It's Official!

I'm a freakin' licensed registered nurse!

For REALS!

*image blatantly stolen from my friend Dani's blog - because it's so darn cute!

Jeesh a lot has happened!

I have been remiss in my updates lately. There has been a ton going on! A metric ton, even! The week of finals (May 2-5) was crazy, starting with my lovely Jamie coming down with croup (of all things!) and needing to be at Primary Children's for 18 hours for treatments and observation. Poor thing's airway was nearly closed-off  --- it was a touchy situation. Thankfully, she's completely fine and there were no complications. And, thankfully, this happened AFTER my high acuity final exam, so there was really no impact on the rest of my finals which were that morning and the next day. If this hospital visit had been a day earlier, I'm quite certain the rest of my week would have ended very differently.

With that scary but nicely-resolved-issue out of the way, the rest of the week was filled with final exams for me, preparing and administering one to the students of the teacher I work for, my dad and company coming up to see me (and the girls of course!), and finally, the week culminating in the pinning ceremony. Wow - what a whirlwind!

Initially, I was reluctant to participate/attend the pinning ceremony. I thought it might be cheesy for someone my age to go - like this was something that only younger peeps got a kick out of.  But, I did go, and, as the speakers spoke and I thought about my experience since it all began in the summer of 2006, I realized something that changed my perspective about the whole thing. I realized just how much I DID during that time. This was not some silly accomplishment that really just anyone could do. Because I tend to minimize everything I experience (in order to deal with it - the 'big picture' is just too overwhelming) or do - break it into pieces, go week-to-week, test-to-test, etc - I minimized what I achieved. Sure, getting an associate degree (the third one, no less) from a community college is not the same as a PhD from Stanford. For this reason, the fact that I was attending a community college kind of made me feel lacking in the educational department. But, this was a registered nursing program - the same as would be at any university. In fact, this school's pass-rate of the NCLEX is incredibly high - higher than many universities in this state. So, the program is excellent. And I've gotten over my snobbiness of having attended a community college to get to this point. I am as much a RN as someone who graduate with a AS from Stanford :) And, because I did well in my program, I'm continuing on at the University of Utah in August to earn a BSN in 4 part-time online semesters. Which means I can eventually continue on for an advanced practice degree at some later date.

Basically - I realized through that pinning ceremony that what I did was no small potatoes. And, what I did, I did not do alone. My darling daughters have gone without SO much while I have pursued this degree. True, without it, they would continue to go without so much for an indeterminant amount of time since I'd have no means to provide them with anything. However, when I think about how I was too tired to attend Moms and Muffins, volunteer in their classrooms as room moms (or whatever they're called), or this-that-and-the-other; I would realize at 8pm while studying for yet another test that I hadn't fed anyone dinner and then find out that they'd gotten themselves a bowl of cereal (again); when I would look at the clock, panicked because I heard nothing but silence, went to investigate, and saw that they had put themselves to bed; when I'd get home from a long day of class and they'd greet me with happy little faces, proud to show me that they'd straightened up the living room. These are the troopers that really sacrificed for this accomplishment. They have put up with an incredible amount of crap for me to become a registered nurse. My parents also sacrificed for me. My dad funded many things, helped me out of financial jams and allowed me to repay him - my mom also assisted me as she was able. Neither of these people are Midas and swimming in fortunes. I am not a teenager requiring their support - but they did anyway. They have been my cheerleaders from afar and their contribution is incredible. My neighbors - holy cow - I can't even count how often they have lent a hand when it came to watching one or both my girls, running one or both somewhere, pitching in last minute when I had car problems or whatever inumerable problem popped up, for letting me bring my little Jessica to their house in the wee hours since I had clinicals that began hours before my daycare opened. For the lunches and assistance and just everything. It is incalculable and invaluable. I am inspired because of all these people and hope to make it worth it to them that they did this awesome thing for me and my children.

And that was just the first WEEK of May! Ha ha!  The 2nd week was work getting ready for the summer term and the teacher I work for as well as registering with DOPL in order to get a test date for the NCLEX. The third week consisted of the summer term starting AND doing a Kaplan review course four days that week. This third week is when I'm taking my NCLEX (tomorrow! 2pm!!! eeeeeee!!!!), my baby 'graduates' from Kindergarten, and since I know my test will be fine, officially becoming a *Licensed* registered nurse by week's end. Oh - and I just received my acceptance letter from the University of Utah to begin the RN-BSN program this August.

Lot's of things happening. I forgot to mention the weather that is experiencing some PMS or something - very very mercurial indeed! I'm hoping it will settle the heck down by June. Which is NEXT WEEK! Aaccck!!!!

End of Days

Today was the last clinical day as a student nurse. All in all, it was a great day. I was assigned to a great nurse who was also precepting a newly orienting graduate nurse. For reasons I didn't think worthy at the time, he was impressed to talk to his nurse manager about me. She, in turn, wanted to speak with me about possibly coming to work for her unit in the Respiratory ICU. She asked me to send her my resume (which I told her I would do tonight) so that she could pass along to me the job posting number she is going to list in May. She advised me to take the NCLEX as soon as possible as she would like to be hiring in June to replace the 3 nurses leaving the unit at the end of summer.

How freaking awesome would that be? RICU is not my first choice of employment, but a job in critical care would open MANY doors for me down the road, and not even in the too-distant future. This would enable me to really do wherever I wanted to go as well as really prepare me well in nursing, unlike a regular med-surg floor nursing position would do. The staff at the RICU are the most companionable of the ICU's that I experienced, which really sets the overall tone of the unit. Anyway - it's not the only position I would apply for, but if it was my 'in' for IHC so that I could eventually go where I wanted with the advantage of in-house job listings and what-not, I'd be a fool not to go for it.

Otherwise, this is the last time I have to wear these darling blue scrubs. Though I love the color, I'm happy to repurpose them. Some people burn then, throw them away, donate them. I am going to cut it up and make a pot holder or small blankie or something. Add it to the swatches of other 'loved' fabrics that I can make into a quilt, perhaps. I'll do something with it - just not wear it ever again! :)

Looks like I'll be getting a B in high acuity (critical care) and A-'s in community and managment. *sigh of relief* It was an intense semester, but it's been a good one, too. I feel like it really came together this semester, and though it makes the end of the term somewhat hectic, I do enjoy having our clinical days at the end, rather than the beginning, when I feel like I know what I'm doing somewhat.  Now for the last careplan to submit and three final exams and onto the NCLEX prep and test itself. The end is so near. I can feel it!

22 Days and a Wake-up!

Yay! Almost there! Two more class days! Two more weeks! Two more ICU clinicals, one of which is in the ER! Super fun!!! Two more OB days delivering babies and feeling more like a real-life nurse than I will post-graduation given the terrible job market for new graduate nurses! My parents all coming to Utah to see me! Yay!

I am blessed.

Gosh I hope I can find a job fairly quickly.

Holy Cow

38 pages later, and I finally have all unit 6 notes printed out. Not the whole unit itself... no... just the NOTES for this test.

Thank goodness for the High Acuity Magic Notes. Thank goodness I didn't have to write them. Now all I have to do is buy a new ink cartridge ;)

Holy Cow!

Wow time flies by

It's officially my older/younger sister's birthday, it being 12:15am on April the 7th. I can't believe she's THIRTY-TWO!?!?!? what the heck!? *sigh* this means, that for sure, I'll be thirty-five on my next birthday. I remember when my dad was 35. At the time, it seemed so far away. Now, when I look back, I wish I could be half as good-looking at my 35 as he was at his 35 haha!

Well, Happy Birthday Sambo-wambo, spaghettio-lipso, presto-changeo, neato-kapeeto, wish-my-name-was-guido, from Puerto-Rico, eating-a-burrito, wearing-a-sombrero. You're officially for surely in your thirties and welcome to it. *mwah!*  <---- that, is a kissy sound (for those who are unaware). And, you're welcome talcum powder chowder head.

As for other items of 'time flying by' nature, it's already well into April!? What?! This is the month I'm using my little cleaning coupon? The last month of my nursing program? I have only 4 exams or so before the finals?  I've had my car now for two whole years? My younger/younger sister is also having a birthday and will be something like 28 for the love of pete!? What What WHAT!?!?!?!?

Where has life gone?

HESI, ICU, and other musings

Ok, so I thought having to take the HESI exam so soon after my little Frankie's passing that I would do terribly and need to retake it AND that my first ICU day would be terrible.  Not true for either! I rocked the HESI doing waaaaay better than I did last year (1121 this time - 927 last time) and my ICU experience was pretty anticlimactic. I did see some wicked cool wounds, but nothing dramatic happened. Which, probably was a good thing for my fragile nerves.

So, onto another week of awesome activities. Test tomorrow after Jamie sees the orthodontist. Our resume and cover letter is due in management (I hate that class) and then I get to go back to the orthodontist to pick up Jamie's newest retainers (which hopefully she'll keep at least 2 weeks before losing this time - geeze louise that girl). And then onto reading up on material for High Acuity on Tuesday.  Crazy to think that there is less than a month of classes left, and our final exams are 5/2, 3, and 4 with graduation on the 5th. CRAZY! I hope to take boards on May 16, if not sooner. I can't afford Kaplan ($350 with our discount!! Holy cow!) for test preparation, so I figure I better get in there while it's still somewhat fresh in my brain.

The sting of Frankie's untimely death is already fading, which I'm surprised at and both alarmed and grateful for. The main thing that still gets to me is the memory of finding him and the tragedy of knowing that it was so preventable. I did paint a little ceramic tile to put as a marker in the flowerbed - and that's what is portable so that when we move from here, we can take that little piece along.  I also stuck a solar-charged light out there. It's strangely reassuring to me to see that little wink of light out there in the darkness of the flowerbed.

Did anyone see Saturn tonight? It's viewable without a telescope tonight and tomorrow night (4/3 and 4/4) in the East sky. So, that's three planets (Mars and Venus, the other two) I've seen without a telescope, which I think is pretty neat.

O I am Fortune's Fool!

Last night, my sweet little Frankie was hit by a car and killed in the street right in front of my house. With the help of a kind neighbor, I buried him last night in our front flower bed (as it was too dark to do it elsewhere and when the flowers come in, it'll be very pretty) and today I'm going to paint his name and dates on a stone for a little marker.

After describing his fatal injuries to a vet, I was reassured that it is highly unlikely he even felt it, let alone suffered. I still have a very difficult time forgiving myself for allowing this tragedy to happen, but I know that time heals all wounds, and though he will never be forgotten, I know this will get easier as time goes on. This is my first experience with death in a personal way. I've known of others that have passed away, but after taking a minute to reflect about them and how they related with me, it was easy to move on. This is... so different. Probably because he was such an integral part of my daily life, that I invested so much in him, time and money and care, that I nurtured him and loved him.  My grief right now is what I imagined feeling if one of my children or parents were to pass. It's amazing how far into my heart he wriggled his little self in the short 7 months I had him. I miss his little sassy face.

He wasn't a part of my life for very long, but just like a child, I don't remember what life was like before he was in it, nor can I imagine a life without him in it. Even though I'm not one to put pets (or animals generally) on the same level as people, he really was my baby - completely unconditional in his love and affection for me - and even being away from him for school, or whatever, I missed him and couldn't wait to come home to see him and be with him again. Of course he was no saintly dog - we were on the verge of a housebreaking break-through! - but his little life revolved around me, and I loved him to pieces. It's really difficult to know that he's really gone - forever. There will never be another Frankie. But, I am glad that I had a Frankie for the time that I did.

The End of an Idyllic Week

This last week was Spring Break for me. No tests to take or study for, no projects to complete and turn in, no clinicals to slave through, no driving out to South Jordan two times and sitting through three lectures. Instead, I had a plethora of straightening and de-cluttering that was *MY* joy and privilege to do.  And did I ever succeed! My house went from needing a match thrown at it to being probably in the best, functional shape it's ever been.  I still have work to do in the basement, but that doesn't interfere with our day-to-day living so I can take care of that easier knowing my living space is taken care of.

Thanks to LivingSocial, I was able to purchase 4-hours of cleaning service for $50! So, my goal this week was to get everything in our home taken care of so that it COULD be cleaned. I'll still vacuum and dust, but the deep stuff I'm going to leave for the cleaning peeps WHICH I'm going to use the week I graduate from school since a) I won't have time or energy for and b) I have peeps coming to visit me and so using it then would be PERFECT and c) if I used it now, my house would need cleaning again just when I don't have the a or b for it lol! So now I feel like I can really concentrate on school stuff since I don't have this chaotic environment distracting me all the time. Plus, finding stuff when I want it is always a bonus ;)

Beware the Ides of March!

Ok, so in the 3 1/2 weeks it's been since I've posted an update ---- well, I guess that about explains WHY I haven't posted an update! LOL there's been nothing going on! Well, other than killer clinical hours (why did I sign up for additional clinical hours?? there was a good reason, I know it!), tests out the wazoo, a house to get cleaned up (ironically, in preparation for graduation, which I may not get to if I keep spending time cleaning rather than studying hahaha j/k), ferrying children about for one thing or another, and blah blah blah. Enough complaining. I'm grateful for all this stuff to do. It means I'm getting somewhere.

I hope?

Joey

The Plague

Ok, so officially we've all succumbed to what I affectionately call "The Plague" and I totally blame our new Joey for bringing tracheobronchitis (or 'kennel cough') to our abode. We were ALL fine until he came along and now from me down to Frankie we're all sniffling, coughing, hacking, sneezing, stuffy messes. I didn't even know it was contagious from our four-legged friends, but apparently 'tis so. Or I just think so. So, it's either 'The Plague' or 'Mange' mainly because they both sound rather dire and dastardly hee hee heeee! At least I still have some humor.

In all seriousness, the dogs have tracheobronchitis while we peeps have sinus infections of the most vile order. Mine is probably already pneumonia now at this point. Luckily the girls have health insurance so I'll take them in tomorrow or Tuesday and get some antibiotics for them. As for me - this is why my yearly sinus infection turns into black lung and persists for a month or so. *sigh* maybe I can get into the school clinic and get a 'scrip, too. *fingers crossed!*

Oh Happy Day

The textbook for my problematic class (High Acuity) arrived today from Amazon.com and I am SOOO happy about that. I sure hope this is just the thing I needed in order to bring my test scores back up to what they started out at (and maybe, even better?) and that blue cord at graduation might STILL be possible after all. One can hope.

On another note, Joey is finally not being so aggressive with Frankie anymore. This is a relief since if he couldn't get over the fact that Frankie exists, we would have to regretfully trade him for a different chi and but for the crankiness over Frankie, Joey is a really great dog! I really need to get my photos uploaded so I can post one or two of him.

Oh! I have a sinus infection so I feel lousy AND bubble-headed, which is not the greatest of combinations when one is trying to study and do work for a biology teacher. I am looking forward to my 3rd Community Nursing clinical this coming Friday and a paramedic ride-a-long this Saturday. Should be oodles of fun!

New Addition

Ever since we got our little Frankie 6 months ago, we have been desirous of adding more chi's to our family but didn't know where (or how) to find a breeder, and since they can run pretty pricey, for now, another one is out of our budget. BUT I learned that the humane society has TONS of chihuahuas for adoption. I also knew that the next one we got would be a more 'mature' animal because the whole puppy thing is so not what I need right now. We found our little guy, Joey, at the humane society yesterday. He's an elderly 9 years old, but fit as a fiddle (even though he's recovering from a neutering and his poor weewee hurts) and we can expect 6-10 more years with him. He's a nice counterpoint to our rambunctious Frankie, though I'm hoping that the chihuahua affinity factor will kick in soon. I'm hoping the reason Joey is not so keen on our Frankie is due to his not feeling well from his surgery and that as soon as that's resolved he'll get on board with loving him as much as he should (being a fellow chi). Otherwise, we may have to trade him for a different one - which would be sad because we already love our little old cranky man. In fact, I was thinking of changing his name to Grump or Sir Grumps-a-lot or something more apropros.  ;)

Oh Sucky Day

So today was the 2nd test for High Acuity. During the lectures, while complex, I felt I was understanding the material (much more than I understood concepts from previous semesters, anyway) which continued through my uncharacteristic studying that followed and endured throughout the test while I was taking it. A girl who always does so well told me her score, and I thought, "hey, maybe this will bomb" but then I was in there taking it and thinking, "Well, why did she get that score? Surely I achieved at least that, and she's way smarter than me." and I was lulled into thinking all was well.

And then, I pressed 'done' and looked at what I scored. And several things happened almost simultaneously. The first thing, I birthed a litter of kittens RIGHT THERE in the testing room. The second thing, I threw up a little in my mouth. That was followed up very closely with a near-swoon. And then, when my eyes unglazed a bit, I got up and left. After a stunned walk to the car (through biting, horrendous wind - I HATE that campus with a vengence) I sat there and gave in to some therapeutic crying. Then, I said good-bye to the until-then-really-good-shot-at high honors for graduation, pulled myself up by my bootstraps, and carried on with life.  The moral? Find some stem cells for brain functionality/intelligence. Either that, or just study more. And maybe find a study group. Or, teach this stuff to my children so that I know it better.  I think this 4th idea is the best of them all.

Meanwhile, back at the hartcave, things are improving but are far from where I want them. This is week is nearly already spent, so I'll have to try to plan for the weekend or next week to get some of this stuff accomplished. I have my first L&D clinical day this coming Wednesday, from 0600-1800. Then, I get to leave from there to pick up the first test for the teacher I work for, score/grade that, organize it, record the grades, and then deliver them to her along with the high/low/average stats she likes to have. I estimate I'll be leaving my home at 0515 that morning and finally returning to it at 2145 that night. Awesome.

And on that deliciously up-beat note, I'll say adieu for now and head for the nirvana of the bathtub and then to bed. Maybe even before 3am ;)

Really? It's only Thursday? Feels like March

Haha I guess I could have stopped with the title, since really that's about all I was thinking about when I came online to post a little snippet o' life. I am pleased I got a load of dishes done, 'bout to load up the dishwasher again and then fixin' to fold whatever is in the dryer whilst watching a little "Black Hawn Down".

This is truly stimulating stuff, I know. Hold the applause, don't bother with the standing ovation... really folks, sit back down, it's alright ---- as you were! Ha ha! *sigh* ok, I'm done rambling. Maybe next time I'll have something awesome to say. Until then, au revoir!

Curious 'bout this thing called "Blogging"

Ok, so I know I'm waaaaaaaaaay behind the times when it comes to blogging. In fact, I'm probably starting when it's no longer cool to do it. Bah - whatever. I sure enjoy reading other people's blogs... maybe someone might be mildly amused reading mine? Stranger things have happened!

Someone commented to me on my facebook page that they sure enjoyed reading the little quips and comments left by me and others - Surely a blog would be more of the same, except... well, just... more! So, I'm inspired by those that are interested in the goings-on in my neck o' the woods.  Hopefully, I can be consistent in my entries, honest about my entries, and that this may be the great outlet that I've heard blogging/journaling is reported to be. Besides - it doesn't have to be perfect (I say as I scan the entry for misspellings and grammatical errors hahaha!).

So - read on if you care!