1 month down, 19 more to go...

So I did not post yesterday - for a number of reasons.
1. The internet at the apartment was down.

2. I have no idea how to compose and post a blog entry from my new [smart]phone.

3. I was studying for my first exam.

Now that my first official nursing school exam is out of the way, allow me to reflect on what I have learned.

1. There is no way that I could possibly over study.  There will always be an abundance of information to review and discuss with classmates, and skills to practice.

2. Working three 8 hour shifts of the four days I am off school was not the best idea - two 12 hour shifts, maybe...

3. Having fallen behind on my studying for this exam, I have a much better idea how to structure my studying each day from here on out.

I feel I did okay on my exam. Some may disregard my statement as some euphemism or a bit of modesty on my part. Let be assure you, that is not the case at all. The test format is relatively new for me and there was just a lot of material covered. I have been far too spoiled during my prerequisites. I look back now and see the minimal amount of effort om my part to do well in those classes. I said more than once in the past few weeks that I have never studied so rigorously in my life.  What do they say? Something like, "The things worth having are worth the effort you put in to getting them." I think I'm mixing up some proverbs, but I know what I mean.

This week in class we're going to start discussing a health fair the students have to do toward the end of March. Some of the suggested topics they provide are:

Bullying

Cosmetic Surgery

Cyber Safety

*Depression

*Distracted Driving

Driving Under the Influence

Drugs: Recreational and Prescription

Eating Disorders

Family Violence/Abuse

Fitness

Food Safety

Helmet Safety

HIV

Hygiene

Nutrition

*Organ Donation

Rules for Safe Dating

Seatbelt Safety

STDs

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Sleep Deprivation

Steroid Usage

Stress Management

Sun Protection

Tattoos and Body Piercings

Teenage Pregnancy

Vision

I put asterisks by ones that I'm interested in presenting. Anyone have any other suggestions? What sort of booth would you stop at during a health fair?

Don't forget, local friends, there is an Open House from 6:30-8:00PM on West Campus this Thursday in our Nursing Arts Lab. Come see where a good chunk of my time on campus is spent! Come meet and assess one of our many mannequins - hear them sneeze, vomit, and wheeze!! If you'd like to come please let me know. If I have no takers, I guess I'll just study ;P

Next Sunday is "the big game" - am I allowed to use the S-word? Anyhow, I am permitting myself a lax day to spend time with friends; I'll just bring one of my school books... And if you care, I'm going with the Steelers for this one.

A life during nursing school?

For the moment, I suppose, maybe. The start of last week wasn't bad anyway. I was able to take some promised engagement photos for Mikel and Chris over at the Disney Boardwalk.

Speaking of right-braininess, about a month prior to school starting, I got bit by the craft bug. Instead of cleaning out some embroidery stuff that had been sitting around for ages, I ended up using it again. I made plushies from socks, felties (i.e. plushies made from felt), a handkerchief, maternity figures, a paneled wall hanging, and even some coasters out of polymer clay. Some of those projects can be seen with mt older photography at: deviantART. Most of the stuff I made has been given away as gifts, but I have managed to sell a few pieces.

For example:

CATS FOR SALE! I only have about half of them left; the first 6 from the right are still around as are the magenta and lavender ones to the left of the black one. They are $5 a puss - proceeds from each purchase go to the Support Jenn's Education Fund =)

I still have loads of materials for more projects, but no time as of late. Perhaps when I can properly manage my schedule, I can fit in a project once a week or once every two weeks. Ah, the things to which I aspire...

But it already has been a trying second week. Within three days I had 2 quizzes over 6 chapters. I learned that while it is possible to over-read/study, you can't go wrong being over-prepared. We had our first skills check off - hand washing! Terribly simple, yet terribly underdone. We learned about personal protective equipment (PPE) which I am quite familiar with thanks to my employ at Rural/Metro and to the various parasites and pathogens out and about (curse you, Norwegian scabies!! - if you don't know about them, you are lucky). This coming week we get checked of on setting up a sterile field and sterile gloving. I'm not too worried about it, since I've been practicing with classmates. I'll save my stress and anxiety for other things.

Other things like continuing to work (even just part-time) while doing this school thing to pay for the financial sins of my past. Talk about not being able to live something down. Anyway, this week I also learned how much working is NOT conducive to my studying. I am one of those people who likes it as quite as possible while studying. While I have the benefit of a desk job, answering phone and such is terribly distracting. But we do what we have to do. I'll have to hurricane-like hunker down and do the social internetting less, stop fiddling with my new phone, and really start focusing while at work. I know that most people don't even have the opportunity to do anything at work other than work, so let me shut up, count my lucky stars, and make the most of my time and opportunity.

My friend Bri sent me a message regarding my impending absence from many up coming social events: "Short term sacrifice for long term gain". Almost a no brainer, but getting it from someone else really means a lot.

To wrap on a lighter note this week, I'm one of my class's student reps. It's funny because I'm one of the two people who volunteered for the position! Also, for my local compadres, there is an open house at school Thursday, February 3 from 6:30p-8p so you can see where I send a lot of my time while not at home or at work. Exciting stuff! Encouraging reminder to come next week.

First Week of Nursing School

I'm excited, first and foremost. This has been a long time coming; I finally feel I am really on the right path. One could argue I could have saved myself a lot of time, energy, and resources by going into nursing back in 1997. Back then, nursing was the farthest thing from my mind - after all, why fall into the stereotype of the Filipina? I can confidently say that now is the right time and place. I don't lament any "lost time" - I needed all of my previous experience in all those other fields, crossing paths with so many people to get where I am today.

This first week has been jammed packed with information. I'm daunted by just how much time out of class I will invest in this program. I will be a very busy person for the next 20 months. I'm already studying more than I ever have for anything else. I'll do what it takes to get through this, including to work part-time. It's no secret that this will put a strain on my time management, financial resources, and possibly my sanity (my anxiety level goes up just mentioning it). I am blessed to have such a supportive network of family and friends.

I've never been good at maintaining a regular journal, but I feel this endeavor will worth the bit of time I invest every week. This is such a huge event for me and I want a record of my whole experience.

Here's to the journey.