Orientation Week

So, I am three days into orientation. Of course, day one was llllooonnngggggg and very, um, tiresome. Yeah. We went over lots of basic hospital policy stuff--payroll, insurance, infection control, etc. All geared towards general hospital employees. It went well and that was that...(And can I just say that I love the mission of the County Hospital. Very Inspiring!)

Yesterday and today are what is called GN Internship. We have been doing all kinds of things from listening to lectures on quality improvement (zzzzzz) to learning skills and how to use the equipment (which has been very, very useful!). Today we worked with the hospitals pumps, did central line dressing changes, worked with NG's, crash carts, the pyxis, etc. All good stuff to know as each hospital uses different equip. and we have not been exposed to some of this stuff in school.

Tomorrow is computer tarining and more inservices on policy, etc. Same type of thing on Friday, and then the REAL FUN begins!!!!!! For the next 8 weeks (provided I pass the you-know-what) I have classes two days a week and work two twelves a week!!! I start in Mother/Baby for 4 weeks and take classes on things like introducing breastfeeding, caring for post partum incisions, newborn care, etc, etc, etc. Then I move to antpartum and take classes on things like fetal monitoring, the process of labor, OR circulation for c-sections, fetal demise, blablabla. Lots and lots of class work which is going to be freakin AWESOME. Then if I am up to speed I move into 4 wks of L&D orientation...

Loving it all, very excited and at the same time have the big bad TEST demon circulating in my head...

Havent been studying much for that as I have been pretty worn out. You would think I wouldnt be from sititng on my but and all, but I am. (Stress?)

Honestly, and I know this is just because of the newness and all, I am so happy right now w/ my job choice. And I just dread, dread, dread Saturday.

I will pass. I must pass. And with that--I am off to get the kids from after-school care (got out of class early and came home to change clothes real fast & let the pooch out), order pizza and study.

Signed On!

(above: what are they staring at? i suspect they have spotted a fellow nurse wearing her whites and are giggling at how dingy she looks...)

I went and had my physical today--which consisted of the respirator fitting (absolutely hysterical every time) and a brief head-to-toe type thing. Still have to do a drug screen tomorrow and finish up my TB and Flu vaccination stuff...

Signed all my paperwork and will get my sign-on bonus (wasnt sure I would get one or not) for $1000 in my 1st paycheck. Start at 20.50/hr and we didnt discuss shift diff or anything? Hm. So, I am official. Saw a classmate of mine and who starts in the ER and he said he is scared out of his mind. Me too, buddy.

Oh yeah, my hospital also pays 200 bucks towards NCLEX review if I provide receipts so I went out and purchased this book (yes, another NCLEX book):



Have heard good things about Hurst and needed something to liven up my study--there are some MP3's included that sound like fun. Am working on that today and trying to answer questions by system. For some reason I am pissed at Kaplan--they just seem like scam artists. Crazy me. I dont know, people. All I know is that the NCLEX sucks, ok?

(I'm a little testy-trying to diet and just want to eat cake, cake, cake. It's the stress.)

ANYWAY. At work I get my choice of navy blue scrubs or a white uniform at work (well, I get to wear OR scrubs in L&D, too). But seriously, who would wear whites? They get sooooo stinking dirty. Someone in the elevator today had her whites on and just looked rumpled and yucky. Love the blue, so gonna stick with that for now.

Just got a call from the school and my kiddo needs speech therapy. Poor child can't say "R." Still, I'm sick and think its cute.

(above: painting by Tim Eitel)

Yesterday was my 14th wedding anniversary. Hubby and I had a nice day--he took the day off and we went to a modern art museum (I actually like some of the art which is a change-Tim Eitel is pretty amazing), a $4 movie and had lunch at one of my favorite salad places. In other words, we kept it really cheap but had loads of fun...

Can't wait until I bring home a paycheck. :)

Meanwhile, have a doc appt today as I have a wicked UTI that is wearing me out. Taking 95mg of pyridium and loads of tylenol. Need to culture this baby and find out what's up. I KNOW I need to drink more water!!!

I am managing about 100 questions a day for NCLEX study. Going to work some more today on my saunders CD. Funny how my friends are a bit peeved I am taking teh test BEFORE them (just by about 5 days). They have stated that they dont want to hear anything about it. Tehe. Everyone is freaked out.

Also, everyone has started work except for the few of us working at "County Hospital." People keep asking me if I am jealous to not have started--honestly, I think County is pretty smart for starting their new grads later. They have given us time to rest up, study for NCLEX, etc. I dont know if that was their intention, but it has been great for me and my family.

More Saunders now...

The OR

Just thought I would share another story from my mom--who basically only has horror stories from her nursing career.

She reminded me again of why she got out of being a surgical nurse. On one of the cases she scrubbed in on--which was an emergency case that was going to take a while to resolve--the surgeon got a bad case of the runs...

So bad in fact that he wasnt able to get to the bathroom...

So my mom put chux pads on the floor and the surgeon proceeded to poo himself...

My mom had to clean up after him--she got his pants off, got new pants on him and threw everything away and he kept right on operating!!! Without a "thank you" or even a comment from this doc. He acted like it was an every day occurence to crap yourself at work.

She was basically over it after that...she moved on to being a nursery nurse and loved it.

Ok, in other news, got my 2 hrs of NCLEX study in today--going to do some more tonight. Also have my childcare figured out-went up to the kids school and got them set up for the before and after school program for my orientation--just in case I have to orient days or whatever. That is all set--it really isn't too expensive and I think the kiddos will have fun. I will only have to do it a couple days a week and I am thankful it is available! What do you gusy do w/ your kids when you work/go to school? I am very blessed in that I have never had to put my kids in daycare and my family has helped out quite a bit with the childcare. Anyway...

Guess I am going to do laundry and SCRAPBOOK for the rest of the day. Have a good one...

Highway K

(right: Highway K?)
Had a dream last night I was driving and witnessed a pretty huge car wreck involving a jeep and a pick up truck. Pulled over and tried to call 911 but didnt know where I was--just that I was on Highway K (never heard of this road, BTW). Finally communicated my location to the operator, hung up, and was suddenly really scared. I looked over at the smashed up cars and saw one person had been thrown from a vehicle and was stuck in a tree, bleeding profusely...I didn't know what to do. Woke up pretty quickly and now have that picture in my head. All day long I have been thinking about what my 1st action would be if that happened. Pretty screwy, eh??

Aside from THAT, I have been having such a nice break. Spent the LAST of the Christmas giftcard on a movie ( The Waterhorse-very cute) with the kids. And I am actually cooking dinner again tonight which is amazing--yes, cooking is a lost art @ my house.

Stopped by the bookstore and picked up the Betty Crocker Classic Cookbook on clearance. It is sooooooooo fun, but man does it have a lot of cake recipes. Not exactly healthy...

Guess we are going to the YMCA tonight to work out, then I need to get in some NCLEX studying. Oh, and watch Project Runway. So yes, things are calm and pretty boring right now--which is so lovely. Trying not to think too much about working and enjoy my time off before I begin THE CAREER. It's weird to feel like a SAHM mom again, if only for a bit.

hobby lobby

My hubby is so cute. He actually went to hobby lobby and made me a graduation present--a cute tote bag w/ a nurse ironed on it and big RED RN letters, a T-shirt and a compilation CD with cool old nurse pics on it. Very sweet. He couldnt wait to give it to me so he presented it with lots of "I'm proud of you's."

Menawhile, I am a freakazoid and cant seem to get much studying done. The cycle goes like this: Every half hour or so, I start studying, feel overwhelmed, and play on the computer for a bit. Then I begin again. So far have made it through Cardiac and Respiratory. Need to go through immune and neuro today. Tomorrow is GI. Also am studying the new stuff (GU) here and there and doing some math.

Ok, off to cycle through again!

a little free time...

Finally, I cleaned my closet out completely!!! I also spent the day with my kids (they got the day off from school). We went and saw the Bee Movie at a matinee and had some mom/kid time which they have been needing. That's been one of the most difficult psychosocial aspects of nursing school--being so unavailable (metally/physically). I hope I balance work betetr that I have school. I'll admit I'm woried about the whole not seeing my family three days in a row per wk. We'll pass each other in the evenings and morning as I leave/coe home from the hospital. My hope is to switch to a 24 hr work week after I put 6 months in...

Have some time to read (!!!!!!!) and look what I've got going:


And this book which is a GREAT read so far (if you have kids, are preggo or have any interest in obstetrics, you have to read this):



Also have some studying to do...have the whole day tomorrow to do so. And the weekend! Wow. Don't know what to do with all this time. May need to get some craft stuff out. And yes, I could make use of my time and start studying for finals/NCLEX. Next week, I promise! ;)

tiny update

News:
-78% on Respiratory test
-92% on Midterm
-4 more days of clinical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Very tired
-Want school to be over so I can a)lose some weight/exercise/eat right b) deep clean my house c) hang out w/ my family (not in that order).
-Frozen pizza for dinner again tonight. Blech.

More later...

Calm

I've managed to have a nice, calm weekend with my family. Went to a church service/picnic yesterday and it was so lovely to put my brain into something other than school. Very restful. Been trying to concentrate more on the purpose of nursing school instead of the goal of graduating. My intention in all this was to do something meaningful and to help people...I lose track of that a lot and have been pretty upset/angry/anxious/horrid. All the things I just dont want to be about something I really want to do with my life. One of my school friends said I havent been myself since I failed competency. Guess I have been trying to process things lately. Who am I if I fail out this semester? I am still a wife, mother, friend. I have so much outside of school.

Tomorrow is d-day where I redo my skill. If for some reason I do fail, a lot of good things will come of it. Rest, peace, housework, time with my family. I'm *trying* to focus on that, just in case. ;) But I am prepared to pass. We will see, huh?

My husband is having nosebleeds all of the sudden? He has had 4 in the last week and I am a bit concerned. Off to the doc I suppose.

I am home studying respiratory and leadership today. Still need to figure out those new dang drug calcs...Study group is tonight. Back in the swing for yet another week...

Oh, and I get assigned two patients for the first time in my upcoming clinical. WOW! Almost at the 2 months mark.

This week

Lots going on around here. Todays is one of my kiddo's birthday-10 yrs old! Man, they get big FAST! Just finshed making a yummy double chocolate cake all while studying COPD, SCI, and AMI. Its hard to cook and study at the same time...

So comps are my main focus today and have my 1st lecture exam tomorrow. Got 100% on the 1st two quizzes I've had. So, here's the plan for the week:

Mon: exam, lecture, job interview, study
Tues: study comps ALL DAY
Wens: community clinical @ a homeless shelter
Thurs: lecture, study comps
Fri: study all day
Sat: study all day

My clinical competency is next monday! Not freaking too bad. Man, after the next two weeks I will be in my last clinical rotation! 5 weeks of that and I am in the home stretch. It is going so quickly.

Had my picture taken last week with my cap and pin on. That was so surreal and fun.

My job is going pretty well, although I really suck at phlebotomy and I dont like the EMT's much. They are kinda rude. And they made fun of me yesterday for being a newbie...and for blushing when they made fun of me. I felt like I was 12 yrs old and realized I really need to get a thicker skin. Basically I put the cardiac monitor leads backwards on my patient (can you say brain fart? i had been doing it right all day) and the 4 guys in the room decided to rib me (2 EMT's, a male nurse, and an EMT trainee). Too much testosterone, I guess. I hate that I turn bright red when I get flustered. Geez.

Oh, fun mnemonic for placing leads:
white=right
Smoke over fire
Clouds over grass


It all comes down to the fact that I know NOTHING. And I hate that feeling. And I hate screwing up. I KNOW YOU LEARN THAT WAY. But it sucks. BUT I did get some nice complements from a couple ER nurses--they told me I am going to be a great nurse. That means a lot coming from them. I have them fooled.

vacay

Off to vacation tomorrow--won't be back until the 9th! I have to study while traveling, but that's ok. Then I get home and all h.e. double-hockey-sticks breaks loose. Yup. Trying not to think about it! Buh-bye for now...

DTB

Oldest child to me after running inside the house to get a drink of water:
"What are you doing tonight?"

Me:
"I am teaching a childbirth class."

Kid:
"Oh, so you can tell pregnant people that they will need to push the baby out of their butts?"

Me:
"Um, no , I probably won't phrase it that way."

Kid, after thinking for a minute:
"Ok, let me phrase this for you medically, mom. You are going to tell them, 'Hey, you will need to deploy the baby with force.""

Me:
"Uh..." (begin to laugh hysterically)

Now the phrase around the house is, "DEPLOY THE BABY!" It's pretty useful, actually, and can be used on many occasions.

Saturday

(I want to wear something like this to graduation. --------->)

Aren't Saturdays lovely? If you don't have too much housework or homework, that is. We had a nice day downtown at a birthday party with our kids where we went to a popular kid's attraction in the area and I tried to gt my kids to do some crafts-haha. They are typical boys and just want to play, so that was a bit boring for them. Otherwise, they had fun. Pizza, cake and soccer does that.

Thanks to all you who stopped by my blog over the last few days and left some encouraging thoughts. The best thing about blogging is universality--I know you guys feel my pain and can appreciate how difficult school is, etc. It's cool to be able to share the ups and downs and then go to all your blogs out there and see that you have experienced much of the same.

DH and I have been making lots of big life decisions lately, as well. It has been stressful but good for us to sort through what we need to do after I graduate. It looks like we are going to buy a house and settle down for a few years while I get some nursing experience and possibly finish my BSN. The most important thing though is stability for my kids.

We had talked about my husband going to school in New York next year for a special masters program he is interested in. Problems abound with that idea-financial, emotional, and parental ones! That may be something we do eventually when our kids are older, but for now my husband is going to have to be content working in the corporate world, which is difficult as he is a more artistic, creative type person. When you have kids you sometimes have to delay your own dreams. I did it to be home with them while they were little and now DH is doing it.

Anyway, I have been stressed about that which has made me more reationary to school stuff. Stuff I wouldn't normally have knee-jerk reactions to. The good thing is that we are getting more financially stable and getting out of the hole we were in this time last year.

There are currently 4 nurse tech positions in OB and Mother/Baby in area hospitals and I applied yesterday for all of them. I think it's time to get my foot in the door and pick up some shifts over the summer so I can land my OB/Postpartum dream job in the Fall--I'd like to have something lined up before Grad.

I wonder how I will balance working a couple days a week with home life. I hope I can handle it. How do you guys do it?

VD?

Happy Valentine's Day.

DH gave me a pretty necklace and this DVD. I love the soundtrack to it and think it's pretty appropriate for this holiday! One of my kids made me a valentine that had him in jail on the front and it said, "I am trapped in love." Tehe.

Hope you have someone to love today--even if it is just someone in your life who you just really appreciate and care for. Romance ain't the end-all, be-all, kids. It's a fleeting nicety and it's the people that stick with you for years and years and years through life's dullness that count. Being married to a best friend is rad. Constancy is a good thing. Anyway.

Trying to figure out what to take to clinical with me to write up my paperwork. I need my lab book, my nursing diagnosis book, my pediatric med book, and I need something with some Patho in it, but I don't want to lug my textbook there (it has 2000 pages because it is a combo Peds/OB book). Plus I have to find a big enough bag to bring it all--my new clinical bag would break with the stuff.

I don't know how today is going to work because I spend so much time writing my stuff up--how much time is she going to give us, I wonder? Most likely I will have a lot to bring home and do tonight and tomorrow morning. I hope she gives me a somewhat interesting patient, ya know?

I am still coughing and feeling kinda yucky. I am on antibiotics, and this has lasted since Christmas!!!!! Kick me. Plus I went off Diet Coke for a few days and now I have the withdrawal headache.

Gotta pick the house up a bit and get my scrub-on. Have a good day!

Snow, again

Above: pictures from this weekend!

We had some more beautiful snow today and the kids just came back from sledding. We had a really nice weekend as a family. Yesterday we went to a small town near us to walk the old square, have some lunch, take some pictures and see the ski slopes near by--we wanted to check it all out for future reference. DH says we will go there for a little trip sometime soon--just the two of us.

Went to church last night and today and that was a good thing for me as I have been kind of stumbling off track for the last few months. My attitude really gets crappy when I am not taking care of myself spiritually. I get all judgemental and mean. Especially towards my family!

Anyway, today was Sanctity of Life Sunday--something very meaningful to me. I think the value and beauty of life is even more apparent to nurses as we see it at all stages in the journey.

This week begins the fun stuff--classes Mon and Tues, and clinicals begin Wens and Thurs. I have my first pediatric patient on Thursday. Ouch! I am trying to get my confidence up and am watching all these Peds videos on blackboard about assessment, suctioning, meds, blah, blah, blah.

Tonight, dinner at Bucca Di Beppo (my fav restaurant) with the extended family for a celebratory meal--my BIL just finished his degree so we must toast him! Until tomorrow...or the next day...

Prayer request

My beloved grandmother is in the emergency room tonight. Say a prayer for her, would you? She is a wonderful person and I really miss her...

Nope

Just offered tech job. Calling to say no.

Later: kiddo #1 home from school. School nurse says there is a stomach virus making the rounds. Sure'nuff, kiddo barfs--and manages barfing on ENTIRE flight of stairs--each step had a little on it--some steps had a lot. Cleaning that up was lots of fun and now I feel queasy.

Gotta study for OB dang it! AGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

Baby, its cold outside!

Check out my deck this morning! Miracle of miracles, we got a snow day today--NO MH CLINICAL and we don't have to make it up....

WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So, of course I am studying hard and using my time wisely-ha! Here is what I HAVE been doing!
Isn't this funny? Got the kit at Costco and this was so easy. The kids had fun putting the house together, too.

Anyway, now I am trying to buckle down and study for my last OB test, write up some care plans and work on a study guide for one of my finals. I am ready to just be done!

My interview went well but I don't think I'll be taking the job. Orientation starts the week after finals and then I have to cover 10 shifts in the first two months--right when next semester begins. Yeah, not a good idea. The beginning of our semesters are brutal. It just isn't worth it. Maybe next summer I will be able to pick up some tech work when I am not so stretched.

Thanks Wendy for the 411! :) You helped me make my decision.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh.....

Check out the relaxed turkey!!>>>

Well, I finally got a nice break from all things nursing. Thurs and Friday I got my papers done and out of the way--they didn't require much work. I have spent the rest of the weekend eating and shopping. Oh and sleeping and watching TV. Pretty lazy of me, huh? Tonight I finally sat down to look over test stuff for this week and ya know what, I DON'T FEEL LIKE STUDYING. Yeah, I am over this semester, people.


Turkey day was so nice and so much better than last year when I was in hell...errr I mean, Florida. We actually went shopping on black friday (my sister-in laws and I that is--hubby would NEVER do that) and then on Saturday we did some more shopping and my SIL's took me out to lunch--isn't that SWEET?????

So, I am fat and sassy and feel like I can actually get through the rest of the semester without stressing too much. We got our tree up today and decorated a bit and that felt wonderful.

I love Christmas! :) And I think I even love nursing school and the prospect of being OUT FOR FOUR WHOLE WEEKS. Thank you, GOD!

Ok, now I must go read about cataracts and substance abuse...Blech!

Time is ticking away...

Only 6 more weeks of classes and then finals week...It is going REALLY fast. Just a couple more tests in each class. I am feeling burned out this week. Hopefully I'll get some energy here over the weekend for the final push to the end of the semester.

Had a great day off with my kids--well, after taking an online test this morning. Went to parent-teacher conferences then took the rest of the day to hang out with a friend and her kid--we all went to lunch and then a play area. The kiddos have tomorrow off too but I need to crack down and get to studying for a test next week and do LOTS of reading.

Looks like I am being voted in as "class historian." Should be interesting.

My next OB test covers 10 chapters-ouch!

How's everyone doing out there? Ya hangin' in?