My final thought

     It is the final blog.  I have enjoyed doing the blog and may make a few more.  I also hope that some other people keep it going so I can read them.  Stressing over the final. Good thing that we covered stress today. Best of luck on the final to everyone.

It is going so fast

     I can't believe how fast this class is going.  I am enjoying clinicals and can't wait to have them twice a week, I know that school will get more challenging as we go but I do enjoy spending time with the patients.  Final next week, WOW. Lots to study and so little time.

What a week

     What a week.  Class is going by so fast, I can't believe that finals are just around the corner.  Our lab was a lot of fun this week, we had some good laughs and got a lot of practice.  I thought the culture project was fun. Clinical this week for our group was at HealthSouth and it was nice to finally get to work with a patient.  Getting started was a little nervous but once we I got started it went smooth.  

Clinical Two

     Tomorrow we have are second clinical and our group is going to HealthSouth.  I am excited about our second clinical.  I can't believe how fast the weeks are going by and how busy I feel.  Next week I am going to try to get to open lab, I went this week but I guess I had the wrong open lab schedule  because it was closed but I found the new schedule.  I really do need to work on our skills from lab.  I have been a little disappointed that we have not worked on our skills in class but I may have had the wrong impression about what lab is.  I am sure as the weeks progress we will all get used to how things work.

Midterm is over

     I am so happy to get the first big test out of the way.  I did not do as well as I thought I would and like so many people have said I over thought many of the answers.  This is the first test that many of us have taken where we have to really think about the answers.  Memorizing a list is much easier than critical thinking so I will just have to study hardier for the final.

     Now for the rest of my day, lab was fun.  I do like are group and today we had to bathe our lab partner. Tamila, thanks for letting me practice putting up you hair.  We do not have a clinical this week but I think group one is ready for beds and baths.

Our first clinical

What a week.  The first clinical went great.  I enjoyed every part of the clinical and can’t wait for next week.  I finally got a blood pressure cuff and have been practicing, but I still find the respiratory rate the hardest to do.  I am sure that with practice it will improve.  I have been studying a lot for our first midterm and I sure am thankful for my classmates.  

Week Two

I have really enjoyed week two.  It has been great getting started in labs and I look forward to clinicals next week.  This week we learned how to take vital signs and I am relieved to get that over with.  Group 1 has a great time in lab and I am glad we all get along so well.  Thank you Sandy for letting all of us listen to your heart.   Now we all just need to keep practicing taking vital signs.  I think getting used to counting respiratory rate might be the most challenging.  Practice makes perfect. 

I am looking forward to the long weekend and the start of FSU football.  

Week one

            I am proud to say that I am finally doing what I wanted to do for so many years.  Hello, my name is Gary and I am a 38 year old college student that has let life get in my way of doing this so many times.  I am married and have two children and a Boston terrier.  I started going to college right after high school and stopped going when I joined the Marine Corps.  After the Marines I started going back to college, became a retail store manager and transferred to another store and again had a long break from school.  Now finally at 37 I started going again.  I am excited to finally start in a program that I have wanted for so long. 

            In the course of my life I have had many experiences that I have had the opportunity to interact with nurses and they have all been positive.   Nursing care is the reason we are put in the hospital.  To me nurses are the ones that people remember.  Since I have started going back to school and tell people that my goal in to become a nurse, their response is always positive and I admire the impact that nurses make on peoples lives. 

            What kind of nurse do you want to be?  That is a very popular questions and I have always wanted to work in the NICU.  My second choice would be the emergency room but I am sure that as we go through school that all of this may change.  I remain open about being a nurse and although I have no idea what nursing school will be like, I am sure that whatever kind of nurse I will become I will experience it during school.  I look forward to learning and getting to know my classmates.  I am also looking forward to doing clinicals and getting an idea of what being a nurse is like.  School so far has been great, but I do feel like we are in the calm before the storm.  See you next week.