Trying Times to Come...

The week ahead will be a rough one. I have several tests this week and along with several quizzes. I started my morning today studying and reviewing notes. I'm still overwhelmed but have come up with an agenda to eliminate some unnecessary stressors in my life and to focus on what is important - nursing school. It's amazing how so far my lowest grade is a 85. Hopefully, I can keep the A's rolling in, especially on my tests (where it counts the most). So I will be studying the rest of the week and here on out vigorously. Now that my clinicals are about to start, it will be hard for me to commit to volunteering as much as I had in the past. However, the volunteer organization that I am affiliated with also has opportunities on the weekend to give back to the community. When time permits, I will volunteer as much as possible on Saturdays.

Somehow, I have managed to upgrade my daily lunch regimen of peanut butter and jelly to ham and cheese sandwiches. I am definitely thankful for the change. I'm also thankful that God has allowed me to maintain myself without a job for the last year. Allowing me to still pay my bills on time, keep my apartment, and almost pay my car loan off. I am so grateful and know that He will continue to bless me as I continue to serve Him and go through nursing school.  

"You can't have a testimony without a test" - unknown

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODmHMKfD_iY&feature=fvw

The Gravy Train is Over...

I am definitely overwhelmed... I have had several quizzes and lab skills check offs within the first two weeks of school.  Thankfully, I have achieved perfect scores on everything so far but the work has just begun. I have so much homework, several group and individual projects, medication cards, and tons of "pre-work" to do before each clinical day. There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day to complete everything since I am in class basically all day Monday thru Friday. This is definitely going to be a hard semester because I do not know what to expect or what the outcome will be. My professors all seem pretty helpful. Some more thorough than others but I am used to that from my grad school days. I must admit, I have already learned so much and I look forward to what's to come. I am excited about starting clinicals and learning "hands-on". Luckily, I was able to get a head start on some homework assignments yesterday. If I can get everything done in advance then it will make my semester much easier. However, it doesn't seem realistic because I also have to study for quizzes and tests, take notes, and read all the lecture material on top of doing all the other stuff. I have several friends in other nursing programs and they are experiencing the same thing so I know it's not me overreacting. Nursing school involves alot and it takes alot to make it through.   

The First Day

I was so anxious to get to class that I barely got any sleep last night. This morning my alarm clock went off at 5:30am the first time and every 15 minutes thereafter (in the event I pushed the snooze button one too many times). I actually rolled out of bed around 6:30am and started getting ready for the hour commute that awaited me. I left my apartment at 7am and was stuck in minor traffic before I hit the highway. From there it was smooth sailing until I reached the exit to my school and there was only one lane open due to road construction. It was now 8am and I started to panick because I needed to find a parking space and walk to the nursing building once on campus. All prior to my 8:25am start time... I finally arrived on campus at 8:13am, parked in the "visitor's parking lot" beside the nursing building, and then gathered my belongings from the car. I looked like the "bag lady" with my rolling bookbag, lunchbox, pocketbook, and 2 textbooks in my hands. Let me add that each textbook weighed almost 10 pounds each... As I walked to class I realized that all the extra baggage was slowing me down. My nursing program does not tolerate tardies and I was determined to be on time or points would be deducted from my final class grade. I finally arrived and at 8:22am. I made it just in time.

The rest of my day consisted of 3 classes in which the professors basically reviewed the syllabuses and course guides and then expressed their expectations of the students. I was engrossed in their rambling because I did not want to miss anything and then later on hear "well I went over that information on the first day". So I had my notebook and pen out taking diligent notes on what I thought was important or key points to my success this semester. My day ended at 2:45pm but luckily I had a 2 hour break from 11:30am-1:30pm. I took that opportunity to read a chapter in my Pharmacology textbook while I ate my daily dose of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches along with a snack. I then walked through campus in the blazing sun to buy the $40 parking decal for the school year worried that I might get ticketed since I did park in the "visitor's" lot. On the way I saw several cars with parking tickets on the windshield that were parked in another lot. I rushed back to put my new decal in my windshield, proud that I myself did not get a ticket in the interim.

I got back home around 4pm, ate some leftovers from my mom's Sunday's dinner, and then took a 2 hour nap. I have homework due already this week and next week so I decided to get a head start on that. I also printed out some additional notes that my professors posted online today. I'm actually going to bed on time tonight and from here on out because that 2 hour nap could have been 2 hours worth of studying. So by 10:30pm I need to be in the bed and sleep every night before class or else this semester I will be tired and sleepy instead of focused.

Tomorrow I have lab at 8am and should expect to be on campus until 4:30pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until my clinicals start in a few weeks. I am eager to learn the new nursing skills not covered in my CNA 1 and Health Assessment class. And with 4 nursing classes and 1 elective, I know I will have brain overload this semester...

"If you're bored, you're not paying attention" - Nikki Giovanni

The Night Before...

It's been a long time coming but I have finally made it! I've passed my first 2 nursing classes (Intro to the Nursing Profession and Health Assessment) and am officially admitted to the upper division of nursing school. I am so excited and it shows! My first day of upper division classes starts tomorrow morning at 8:25am and I have had my syllabuses, course guides, and notes printed for weeks. I've also had my notebooks organized and ready to go for some time now. My textbooks have arrived (all but one) and I have my rolling bookbag ready by the front door of my apartment. My clothes are ironed and laid out on the unslept side of my bed. I feel like a little kid the night before the 1st day of school. My lunch is packed and as of tomorrow will be on my Monday thru Friday daily routine of peanut butter and jelly and a few snacks to get me through the long days of class and clinicals. I feel like I am on a mission. A mission to accomplish this dream that I have had most of my life but never actually followed through on it until now. After obtaining other degrees in other areas (undergrad in Psych, MBA, Masters in Project Management), I soon found out "Corporate America" was not for me. It took $150k in student loan debt to realize it. But hey, at least I came to my senses. So now, I'm on this fascinating journey to become a Registered Nurse (RN) and then on to obtain my Masters in Anesthesia to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). I have never been so passionate about becoming a RN. I am focused, eager to learn, and hope that I can master and soak up all the information that will be dished out to me in my 5 classes this semester. I have been praying for this day for years and know that God does answer prayers (but on His own time). I know this is my calling and I am looking forward to every minute I have to endure to get there. The next year and 8 months will seem long and rough but I will continue to post my experience as a nursing student on this blog. Please continue to follow me as I embark on my destination to finish my bachelors degree in nursing.

"The easy path leads to the hard life, but the hard path leads to the easy life"- Rilke  

As a small child my "Ma Granny" used to hum an old gospel song called "Rough Side of the Mountain" while she cooked. To this day (at age 80) she still hums this tune from time to time. I too find myself humming this song on many occasions when the road seems full of road blocks.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjPhz-Ec7yk