So much to do, so little time!!

So, let's see......I have 4 days of classes, 2 clinical days, 1 hospital simulation skills test, 1 holistic, and a TON of reading and studying and concept maps and clinical evaluations to do for my 3 finals!

But then I will be done with my first semester of Nursing school!! The sound of that is just not registering. I just STARTED nursing school, how is a quarter of it already over? It's just craziness. I feel stress that comes from the end of the semester madness, but it all will get done one way or another, I know.

I am really looking forward to a month of no studying, actually having this thing called "free time" that everyone else seems to have. I am working a couple more days a week at work, but it will be much easier to tolerate than 4 hour lectures!!

Today has been exhausting. We had a test in our Nursing roles call, then 3 hours of lecture. Then 4 hours of skill carnival. Skill carnival is where there are 10 stations set up, and groups of 3 rotate and do each skill that is on our list that we may be tested on next week. It was like a mock simulation....which is helpful. It also reminded me that I rock at head-to-toe assessments so far, :). There are still things I need to practice, but I do feel better about my skill test next week. I also have a nearly 4 hour gap between lecture and my skills test where I can go home and do some last minute practicing before my test.

So anyway, I just gotta do some hustling to finish up the loose ends of this semester, Rock my skills test, and finish out this clinical rotation....and then I can relax.

And when that comes, I plan on getting a pedicure and manicure......maybe even a facial. I need pampering, lol.

5 Clinicals days down, 2 more to go!!

I've had a pretty rough week where everything just seems to be going wrong. Huge misunderstanding and hurt feelings with friends, missed a patho review, my stupid Micro teacher hates me, so I just figured what could get worse?

Well, luckily, there have been some positive notes this week. We had hospital simulation where we had to perform a subcutaneous injection in our lil built in practice hospital. It is completely nerve wrecking because you have an instructor watching you looking for things that you screwed up on. Luckily, even though I was nervous as heck and was shaking like an adult toy, I managed to do pretty well with no screw ups. =)

I got a B on my nursing roles exam, and clinical today went pretty well. We had a substitute instructor because our instructor was going out of town. I was a bit nervous, because I wasn't sure how this instructor would be with us, but luckily I found her to be very helpful. She did keep us on the floor longer than our normal instructor does, but she really tried to make sure we had something we could do. I hate sitting around at the nursing station when things get slow.

I was even able to decline giving a medication because a patient's lab value's made it appear dangerous to give her the medication. So that was pretty awesome. I am currently trying to fight sleeping but I am absolutely exhausted right now.....so I am considering giving in. I am cold and we brought out our nice warm and fuzzy winter blanket and I puffy heart getting under that thing!!

Missed Birthdays!

So, I am not the type of person that forgets about people's birthdays. I usually remember WAY in advance, and am able to get a card and get it sent out so it arrives on time or early. I forgot my little sister's birthday. When I woke up Sunday morning.......and realized the date I felt sick. I was able to catch her and have a lil happy birthday chat, but I still feel awful that I forgot.

When I was at work on Saturday, my brain could not comprehend that it was already November. So, I think that part of that was why I forgot about the birthday because I wasn't registering what month I was actually in. Because otherwise I wouldn't have forgotten her birthday.

Nursing school has warped my perception of time quite a bit. Everything is based on when the next clinical or test day is. Nothing else really seems to matter. I have a month left of my first semester of nursing school. That is all I am looking at instead of in my mind thinking that Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday, or Christmas is roughly 5-6 weeks away. Those aren't the landmarks that I am working towards in my head.

I just can't believe my mind is becoming that overwhelmed with school that I am forgetting birthdays. I really do feel awful. =(

I am getting extra hours at work during winter break, and I may pick up some extra hours during the first 8 weeks of class next semester since my load will be lighter initially. I am not picking up full hours, so its less money, but more relaxation time for me! It is going to be wonderful!!

*Whew!*

The past 2 weeks have been rough between personal stuff and school, but I have somehow managed to survive!! I had 3 tests this week, 2 in Micro and 1 in Patho. A in Patho, A on Micro lab exam, and B on the Micro lecture exam. Oh, and throw in the mix my midterm clinical evaluation with my clinical instructor......which I was scared would be really intimidating. However, it was very positive. She talked to me about things I can improve upon or work on, but not in a way like "You really are slacking here, what's going on?!?!" Kind of way, I heart my clinical instructor. I plan on getting her a lil christmas trinket of some kind as a thank you for making my first nursing clinical experience so positive. I really do heart her!

I was unable to practice my skills this week because honestly, I just needed an effing break. I only had to go to Micro lecture today to take my test and meet with my clinical instructor, and I was looking forward to having the free time. I wanted to go tomorrow, but because of Veteran's day, the practice lab is closed, and they close early on Friday. So I just decided to let it go this week.

I will get in as much time as possible next week. I promise.

For now, I am just really grateful to have gotten through these last 2 weeks without totally screwing myself grade wise. I have been unable to study like I normally do, and too upset to care. So I am happy that the clouds are starting to clear and I can just focus on what I need to get done for school.

So, game plan for tomorrow is to sit my pretty lil behind down at Panera all day and get some reading done, work on some more online case studies, and maybe go buy from fruit to practice injections on for later in the evening. I am just happy to be back in my happy lil study groove! Oh, and Ingrid Michaelson is my new study buddy....she really helped me study the very very small amount I did for Micro last night. My buddy gave me a couple of her cds so I can upload them to my itunes, so I am excited for more of her. Jack Johnson and Ingrid Michaelson make me the calm and mellow person I usually am not! =)

Ok, going to go to sleep now so I can wake up bright and early with my hubby so I can make sure to get a good spot at Panera!

I don't know where I would be without my Study Group!!

Sooo...2nd week in a row that I have had a test that I needed to prepare for desperately, and let my personal life get in the way. Part of it was bad, but the 2nd part was VERY VERY good. I just wasn't focused. The worst thing was that this test was Patho, and its not as easy to goof your way through as our nursing theory tests.

I had done ZERO reading for this test. My study group girls saved my butt. If it wasn't for our study session, I would have been completely screwed. I am not completely sure how I did on this test, but I feel ok about it. Luckily, the things that have been bothering me are getting easier to keep at bay. So I HAVE to get my groove back!!

I had Micro lab exam, which is always a joke to me, especially when they are open note. But I'm not complaining, maybe I'll have a chance of boosting my grade up to an A, even! We have a lecture exam on Wednesday, so I have to study for that.

My clinical instructor also gave us an extra day to get our clinical evaluation done, so that must be done tonight! This past clinical felt boring to me, so we'll see how much it kills to try and get it done. I hope whichever nurse I get assigned to this Friday is ready for me, because I am going to be on her ASS, I will not be stuck researching nursing diagnoses and with no one letting me help them again!! So, finish clinical evaluation, study for Micro, and review skills for lab time tomorrow.....that's on my to-do list for tonight!

Say WHAT?1?!?!

I somehow managed an A on my test from Tuesday. *Confused Face*

I read ONE chapter out of like 8, I did a seriously pathetic and loser-ish amount of studying. How did I pull an A?

I am not complaining, honestly, but I just do not see how this is possible. This isn't some dumb Micro test that is easy to blow off and still pass. It's a nursing test. I just don't know how this could be possible. I deserved to get a bad score, because I didn't put in the time.

Ok, so now that I got that over with...........WOOO-FREAKING-HOOO!! *happy dance*

So, today was my 3rd clinical day. I remember my anti-freak out pills, and my day went much better. My patient was great, didn't have any major problems, was very low maintenance. I was able to run through my head to do assessment like a pro, no nerves at all about it. I found my patient's apical pulse. I even was able to get most of my holisitic assessment done. I really enjoyed speaking with this patient. She made my day do-able.

I should also mention that I only had 3 hours of sleep last night. I was trying to complete my holistic assessment from last week, and I did NOT realize how time-consuming it was. I have definitely learned my lesson about waiting til the last minute to work on these holistics.

So I was really worried that I would suck today due to exhaustion, but I managed to really pull through and keep on trucking. I was disappointed that I didn't get to do a subcutaneous injection because my nurse's patient that needed one was going for a procedure so he was NPO, so that meant no insulin. =(

I don't like standing around doing paperwork for my assessments. It just seemed like every time I asked my nurse, or the techs, or my patient if they needed anything or help with anything, they just kept saying no. I was really disappointed in the lack of things I got to do today. So, hopefully since I did a pretty good job getting another holistic done, maybe I can just stalk my nurse and force her to show me things!!!

So, I took a long, LONG nap after clinicals today, and I don't even feel guilty about it at all. So I was able to have a nice grocery date with Mikey, and we have just been relaxing in our pj's, watching The Office and Say Yes to the Dress. =) Makes for a nice night!

Nursing School Stops for No One!

The past week has been pretty challenging for me. Every week is a test, a clinical day, assignments due, practice and reading to be done. If you stumble, its hard to catch up again. So, nursing school is hard enough even when your life is perfect, so imagine when life is not perfect.....its something worse than hell.

I have had some personal troubles that has killed my ability to focus or dare look at a book, much less open it. It will pass, I haven't lost a limb, no one has died, just personally upsetting. And it sucks when it happens right at crunch time for a test that is bright and early Tuesday morning. I haven't gotten my score from that test yet, but if I get a poor score I will not be upset. I deserved it because I let my personal life interfere with my studying. However, it didn't feel like it was that hard, and hopefully that is not from me not giving a shit in my emotional state.

I did have some inappropriate coping mechanism, AKA drinking, with the girls Tuesday night after our test. It really did help, as much as they say you shouldn't turn to drinking to deal with your troubles.....It sure as heck helped me! I am feeling much better, but it will take time.

Ok, so Student Nurse Bear Wisdom Statement time. Nursing school involves a LOT of waiting! Waiting to get the heck out of lecture, waiting for clinical to be the heck over, waiting for the test to be done, waiting for the test scores from said test, waiting for your clinical instructor to return your clinical self-evaluation to you, waiting for winter/summer break, etc.

So, tonight is the last night I'm giving myself freedom to deal with my life, but after this I have to get back on the horse. Holistic exam to be completed, micro quiz to be completed, reading and studying to be done for Patho test on Monday, practice my injections (which by the way, they are not as exciting as I thought they were going to be, boo!) Way too much to do!!