Midterms & Acute Care Clinical!!

Well, kids! I have made it through Midterms. I have learned a few things and I have a few things to share.

• First and foremost, I need to learn how to not favor studying for one over the other. I have always had this problem and since pharmacology makes more sense, I spent the better part of my time studying for this one. 
• I got a heads up that the pharm midterm was basically verbatim from the midterm worksheet. I studied off of that one alot but I also didn't want her to change the test when it got to us so I also studied other stuff too. That test was on a computer so we got instant results. It was pretty much verbatim off the worksheet give or take 5 questions. I got a 98%. Not to brag, but I was happy (I say that with a big grin on my face.)
• My first Skills Lab quiz went well on the eyes and ears assessment. I got a 94%. The second one was on Medication Administration. I got an 87%. Not my best test but it was a hard one. So I was pleased.
•  I got to test off on 3 skills this week. IM Injection, Injection Sites and Mixing Insulin. I got 100% on the IM, 95% on the Sites cuz I stumbled over a few things (I blame Midterms, my head wasn't on Skills) and 95% on Insulin cuz dummy me, said I had to have a 34 unit total and then only pulled back to 24 units. I'm lucky I didn't fail that one.
• My Fundamentals Midterm, uh that wasn't so good. Like I said I favored studying for Pharm over this one so that was issue #1. Then the first round of students took it. The prof had to hand grade them cuz she thought the scantron did it wrong. Either it did or everyone bombed it! I still don't know. From what I heard, many of the students ended up with a score in the 70 percentile range.  Remember, for Nursing classes, a solid 80.00% is passing and it has to be on exam/quiz grades alone. A 79.99% is failing. No rounding up. Now my classes turn! Since it was paper we had to wait to the evening to see our grades. I worked up the courage to look at it (this coming from the girl who waited over a year to look at her final grades one semester). I got a 78%. FML!!!! One wrong too many. I failed it. My test/quiz grade is an 80.55% meaning I'm passing by 0.55% which is passing but I have to step it up.
• Now on to Clinical!!! Acute Care!!! Hospital!!!
• Orientation on Thursday was a lot of information especially since we do all the charting on a computer program that looks circa 1993. Takes me back to Plover/Whiting Computer Lab days!
• Unfortunately our instructor became ill so our orientation was cut short. 
• Friday we had a sub instructor and she was really cool! My first patient was awesome and very eager to cooperate. She said that I could be her nurse any day and that since she didn't have a daughter she was adopting me. 
• Clinical ended with a lot of shock. We have a huge paper and exam at the end that our instructor never told us about! So I became a bit overwhelmed, but as one of my classmates says, one day at a time. It's true, I just work one day at a time and chug my way through.

So my week started crazy and ended crazy. I'm just glad to be over midterms cuz they were insane!!!
Now I have 10 weeks down and only 7 weeks and 3 semesters to go!!! Next week is November, there is a light at the end of this tunnel!!!

2nd Semester? Already???

This week was a very different week. I only had one day of classes!  This is because we had advising and registration. It's like, really? Already? I don't even know if I'm going to make it to 2nd Semester! 

• Tuesday we had a regular day of classes. So skills and pharmacology.
• Wednesday was advising!
• We found out a little better what 2nd semester is all about. First of all it is divided into two separate eight week sections.  Why? Because 2nd semester has the pediatric clinical rotation.  Only one of the hospitals in the area has pediatrics so the goal is to get 48 students through that rotation in a 16 week period.  Each clinical has 8 students in it for 6 total groups. Since we can't do peds all at once we're all split up. Alas, 2 different groups.  Makes sense? Don't worry, I'm still confused too!
• So we found out which of the two groups we were in. I was hoping we could choose, but of course they choose for you. I got placed into group ABC. Which means I have pediatrics first. I'm PISSED!!! Cuz that means I have to drive all the way to Marshfield in the dead of winter. Thank you! I really don't believe their whole "we take into consideration where you live to place you in clinicals" philosophy. Cuz if they did, I'd have that rotation 2nd time around in March.
• So I talked to an adviser and shared my concerns about the January driving and she said to email the head instructor requesting a group switch because she agrees with my logic. All I got for a reply was "everyone has to drive and I can't make any promises" So I took that as toughen up or ship out!
• The second 8 week period is med-surg so that should be interesting. Word on the street is that the current 2nd semester students that just got done with it had 7 fails. Peds had 3 fails. Those are not good odds. 
• The rest of my week consisted of studying, studying, studying! Why? Because this next week is Midterms!!! Comprehensive Midterms! 1 of those in each Pharm & Fundamentals. Then I also have 2 quizzes in lab, one on each day. So I'm going crazy (hence the lateness of this entry).

This week, my friends, has brought us to the half way point and beyond.  I'm officially half way done with 1st Semester! I am in shock that I have made it this far and am so far not failing. I'm very impressed with myself.  I really believe it has something to do with the sister I asked for prayers from along with the sisters she works with and the children she minsters to in Peru. I also have countless others praying for me. It's definitely God's grace which is helping me through, cuz He knows there's no way I would be doing this on my own.

9 weeks down, 8 weeks and 3 semesters to go. I'm an eighth of the way through!!! HUZZAH!!!!

Injections and Roller Coasters

This week we are down to single digit weeks that are left in this semester. 

• I gave my very first injection on a real person!!! I was so nervous. Not only about sticking the needle in, but then pushing in the plunger too! I did an intradermal injection of saline. This is the type of injection that you would get for a TB test. I was able to get the ''wheel'' under the epidermal layer. So I did good. The next time it shouldn't be so bad.
• I had 2 quizzes this week. Fundamentals, which I got an 85% on, so not bad but not good either. And Pharmacology I got an 87.5%. I need to step up the studying.
• I had my last Long Term Care clinical day! Thank God it's over! I also had an article presentation and I think I did pretty well. So I'm hoping I got an okay grade on that.
• I had a second presentation for Fundamentals. It was my group presentation. We did very well and got 95% on it. So I'm happy that's over.
• I took a day off yesterday and went to Six Flags with David, Cory, Kassandra, Matthew and Jimmy.  I rode a ton of coasters. It was awesome! Not to mention it's Fright Fest so it's all decked out for Halloween. One of the creepers got me and I jumped. I also screamed my head off on the coasters (more for fun cuz that's part of the thrills! My throat doesn't feel so good today.  The only coaster I legitimately was scared on was Vertical Velocity, when I was riding it toward the back of the coaster you go so high up backwards it feels like you're going up and over. It freaked me out a bit. The second time I went on I rode closer to the front and it wasn't as good cuz you don't get that scary thrill like you do when you ride to the back. I was impressed with myself cuz I had always been terrified of Raging Bull, or going up the first lift. So when I went on it the first time I actually didn't even freak out about it. So the second time was awesome! I love roller coasters!  It was a great way to get my mind off of everything for a day

Time to get back to school, and I now have 8 weeks completed! Only 9 weeks to go!!

Busy Busy Bee

So this has been a very busy week. Now with classes 4 days a week and working 2 days a week, I feel like I don't have time to think. AHH!

• This week in skills lab is our first attempt to take the math test. The math test is about conversions and such so that you can calculate how much of a drug you are to give based on the doctor's order and the type and concentration of drug you have.  We practiced this weeks ago and I did very well. We were told that we have to pass with a 90% or better. It is only 20 questions long so we get up to 2 wrong. If you fail, you only get 2 more opportunities to take it. This is accompanied by extra tutoring and whatnot-nothing that I had time for. If you can not pass it in these three tries, you fail Skills Lab.  So when I went to study for it the night before just to refresh my memory, I was like what the heck! I'm not getting it! Why? Cuz I was rushing and not reading the whole question or not using my calculator. Well I made sure I took my time and I PASSED!!! I got a 95% and the one I got wrong was because I didn't read that the question said how many to give in a 24 hour period where I had only one dose. All my math was right!
• Clinical was still boring. I really didn't know what to do. Besides taking vitals on my resident, helping feed people and taking blood glucose readings, it was boring. So I'm looking forward to being done. Only one day left of Long Term Care, thank God!
• We started learning about injections in Skills Lab! Now this is what I've been waiting for! We practiced filling a syringe with insulin, using filter needles and finding intermuscular injection sites. I will not be looking forward to stabbing someone in the ventrogluteal, dorsalgluteal or vastus lateralis sites. That I think would hurt like a bitch!

Well I'm now 7 weeks in and I only have 10 weeks to go! Oh yea and three other semesters!

Fundamentals for Dummies

Not too much to report on for this last week.

• Last Monday was insane, after working the weekend and basically letting everything pile up until that night, I didn't take my Fundamentals quiz until 1:00am. Yea, that sucked. Note to self, when you work, get your frickin' work done on Friday!
• About that quiz? I got an 85%. Pretty bad, but now my quiz average is over 80% which is where it needs to be for me to pass the class. I just want to pass and  move on to 2nd semester with all my classmates! 
• Continuing on with Fundamentals, I have yet to find a nurse or nursing student who actually liked Fundamentals, including myself...
• This is why I borrowed the book "Fundamentals for Dummies" from the Hospice Nurse at work, because I need that book.
• I finished my first week of long term care clinical and it was very boring cuz there wasn't much to do and flexible, cuz the instructor kept changing things. All in all I got through it.
• I almost forgot to e-mail my clinical homework. I finished it on Saturday but I just kept putting off emailing it. This morning at work I'm like "OH SHIT!!!" But thank God I had until 4pm today to do it, and I emailed it off at 3:30 when I got home. Saved by the bell!
• I tested out of the Medication Passing skill, with 100% athankya! I better have since I do that for my job! However, it is a little different when I'm learning in school, verses doing it at work.
• My brain is done thinking so therefore my post is complete.

6 weeks down! 11 weeks and 3 semesters to go!

Can I go to sleep? Just for 20 minutes?

I am so freaking tired!!!!!! After stressing over Pharmacology last week followed by a 3 day work stretch, not to mention hardly any sleep, This child is ready to crash and burn!!

• I had three quizzes last week. Yes three. I had two in skills lab and one in pharmacology. I did fairly well in them. And realized that I most likely studied too hard for pharm. Oh well, I got 95%, 90% and 97.5%. I rocked the pharm one. I win! Hopefully that trend will continue.
• I started clinical!!! On Thursday I had orientation at school. I found out just how much my workload is going to increase per week. Surprisingly it's not going to be so bad. Especially cuz I get Clinical. 
• Being there is no different than work, except I have a different resident and instead of 11, I only have to worry about 1/2 of one! Well that's cuz I have a partner so basically I only have to do half the work. I guess another difference will be that I get to play "Nurse" instead of "CNA." However, at work I pretty much get to do almost all the stuff the RN would, due to being delegated to. However I will have to see just how it goes, since when I actually got to go to clinical on Friday, it was more of an orientation.  
• I tested out of Oxygen Therapy in Skills Lab as a nervous wreck not knowing what I was doing and pulled it off flawlessly.
• I'm really starting to hate working Saturday, Sunday & Monday in a row. The weekends are just exhausting due to the increased workload I have to do and the fact it's impossible to be done by 3:00pm. However, I get money so it's a win-lose situation. I have to deal cuz next semester I may be down to 1 day a week.
• My brain can't think of anything else.

Well there you have it. 5 weeks down, 12 weeks and 3 semesters to go. I can do this!

Let the stress begin!!!

A bit late with my weekly blog entry, but as the title states, the stress has begun. Mostly with the internet stuff. Most of my classes are web enhanced meaning there are a whole new mess of problems. We have to submit worksheets on this wonderful invention called "Blackboard" but I have a better name for it that I'm not going to share now... Anywho I do these worksheets, feel really good about them and then hit submit and I get my grade which is usually somewhere between 60-65%. I know in other degree programs it's like Yea!! D for Diploma!!! But in nursing that's basically a BIG, FAT F! Well all the frustration has led to hard copies in Skills Lab (Horray!) and now in Pharmacology (the bane of my existence. I will be surprised if I pass this theory class) we are able to have multiple attempts. For example. If we have to type in the answer and the question goes what do you avoid with this drug? Well the book says "alcohol" and you put that as your answer, well the worksheet says WRONG! It's alcoholic beverages. Or if you have two answers such as BUN & Creatinine, well you better put them in the right order cuz the computer says WRONG! It's Creatinine & BUN. So it makes for a very frustrating learning experience. Making me want to throw my computer across the room.  That's prolly the biggest revelation of this last week. Here is the breakdown of other important things:

• I had my blood glucose tested! I was terrified due to a horrible experience in Physiology Lab at UWSP. However I had someone poke me that knew what they were doing and it didn't even hurt! I think my psychotic fear of having my finger poked is now over!!! I had a Blood Glucose Level of 86mg/dl. So I'm on the higher side of normal (which is 60-100mg/dl). I thought for sure I'd have crazy high blood sugar what with my unhealthy obsession with sugar, not to mention I had drank over half of a Medium Dunkin' Donuts Vanilla Bean Oreo Coolata. Can we say delicious?!!?
• I tested out of another Skill: Infant Heel Stick for blood glucose testing. Poor baby...
• I took my first internet quiz in Fundamentals. Uh not horrible but not so good either. Now I at least know what to expect. Here's to hoping the next one is better...
• My final week without clinical...which means that I have 2 less days a week to do homework. I can't spread it out so much anymore so this kinda sucks!
• My final week w/out clinical!!! I get to start them!!! I'm excited to begin!!!
• I had the weekend off which was awesome! I got so much done but I still have so much homework left to do. 
• I have 3 quizzes next week. 2 in Skills Lab and 1 in Pharmacology. God (and St. Joey Coup) help me!!
• Went to confession and had a very good healing/cleansing one. I hadn't felt like that since going to St. Pete's in Steubes. Having a clean slate makes it a lot easier to handle this school stuff. I have a lot less stuff hanging on. Not to mention I can receive the Eucharist again which is awesome in it's own way! I believe that this priest will be the one I'm gonna go to for confession from now on.
• I need to fine myself a spiritual director (so says my new confessor). So I have more homework. God make one fall in my lap! Athankya...
• My foot is getting so much better and it's not swollen anymore! I can almost walk on it without pain.  It's healing and I'm glad cuz I wanted it to be better by clinical.
• Oh and the wine I'm drinking right now? Is Anesso Cagnina di Romagna. It is very cheap and very good. It's quickly become my favorite. I love the tasting wall at Cellar 70. Try something before you buy a whole bottle. That's where I found this one. Yummy.

 Well that's all I can think of right now. 4 Weeks down. 13 Weeks & 3 Semesters to go!