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