Another week down! Sure feels good, too. These last 2 weeks have been good. Last week, I made an 80 on my Theory test and a 100! on my Foley Catheter evaulation. Yeah! (and i was the only 1 out of 10 of us in our clinical group to make a perfect grade, not that i'm bragging or anything...haha!) I also had a major paper due this Monday, called a Nursing Care Study. I had to interview my patient and ask them all of these "psychosocial" type questions and then sort of elaborate on it all in my paper. It consisted of 2 parts and when it was all said and done, I turned in 14 pages!
Nothing major this week...that's the last time I can say that until after May 6th. I plan on enjoying my long weekend because once Sunday comes along, it's super study time until the end of the semester! We get one free day to miss Clinical so today was my free day. I spent it doing laundry, having the refrigrator repair guy come visit, and going on a job interview! Yep, that's right...Mary's gettin' a job!
In order to continue strengthening my skills and get more and more comfortable with patients, they encourage nursing students to get a job in a hospital as a Nurse Technician. It's basically a Nurse's Aide but they call us Techs when we are also nursing students. I had my interview today at Baylor in Grapevine for the position on a Med/Surg floor. The manager I spoke to went to Nursing School at Texas Tech so we immediately hit it off. The interview went great and she said those 2 magic words, "You're hired!". The position is PRN which means it's on an as needed basis. I won't have a set schedule and can basically sign up ahead of time for any shift I can work. That flexibility will hopefully allow me to keep the position throughout the remainder of nursing school and then maybe help me get on as a real nurse after I graduate. I'm super excited and look forward to working on my skills as much as I can. Orientation is in May after I finish the semester so I don't have to worry about until then.
That's all for now...I will keep you guys posted as I wrap up the semester (hard to believe it's time for that already!). Oh, and I promise I'll have some more pictures posted next time so keep checking back...
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
1 month to go!
Well, Spring Break is long gone and I am back into the nitty gritty school work...BUT only one month left to go! It's been a busy couple of weeks at school. I have gotten to give another insulin injection which went very well. I also am now clear to check blood sugar levels (finger sticks) without my instructor's observations. It's kind of like my first truly independent nursing skill...not that it's exactly rocket science but it does make me feel like they trust me with something! I've been doing vital signs and physical assessments since we started but that's not nearly as much fun as seeing blood!:)
The grades are still satisfactory but there's a lot left to happen in this last month that could make or break me. Right now, I am busy studying for another Theory test and Foley catheter evaluation. Inserting a Foley catheter isn't really that hard but it's a sterile procedure so you have to be especially careful not to break the sterile field and because I am so new to all of this, it's pretty easy to break it! Our clinical instructor, Ms. Barnett, is the one evaluating us on this (yep, she's the real intimidating one) so needless to say, I will be practicing all weekend. If you're curiously wondering how exactly I can practice such a procedure, we use the Skills Lab and mannequins during school hours and then at home, I usually just practice the sterile technique part. Don't worry, Jason can relax! haha! :)
Although I will be very relieved when I know that I have survived my first semester of nursing school, I will miss spending so much time with my clinical group. Jason calls us a "sorority." They have helped me learn so much and I always look forward to our next silly discussion. There's no guarantee that we will be together in future semesters but I know we will be checking on each other's progress. Being part of such a close-knit group has definitely been one of the most pleasant surprises of nursing school...it makes you feel like you're not alone in this craziness!
Anyways, I also plan to start taking some more pictures so I will post them for your viewing pleasure. Back to studying...please pray for endurance as I push through this last month of the semester.
Have a good weekend and Sunday is Leo's 1st Birthday!!
The grades are still satisfactory but there's a lot left to happen in this last month that could make or break me. Right now, I am busy studying for another Theory test and Foley catheter evaluation. Inserting a Foley catheter isn't really that hard but it's a sterile procedure so you have to be especially careful not to break the sterile field and because I am so new to all of this, it's pretty easy to break it! Our clinical instructor, Ms. Barnett, is the one evaluating us on this (yep, she's the real intimidating one) so needless to say, I will be practicing all weekend. If you're curiously wondering how exactly I can practice such a procedure, we use the Skills Lab and mannequins during school hours and then at home, I usually just practice the sterile technique part. Don't worry, Jason can relax! haha! :)
Although I will be very relieved when I know that I have survived my first semester of nursing school, I will miss spending so much time with my clinical group. Jason calls us a "sorority." They have helped me learn so much and I always look forward to our next silly discussion. There's no guarantee that we will be together in future semesters but I know we will be checking on each other's progress. Being part of such a close-knit group has definitely been one of the most pleasant surprises of nursing school...it makes you feel like you're not alone in this craziness!
Anyways, I also plan to start taking some more pictures so I will post them for your viewing pleasure. Back to studying...please pray for endurance as I push through this last month of the semester.
Have a good weekend and Sunday is Leo's 1st Birthday!!
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