"You don't know what you are getting into"

Well, so far most of the instructors have done a good job of trying to scare us by telling us about the scary parts of nursing. Maybe not a scare exactly, but they definitely have laid the foundation to say "I told you so" if we were to complain anytime in the next two years. One instructor actually said, "You don't know what you are getting into." I believe him. I thought I had a good idea and a general knowledge of what a nurse does but there is no way I could know everything that nursing encompasses. Here's to finding out!

Today we did clinical rotations with several instructors to learn taking vital signs and measuring I and O's and putting on sterile gloves. It was interesting and fun yet kind-of slow and boring. Mostly because I have already done a lot of what we learned today. But there is always more to learn or experience from another perspective. Two of the instructors told student nurse "stories." Some of the stuff that they were sharing would really scare you or make you think twice before diving into this profession at the least. Then again, its stuff that's getting publicized more with the medical shows on TV - mystery diagnosis stuff and medical anomalies. And yes there is always the person who has shoved something where it doesn't belong!

Monday's pharm lecture went good. I only missed one of the problems on the practice dosages and calculations exam. This is the first time I have ever been exposed to dimensional analysis (I taught myself) and I love it! It is really simple and organized and once you get the format down you can calculate just about anything super easy and quick! I will admit the IV flow rates intimidated me at first, but I think I was letting it get to me. The numbers are the numbers regardless of it being a tablet, capsule, IV bag or suspension, etc.

Tomorrow we are learning the details for the head-to-toe physical assessment. This part is new to me and I've already made my flashcards to start memorizing the steps. So far so good- no complaints!!

The first week

So, this week got off to a slow start. Orientation was Tuesday. Lots of information was covered but no "meat" yet. I was so anxious to get this thing going- I still am. Its been such a long wait it seems. Then the campus was closed on Wednesday due to a power outage from the storm. So we basically started the program five hours behind on lecture. I'm still not sure how this is going to affect things. Finally, yesterday I got to hear lecture and it covered all the basic general foundational stuff like confidentiality, the theorys of nursing and infection control. I'm ready for more and still can't wait to get to the nitty-gritty. I know it will eventually snowball but I'm a little impatient at this point.

Today was fun- we actually got to DO stuff. We learned the task- not a skill- of bedmaking, handwashing and using personal protective equipment. I did well with reviewing the chapters that were required before lecture this week. I did the workbook assignments that were on the schedule (even though we didn't turn them in or discuss them). So far, I am staying up with the coursework and even a little ahead of the game. My goal for this weekend is to prepare for the first lecture of pharmacology (the class is Monday). The one thing that has most of us nervous is this pharm class. Apparently its pretty intense and is a lot to do along with the first semester of nursing. Time will tell. So far I am pretty positive and feel like I am made for this!

To blog or not to blog?

I've been thinking about creating a blog to reflect on my journey for the next few years. I did a little research and I think I am more apprehensive about this than I am about nursing school! Since you are reading this, I decided to give it a try. It seems easy enough- so its not the technical aspect but the ethical and confidentiality pieces are what have me hesitating. I intend to learn from others' mistakes and not violate confidentiality laws or name names in this blog, nor write anything that could haunt me during my education or future career. So... here goes...