Media Assignment

I had an assignment I worked on this weekend where I had to find a piece of media where nursing practice was the main subject.  So I chose to watch a couple episodes of Nurse Jackie that were free online.  My first impression of this show was that it was quite messed up, first that poor nurse Jackie is addicted to narcotics, and second she doesn't come across very compassionate to her patients but maybe there's more to her story seeing as though I only watched two episodes. 
Anyway the doctor that nurse Jackie works with has the condition called Tourettes, where his tics include grabbing women in sexual areas, for example in the first episode he grabbed nurse Jackie's breast while she was in the middle of reaming him a new butthole for being incompetent.

After completing my homework assignment on Saturday night I went to bed with thoughts of football (because the Superbowl is so near) and Nurse Jackie floating through my mind and I woke up the next morning with the remnants of a bad dream. 
My dream was that Payton Manning was the doctor and I was Nurse Jackie and he grabbed my breast.  Hahaha, my hubby laughed because we both know I'm not a Colts fan and he is the least of all the quarterbacks that I would dream of, but we both agreed at least it wasn't his brother Eli!

Week 1 of Nursing School

This has got to have been one of the longest weeks of my entire life. 

Nursing school has been quite the experience for me so far, from lectures, labs, class pictures to reading and more reading.

We’ve watch video’s of HIPAA, Proper Hand Washing techniques, PPE, just basic CNA stuff to eventually check off that we have those skills learned and can perform them before we head out on our clinical sites at nursing homes in a few weeks.

Pharmacology seems like it’ll be interesting and fun, so far that textbook looks to be the most interestingly written.

We haven’t gotten our full scrub uniforms yet and neither do we have our stethoscopes but we supposedly won’t need them right away anyway.  They’re expected to come in a few weeks.

We’re learning about communication and the initial interview with the patient and how to control our emotions and facial gestures when we hear of outrageous stories for the first time.  They actually want us to go home and practice looking cool, calm and collective in the mirror.

Ultimately my first impression this week is difficult to put into words but I can’t help but feel like I’m still an outsider looking in this big world of Nursing.  I feel like I’m a little girl wearing my mother’s dressy clothes and fancy shoes and basically just playing the part of nurse and someone will find out that I’m not right for the job.  I am going to keep trudging on and not allow those negative thoughts take over my brain.  Oh and also I have to say the upperclassmen are quite snobbish, they don’t seem welcoming or friendly to us lowly underclassmen and they have ugly looks on their faces when we walk by.  What’s up with that??  Oh well, upwards and onwards to week 2.

Read, read, and read some more

So far my Pharm class that meets today wants us to read 3 chapters, my research/foundational class from Tuesday wants us to read 3 chapters, and my class from Monday (who will be meeting again on Friday) wants us to read 2 chapters all by this week.  As Estelle would say ZOMG! 
How am I suppose to get all that reading done?  Plus, be on top of what's to be read for next week??  I'm such a slow reader and I feel like all I'm doing is reading.  Humm I haven't figured out yet if the stuff we read will be covered well through our PowerPoint slides or what?
Also I just wish I knew how they test the students, the instructors told us that we will be forced to think like nurses and the tests will reflect that, memorizing and spitting it back out on paper for the test will no longer be that applicable as much.

I'm ready...I think?

After my first day of school I started filling out my organizer with due dates for assignments and homework.  Also I sat down with my laptop and printer and went to town on organizing my new binders I bought from the store.  Almost forgot to mention the labels I printed with my new label maker for my notebooks.  I think I'll be using that piece of equipment (label maker) more on my individual tabs within each of my binders, but I still am unsure how to divide my binders with each topic that will be covered. 
Humm.. maybe I'll go back to Estelle's 3rd installment of guides to nursing and check out how she organizes.  OR, I can check out Christine's post about organizing my binder using my label maker like she did, either way I'm in good hands with these ladies ideas. 

One of my gifts from my mother-in-law for Christmas
Sweet!!

1st day post-thoughts

Let me start by saying that I took a "midnight" sleeping pill to help me fall asleep last night because I wasn't too tired when it was time for bed.  I tossed and turned the usual amount throughout the night and then when it was time to wake up I was ready.

I showed up at my new school about half an hour prior to the start of class because my girlfriend wanted to tour around the three different floors in our school.  However, she didn't show up until about five minutes to class starting because she had to park so far away and walk a few blocks to get to our building.  I can see this walk will keep us all in shape.

The class began, with our satellite professors going over the syllabus page for page (15 in all).  This class is our seven credit nursing fundamentals class that has a lecture, lab, and clinical component.  The first half of the class we'll be doing our clinical off site at a local nursing home doing CNA work, the second half of the class we'll be focusing on acute care and my clinical group will be in the cardiac unit.

Friday will be our first lab, where we have to wear our lab coats; she told us that we would have to have 40 vitals completed by April 1st, along with many other check list types of things to show what we've learned.

After the whole class time was over with a few ice breaker type of things we were asked to get done, our class was ready to take our group photo.  BUT, two of our class members didn't even show up for class today (uh oh not a good sign for those individuals) and we were told that we would be taking the photo on Friday instead.  Jeeper's man, all that dolling up stuff I had to do to get beautiful today and no photo (thanks people who didn't show up!).

Next I drove over to my old school campus to print off my PowerPoint slides (in this new school you have to bring your own paper and I didn't have any...stupid), which were a lot of slides but now I'm set for the next two weeks.  I've also realized I'm gonna need closer to a 3" binder instead of my 1-1/2" binders that don't hold as many papers, and maybe some cool new colorful section tabs for organizing.  Yay another reason to go school supply shopping sounds good to me.

Tomorrow class doesn't start until 2:00pm, but I look forward to getting this week done and over with and to get into my groove of learning.

PS you wanna know how nerdy and excited I was today, before class I totally videotaped crossing the street to my school building for my collection of memoirs hahaha.

1st day pre-thoughts

Today is my first day of class, and I leave in about an hour.  The class is only 2 hours long, followed with a class picture.  I'm nervous yet ready, and my friend who's starting the program with me treated me to breakfast that isn't settling well in my tummy (stupid me, I shouldn't have eaten), but I'm happy we got together before the big event.  We're gonna meet up about 15 minutes prior to have a look around since we didn't stay for the tour last Wednesday.

I'll post again after my first impression on this 7 credit class, see ya!!

Welcome to Nursing School/Orientation Part II

Wednesday I had my second orientation for my nursing classes and it started from 8:30 – noon.  We gathered in the conference room / break room of our tiny satellite school campus and they had spread out on one of the tables which included mini bagels and mini strudels with yogurt, bananas and milk.  I was so nervous and all I had was milk, who couldn’t use some calcium.  Then we were handed our official name tags (that cost $9 to replace).

Next we were ushered into one of our classrooms right across the hall to hear the normal orientation stuff like who are instructors are, where are mailboxes will be, expectations of our 7 credit class, etc. etc.

After that the HR director for the hospital connected to our school who “hires every nurse at this facility” (that’s what he said) gave us a pep talk and reminded us that for every clinical we attend that we should look at it as an interview and a chance to impress prospective employers.  The director said there are managers on each floor who will be looking at our willingness to learn and our optimistic attitude for when it comes time to hire us in the future after we graduate.  He also suggested if we don’t have a job at the hospital yet to get one so we can get our foot in the door since they love to hire within the company first.

Next we were encouraged to get involved with an organization that we will be able to put on our internship applications but I’m not too sure I should get involved.  They only meet once a month but they put on and participate in so many events throughout the semester that I’m leery to join, especially since this will be my first semester of nursing classes and I’m taking honor classes so I’m not sure how hard it will be to do all of those things.

Lastly we took our student photo ids, got fitted for our uniforms, and ordered our stethoscopes which by the way I was talked out of the $45 one I thought would be just fine, instead they suggested the next model up because all the other nurses and doctors were using that kind $75 instead.  Uggh, when I told them they that they were going to break my bank account they laughed and said “welcome to nursing school”.  Hummm.

Either way, check out the uniform style and color, along with my lab coat, and stethoscope I picked in raspberry.

Our first day of class is Monday, and we will not be going to any clinicals this week, because our uniforms won’t be available, so just skill labs and lectures.  I’m thrilled and excited all at the same time.



Pants not in the right blue, but you get the idea.



Pants front and back



Top in the blue we are required to wear





Top






Lab Coat front and back



Lab Coat







Stethoscope (Raspberry)



6 days

Six days left and I'm slowly losing my mind.  I'm so very nervous for my first day of school and yet I don't know where to start from knowing how to label my 3 ring binders and folders or what I'm going to wear for my first day of school (we have a group photo and I don't want to look like a fool in 2-1/2 years when I look back on that VIP picture of when I started).  Do I pack a lunch or not?  Do I wait to study until the first full week is over or get up on it right away?  Uggh, what to do, what to do?  Do I wear my hair up or down, make up on yes or no? 

I'll find out more tomorrow after my second of two orientations and then maybe I can ask someone what to expect this first week.  I'll keep you all posted on what I find out tomorrow.
Does anyone have any last few pieces of advice before I really start this serious adult choice of a career?

Did someone say P90X

The start of something good comes in many different forms and for me it will be P90X with Tony Horton.  Recently I got a “copy” of all 12 DVD’s and thought why not, I’m in shape and I work out each week.  This will be a replacement for my gym time in the mornings before work and school especially in the winter when it’s too cold to drive to the gym.  Plus I’ll strengthen my legs and arms to get in perfect running shape for my summer 5K’s.  

I took the initial evaluation fitness test to see if I should even attempt P90X and the moves were challenging but worth it to see how many I can do before doing the program as opposed to after 90 days when the program is over. 

Then I progressed on to watching the whole 60 minutes of the first DVD on Chest, Shoulders and Triceps without actually doing any of the exercises.  And I didn’t get to watch the Ab Ripper X DVD yet, but it’s only an additional 15 minutes and this is JUST day one. 

All I can say is Tony Horton is one tough cookie borderline psycho, but I’m still going to do the program.  I will not do all 7 days a week because I do still want to be alive to show results (if any) and doing all 7 days would surely kill me, but I’m cool with just 3 days a week for now.

Anyone else out there doing P90X and still alive to write about it?  J

13 Days left

I'm sure you're all sick of hearing how excited I am to start nursing school but I only have 13 days left of:

-overall freedom
-account being activated on Facebook
-making menus for meals for our family
-making supper for my family
-doing my own laundry
-cleaning my house
-spending too much time on primping my hair and makeup before leaving the house
-weekend sleeping in
-reading for pleasure
-stuffing my face with crap "junk" food
-to clean/organize my tornado demolished desk from last semester
-walk around with a low stress level

-being a texting master and keeping up with all my friends and family

-helping with kids’ homework

-watching unlimited amounts of tv

-renting all the movies I can get my hands on even the free ones from my library

-going shopping when and where I’d like

-generally not paying attention

-being lazy and not leaving my house if I don’t want to from am to pm

-attending my kids’ school events.

-disciplining my kids (will be dad’s job again)

These are just off the top of my head for now.  Ho humm.

Sterile Gloves

On my previous post I was confused, because I couldn't find a pair of sterile gloves at either Walgreens or Wal-Mart, and I didn't understand why they were so impossible to come by.  Little did I know that they are not at all like non-sterile gloves (something a pre-nursing student like myself didn't know the difference between), they're actually packaged separately that you would need to tear open to put them on. 

and voilà here they are

After getting to work this am, I mentioned my whole story to my co-worker (Lonna) and she said I should check in house at my employer if the "supply" area would give me a pair if I told them that I was student looking for a pair of sterile gloves. 

Lonna use to be a HUC (Health Unit Coordinator) at our connected hospital here in town and she was very familiar with this "supply" dept, so she took it upon herself to call them and ask.  Haha, who knew??  She just called them and explained who I was, and that I needed a pair of sterile gloves and the supply dept said they would interoffice the gloves to me on the next messenger run.

Later this am, I got my gloves in my pretty interoffice envelope and I displayed them on my keyboard for you all to see. :-)  See, small packaged miracles really do happen, thanks to my good friend Lonna; it just pays to ask...

Nursing Shoes and Pen Lights

I am thrilled and exciting to start the nursing program.  Yesterday I went on a shopping spree for my nursing shoes, noise cancelling head phones, planner (thanks to Estelle's Nursing Guide-part 3 tips would be lost without you), and a couple other school supplies.  Here is what I bought:

Nursing books on the left including iclicker.

 

$9 planner from Wal-Mart, better deal than the $54 one from Office Max (totally overpriced there)

Big enough squares I think to write everything I need

With the exception of 2 more books and a supply kit that includes sterile gloves and a pen light I'm all set

I read on allnurses.com to think about buying a set of noise cancelling headphones so I can study in the same room as my other family members.

Completely all white nursing shoes.  I feel like people will be able to see me coming from a mile away.  haha.

I was also looking for a running shoe for the 5K's I'll be involved with this summer and my son told me to buy some Zig Tech's, but for the price of these shoes I won't be wearing them until there are no more puddles on the ground...summertime.

In my adventure to find all of these items I wasn't able to find a pen light or a pair of sterile gloves....let's see I tried Walgreens, and Wal-Mart but no luck.  I didn't realize these items would be so difficult to find, does anyone out there have any suggestions on where to go?  I was asked to buy a supply kit that includes a paper ruler, pen light, and sterile gloves and they sell them at my school store for a bundle price of $10.  But I thought I could buy these items separately for cheaper, and after my trip out today I'm not so sure.  By the way both the Walgreens and Wal-Mart pharmacists didn't know what a pen light was, and both thought each store sold sterile gloves, and neither store did.

As each day gets closer to my start date I get more and more excited.  Last night I had a friend over to the house that has recently graduated the program and she thinks I'm more than ready, maybe even overboard.  She was such a blessing to have over because my husband and I ran a bunch of questions past her as far as what to expect, and her fountain of information was appreciated.  I think I'm on my way to being set to go.

My Attempt at Being Organized

Step 1 to being organized I was told was to keep track of your schedule.  So my hubby purchased this huge white board and put the green taped lines and divided each section with days of the week and color coded time slots through the day.  We implemented this process almost one year ago in hopes of having the kids know exactly where mom was each day of the week and when I'd be expected home most days (give or take a few exceptions).  This has been extremely helpful for the family, but I have about 4-5 different calendars that I am constantly updating.  Oh well, at least I'm learning to be organized throughout this whole process.