The end of one road is near...

I have enjoyed fundamentals, and hope everyone does a wonderful job on the final.  Good luck everyone!

Less than a week of Fundamentals left...

Study, study, and study some more.  That just about describes all that I have time for at the moment.  I still am in shock that time has gone by so fast.  Before we know it, it will be spring 2012, and we will be getting ready to sit for the boards.  Woo-hoo!

Keep the good times coming....

I have to say, yesterday was one of my favorite days.  In class, I thought the food and presentations were amazing.  In lab, we got the chance to act out nurse/patient scenarios in front of the class, which turned out to be hilarious as well as a learning experience.  I am looking forward to our third day of clinical tomorrow, and am hoping for a great ending to a wonderful week.   

What week is this???

I keep losing track of the weeks.  It seems like time is flying by!  Anyways, I went to open lab yesterday, and felt that it was extremely beneficial.  I will probably try to make it a habit of going whenever I can.  Our clinical group goes to HealthSouth this Friday.  I am very excited about that.  Like I have said before, I love anything hands on!    

The halfway point for fundamentals...

We have successfully made it through the halfway point for Fundamentals.  I can’t express how happy I am that our midterm is finally OVER!  I plan on taking the night off, then starting on my paper tomorrow.  I am also hoping to get ahead a little by starting my notes this weekend. However, every time I think I am ahead, I find out that I am really two steps behind.  :/  Errgh!

Week three....already?

I can’t believe it’s already week three! WOW! I am a little nervous about how the questions on our first quiz will be worded. I am hoping the way I have been studying will help me answer the critical thinking questions appropriately. Friday should be real exciting. I am really looking forward to clinical, and I LOVE geriatrics, so I should feel right at home. I’m hoping for a great week!

Week Two, part two...

In addition to my battery dying on Wednesday, today I was driving down the road and my tire blew out on me. Luckily I was at my destination, and was able to park and walk out of my car in one piece. I really think Gary is my guardian angel this semester because as I had texted him to inform him of my “ironic blowout” two days after a dead battery, he informs me that he was on his way to school anyways, and ended up changing it for me. (Thanks Gary!)

I am hoping for a peaceful and relaxing night with Reed (my husband) tonight. I need a break from this bad luck streak I am on! On another note, I have discovered that I will be spending quite a bit of money on highlighters this semester. It has only been two weeks and my Fundamentals book has already sucked my pretty yellow highlighter dry! Oh well.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend!!!!  Be safe!

Week Two...

What a hectic week it has been! Aside from nursing material, this week I also learned that if I talk on the phone in my car for 30 minutes with the radio on and engine off, my car won’t start when I am ready to leave school. Luckily Gary came to my rescue and jumped my car so that I could make it safely home to study. He informed me that corrosion is the number one reason for car batteries to die. As it turns out, that was my cars issue too.


Tonight is another lab, which is great! I really like anything “hands on”, and am extremely excited about our clinical next week too. We also have a five day break starting tomorrow! I am planning on getting as much study time in as possible. After all, the mid-term is right around the corner! I also am going to try to make some time for my husband as well. He works full time as a law enforcement officer, and is also going to school to be dual certified as an EMT. Needless to say, we haven’t seen each other very much these past two weeks, and I can only imagine it will get worse as he starts his weekend EMT clinical, and our material gets tougher.

My Philosophy of Nursing

During the summer of 1996 I had to have two back to back surgeries in order to prevent cancer. I was twelve years old at the time, and extremely scared. I will never forget the main nurse I had during my stay at the hospital. Her name was Pam, and I believe she truly made a difference in my recovery. Ever since that summer I knew I wanted to be just like her, and follow the nursing path. Ten years later, I graduated from a practical nursing program, and began working as an LPN.

Before I decided to go back to school, I worked at a nursing home. I gained a lot of experience with residents that were on Hospice while I was there, and I feel like I am being pulled in that direction. I also would love to work in Oncology. I have been debating whether or not I want to work part time in both fields, or just choose one.

There are endless amounts of skills that nurses are responsible for. The ability to critically think through situations is a huge part of nursing, as well as giving proper dosages of medications, changing dressings, and teaching others. I also believe another large part of nursing is having a genuine desire to help people. In order to be a great nurse, I feel that a person needs to have a love for the field itself as well.