School started on a random Wednesday at the beginning of January. Who starts school in the middle of the week? Apparently-nursing school does. I recognized most everyone from orientation and decided to sit near the front. Then the teacher walked in and thus began my first day of nursing school (4 hour lecture, 8:15am-12pm, Fundamentals of Nursing). This class was based entirely on four 50 question multiple choice tests. Oh-and have I mentioned that our grading scale is completely twisted and warped? An 80% is failing. Yep-you heard that right. So for those of you on a 10 point grading scale--enjoy it while you can. To get an A in my classes, I have to get a 94% or better. So-no pressure right?!
That was all for Wednesday. Then Thursday came and we had our Lab and our theory class. Lab was all about handwashing (most important thing for any healthcare worker to remember) and putting on PPE (personal protective equipment). Yellow disposable gowns, masks, hairnets, booties etc. (Basically, everything you need to protect yourself from whatever contagious disease your patient has). In Lab we were handed a list of skills that we were going to be evaluated on from then until the end of the 1st trimester. We all thought the instructors were crazy.. but we did it! (I'll post a picture of my skills checklist as soon as I dig it out from the depth of my backpack).
Then it was off to Principles of Nursing. Basically, the way nursing theory works. The diagnoses (yep, nurses have their own ways of diagnosing people), the way a nurse should think, critical thinking (very important), and all the different sorts of people and events that formed nursing care to the way it is today.
Then, since clinicals didn't start until the 5th week I had a blissful weekend.....
Just kidding. I had 8 chapters to read for principles, 5 chapters to read for fundamentals and I had to practice my skills for my Monday morning 8am checkoffs. Needless to say-that weekend went by in a flash.
Then Monday morning we had lab. I was deemed passable when it came to my skills so I left in a pretty good mood. Classes on Monday let out at 11:45am at the latest because the afternoon is reserved for department meetings.
Tuesday brought upon Destination Graduation (a class that is suppose to help you succeed in nursing school). It didn't really help me but it allowed me to catch up on homework for other classes...oops. Tuesday afternoon was Nutrition. Since I would have a hard time taking medical advice from an obese nurse-I think nutrition from a nursing standpoint is a good class to take during your first trimester in nursing school. Being slightly overweight myself, I understand that no one is going to take my nursing advice about exercising to lower your blood pressure if I can't practice what I preach.
Then we were back to Wednesday. Whew! 1 week had gone by and I was still breathing. I guess it wasn't so bad :)
So, January continued in this vain and when January was almost up the instructors informed us that our clinicals began next week and it was instant paranoia from everyone that had never set foot in the hospital as a student nurse. Questions were flying left and right: "What will we have to do?!", "What time do we have to be there?!", "Will we need our stethoscope?!", "We won't be by ourselves, right?!". Finally, the instructor assured everyone that there would NOT be any unsupervised play. We would be closely monitored to make sure we didn't do anything detrimental to anyone's health-including our own.
Then the first Friday in February came about. It was to be our first clinical day. Since we were split into 2 groups half the class experienced the joy of clinicals a week before the rest of the class and I was grateful to be in the 2nd group. I wanted to hear the war stories of the previous group. And before I knew it-it was my turn to begin my clinicals armed with the title "Student Nurse".
And with that we are into February-yep, time flies when you are too busy to look at a clock!
Check back soon for the adventures of Febrary :)
~Dina
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