YKYW - Nursing Student Blog

Sorry I didn’t write more last week but it was pretty hectic: I got a new car (2007 Mazda 3 — love it!), my student loan came through, I started a new job and I got my clinical uniforms.

Today marked the beginning of week 3 of my first semester of nursing school, and things are really starting to move along. We had our first skills check off today over vital signs. We had to prove that we could do temperature, radial pulse, apical pulse, respirations and blood pressure. If that’s all there was to it, it wouldn’t be so bad, but there’s a very specific way we have to do things. For example, one girl placed the patient’s arm over her abdomen while counting respirations. She didn’t get credit for it because the instructor said the arm is supposed to be over the chest — not the abdomen! I won’t find out how I did until tomorrow.

Our first lecture exam is next week, and we are preparing for physical assessments in our clinical labs. Hospital rotations start during week 6 and I cannot wait!

I survived my first week of nursing school, despite the nasty weather. There were a few shady experiences with public transportation, but after a long talk, I think we worked out our differences. I’m a little concerned about some of the people in my classes, and wonder how they managed to get in. But, now I think I understand why only 6,000 of the 16,000 people who started nursing school in Texas actually finished their programs.

Classes started with the basics: proper hand washing techniques, how to take off protective gear and the roots of modern nursing, including Florence Nightingale. I can’t wait until we get started on the fun stuff!

Tomorrow will be a long day — I have to be there at 7a, and won’t finish until 5:30p.

Today is my first day of nursing school! I’m so nervous that I don’t think I slept a wink last night.

Wish me luck!

I promised some good news awhile back, didn’t I? Before Tars gets too upset with me, here it is:

The Good News:

I pulled off a 4.0 this semester! If asked about my grades after midterms, I probably would have said that I’d be happy if I could pull off three Bs and a C. I’m proud that I was able to turn them around.

The Better News:

I finished my Associate in Arts degree and I will graduate with high honors (requires a 3.75 - 3.99 cumulative GPA). I never imagined that when I started going back to school.

The Best News:

I was accepted into nursing school, and I start next week! I’ve already gone through orientation, and now I’m just trying to get all my ducks in a row. Expect to hear more about it soon