Phew!

Let preface this post by saying: this week I've been under a little bit of, um, stress. And very, very tired.

We had our first written exam in Nursing Competencies 1 on Tuesday, and our first graded assessments in lab today. In order to pass the class (with a C) we have to pass all of our clinical/lab assessments, as well as get an average of 71% on each of our quizzes and written exams. Oddly enough, we have to maintain a 3.0 average just to keep our spot in the ELMSN program.

Oh, the pressure!

All of our written exams are in a multiple choice NCLEX format where you have to pick the "best" answer. This will be great practice when we're actually sitting for the licensing exam, but on Tuesday things just seemed downright tricky. It was easy to narrow the answers down to two good ones. The hard part was choosing the best one.

Let me tell you, I have never been so happy to get an 86% on an exam before in my life.

The lab skills test was taking vital signs (temperature, pulse, respiration rate, blood pressure) and handwashing. I aced them all, with the exception of bumping the sink when I washed my hands (-1 point) and being a bit too eager to hear the systolic pressure reading on the first try (-1 point). Keep in mind these are skills that I have to opportunity to practice every day -- so I know they'll improve over time.

The good news is, I'm feeling much better about school today than I was at this time last week. I actually feel like I'm gonna make it.

At least for now.

Don't I look happy to be here?

Here's a copy of the dorky picture they took of me on my first day of nursing school. All of our professors were given a cheat sheet of our mug shots to help identify their new students. I think they should take our pictures at the end of the summer, just to compare.

Say cheese!

Refreshed and refocused

I just went for a 5 mile run in what ended up being a torrential hail storm.

It was awesome.

Week One: A Review

It only took four days for me to have my very first nursing school breakdown. And, believe it or not, mine wasn't the first.

It came on Thursday, after 8 hours of class. We'd had four hours of lecture, 3 hours of lab time, and two quizzes. I had failed my first attempts to take arterial blood pressure using a sphygmomamometer, and fumbled between counting respiration rates and beats of the radial pulse.

I know these are skills that will take practice to learn. However, as a self-diagnosed perfectionist, I want to get everything right the first time.

Combined with the stress of Wednesday night's Patho class, which left me with an overwhelming sense of doom, there was only one thing I wanted to do...

Call. My. Mom.

After many tears, a short run around the park with Andy, some dinner and a pep talk from Dad, I felt much better.

The week of tweaking is over. Now it's time for my new game plan (Operation Work My Butt Off) and some serious studying.

Reality Check for Robin

Today's my late start for class, so I've been spending my morning sipping coffee and desperately trying to figure out basic genetics for an assignment that's due Friday.

Here's what my "To Do" list looks like for the next week. Nursing Competencies is in green, Pathophysiology is in blue, and Health Assessment is in red.

Study for 6/20 quiz
Complete lab modules 6/21
Study for 6/22 quiz
Complete worksheet due 6/22
Complete clinical problem set due 6/22

Study for vocabulary quiz (6/25)
Study for exam (6/26)
Write personal paper, due 6/26
Complete lab modules for 6/26
Study for 6/27 quiz
Complete lab modules for 6/28
Study for 6/29 quiz
Complete worksheet due 6/29
Complete clinical problem set due 6/29
Study for vocabulary quiz 6/29

I hope I'm not forgetting anything.

This doesn't include practicing different skill sets outside of class during open lab times. I think that'll probably be on the weekends, but we don't know yet because our labs are currently under construction. But when they're done, will have new simulation mannequins and air conditioning. Two very big bonuses.

I'm going to do my best to get ahead this weekend so that I can see more of my friends and less of my textbooks. But, for now, it's going to be a lot of time studying.

Day Two

I had my first full day of class today. And when I say a full day, I mean it! Here's what my schedule looks like for the first half of the summer:

Mondays and Fridays: Class from 9 AM to12 PM, lunch, class from 1 PM to 4 PM
Tuesdays and Thursdays: Class from 8 AM to 12PM, lunch, class from 8AM to 5 PM
Wednesdays: Class from 2 PM-5 PM, dinner, class from 6 to 9 PM

Once we start at our clinical site in late July, we start at 6:30 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And then there are some special tests and things we have to do in the afternoons.

Perhaps even more overwhelming than the condensed schedule and the amount of time spent in class is the amount of time we're supposed to spend studying outside of class -- because, as everyone knows, there are only so many hours in a day.

The good news is, I'm only one class in and -- despite knowing that I have five assignments and two quizzes this week, and three quizzes, a test, a paper, and at least two assignments due next week -- I love it. I know nothing about the material we're learning, but already I'm struck by its relevance. It also helps that our instructors are engaging, empathetic, and seem excited about the material they're teaching. I'm actually looking forward to my 8 hours of class on Thursday.

Dad was right. At least for now, nursing is going to be my life!

A delicate balance

That's where I find myself these days -- in a delicate balance between being unbelievably excited for everything I'm about to learn, and overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of work I have ahead of me.

I keep reminding myself of the various wisdoms shared by the 'older' nursing students:

• There's going to be a learning curve. It'll take time to adjust to the professors, class schedule, and being a full-time student.
  
• I don't have to make straight-A's. (But wouldn't it be nice?)
  
• I will, in fact, make mistakes.
• It will be impossible to finish all of the readings.
  
• At some point, I'll probably cry.

It kind of makes me want to cry right now, just to get it over with.

Then I remember, this will all be worth it. I'm going to be learning things that will help me throughout my career. School has a direction -- and a purpose! Someday, I will provide skilled and compassionate care for my patients. I might even be good at it.

With any luck, practice really will make perfect.

LWOF -- Part Deux

Well, folks, today the Last Week of Freedom officially comes to an end. I've had a wonderful week of catching up on Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy, and spending time around the house. I've cooked dinner, baked cookies, run errands, done the dishes, met with two people from my cohort, spent a day on campus, and obsessively checked my email.

I'm continuing my fabulously relaxing and carefree week until the wee hours of the morning -- or my last shot of tequila, whichever comes first. Once Saturday rolls around, though, it's time to do work.

I have ten chapters of newly-assigned reading for Monday and am currently in the process of printing up a 106-page course syllabus for a class that starts on Tuesday. Our little inkjet printer is really being put to the test.

Up until now, I've been a diligent double-sided printer: print the odd pages first, then flip them all over and print the evens. This particular document, though, has all of our study guides and modules that are both a) out of order and b) assignments to be turned in for credit. Double-sided printing seemed too risky.

Now that my printer is about 60 pages in, though, I'm having second thoughts. The pile of printed pages is practically taller than I am, and I think the printer is starting to smoke.

Oh well. Time for another email break!

Last Week of Freedom

This was me last week, trying to figure out just what went wrong with my student loans:

I don't want to be that girl this week. In fact, I don't ever want to be that girl again. I was not a happy girl.

This week seems particularly important in terms of relaxing, spending time outside, cooking, and catching up with my loved ones, because this is my Last Week of Freedom.

I still have school-related errands: more textbooks to buy, reading assignments, and course syllabi to print off the web. It's finally time to crack open those shrink-wrapped tomes of nursing, grab some highlighters, and get to work. But all of the pressure and anticipation still can't stop me from being this:

Happy happy happy!

Tropical oasis it is not

I know this may come as a shock, but despite being approximately 50 miles closer to the equator, it still rains a cold hard rain down here in Lakewood. I think this is the perfect excuse to keep on rockin' the down vest all day, every day.

Running out of steam

School hasn't even started yet and I'm already exhausted.

In the midst of our move, I was notified that one of my student loans was unexpectedly canceled. Not good news.

One weekend of worrying and several long and confusing phone calls later, I think the problem has finally been fixed. Or at least it's close enough to being fixed that school gave me an advance to purchase textbooks.

That was when I discovered that purchasing just four books will cost me over half of my book advance. This wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have to purchase books for two more classes. For some reason those books aren't out in the bookstore yet. Nor is there any indication when they will be.

Looks like it's time for me to start some serious online shopping -- which, I've discovered, is much more fun when it's for something cute. Like shoes.

Home Sweet Home

It took more than a few big pushes (mainly to squeeze the mattress up the stairs) but thanks to the hard work of our family and friends, we've managed to move the last of our belongings into our pretty little cottage in Lakewood.

It starts...

School starts in 18 days, and I just got my first glimpse into the world of nursing school. I'm taking four classes this summer:

Nursing Competencies 1
Nursing Competencies 2
Health Assessment and Promotion
Advanced Pathophysiology

Our "Nursing Competencies 1" instructor was kind enough to email incoming students a warm welcome -- and our first homework assignments. A current nursing student described the class as being similar to a CNA course, which I think must mean we learn how to handle poop correctly (among other things). It's an all day class that meets twice a week. The first four hours in the morning are devoted to lecture, with the afternoon scheduled for time in the lab.

They seem to take their stuff seriously. Por ejemplo, if we come to lab without our worksheets finished, they'll send us home. I never want to be that girl. Although, it would be very "Legally Blond" -- and look where it got Elle Woods. She has her own Broadway musical now!

Even more exciting than the homework? My lab schedule for the first half of the summer! (Bowel elimination day is July 5th.) Our first day involves discussing ethics and the nurse-client relationship. We start learning some skills on our second day of class -- things like taking vital signs, setting up oxygen, and learning how to make an occupied and unoccupied hospital bed properly. This means two things: the next time I see you I will quite possibly take your vitals and make your bed.

It may seem dorky, but I am really looking forward to this. I can't wait to see what the other three classes are like!