Thursday, May 19, 2011

I am a First Semester Nursing School Survivor

I DID IT, I FINISHED MY FIRST SEMESTER OF NURSING SCHOOL AND I’M STILL ALIVE PEOPLE.
Oh how I wish I weren’t taking two summer classes (both history pre-reqs I didn’t take yet) that start on Monday!
Oh how I wish I didn’t have to jump in and start a new job (not that I’m complaining that I got the job), it’s just so hard to learn something new when my brain wants to relax because its summer break.
Things I’ll look forward to doing this summer…
Not using my brain in the same capacity as when I’m a student.
Soaking up Facebook time.
Speaking of soaking up…how about soaking up sun rays after being lathered in sun block of course.
READING for fun, fun, fun!
Workout more consistently, and gear up for my next race scheduled for June 3rd.
Playing and talking with my children and hubby.
Deep clean a lot of rooms in my house especially the dreaded bathroom (how embarrassing to admit my house gets the least of my attention).
Hang my sheets out on the line in the backyard (yumm I just love the smell of fresh laundry after being hung outside).
Paint my toenails all different rainbow colors because I can.
Take my border collie to the dog park.
Enjoy my extended family during outings without worrying about the time I should be spending studying.
I love summer!
As I close my blog entry for today I will leave you with a piece of advice given to me from one of my instructors that by next fall I should look into getting a tutor, or a study group with friends because my test scores this semester weren’t so hot and that maybe I should sit in the front row, and google note-taking techniques, and maybe listen better during lecture. 
HOLY COW, she made me feel |---| this tall when I heard those comments.  I thought I did do well, and okay, so my test scores weren’t great but either were a lot of others, I usually do sit in front, and my note taking I thought was just fine, and can I help that other students want to talk to me during class??  I try to tell them to pipe down so I can hear everything but I guess I should be harsher on my friends because they don’t seem to have a problem when it comes to taking tests.  However after having said that I think this instructor has a bug up her butt.

9 comments:

  1. First, CONGRATS! You survived! Summer classes do stink, but it'll help you get through faster, so keep your eye on the prize!

    Regarding your instructor's comments, ugh! :( It seems like study groups do help in medicine, because when people quiz you on things, it brings up topics that you may have skipped or missed. BUT, the notetaking and listening skills comments were a little below the belt. I'm sure you'll figure it all out!

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  2. Congrats! First semester is always the hardest as its a new way of doing things and learning. You'll probably ROCK second semester. Just continue to do NCLEX questions over the summer to stay in gear.

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  3. Deep breath...

    Enjoy what you can during the summer and worry about the fall nursing semester in a couple months.

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  4. Congratulations!

    If you have a goal for yourself, don't let anyone discourage you from it!

    :)

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  5. YAY!!! Way to go on surviving semester one of nursing school!!! Enjoy your sort of time off!


    As for the instructor... grades aren't everything. You can be a brilliant, straight A student and still be the worst nurse in the world. I've heard from so many nurses that class gives you the basics, but what you need to be a nurse is learned from experience, so, again, grades would mean nothing on that front. Besides, some people are just really crummy test takers, but that doesn't mean they don't understand the material. So don't worry about it, you're doing just fine!

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  6. Congratulations! And the comments from your instructor are strange, since it sounds like you did really well. Although you sound busy, I hope you find plenty of time to relax before the fall.

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  7. Where's the pic's of your hairdo! I can't tell from the little fb photo's. ;0)

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  8. I got a "warning card" during my first quarter of nursing school and it was crushing. I was called into the professors' office where both professors that taught the course scolded me for not studying correctly.

    The few fact/exam-based courses nearly killed my chances of becoming a nurse. However, when we moved on to theory courses where writing and presenting a valid argument ruled the day, I excelled.

    I ended up graduating with honors. I refrained from marching into the professors' office and saying "I told you so!" But I thought it :)

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  9. Red- Thank you and the instructor’s comments were below the belt, but I figure that instructor is close to retiring (and probably needs to).

    Christine-I totally will be keeping up on my NCLEX ?’s this summer. Thanks for your blog posting of the meaning behind an A, it really helped me.

    NPO-I am more worried about the 5 history books I had to buy to get through my two history classes the next few weeks.

    CC-Thanks for your encouragement.

    Marianne-I keep telling myself that a super great nurse shows in the way they take care of their patients. And that’s what I plan to do.

    Student CNM-The comments are strange and none of my other instructors had a problem with me. Maybe she just wants me to be the best of the best and thinks all the extra criticism will help me be better? Who knows?

    Dominique-I posted a picture blog.

    MamaDoodle-A warning card huh, well that sucks doesn’t it? I learn better in an environment that is visual and auditory and I could explain different processes instead of filling in the right choice in black and white on a paper. I still will be able to finish this semester with nursing honors so I’m not worried but it just sucks to have to hear those words upon finishing my last final for the semester.

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