Legit

It's the end of week 2 and I survived (kinda). What did I do?

• Read a shit ton more homework
• Finished all my worksheets (some better than others)
• Find out I actually did better than what the computer said since the prof goes back and fixes the computer errors. Samantha I, Blackboard O!
•  Bought my stethoscope. I really had no choice in the color matter. I needed one and there was no time to order it online. My choices were the display model which was bubblegum barbie pink, uh I'll pass (display models are not for me) or the clear pink one which is what I ended up buying. If I really don't like it I'll just order one off of amazon and it will be Yellow.

My clear pink stethoscope!

Here's Volume I, but Volume II is nowhere to be found :(

• All of my books are FINALLY here, and I went through them just to make sure and realized that my Med-Surg book, which is a 2 volume book only came with volume 1. So I have to send that one back and order a new one. At least I get my money back!

• Tested out of 2 more skills this week: Apical Pulse and 2-Step Blood Pressure!
• This weekend is a holiday weekend so there is no school Monday which I don't have class anyway so it doesn't matter. To make things better, there's some teacher thing on Tuesday so I have no class on Tuesday! I have a week off of classes!!! 
• I have my first quiz on Wednesday and have no idea how to study for it. This could be painful!
• I got my Varicella booster yesterday and my TB skin test placed. The nurses at Ruth Gilfrey suck. I know they are very cheap vaccinations, but they suck at giving immunizations. After my catastrophic time last month I still had a bad experience. The varicella hurt like hell and it's swelled up again and looks nasty. The TB was interesting too. She didn't know how to take the sub-dermal needle out of my skin because my skin was separating from my arm. Instead of pulling it out of my skin sideways she pulled straight up. Woman where the hell did you go to school?!? No fun!

The wonderful welt from my Varicella Booster

•  Even though I had a bad experience, at least my health work is done!! Now I just have to go back and get my TB checked tomorrow and as there's no bump today it's highly unlikely the bump will come back and test positive.  

Finally, why do I call my post Legit? Because yesterday we had our photos taken for our Clinical ID's and my skills lab prof said that we are now Legit Nursing Students! I hope things are still going good next week, as I don't feel so overwhelmed this week as I had last week.

I'm Legit and have a huge shadow on my face (but everyone's did :)

New Life - New Name

Wine Colored Scrubs.  This is the new working title of my blog. Why do you ask? Well you see I am no longer a "Nurse in Limbo". Limbo is gone and now I am a week into Nursing School!!! It has FINALLY arrived!  That means I have a new life. Which as I've found in the last 5 days consists of 90% school, 5% sleep and 5% other activities.  And I've only had 2 days of classes so far. This also means my blog has a new name. When I go to clinical I have to wear wine colored scrubs, so I liked that concept for my blog. I also really like to drink wine, so maybe I'll share some of what I'm drinking at the time! Then there is the quote by Bl. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, "They are all Jesus in disguise." People ask me all the time how I can deal with all the 'blood & guts' stuff that comes with nursing? Well just working as a CNA I've always thought of Jesus saying, "When you fed the hungry, clothed the naked, ect. You did it for me." So I've always looked at it that way. This is part of my purgatory, this will help me get to Heaven, all the while helping out those who need someone to love and care for them while they are sick.

Onto Nursing School! What's happened so far?

• Paid my tuition $1,375
• I have purchased about $700 worth of books and syllibi
• I have purchased $36 worth of scrubs (Yay for going out of business sales that saved me $150!)
• I started studying last Saturday (yup, before classes began) and found that I'm in way over my head
• Cut down my hours at work from 40+ to 16 per week
• Started classes on Tuesday and actually felt somewhat prepared! (yay me!)
• Studied Tuesday night and started asking myself why I got myself into this and it's 2 years long!
• Early Wednesday morning woke up nauseous and pukey (which made for a great 2nd day of school)
• Learned skills and tested out of 4 of them all the while trying not to puke/pass out!
• We have to test out of skills in order to do them at clinical, that's called staying in our scope of practice! (see, I'm already learning ;)
• Slept from the time I got home on Wednesday until this morning. I'm feeling about 90% back to normal.
• Found out my clinical site! I'll be in Wisconsin Rapids at Strawberry Lane and Riverview Hospital
• I'm hoping this means I can get my clinical site in Stevens Point next semester when it's snowing cuz I really don't want to drive to Marshfield or Adams for an entire semester!
•  I have about 20+ hours of homework/studying to do before I go back to classes on Tuesday
• I will be buying a stethoscope tomorrow (I still don't know what color I want!)
• I will go to work Saturday, Sunday & Monday
• I will be getting my 2nd Varicella Vaccine and my 2nd TB test placed on Tuesday 

Ah Nursing School. You are here and I never thought this day would come! Wish me luck as I start out on this crazy journey. Prayers are very much appreciated for my sanity and so that I can learn what I need to, pass my classes and get through 1st Semester!
Blessed Maria Restituta Kafka, my Nursing School Patron, Pray for Me!
She's pretty awesome! Check her out here!

It Seems Like a Fine Day for an Update!

It's been a while, so here's an update of my boring life:

1. I have been trucking along at my job, made the 11 month mark yesterday! Woohoo!!! Country Store free for almost a year! I can now say that I will have done every job possible as of this Saturday. Work the Floor, Pass Meds, Activities, act as the Director and the last one I will start on Saturday: Cook, ugh! Shoot me! I only have 2 weeks left there as a full time employee. I will be cutting down to 2 days a week due to the fact that I am....
2. Starting Nursing School!!! 2 weeks from today!!! Am I scared? That would be an understatement! I'm terrified! I am so not ready to hit the books, my year an a half break from school was wonderful!!! Although it did take me several months to get that feeling of "Time to Study" off of my brain. Now it's time to put it back in there, that is if my brain has any room left in it. With starting I have to finish checking things off of my list like:
3. Being CPR re-certified! Which I did, with my mom, on Sunday. It was just the two of us and we had a lot of fun. It's amazing what can change in the few years since I took the class the last time. 
4. CPR isn't the only thing I had to do. I needed to obtain immunization records of MMR (check!) and get a stupid Varicella shot (even though I've already had the Chicken Pox) because I had found a loop hole!!! It was either get a titer (a blood test proving immunity to MMR and the Pox) or just get the immunization. I choose the later and oh boy did I pay for it!
5. When I got my immunizations, (yes, plural) they told me my Tetanus/Diphtheria was due in a year and a half, and well since I was there I should just get that one since I hadn't had the booster that contained the Pertussis vaccine in it. So I walked into the room to get my shots and there were two women in there and they were like, "We're gonna give you your shots at the same time!" I was ecstatic since I hate shots and I only had to do it once, not twice! I was told the TDaP wouldn't hurt, but my arm would more than likely be sore later, but the Varicella would hurt upon injection and then be fine after it was done. Uh, in my case, let's reverse that!  The Varicella didn't hurt at all, but the TDaP hurt like a bitch!!! I think the girl that did that was training cuz she took forever to give it then commentated on it by saying "It's squirting". I got this shot on July 17th and yesterday (August 6th) was the first day I no longer could see the bruise at the injection site. Not to mention my arm killed for like 2 weeks and I couldn't lift any of my residents on my left side for a week. Then a few days after my shots, the injection site of the Varicella swelled up like a balloon and I got several pox on my body, one that is just finally going away. I still need to get the booster for that one in 10 days. Oh joy! I've never had reactions to immunizations like this before. I guess in my old age, my body can't take it.
6. I also need to have two TB (tuberculosis) tests done. I already  have one done thanks to work! So I need to go get another one. That one's not so bad, so I'm not too worried about that one giving me any grief.
7. Uniforms. As a Nursing Student you need to have a very specific type of scrubs for clinical. Specific brand, specific style and specific color. Oh except you can have any type of white pants (shrugs shoulders). The top and matching pants have to be the lovely wine color which I've heard that once you are done with school you will never wear again. Well I still wear my CNA clinical scrubs so we'll see how sick I get of them. I actually lucked out in this category as normally each piece will cost you anywhere from 20-25 bucks a pop. Well a uniform store closed down here in Spring and 2 weeks ago had brought all their leftover inventory out of storage and sold it for $6 a piece. I found all that I needed. I have 3 shirts and 3 pants and I paid a whopping total of $36 for them!!! I wasn't paying attention to one of the shirts I got and I don't really like the pocket placements on it, so I think I'll see if someone wants to buy that one off of me. But I'm still happy that I got 3 sets for less than the price of 1. Winning!!!
8. Today I am buying my books. It will put a nice dent in my credit card and savings account. But I am fine with this because in my program you buy most of your books 1st semester and one or two for each of the other 3 semesters. So my biggest book bill will be now! 
9. On a non-school note, I was able to go Up North to Hayward this month!!! We did get stranded, as is the tradition. It was on the island this year. It started storming and we only had canoes, a kayak and one boat with a motor. So we had to go deep into the woods of the island and try to take shelter from the storm. It was a great memory to add to the vacation books. I also had fun swimming, sitting at campfires, shopping, eating tons of ice cream and just hanging out with my cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, brothers, nieces and nephews. Successful vacation? I think so!

   

   Kissing the frog I caught, hoping he turns into a handsome prince. He didn't.

   As my time as a Nurse in Limbo comes to an end, I will be having to change my blog name, so we'll see what my brain comes up with.

Updating My Blog?

I just published a post that I typed up over a year ago. It is unfinished but it doesn't matter cuz I don't remember what I was going to say next. Anywho, I'll just write up this new post since I haven't done it in a Coon's Age!

First of all, life has been going on as normal, with some new developments! Good and Scary developments! Here they are in no particular order:

1) In April I received two letters from Mid-State. The first said that I had orientation in two weeks and the other told me what I needed to have by said orientation date. I was like "Holy Crap! I actually get to start some classes in August! Huzzah!!!" I also needed to go all the way to Rapids to the bookstore to buy an orientation packet. I took Kassandra along and purchased the packet. We also stopped at a Uniform store where I purchased two pairs of scrub pants, one pair was a dark green the other a bright blue and a scrub top which is light blue with blue and green flower pattern things that matched both pairs of pants. We also stopped in at some bridal shops.

2) That brings me to the next point: The Wedding. I have been asked to be in my cousin Michelle's wedding. The week before my trip to Rapids we went to Appleton dress shopping. Oh please dear God, that was painful, never let me do that again! As painful as it was I'll be happy with whatever dress she finally decides on and I'll wear it proudly on May 25, 2013. So that's why Kass and I stopped at those bridal shops to see if any dresses caught our eyes as to what Michelle wants. Kass and I have very different tastes on the dresses and what I like she doesn't and vice versa. That's why I'll be happy with what Michelle picks, it's her day and I would hope she wouldn't make us wear a big bow on our ass (which she says she's not. Well Thank God!!)

3)  Back to Nursing School. I went to orientation and as it turns out, I've been bumped so far up on the list that I start ALL my classes in August! Nursing Fundamentals, Nursing Pharmacology, Lab & Clinical. Woohoo! In 2 years I should be Samantha Klish, RN, STB? I'm still not sure what the appropriate letters are that go behind my name for my Bachelor in Theology. My goal is to make my RN into a BSN. Apparently you can transfer your Mid-State Nursing Credits to the UW system and upgrade your degree. I have (I think) all those requirements met from attending UWSP and Franciscan. Lets hope, I don't want to pay more tuition! Prior to starting classes I need to have several things done. I need two TB tests (one I have done already and I have to get another in August). Become CPR re-certified. Get a titer to make sure I'm immune to MMR and Chicken Pox. Even though I had those Pox I still need to be immune. I do not want to do this, I hate needles! I will probably freak myself out from this and cry.

4) Before I freak myself out thinking about the titer, I'm going to talk about work. I have begun passing meds! Yay! I get to give my residents their pharmacy of drugs now! It's a nice break from working the floor. Less stress and less call lights. However, it comes with more responsibility. You can not have errors and you have a lot to accomplish. Making sure they are given out. That the resident actually swallows it. You have marked it off in the MAR. Lots to do but I'm getting better at it every day. The worst part is giving them out cuz they all just don't take them. They argue with you, hit you, spit them out at you, swear at you, etc. Oh I love my residents. I just wish there was a cure for Alzheimer's/Dementia.

5) I am going Up North this summer! WooHoo! Last year I had to stay behind and watch the shit store for my aunt. I'm so thankful to have washed my hands of that place. I have now been at my new job for 9 months at the end of next week. The time has FLOWN! Since I've been there I haven't requested any days off or called in sick. So I BETTER get my week off for Hayward, otherwise let the call-in's start! It will be nice to live there for a week. So many good times! I'm just curious as to when we will get stranded again. Will it be on the island? Or on a broat again? Oh the stories we can tell! Rescue broat 911 to the rescue!!!

6) So as I begin my Nursing classes in August I suppose I'll have to re-name my blog. I will no longer at that point be a "Nurse in Limbo". Limbo will end. Perhaps Nursing Student in Limbo? I dunno. I have a couple months to think about it.

Limbo has an Expiration Date!

It has been two weeks since I have received news that my "Limbo" has an expiration date! I received my Nursing Acceptance letter! I'm in! I'm a Nursing Student! No longer am I a "Pre-Nursing" Major or a "Conditionally Accepted" Nursing Student! I am a full fledged, in-the-program Nursing Student!!! I have a start date of January 2013! Which is awesome! The letter also said that depending on availability I could start taking two Nursing Coursed in August 2012! They don't have clinical but who cares! I could be actually taking Nursing Classes in 17 months! I never thought this day would get here, knowing that I finally have a start date. I received my enroll letter before March 1st, and we weren't supposed to start receiving them until after the 1st.

The funny thing about this post is that I started it a long time ago. I should just post it now and then I'll re-write one about the here and now. Oh procrastination!

I want to be remembered as...

Yesterday I had a continuing education class at work. The state of Wisconsin requires us to have 15 hours of continuing education a year to be able to continue working in healthcare. If you are unaware, I work for North Haven Homes which Specializes in Dementia and Alzheimer's care. This means I get kicked, slapped, tripped, stabbed, spit at, called every 4-letter word in the book, etc... This seems crazy, yea I know, however, the more I understand the disease and learn about it, the more I just keep caring for my residents and giving them everything I can to make their days that much more better, even if they don't remember 5 minutes after the fact. Anywho, each resident has hanging by their room an "About Me" poem. It includes things like birthdays, religion, children, grand children, jobs, hobbies, travels, etc. These are so much fun to read cuz you get to know who that person is and not just their disease. The last part of each poem goes "I want to be remembered as..." most of them say a good wife/husband and mother/father. I often think about what mine would say if I died lets say today. Well it just so happens that that question was posed on us yesterday at the continuing ed meeting. When it came to my turn I was like "I have no idea."  Some things were suggested like "compassionate" or "outspoken" but to say those or things other people said would be lies. This has been bothering me me since the meeting and the only thing I can think of is that I want to be remembered as a Saint. And I mean that in the most humblest way possible. I also know that I am very far from that so I think I have to change somethings and actually be a saint so that when I die people can remember me as that. I don't think in my short 26 years I've accomplished anything to be remembered by and I wouldn't even mind being forgotten. For now, I'll just try to come up with a better answer.

Narrow Gate

So I'm pretty moral, for the most part. I teach Theology of the Body, so I have to live what I teach or as best as I possibly can. Well tonight while out, I just observed the people around me. These people are drinking like fish, and the dancing. I'm not a dancer, AT ALL. You won't catch me grinding, I'd have to be pretty out of my head to do that kinda thing anymore. But the one thing that really struck me was what is it like to live without morals? To not care who you hook up with? To just do what you feel like? To suffocate your conscience and to (as Obama is trying to force us) violate it? As I go through Lent, I guess I'm thankful that I've tried to change my ways as best as I can. Those kinds of things make me uncomfortable and I'm really glad that they do. Who knows what kind of situation I'd be in right now if I didn't have the formed conscience I do now? Not that I'm perfect, by any means, but I'm glad I've chosen the path I have.

"Enter through the narrow gate;  for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few."
- Matthew 7:13-14