Pinning and Cutting

Hard to believe it's been over a week since my pinning/graduation! Below are a couple pics from pinning.

Pinning was a nice closure for these past two years. This picture of me wearing a nursing cap is actually me wearing my mom's 50 year old nursing cap. My school's program does not require the white uniforms and caps (and shoes and stockings), for which we were all grateful! (Yes, this still happens! A friend graduating from nursing school in NC was required to find a white nursing uniform, shoes, and purchase the schools white cap--even though it was only for their ceremony and not part of their school uniform!)  I love this pic with my mom standing side-by-side wearing our nursing pins. This past week she attended her 50th college reunion and met up with some of her cohort from nursing school. Interesting how that worked out. Me- JUST out of nursing school, Mom- celebrating 50 years OUT of nursing school!

I had several friends and family come to my pinning to celebrate with me. The biggest surprise was to have Mrs. Scott and her son-in-law Isaiah come (Mr. Scott was working). Their daughter and his wife, Jessica was a graduate of my same program a number of years ago, who suffered a brain injury following a tragic auto accident. They set up a scholarship in her memory. My first year of nursing school, I was awarded this very generous memorial scholarship. I have enjoyed getting to know them and have been out to their farm a couple times (including once with my mom) and have met other members of their family. I have tried to keep in touch and thought it very appropriate to invite them to my pinning. But I had no idea that they'd actually come! I loved having them there.

It's only been a week but I no longer look like this! I got my hair chopped off. My hair was getting so long that it was getting caught in my underarms (front and back). I've been so busy with school that I've not taken time to get my hair trimmed since last summer and so I decided that since it had gotten so long that I'd just let it keep growing until I could donate it to Locks of Love. I'm in Columbus, Ohio visiting my sister and her family and the topic of my hair and donating it came up. She said that the salon she goes to will accept donations of eight inches. I was thinking I had to wait until I had ten inches. I got so excited that we called and set up and appointment the next day. To get the full eight inches, she basically had to chop it off at the nape of my neck...not leaving me much left. It's chin length in the front and a little shorter in the back. I'm not sure if it's the most flattering cut (for my face), so I'll be happier when it grows out, but here are some reasons I love my new cut:

• Less shampoo/conditioner!
• Less time spent hair-drying!
• No more hot rollers!
• Less time with curling iron--if needed at all!
• No more ponytails!
• MUCH cooler for summer!
• I look a bit more grown-up (I'm regularly told I don't look my age).
• And it's something NEW! something DIFFERENT!

Haha! My mom just walked by and said "I still can't get over your new haircut." Yes, it's been a LONG time since I've had hair this short.

I'm very much enjoying that I am done with school. Although I'm sad now to not have a reason to interact with my nursing instructors. I have really grown to appreciate them and all their efforts on our part. I know we were a challenging cohort, to say the least, but they still worked hard for us. I am definitely planning to stay in touch, which should be relatively easy to do because I will remain local.

I've spent the past week working on my application to my preferred local hospital. I'll be interviewing with them sometime in the next few weeks. I really hope it goes well.

I've already starting working on my goal of doing 3,000 NCLEX questions. I've done a little over 25%. If I get a job with the hospital of my choice, I will probably start work before I take my NCLEX exam. I didn't anticipate this when I set up my preliminary study plan of spending all of June studying, but it will work out. I'll spend the next few weeks doing some NCLEX study and also will be participating in my Kaplan Review course the last week of May. I'd love it if I completed my 3,000 questions before starting work (that is, if they offer me a job). 

Well, off to eat dinner with the family. We are having my favorite pizza tonight, Donatos. YUM! They don't have it Virginia. =(

A Full Week- But It's Not Over Yet!

The Q&A events on Monday and Tuesday went really well.  The students seemed very appreciative and I think (hope) they'll take the information and advice we passed along to put it into action.

We had asked our graduating cohort to consider donating their scrubs (with patches) so that we could use them as a fundraiser for the student nurses association. We sold them $5 each piece (scrub top or bottom) and we ended up raising $130 for our student association. Today we collected lab coats after our class photo and they'll be available for the new students to purchase this summer. It's a BARGAIN for the students--AND they also get the patches for free, ALREADY sewn on!  I had a thought the other day that  maybe I could sell my patch-sewing skills to the new admits! Maybe just bring my sewing machine and supplies to campus and be "available" when they are in class. Some people used safety pins or really large stitches to attach their patches--and they look a bit wrinkly and ragged after they were first washed. I know some people took them to an alteration shop to have them sewn on.  I'll admit that my mom sewed mine on and also hemmed my pants and lab coat sleeves. I would've done it, but I was also working full-time and taking classes that summer. Yeah for Moms!  But, hey, it's a thought! Not sure I could make much money, but it might be fun!

We were a bit disappointed with the turn out at the Q&A's (around 36 students in all), as we were hoping that the majority of the new cohort would take advantage of the opportunity to meet with current/graduating students. Perhaps they were still in exams, or working or simply felt they didn't have any questions, or maybe they just forgot. We sent out a nice flyer in the new admit packets. So it's possible that they saw it once and forgot when they realized most of their deadlines were for later this summer. We did offer a variety of times on two different days to hopefully provide adequate options, but we'll never know why they chose not to come. Oh well, we did our best and those who came received a lot of good advice and information. Our hope is that they might pass the information along to their peers...and perhaps even join the student nurses association on campus and be a part of hosting this same type of event next year. Ya know... "pay it forward." 

This morning we had our class photo taken as well as rehearsal for tomorrow's pinning. Rehearsal was on campus where they've traditionally had pinning, but the actual pinning is at the local university's big basketball arena. So we'll have to get reoriented to the new location when we arrive tomorrow. Hopefully all will go well. It was really great to see everyone laughing and having a good time. The pressure is off and folks are in a celebratory mood!  A rumor was confirmed that one student in our class did not pass (75 minimum) one of the nursing courses this semester and therefore won't be able to graduate. So sad! If I remember correctly, this student even had a job offer! Hopefully this person can work as a PCT in the hospital for the next year and get loads of experience while waiting to retake the one nursing class they need to graduate.

There are a handful of students who found out earlier this semester that they were missing certain general education classes for their ADN degree (English, Sociology, Computer, History, etc...), so while they won't officially graduate, they can still go through the pinning ceremony with our class. They'll just have to take those classes this summer, and then apply for graduation again. They'll be delayed a few months from taking NCLEX, which might make looking for a job more difficult. It's hard to say.

By this time tomorrow I will be sporting my shiny new nursing pin and be celebrating with my family and friends. My family and a few extended family members, will be heading to a Japanese steakhouse (hibachi-style) to celebrate and then will have cake and ice cream afterwards. I hope to include a few pics from pinning here soon.

This has been a great week so far and tomorrow's pinning will be the highlight. It feels fantastic to be done!

Done. Done. Done.

I am officially done with nursing school!! 

After 710 days, there is nothing left to do but show up to rehearsal and pinning next week. Wow!


Took my Peds final this afternoon. Think I did well. I figured out that I could miss up to 17 questions and still pull an A in the class, and I'm pretty optimistic that I got an A on the exam. We won't know until next Wednesday (!) because the evening/weekend students still haven't taken their exam. So we wait. But really, what's done is done.

So...how will I spend my first weekend of FREEDOM???

• Even though I'm technically done with all academic work, I still have responsibilities for our Student Nurses Association. Monday and Tuesday of next week we've got our three Q&A events for the new admits. I've been so busy with tests and final exam studying that I haven't been able to get much done on the Q&A front. So I desperately need to spend some focused time on that (schedule, people, food, handouts, door prizes, etc.).

• My nephew emailed me yesterday and requested my help with a school project (related to my missionary adventures in Liberia). So I need to sit down and thoughtfully answer all his questions!

• I volunteered to help a friend do some interior painting tomorrow, but I'm afraid that with the shoulder/scapula/neck pain that I developed this week, that it'd be foolish to attempt painting at this point. Boo.

• My office awaits my attention, but it's unlikely I will get to it this weekend. Since clinicals have been over for a few weeks, I haven't spent much time in here. The floor is littered with clinical paperwork which needs to get organized and filed away. Why? I'm not sure. And I need to organize this semester's notes and study guides and tuck them away in a binder and put them on the shelf. Why? I'm not sure. Maybe one day I'll find myself teaching and I'll be interested in going back and looking at them.
  
  I'll definitely be hanging on to my textbooks for a while, as they'll be good references in the coming months as I study for NCLEX and start work. Some more helpful than others. Nursing textbooks have limited life spans as medical info does change (unlike history).

Next week has pretty much filled up too. 

Monday: Office cleaning and Q&A #1 (evening)

Tuesday: Q&A #2 & #3 (morning/afternoon) & birthday TBD

Wednesday: Cooking and filling freezer!?

Thursday: Pinning rehearsal & lunch with nursing school friends.

Friday: Pinning & family dinner

One down, one to go!

So happy! I got the A (95%) on my final exam that I needed to be able to get an A in my Maternity/OB course! Whew. Honestly, I was a bit nervous after Test 3. But by God's grace and some major studying, I pulled it off!

I was still on campus when I found out my grade. Got so excited that I ended up leaving my Peds course binder in an instructor's office (clinical evaluation) and drove half way home before I realized I had left it. I arrived to find my instructor's door locked. I bumped into a first year nursing student that I know and she told me that there was a faculty meeting going on...so with very little hesitation, I knocked on the door, found my instructor! Whew. I was afraid she'd already gone home. If she had, then I'd have been somewhat limited with my ability to study tonight. And with that... I'm off to go study.

Two Finals to Go!

Studying for my OB final exam which is tomorrow late morning. I didn't do as well on Test 3 as I had hoped, so I really have to do well on the final exam to ensure an A in the class. I've made it through all the Study Guides and PowerPoints and the Maternity/OB questions in my Saunders NCLEX review book. Next is to review the quizzes that we took this semester and then to do the chapter quizzes provided by the book publisher online. Hoping I can finish up studying in the next two hours!

I also have to consider that my Peds final is less than 24 hours after I finish my OB final. So my goal was to start studying Peds today, but it's hard to make the transition when I haven't taken my OB final yet.

But the best news is that in less than 48 hours I will be DONE. Yes, DONE. All graduation requirements will have been met. What an wonderful feeling! Definitely a bit hard to believe after these crazy couple years. Thank you, Jesus, for getting me through!

A Day for Napping

Cool and rainy today, but I still managed to get up and go to the gym despite my desire to just linger in the coziness of my bed. Ran some errands, came home, had lunch, and then crawled back into bed! Planned to only spend about 30 minutes, but I think it was about 7pm when I finally got up! Eeek!!!  Guess I needed a nap, huh?

Good news is that I got the house cleaned this evening! With finals next week, and Q&A events for the new students and graduation the following week, I knew there wouldn't be much time or motivation to clean... why not use procrastination (studying for finals) to accomplish something good! Or at least something I might later procrastinate from doing! The office still needs some help as I've got clinical paperwork strewn all over the floor, but that will be easier to clean up when finals are over and I can file everything away.

The down side to sleeping all afternoon is that I'm probably going to have some trouble falling asleep tonight. Hello, Ambien! Good thing church doesn't start until 11:15! :D

NCLEX Strategy : Kaplan dates set

I got an email today from the Kaplan rep (for our school) and they are offering an on-campus version of the Live Review course. They are offering it the week after graduation, but it overlaps with my trip to Ohio. I didn't want to do the in-classroom review anyways, so I've sent them my preferred online course dates. So it looks like I will be busy the week after Memorial Day (Tues-Fri) spending every afternoon (12-7pm) online with Kaplan.

So it really looks like I will have about a week between Ohio and the Kaplan Course to sit down and make a study plan for the NCLEX and to get anything else out of the way (house cleaned, oil changed, seeds planted) because it looks like I will be entering NCLEX world as soon as I complete the Kaplan course. Still wondering if I want to push for an early July NCLEX date- which will give me about 3-4 weeks of self-study. Well, I've got a few weeks here to think about it. I can't sign up for NCLEX date until the VA Board of Nursing processes my paperwork--which is basically waiting on my school to send official transcripts/degree information.

Oh, I got my LaCharity PDA book in the mail from Amazon today and what a huge relief to discover that it's only 155 pages! That's compared to the Saunders Book which is 1200 pages!!!  I also got the Saunders Q&A cards in the mail... the margins aren't ideal for hole punching, but I'm going to try!

Okay, back to studying for OB test.

NCLEX Strategy: Just the beginning

* WARNING * This is a LOOOOONG post. I will be amazed if any of my non-nursing friends actually make it through the entire post. If you aren't in nursing school, this will probably be lost on you.  And if you aren't a S-T-J or aren't devoted to the theories of Myers-Briggs personality typing, you may think me insane. I am not. I am simply an X-STJ who is "...extremely talented at devising systems and plans for action, and at being able to see what steps need to be taken to complete a specific task."  Yep, that's me in a bullet point. However, here's my horrible, deep, dark secret:  I can devise plans and see what steps need to be taken, BUT I am also the worst offender of procrastination! The worst. But here marks the beginning of my strategy for studying for NCLEX!  (Feel free to stop reading here).

I've been doing some research regarding NCLEX prep and various strategies. Most of my research has been done via reading discussions/postings on AllNurses.com (a GREAT discussion site for nursing information in general). You can spend ALL day reading about what people have found helpful and not helpful (and sometimes there's little consensus --as what works for one person, doesn't work for another). It really comes down to knowing yourself, what you need and how you best study, but this site does provide helpful information/tips from those who have taken NCLEX and passed and those who have taken NCLEX and failed.

I don't have a strategy or plan yet for studying and I'm not actually going to sit down and really think strategy until I'm DONE with my actual classes and have graduated. But I thought I'd list out the resources that I expect that I'll be using to study/prep for NCLEX.

Saunders Comprehensive Review (4th/5th ed): During school I used the 4th edition and found it VERY helpful during school as I studied for tests. The content review is EXCELLENT and it has good NCLEX questions (along with CD allowing for focused review in the computer format (like the NCLEX). Every Q&A comes with rationales/strategy for how to figure out answer. I haven't purchased the newest edition yet because it's another $50 and I still don't have a definitive answer as to whether the NCLEX questions are any different from 4th edition to the 5th edition. However, I've read online that there is additional content in the 5th edition. I may still buy this. But this book gets RAVE reviews on allnurses.com for content and NCLEX questions (that's why I bought 4th edition for use during nursing school).

The CD also has an assessment test that will help determine weak areas and will create a recommended study plan based on how much time you've got to study before the NCLEX! Helpful.

Post-NCLEX thoughts: I did not end up buying the updated edition. I really didn't even use Saunders after graduating. I still wholeheartedly recommend it for nursing school. I simply did not have enough time to use Saunders in addition to Kaplan. Also Kaplan suggested not doing more than 150 questions a day so that proper attention could be given to reviewing the Kaplan questions rationales. Kaplan provided plenty of tests and questions...that I did not need more!

LaCharity's Prioritization, Delegation and Assignment (2nd ed): This too has been recommended on AllNurses. Prioritization and delegation questions can be challenging. I will certainly benefit from doing practice questions focused on PDA. 

Post-NCLEX thoughts: I did the first few chapters, but the Kaplan course really gave me the knowledge I needed to be able to answer the prioritization, delegation and assignment questions. Nursing school did not prepare us at all for these type questions. And Kaplan really helped. If you cannot take Kaplan, this is still an excellent resource.

Saunders Q &A Review Cards (1st ed) and Mosby's Review Cards (2nd ed): I've ordered these and I'm hoping that the Saunder's pack has different questions than what's in the 4th/5th editions of the Comprehensive Review books. These are not really flash cards because the paper is on the thin side (or so I've read). I plan to bundle these based on topic/content, hole punch them, put them on rings and then take them with me to the gym. I'm a little concerned about how they'll hold up as they'll probably hang out in my gym bag, but I might have to get creative in how I store them -- otherwise the thin cards will quickly become dog-eared and a bent up mess.

Post-NCLEX thoughts: I took full advantage of these cards! I did hole-punch them and put them on rings and it worked out GREAT! They held up fine, as cards did not sit around long in my purse or bag...I pretty much whipped through them quickly and returned the completed questions back to the box. I highly recommend either of these sets. I primarily used these between graduation and when I took the Kaplan course. I did manage to continue to use them after my Kaplan course, but pretty much only when I was at the gym.

Kaplan : Background: My program initially required my cohort to purchase ATI, but there were some problems with ATI's contract/agreement. So they cancelled ATI and contracted with Kaplan for this year. The first year students were required to purchase Kaplan, but the second years (my class) were not - because we'd already paid for ATI (but lost access when we cancelled). But because my school is contracted with Kaplan, I knew I could get a better deal which would INCLUDE a review course through Kaplan. So rather than paying $499 through Kaplan's website, I paid around $375 when purchased through my school. When I signed up for Kaplan through my school, they gave me a copy of "The Basics" book which is basically just content in outline/bullet format.  No NCLEX questions-- just content.

My purchase of Kaplan through my school allows me to sign up for one of their review courses. They have three basic formats for their review course. The course, whatever the format, is focused on teaching Kaplan's approach to answering NCLEX questions using their "Decision Tree."  During the course, their method is applied to various subjects (straight from Kaplan's website: Pharmacology/Reduction of Risk, Reduction of Risk/Physiological Adaptation, Physiological Adaptation/Basic Care & Comfort/Mgmt of Care, Management of Care/Safety and Infection Control, Safety and Infection Control/HMP/Psychosocial). There's no content or systems review done during this course, at least from what I've read from others who have taken the course. It's been rumored (but I'm NOT for sure) that there are some body system/content videos available if you sign up for one of the 3 review courses. If you buy one of the Kaplan review courses, you also get access to their question bank, online practice tests and diagnostic/readiness tests. If you want more info, go to Kaplan's website and also visit AllNurses.com and search Kaplan for a variety of reviews and perspectives.

Here are the three formats for the Kaplan Review Course. (OMG. Are you still reading?)

"Classroom Review" - this format takes place in a live/classroom setting. We no longer have a Kaplan location in my community, so I would have to travel to Richmond or DC to do this. It's 21 hours of teaching over the course of 1 week or weekend, or two weeks or two weekends. It allows you to plug in your zip code. But in order to find something further away, I have to plug in zip codes in those areas to have them come up. I have read plenty of negatives about the live classroom sessions--so I do not plan to do this (I initially thought I would because I knew one of the instructors--but since they closed our center, she's not teaching it anymore). Direct from Kaplan, this runs $499. Post-NCLEX thoughts: I had two friends who did this live course in Richmond the week after I did my online course. They were disappointed. The teacher ran through questions and answers and did not allow adequate time for the students to actually READ the questions for themselves and to formulate an answer. She basically read the question and then told them which was the right answer and why...did not really give them time to practice what they'd learned. They got out of class early EVERY DAY because the teacher rushed through the material. While I'm sure many of the live instructors do much better than this lady, there's no telling what teacher you'll get (perhaps just avoid the Richmond classes?)

"Classroom Anywhere" - this is live setting also, but it's done from convenience of your bedroom, office, library, or wherever you've got internet access. Because these are still live teaching sessions, you have to clear your schedule to attend the online classes. Schedule is similar to the live settings. You can choose to get the 21 hours of instruction during early, mid-day or evening over the course of 4 or 8 days--depending on the schedule they offer. Because this course runs similarly to a classroom setting, there is a chat feature and there are TA's that can help answer specific questions, so as to not interrupt the entire online class. Direct from Kaplan, this runs $499. This is the likely format for me. Now I just have to pick the dates/schedule that I prefer. Right now I'm looking at late May or early June. Post-NCLEX thoughts: Chose this one. Highly recommend! My instructors were great! They gave us tons of helpful hints (even in written form for us to copy-paste off the classroom site!) Each day during Kaplan, I wrote down my thoughts.  You can search Kaplan using the search box above to find all my Kaplan-related posts, or you can simply go look for my archived posts from May 29-June 1.

"On Demand" - these are prerecorded "classes" - and you chose WHEN you want to watch them. There's less accountability to getting them done and it would be easy to procrastinate and possibly never get around to doing them. I'm not sure if this format has the content videos or not, as it's not entirely clear from the people discussing it online. Because I have a real issue with procrastination, this format is not ideal for me. I think I need the accountability of the live schedule. Direct from Kaplan, this runs $418.

There are TONS of other resources available online for NCLEX prep. Someone on AllNurses.com has even posted a helpful (yet disorganized) NCLEX Study Guide with tons of mneumonics and tricks to help with remembering, along with things to remember to study (lab values, meds etc...).  I also like the ABCDZ Strategy that someone posted (follow link and scroll down to it).

So... these are the resources that I plan to use. I will definitely need to develop a strategy and schedule of how, when, and in what order or combination I will use these resources. I may start with the Kaplan review course and based on how that goes, develop a study plan/schedule. Some folks online suggest 100, 200, 300 NCLEX questions per day. I think I could manage a 100-150/day. Not sure I could manage 300 per day. I've heard that with Kaplan, they provide a suggested study schedule/plan based on how far out your are from taking the NCLEX. Six week plan, four week plan, two week plan.  I've also heard, statistically speaking, that taking the NCLEX more than 45 days after graduation leads to far higher failure rates.  Of course I don't have a source for that...but it seems reasonable enough.

Here is a sample plan of study posted on the Kansas Organization of Nurse Leader's website. There's also an interesting list of questions recommended be posed to students who failed and are retaking the NCLEX (it sounds like they are recommending 3,000 NCLEX questions before taking NCLEX--Good to know!). They've got a handful of other good resources here--even article about foods that can help with memory/learning! When you get to the website, follow KNEP Commission link on left sidebar > Graduate Nurse Toolkit > Graduate Nurse Index... you might find some helpful articles/resources... Check it out.

I've heard from nursing faculty and possibly somewhere else, that there's a correlation between GPA and pass/fail of NCLEX. I've done a search of academic nursing journals online and can't find anything recent or specific. But my nursing school GPA is around 3.75. And if you take into account A&P, Developmental Psychology and Microbiology (all required prereqs taken a year within starting school), I have a 3.8 GPA. I have consistently tested well in nursing school. I've never missed a question because I didn't understand the question, it was 99% me not knowing the content to be able to answer the question (lab values). So because of that, I'm not too worried about NCLEX style questions. Rather I'm more concerned about my retention of information related to diseases and pathophysiology. It feels like every semester I pack my head full of information only for it to leak out the next semester. Ack!  My nursing school has just recently changed their minimum requirements for passing nursing courses. For us, it used to be that you had to earn at least a 75% or higher to pass a class (and stay in program) but now it's 80%! And I think they've also changed the grading scale as to what is considered an A, B, etc... So things just got tougher!

So after graduation, I will work on my NCLEX prep strategy. What's my goal date for NCLEX exam? When is Kaplan available and when do I take it? How many weeks do I have to study? How many days a week will I study? How many hours a day? How many NCLEX questions/day? WHERE will I study (home? campus? library? coffee shop? Study Center?) and what time of day will work best for me? Study partner/ no study partner? What about an accountability partner? Who would that be? How would that work?

Overwelmed? Not at the moment, but without a plan I am certain to be quickly overwelmed and certain to procrastinate! I have a few days between graduation and my trip to Ohio that I can sit down and really sketch out a preliminary plan. I think I just saw May and June slip away :( Boo hoo hoo!

And if you are a lurker here who is in nursing school or graduating and thinking about the NCLEX, I hope you've found some helpful resources or links. Leave a comment and let me know!

Update 20 July 2012 |  So what actually happened?
Graduated May 11 | Kaplan Course May 29-June 1 | NCLEX on June 29 and PASSED at 75 questions! If you scroll to the bottom of this post, you can click on the NCLEX label and it should pull up all other NCLEX-related posts.



(I don't drink coffee, but there are times when I wish I liked it.)

17 days and counting...

Less than 17 days until pinning. And ten days until finals are over. It's really hard to fathom that I am THIS CLOSE after two tough years! I really want my life back. I haven't yet decided what my first act of non-student status will be. Any ideas or suggestions? Maybe I'll clean the house. Or start seeds (late again this year). A week after graduation I will be traveling up to Ohio with my parents for a long-weekend with my sister and her family.

Received a email yesterday from my Peds lecture instructor congratulating me that I made the highest grade in my class/section (there are three sections) on our last test. So cool. I think this is only semester where I've made A's on EVERY unit test. Usually I have a mix of A's and B's. I think I have to get 85-86% or higher on my final exam to get an A for my final course grade. Not too worried there. I will have to study, but there's a bit less pressure.

OB test on Friday morning. I've gotten A's on my first two unit tests, so hopefully I'll do well and be in the same situation as above.

Right now I'm in the thick of pretending to be "sick" for money. Being a standardized patient is the best job in town! Although it's not uncommon that by the end of four hours (or eight portrayals), that I end up taking on the symptoms of my character! But one of the best things about this job (for me) is that I get exposed to a VARIETY of techniques for history-taking and physical assessment. I learn something new with almost every case that I do.

applications

In an effort to put off studying this evening, I decided I should spend my evening working on job applications. But I really dislike resume writing. Actually, I think it's more the online application process that I dislike. Online is so, er, flat, unattractive and lacking any personality. I like the clean aesthetics of an hard copy resume. You know, with fonts, bold and italics to tie it all together. Online is just ugly. It definitely pains this art degree-holder to have to use a font she did not purposefully choose. Okay, so I'm glad they aren't forcing me to use Courier. Now that might actually kill me.

Plus then there are all those questions about starting and ending dates and pay and blah, blah, blah. When I start a job, I remember the date long enough to show up on my first date and to celebrate my first anniversary on the job. And I never remember my end date. Who remembers that?  I'm detail-oriented, but I'm not THAT obsessive. I know what month, generally, I started and ended a job. And honestly, I never remember what I'm paid at those jobs. Are you serious? What I was paid at those jobs is not going to matter one iota (sp?) to the nurse managers looking at my past employment history.

And WHERE do I get to put in my REAL nursing experience? Sure I wasn't paid or employed but I know I should get credit and brag about the 500+ hours of clinical experience that I've done.

So now I'm thinking I might go study for my Maternity test in order to put-off working on the online application.  Pathetic, I know.

What started this, was this morning we had alumni from our nursing program come back and answer questions from our graduating class. One nurse works on the med-surg unit where I had clinical last fall (seems like forever ago). We connected a bit and talked about the environment on that unit amid other things. And then my sweet, sweet instructor (who organized the Alumni Q&A for our class and who also was my psych clinical instructor), said "You guys would be an amazing pair! You'd work great together and make a real difference on that unit" based on some of the discussions we were having. Yes, those are the kinds of words you want to hear from an instructor! And definitely in front of someone who could potentially put my application in front of her nurse manager! So... I was inspired to finally work on my job application.

So getting into the nursing program was very competitive. Surviving the nursing program was an act of my will - every day. And now graduating and LEAVING the nursing program to find a job - it shouldn't be so, er, annoying.  Okay, it's FRIDAY, I'm tired and I'm just being a baby. Sure could use a personal online application coach. lol.

Hopefully there are some completed applications in my future. Well, yeh, and a JOB too! :D

This studying business is getting harder and harder. Our last Pediatric test is on Friday afternoon and I've only reviewed half the material so far (and that was yesterday). Today was a wash. I had training this morning for my next standardized patient cases (starts up next week) and then came home and procrastinated long enough that I got sleepy. Took a good nap. Then my sister called and we got caught up on happenings. And I honestly don't know what I've done for the last two hours, certainly did not study. And Survivor comes on in a few minutes. Think I will TRY to study while watching Survivor (yeah, right) and then I'll force myself to finish third study guide before I head for bed. And tomorrow I'm working all day. Hopefully I can get some studying done. Ack. Tomorrow night is going to be miserable.

On Friday morning we meet for our second and final in-class meeting for our "nursing dimensions" class (it's basically been an online course). There will be five alumni from our nursing program who will be there to answer our questions. I think it will be interesting and helpful.

After that, I've got my Maternity/OB clinical evaluation with my clinical instructor. No stress there. And THEN the Peds test.

And then it all happens again next week for our Maternity/OB test. But next week I'm also adding three 5-hour standardized patient sessions to my schedule. Possibly not the smartest idea...but it will cover that $390 I just spent on licensure/board fees. :D

I can't even begin to think about studying for finals on May 3 and 4. Plus all the work I need to do on the upcoming Q&A sessions.

$390 Investment

Just forked out $190 for application to be licensed as an RN in the state of Virginia. Then forked another $200 to Pearson Vue to register to take the NCLEX exam (nursing boards).  But hey, what's $390 when it holds the key to an RN job????

I can't apply for an NCLEX testing date until after my school sends an official transcript declaring my degree in nursing to the Virginia Board of Nursing (Va BON). I've heard that the time from graduation until paperwork is dealt with at the VA BON is about 30 days. Then once I've been deemed as a valid candidate, I'll get more information as to signing up for specific testing date.

I'll be taking an intensive prep/review course through Kaplan prior to taking the NCLEX...but since I don't know when I'm taking the NCLEX, it's a little hard to be strategic about when sign up for the review course. And lucky for us...they no longer offer Kaplan courses in our town! So now it looks like I'll be heading to DC (where my sister lives) or to Richmond.

**For those of you lurking here because you are in nursing school or applying to nursing school, this NCLEX book has been an awesome addition to my study materials DURING nursing school. A great investment. Not only are there loads of NCLEX practice questions...but the book provides a comprehensive subject review for each body system (skin, cardiovascular, respiratory) and other related content (pediatrics, maternity, psych). For each body system chapter, there's loads of great content including assessments, signs/symptoms, diagnostics, disease processes, medications and treatment info...pretty much the same content you are getting in your lecture courses in nursing school...but in a more condensed, no nonsense fashion. Then at end of each chapter there are NCLEX questions for that section--which is a nice way to test content knowledge in preparation for tests. I've known some students who have skipped their textbooks entirely and studied directly for lecture tests from a similar NCLEX prep book. I do not recommend this... but rather highly suggest it as a good supplement for test prep.  FYI- the pictured version is what I have, but I know there's a more recent edition on the shelves (green book, I think).

Cheers!

It's been two years...

Best wishes to the incoming class of new nursing students! This afternoon they will find out!

Here's a little look back at that big day for me almost two years ago: http://joyinscrubs.blogspot.com/2010/04/accepted.html

And then a few weeks later, I got even more amazing news: http://joyinscrubs.blogspot.com/2010/05/humbled-grateful-inspired.html.

I am so thankful for the Lord's sustaining grace these past two years. It's been a test of the will, mixed with many great moments that kept me motivated and focused. The end is almost here!

So close...

Today was our last lecture day for Peds. Next week is our last Peds test and our last OB lecture (online). The week after we have our last OB test...and then finals the first week of May! Woot!

...and I just picked up invites for the pinning ceremony!

In addition to taking tests and finals, I'm also in the midst of planning Q&A events (3) that will be hosted by our student nurses association for the newly admitted nursing students (they all find out this coming Monday!). We chose the Monday/Tuesday before pinning/graduation as our classes and exams will all be done -  but everyone will still be in town. So I'll be spending my middle-of-the-week birthday putting on two Q&A events. Not too sad about it--as I'll be surrounded by people and involved with something that makes me happy (even if they won't know it's my birthday) and I'll also be with family the following weekend for pinning! :D

I'm already wondering what summer is going to look like. The priority will certainly entail studying for and PASSING the NCLEX exam (this is the RN board exam for those of you not familiar).  And it may entail applying for jobs--if I haven't secured one yet. I'm planning on a short trip to Ohio right after graduation to see my sister and her family. And until I have my license and job, I'll probably continue the part-time jobs that I have. Maybe even add a day or two if they need me. I'll need the income! I'm debating taking a statistics class that will be required for entry into a BSN/MSN program. I need to do some further investigation on where I want to complete my BSN and possibly what other classes I should be considering (Chem I & II???).

But I'm also now free to think about fun stuff... sewing projects and refinishing furniture, reconnecting with friends and planning outings like camping or trips to DC. And then there is also that marathon-before-forty goal I have (I'm turning 38 in a few weeks). Probably need to pick a race, read a marathon book or two and make a training schedule. I'm also looking forward to being more regular at the gym. I've kept going this semester, but my work and school schedules made it more challenging to get there more than 1-2 days/week.

But now that I look at the stuff I'm thinking about doing this summer... all of a sudden I'm realizing that I'm not going to be bored. I might be just as busy! eek.

Happy Friday everyone!

37:20:07:56

Unbelievable. I just completed my last clinical prep of nursing school! It totally didn't register until I finished it. While we still have one more clinical day next week, we will show up and do our prep on-site! So no clinical prep day next week! Woot! No more clinical prep days ever! (or at least this go-around with school!). My eyes got a little misty thinking about it! I mean, I've worked my tail off for the past five semesters and the end always seemed so far off and distant. But today marks the beginning of the end of my nursing school career!

And to top it off, I finished my Peds care plan in record time! Last week my clinical instructor decided to change things up a bit and introduced a new way of doing our care plan. I far prefer the care map method! Much less work, but same results! I'm sure some folks aren't thrilled with the change, but I LIKE it! And next week for our on-site prep, we'll also be doing care maps.

So needless to say, I am in a great mood! What I wouldn't give to just relax and enjoy a Redbox movie! But no, I gotta pull it together and take advantage of this gift of four to five extra hours (from finishing clinical prep early) and get some course reading done! This weekend is probably going to be quite the emotional roller coaster, so I need to get as much school stuff done for this week and next before the weekend. Thankfully no tests next week.

Only 37 days and 20 hours until pinning/graduation. But only 30 days and 22 hours until final exams are over!

The end is near. But I'm afraid that when it does arrive, I won't know what to do with myself!

Dream Come True

Tonight was fun! and rewarding.

Back in April and May 2010, after being accepting into the nursing program, I had so many questions! I started my summer courses and made some friends - they too had questions about things were were told/expected to do before the start of clinicals. Information and rumors and half-truths made their way from person to person and we all kinda felt like we were expected to figure things out for ourselves - but fearful that maybe we were missing something important. At that point, we didn't have relationships or connections with faculty or staff that had the answers to our questions. It was frustrating. So somewhere over the course of the summer and into the start of my first clinical semester (fall), I began dreaming of how helpful it might be for new students to be able to attend a Q&A session with current or graduating students where we could ask our burning questions and they could share tips and advice with us! I dreamt of organizing something like this for the new students in 2011, but I knew I could not do something like this on my own. So instead, I focused my energies on going to Haiti.

Then in January of this year, the faculty invited students to consider restarting the student nurse's association and they'd need officers/leaders.To make a long-story short, I put my name in the hat and was elected Co-President of our student nurse's association. In the back of my mind was the hope that maybe this group would get behind the idea of a Q&A. And they did! and someone else had the great idea to do a Q&A for prospective students in addition to the newly admitted nursing students.

So TONIGHT the officers of our newly formed student nurse's association hosted a Q&A for prospective nursing students. We sent out an email to the entire college community and invited those interested in the program to come ask us questions about the program (actually they pre-submitted questions with their RSVP). We had about 30 attendees-a great turn out. Very manageable size group. I think about 25% of the attendees are awaiting news of their acceptance in to the program for next year. Room for improvement in execution, but overall I think the folks who came had their questions answered. We had our program director there tonight (who I like very much and who has been so very supportive) and she was able to address some of the application/admissions-type questions that we couldn't begin to answer with any authority.

In a little over a month, we'll be hosting two more Q&A events, this time for the newly admitted nursing students (they find out April 15). We are planning to put a flyer into their welcome packets (which generate a whole new set of questions!) I'm HOPING that by offering these newbies a venue for asking their questions, we might save the nursing administration from having to answer the same question(s) 97 times. So now that we've got our first Q&A under our belts, we can look forward to preparing for the new students!

It really is very satisfying to see this come to fruition. This semester one of the topics/discussions in our nursing dimensions course was about nursing activism and the unique opportunities of nurse's to effect change in policy whether it be at the national, state, community or workplace levels. It occurred to me last week, that my own frustrating experience as a new student gave me a vision for what could be.  And rather than allowing the status quo to continue, I can be part of the solution. And while we aren't changing policy or programs within the nursing program itself, we as a student group are able fill a need by reaching out and providing a hearty, supportive welcome to the new students by inviting them to come and ask their many questions.

I'm really excited about the next two Q&A's. I'd love it if these became a regular event - not that I will be a part of them... but I just think they are really that important.

Spring Break

Been a crazy few weeks! But the end is near. Just got home from North Myrtle Beach, SC where I spent the past five days enjoying my spring break with family. Probably the best spring break I've ever had! It was so very relaxing and it was good to get sun and fresh air and to get away from the normal view of the inside of my house. Here are a few photos from the week...

I had no idea until this past week what my spring nemesis looked like. We went on a short walk one afternoon and I was noticing these yellow flower like things on some of the pine trees. Never seen them on a tree before...so I reach out to touch them and the craziest thing happened... they practically disintegrated into yellow powder that blew away in the breeze. Yes. Pine Pollen. This is the stuff that coats our cars in the spring. And I am so allergic. Thankfully I'm already taking my allergy medicine (despite risk of back pain---see previous posts from April/May 2011), so I wasn't adversely affected by the experience. Most of the pine trees in SC are covered in pollen, but for the most part the pollen is still on the trees. On the drive back into town, I kept looking on the pine trees here and I couldn't see them. I'm hoping that means we are still a couple weeks out from pine pollen season. It's been so warm (in 70's and 80's) that we know the pollen is coming!

One afternoon we went for a walk through a nature area during low tide. There were signs along the path and boardwalks identifying creatures and plants etc... At one point, we were walking along a wooden overlook and saw two signs in the same vicinity. Both are in the water below us. One sign is facing away from the dock- we assume it is pointing out something interesting (we can't read it) and the other sign (see below) which we can read says "Please stay on path." We aren't really sure who the intended audience is. Maybe a boat? Weird.

I'm a natural disaster freak. So before we had even parked our car at Broadway at the Beach, I was completely drawn to this structure. Fun huh? Looks like this building crashed upside down on another building. The inside and exterior are similarly designed. We didn't get too far inside as it's some sort of HUGE play area for older kids/teens/adults??? I'm sure my nieces and nephews would've had a great time had they been with us.

On Friday, we headed down to Myrtle Beach to see the goings on there and took advantage of the off-season to ride the Ferris wheel. What a beautiful day to do so. Spectacular views!

...it was so exciting that we caught my dad napping on the ride. haha!








Full week ahead, OB test (got an A on my Peds test right before break-yay!), working on an event for the student nurses association at school and back to clinicals. Wednesday I'm a student leader for our Peds clinical. That will be interesting...and thankfully no patient prep--just have to know about everyone else's patients!

Lots to do tonight (unpacking, laundry, school work..). Although I'm still in denial that school starts back tomorrow with clinical! Tomorrow I'll be in the NICU (baby ICU), so it's probably going to be a bit sad.

Gotta run.

P.S.  54 days until graduation (47 days until final exams are over).

Bullets

Not feeling all that creative, and not really in the mood to write a post that is coherent and flows. So I will go with bullets.

• 100% on my first OB test. I was shocked. Still am. At the time, I did not consider it my best study attempt. Yet after taking the test and getting the grade I got, I have to figure that I somehow managed to study all the right things AND make some good guesses.
• I've seen two births now in OB. Amazing. One patient was very noisy in her pushing. The other was absolutely silent.
• Tonight I was in postpartum and was paired up with a nurse who I know through church. That was cool. 
• Loving OB/maternity rotation for the most part. Too bad I can't get a job in OB right out of school-- most hospitals require at least one year of med-surg experience first. Makes sense, of course.
• Looks like I'm going to the beach for spring break! Definitely looking forward to getting AWAY!
• Last week was much better than the previous two weeks. I have a test the end of next week (right before spring break)--so things will be a little crazy there for a while...but then spring break happens...THEN another test. Hoping I do as well on these next tests as I did on the first ones.
• I'm also working to put together an event for our chapter of NSNA later in March with similar events in April/May. The idea for these events was firmly planted in my heart and soul during my first year of nursing school. So glad to be able to have the opportunity to see it happen! Was able to do some basic planning/brainstorming done over the weekend...but still much left to be done/coordinated.

Tomorrow is clinical prep day. We got out a little early from OB tonight since there wasn't much going on in any of the units, so I was able to get over and get patient clinical info at a decent hour. Last week I managed to get my care plans and paperwork done by 8:30pm (starting in the morning). But just as I was finishing, my clinical instructor called to cancel clinical. All that work!!!  This week, myself and another student are assigned to the same patient. But I noticed that on our clinical day, our patient is scheduled for a morning appointment at the main hospital. So we'll be working hard to get all of our care and interventions done within an hour and a half. Sigh. Chances are pretty good that our instructor (or rather the student leader for the day) will reassign us to work with other students and their patients. But flexibility is key!

Sometimes You Just Have to Call it a Day

Last night I was facing a long evening of homework, but after a long clinical day and only two hours of sleep the night before, I was feeling pretty miserable. All I wanted to do was to go to bed. I realized it was going to be a terribly unproductive evening with me nodding off between sentences. So I sat down and calculated the number of hours left until 8am this morning. I could either unproductively study all evening and then go to bed for eight hours and then get up and go to work, OR I could go directly to bed and sleep for eight hours and then get up at one o'clock in the morning and get my work done after a solid night's sleep. I'm no fool. I called it a day at five in the evening and set my alarm for one in the morning. My big fear was that I'd sleep through until morning and completely lose all my study time.

I woke up with my alarm. But then I woke up again at three. Obviously I ignored my alarm, but after ten hours of sleep, my body was okay with getting up- even if it was three o'clock. And I was able to quickly pound out my evals and read most of the assigned chapter for the online quiz due today. I made a good decision! I'm at work now and not feeling any effects (yet) of an very early morning, I am expecting that around dinner time I'm probably going to crash again. BUT I can't really do that since I've got a test first thing in the morning. I could go with the same sleep pattern, but I don't want to completely wreak my sleep habits. So the plan now is to go home after work, eat and catch a 30 minute nap before attempting to study for my test. Things are quiet here at work, so I'm also getting some good studying in. 

I will be so glad for the weekend, although I won't be sleeping in on Saturday unfortunately. I'm doing "FitCamp" starting this Saturday morning at the gym. It runs six out of the next nine days. Hopefully I'll have the stamina (and washing machine) to manage all those workouts next week with my already crazy life schedule. I'm sure I'm going to be SORE too as we'll be doing workouts that I haven't done in a LONG time. I can do cardio and pool all day long, but they'll have us doing all sorts of things for these hour-long sessions. It will be fun and I'll get to meet new people- always a good thing. I'll probably give myself permission to miss one of the workouts, but hope that I'll make them all.

Well, back to studying! :D  Happy Thursday!

Who Doesn't Need a Little Drama?

So today I took my first Peds test of the semester. This semester the faculty are allowing us to take in a 3x5 card with any information on it that we want. Tests are application oriented, so having facts on hand doesn't guarantee doing well. So I took the test, and felt like I had done really well. In fact the test felt kinda easy. There were two questions that I knew I had guessed on, so after class I went out to the foyer of the building and flipped through my textbook to see if I could find the information. Shortly thereafter, my instructor walked by (she had just run the scan-trons) and asked if I was okay. I explained I was trying to figure out the answer to the immunization question (which I did get wrong)...and she then proceeded to say I had done "really well" on the test. My heart leapt with joy at the news imagining I had earned an A, but was still cautious because "really well" can mean different things to different people!

So I drove home, hopeful, encouraged and motivated to get a lot done this weekend -- mentally making my to-do list. Been a good week - a fast week. It seemed to fly by (a good sign for the rest of the semester)!!

Relaxing, I got caught up on the last episode of Grey's Anatomy. Then I got an email stating test grades had been posted, one question had been dropped and that the class average was 86%.  I logged on to Blackboard to check my posted grade.

83.7%.  Um. What? Wait. But, she said-- Huh? But, I thought--

Stunned. Disbelief. Shock. Depression.  What am I going to do? I thought that test went well. Was even on the easy side. But now???  Sigh.

So I emailed my instructor - mentioning that she had told me that I had done really well and that this C was disconcerting as I normally earn A's and B's on my tests.  I was really hoping that there had been some sort of error. I had felt like I had done well. And she told me that I had done well. But a C?

I went on and watch another TV show on Hulu.com -- so unmotivated to do anything...needing the shock to wear off.

Then I get a reply back from my instructor. She is so apologetic. I did do well. I got a 94%!!!! My grade had been entered wrong. Something to do with scan-trons not being in alphabetical order and that she missed the error when she checked grades. More shock. Relief. Elation. Gratitude.

But then I wonder. Was my grade switched with someone else's? Did someone think they got an A when they actually got a C? Yikes. I wonder what would have happened if I had not emailed her. I suppose that I would have figured it out next week when we go over the test.

So the week ended on an up. And perhaps the "up" was an even higher "up" than it would've been because of how low it got there for a while.

I really like my instructor and know it was an accident! I am just glad that I emailed and that she quickly resolved it. It would've been a HORRIBLE weekend otherwise.

Whew.

On another good note. I have officially applied for graduation. And will be ordering my nursing pin soon :)    90 days to go!