and make boxes. This way at clinical you can keep up with your pt's meds and when they're due incase the "real nurse" (haha) has the MAR (medication administration record), which often times they do and you have to pry it from their cold, clingy, more expereinced hands.
Make a physical assessment cheat sheet. You aren't going to be able to do a top notch assessment for a long time. I am still weak in that area, but what you can do is save yourself time and face by making a cheatsheet about things you need to assess. Go from head to toe. I can't tell you how many times I went to chart and totally forgot when the last time the patient voided was....didn't I feel stupid?! Find out when the floor does routine vitals, baths, I&O's etc... You shouldn't have to be told these things twice.

If you don't know the answer, ASK! Ask as many questions as you need to, it's better than fudging and finding out the answer later.

De-stress. Don't let yourself get so overwhelmed that you need a straight jacket. Ask for help, you can't do it all. Find ways to let off steam...running, walking, a hot bath, a bloody mary. Ha! Hey, if it works...

Don't worry about your household chores. Unfrotunately, the housework takes the least priority during school. Remember, you aren't in "regular" college classes. When you get home, the majority of your time will be spent working on things for class. Let some things go...if you don't, you will be too wound up to function. I learned this the hard way too. As long as you have food to eat, clean clothes (sometimes-ha), then you are doing ok. ASK FOR HELP!

Remind your family and friends how much you love them. It's easy to get caught up in school so much that everyone else gets tuned out. Make time for them, even if it means sacrificing for school. Keep in touch with your non nursey friends. They love you too and will feel like you're brushing them off. Remind them of your time constraints and plan a day together when you can.

Take care of yourself. This is the most important tip. As stupid as this will sound...sometimes you barely have time to bathe...make time. Get a mani and pedi too! Don't forget about your health, because without it you will have nothing.

Have fun! As stressful as nursing school can be, don't forget to enjoy it. There WILL be days when you don't think you can go on another moment. You will and it will be worth it...I hope. You will be learning so much that your head will spin, but in the midst of it all there is a lot of fun involved. Make sure to take things in stride as much as possible and don't join in on the gossip.

Hope these help. I've been saving these up for a while.
Have a nice weekend, I'm spending it with my family and I can't wait!

November 1, 2007

Updates!





So, yesterday was my final and today was my last day of clinical. It's all so surreal. I'll be glad when this sets in and I actually believe it. So far it's hard to believe because I'm still so busy with school related stuff. Today at clinical I had to present my last bib cards. I'm so glad I don't have to do those anymore! I have a paper that is due on Monday and the 13th and 14th we have to do a community project that our class had to organize and run for the whole school. If it weren't for all of the "extra" crap it wouldn't be so busy.

We got our photos the other day. I never thought I would live to see the day that I'm wearing that hat. They have every nurse that graduated on the wall of the school and it dates back to the 50's. It's cool to know I'm among them. It's a very hard earned program and I'm proud I've made it through. Especially with all that has gone on in my family. Notice in the group photo above I (far right) and the girl next to me look like we were photoshopped in the picture. When they took this there was construction going on behind us and I thik I had a big crane sticking out of my head. LOL Anyway...if you look closely, you'll see that our hair, especially mine, are the only ones that look "wind blown". Too funny!

Tomorrow I start precepting, which is basically a "clinical", except our teachers aren't there. I'm so tired I'm actually dreading going tomorrow. Ugh. We filled out our applications for our NCLEX the other day and it seemed like things really started getting scary. I can't believe how close I am to becoming an RN. After these 120 hours of precepting (which ends in Nov), we are finished with everything until graduation. THEN...we get a job and do 120 hours as a registered nurse applicant. Once we complete those hours we can sit for our boards. So it will be late January, early February before I can take the exam.

I have 3 job interviews on Monday and I'm nervous. They are back to back...how scary is that! There is one I really hope I get, so keep yor fingers crossed for me!

Aidan is doing great. I haven't posted in forever, but have tried to update on his website. He is mostly on oral meds right now and is getting a little respite from the clinic for a few weeks. Like I said before, he's cancer free and the chemo is to keep it from coming back. I'm so sad right now because even though I am close to graduation, it doesn't mean anything if I can't see my family. I miss them...I feel like all I do is school-clinical. Sigh. I just want to be home with him and enjoy our time together....it depresses me. I hope once I start working as a real nurse I will have more free time because this is crap and isn't worth me not getting to spend time with my kids. Anyway.... I told my husband I may just stay home with Aidan and he laughed and told me I'd better get a job after all of this stress. I guess I can't blame him. Ha ha.

Have a nice weekend!

Hallelujah !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was the hardest final exam I've ever had, but I passed it. There were 100 questions and I missed 19 and got an 81%. I could have missed 40 and still passed the class, so I'm cool with my 81. I wish I could say I celebrated, but I haven't had time. As soon as I got home I had to write 2 bib cards for my LAST clinical, which is today, then I had to take the kids trick-or-treating. I can't believe I am finished with school. I feel such a relief, but it hasn't really sunk in yet.

Tomorrow I start precepting already...no breaks here. I'll be finished with that at the end of November, then I'm home free. The most important thing is I have no class....ever again. O-M-G! I'm speechless.

I'll write me later.
Ta-ta!