I can see the future

The college has a few new boards up in our hallways displaying pictures of the recently graduated senior class. Some from their pinning ceremony, some from their graduation and older ones from some of their final class and clinical days.

A few of these pictures showed them in the L&D area of a local hospital and NICU area. Holding babies, feeding babies. I'm so jealous. I'm so excited too! After this term which ends at the end of October, I believe...we start our reproduction/mother baby classes and clinicals. Me and one other classmate are so stoked for this. I have a goal to work either Labor and Delivery, or Trauma. Yes, two extreme differences, I know..lol. The more I see of the L & D though, I'm starting to set my mind on L&D.

I smell the new baby smell already!

Somber clinical

Today we were sent to a rehab/nursing home for our clinical. The moment we arrived, we found out that the staff had lost a nurse last evening. Apparently she crashed on her motorcycle over the weekend, and wearing no helmet, suffered massive brain trauma and full body trauma. Last night they took her off her ventilator and she passed.

The nurse that I was assigned to today was also assigned to the wing that this passed nurse had worked on. All day I heard countless stories from patients and colleagues about how wonderful a nurse this woman was. It's truly sad.

On a brighter note, the nurse I was with was amazing. She was extremely helpful and kind in teaching me. I learned so much from her and truly enjoyed the family like atmosphere of this facility. I've always said I never want to work at a nursing home/rehab center. However, after my experience with this one today, I would be honored to be apart of their team.

Great experience, somber mood, and I'm tired as hell. My body aches. I'm assuming from the flu shot I got yesterday. All of us who got it, about 3/4 of us are having side effects of one kind or another. So, with that being said.....it's my nap time. AC is on, big kids have the little monkey under control, I'm sleeping until hubby gets home.

Ciao!

10 week stretch

I dropped off the radar there for a bit. With an 10 day vacation, that's easy to do. I spoiled myself on being lazy around the house. I tried to sleep in every day, but now that my inner clock is used to those 6:30am clinical hours it was impossible.

So now we are at the beginning of a 10 week stretch that will end our third term. I'm in gastroenterology and endocrine right now. Both classes are ....not hard, but stressful in their own way. GI I'm "getting", endocrine I'm trying to get. It's just so boring right now. Maybe it's only because I've spent the past three class days in lecture all about diabetes and nothing else. I need variety to keep my brain from turning to mush.

I bought this voice recorder, and now when I get home, I recite my class notes and power points onto it, and walk around the hosue listening to it. It's so much better than trying to do housework, cook dinner, etc with paper notes in your hand. I'mgetting more useful study time in this way, and my grades and confidence on the subject matter is truly showing it.

I got my required flu shot today. Required for the nursing students if we wanted to still have full access during clinicals. The first flu shot I've ever gotten, so far no bad side effects, though I am tired as hell. Though that could just be becuase I've been up since 5am and had a very full and stressful clinical day.

Time to rest...

Musculoskeletal

We are doing this class in 5 days! Thank goodness it's a pretty easy subject for me, or I'd have lost my mind by now. We took midterm today, I passed with an 84, brings my average to a 90. Not bad. So unit exam tomorrow and then in a week from now, we go in for the final. It's only bones and muscles..........cinch.

On another note, I'm at a new clinical site now. The main hospital in Jacksonville that is a university hospital, teaching hospy and charity hospy all in one. I'm not crazy about it because they still do everything on paper. The charting....OMG....I miss passing meds and charting all with a computer. I'm spoiled, I know.

Four day weekend ahead....time to catch up on the house work, wash the dogs, get to know my kids again....maybe sleep in, if I'm lucky.

Double A

Passed Respiratory and Human Growth (psychology) both with an A. I'm so happy they are over. I thought cardiac was hard? No way....HG by far the hardest to date.

So I have this weekend with NO homework and NO tests to study for. I'm on cloud nine, and resting with a rum and coke.

I love Saturdays!

Too much to do, too little time

Seems like by the time I think about coming on here to blog, I've already fallen asleep, drooling on my study notes. As a junior in the program now, classes are so much more intense and it seems I little time for anything else.

So, I just took respiratory final today, I'll get the results tomorrow. We had a group presentation to do today on the theorist..John Holland. That was tough to pull together since our group leader desided to do the power point the night before and not show the rest of the group until this morning. No worries anymore, it's done, it's over..I got my grade of 97%...I'll take it.

So at this moment, I'm taking a nap with my cuddly 3 year old, then up to study for musculoskeletal test on the bones and muscles in the morning. Tests every day...that's the student nurses life. Oi!

Special Place

I started my new clinical rotation today at an acute care cebter. The patients stay here for no more than 90 days, so it's care for those that need a stay longer than hospital, but not not as long term as a nursing home.

I spent the day in their vent unit. I learned so much and had awesome LPN's and RN's to shadow. This is one of the places I'm considering putting in my application for when I graduate. I could work there now a cna, IF my every minute was not consumed with studying. I feel like i have no life anymore past the books!

I'm sure I could go into more detail, I'm just too beat though. Just thought I'd post a quick update. Off to study for Respiratory test in the AM.