This is why it’s a BSN…

The class I’m talking about is Research.  Yup, a whole class dedicated to looking up, reading and interpreting interventional articles.  We had our first test today and I don’t think I did too bad, all things considered.

But this class is one of the main distinctions between a BSN program and an ADN program.  Learning about research, learning about community health, learning about management, these are all things that we have in our program that the ADN doesn’t.  These items don’t actually make us better RN’s, but they do set us up to move on to our MSN or DNP or PhD more quickly.

You see in today’s world that is the way things are going.  Soon, although I’m not sure how soon, the entry level for an RN will be a BSN.  And if you want to become a nurse practitioner you will need to have your DNP and if you want to teach you will need to have a PhD in nursing education.

I’m not here to debate the trend, but I must say that for the most part I agree with the way things are going.  RN’s do a lot of work and are an integral part of healthcare.  We should be recongized and celebrated, and not demeaned by someone saying we “just” have an ADN or whatnot.  It is also really neat to see the progression of DNP where it will stand next to MD and DO.  Just think of the possiblities!

I love education.  As much as I might complain, I really enjoy learning new things.  And knowing that when I get my BSN and my RN I can continue and get an MSN and a DNP and so on is very exciting for me.

~Flo

Another new semester

I’m staring another new semester.  I’m excited and apprehensive all at once.  This is the time where I may start to fall off the wagon and start letting things slide, or I may buck up and do what needs to get done.

The biggest issue is that this program doesn’t have any breaks really and burnout looms in my mind.  On the other hand, I’m halfway through and the end is very near.  In fact, I need to go pick up my graduation packet.

We keep losing people in the program, last semester we lost 15 people total, 3 of those out of the program entirely.  I just keep keeping on and hoping I can put it all together.  But the truth is that we are 3 weeks into the semester and I have yet to open a book.  I guess I need to get cracking!

~Flo

I love it when a plan comes together…

Am I dating myself by saying that?  Come on, who doesn’t love the A-team?  Anyway, I’m feeling like things are starting to come together in my life.  We are lucky enough to be getting a nice tax return (thanks, kids!)  and I just got approved for summer financial aid (yay!) and I’m almost done with my second semester and am about to hit the homestretch into December and graduation.

Let me just say a quick word about graduation: My parents have been waiting sooooo long for me to graduate from college.  I hope I don’t have to wait as long for my own kids to graduate.  And I’m happy for myself and proud of myself, but I’m also happy for them to finally see this dream to fruition.  Oh, and my poor husband who has been such a darling waiting on me to figure out what I want to be when Igrow up as he supported our family.

I’ll be back with all kinds of good stuff after next week.

~Flo

It’s the end of the semester as we know it…

…and I feel fine!

Yay, that’s right folks, just one more week and then it’s time for finals.  Once that happens I’ll be doing a little revamping and should be back to posting a bit more.  We’ve had quite a few crazy things go on recently, not the least of which was my mother in law breaking her neck.  It sounds worse than it was, she fell and fractured three vertebrae, but her spinal cord wasn’t compromised and she is up and walking around in a neck brace.

~Flo

Spring Break!

Yup, it’s that time of year again, when I get to be crazy and topless at bars in Mexico…wait, that’s not me!  I have kids and a husband and no extra time or money to go to Mexico.  Instead I’m thinking up creative ways to still study while not have the kids go stir crazy in the house.  We will be travelling to visit family for Easter, but they aren’t that far away.

On a happy note, I have some things in the works for this blog coming up.  I’m thinking about having Medicine Mondays or something like that where I get to share everything I know (which is by no means definitive) on different drugs.  I’m hoping this will help me as well.  And maybe Wacky Wednesdays where I share the strangest thing that has happened to me that week.  I dunno, I’m still working on it.

~Flo

So, so tired…

I feel a strong need to whine coming on.  I’m just so tired.  I’m almost falling down with it, falling asleep in class with it.  There is always some reason that I don’t get to bed at a decent hour.  Recently it has been my bittiest  teething, and therefore fussing all night.  Plus, I have to do all this studying so that I pass my classes and such.

But then tonight, I really got to enjoy being a mom because the bittiest vomited all over me.  Not once, not twice, but three times.  The joy of this is that she doesn’t really give any warning.  With my oldest his lips always turn pale white before he deposits the contents of his stomach all over me, but with the bitty, no such luck. 

I’m still undecided on whether she should go to preschool tomorrow or not.  She has no other signs or symptoms and is currently sleeping peacefully.  I have some stuff that needs to get turned in and then I have to go to the hospital to pick up my clinical assignment, for my loverly clinicals tomorrow, yay!  And that won’t go over well if I take the bitty with me.  I guess I’ll just play it by ear.

~Flo

Um, excuse me?

What on God’s green earth was this lady thinking?  Um, I already have six children but that isn’t enough for me, I need to use fertility treatments to have more, and then I think I’ll jeapordize my health and their health and the sanity of all around me and when it is found that there are 8 babies I will not reduce them.  That sounds like a dandy fine plan to me.  Have fun with your 14 kids lady.

Oh yeah, poop on the head of the Dr. who was treating her too, that Dr. should’ve known better!

~Flo

PICU

I know I’ve been MIA lately, but I promise it is just due to sickies and our first round of exams. 

I got to rotate through the PICU today during Peds clinicals.  I’ve determined that I love the ICU part but the P part, not so much.  I just wanted to pick up those little babies and hold them, but when they’ve got intestines on the outside and tubes going everywhere, it just isn’t possible.

I did learn a whole lot today though.  I learned that I can do anything, even if it makes my eyes tear up a little.  And I learned that not all parents are with their children in the hospital.  Now, I realize that it isn’t always feasible for a parent to miss a bunch of work or whatnot, but then come be there at night, have someone else come in, do something so that your child is not alone in the PICU.  And definately do something so that the nurses don’t talk about how you never show up to be with your child. 

There was a child with a head injury so I learned a whole bunch of cool neuro shit too, but I can’t tell you about it because it would violate HIPPA and all that.  Unfortunately it is just different enough for me to not be able to mix up and all that.  And I learned that the educator is my best friend (BFF!!!) because they spent 1.5 hours with me just showing me patients and teaching me stuff.  I will share the acronyms and stuff I learned in a later post.

Oh, and Disappearing John is now an educator and I can see why he loves the job.  I bet he is a great one too!  I feel like I had so much more to say but my mind is a little discombobulated right now, and yes, that is the technical term.  I’ll go play some Lego Star Wars on the Wii with my hubby and see if it gets better.

~Flo

Seriously?

Okay, here’s the thing, we are not dumb.  No one uses actual film anymore.  So if you are carrying around one film canister, I have a pretty damn good idea of what is really in there.

~Flo

Ha! Ha!

You know that math test I was talking about yesterday?  Well, it seems as though everyone failed it.  I guess that is what happens when you have an exam on the second day of school with no info on what exactly will be on the exam and then you have IV drip calculations when none of us have done IV’s yet.  Luckily we have 2 more chances to pass it and I doubt I’ll need more than one, especially since I’ve seen the test and have a much better idea about what is on it and what I need to study.

~Flo