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Thursday, November 8, 2012

Midterms finished for this term!

Last night was our second lifespan psychology mid-term.  130 multiple-choice questions, which means 130 little circles to be coloured in on the scan sheet.

At one point, I just told myself, "Every little circle you colour in, brings you that much closer to being a nurse."

I'm still having trouble truly seeing the validity and value-added this course gives me, to being a nurse.  On one hand, I think its maybe because I'm not a "traditional" student, that I find little value in this course.  I have experienced pregnancy, labour and delivery, the newborn phase, the toddler phase, the pre-schooler phase, early school years and now the middle-school years (with my oldest).  That's not to say that just because I've experienced these phases with my kids, that I know all there is to know about them -- far from that!  I'm certainly still learning much new information for the exams.  It's just that so much of the course is not new information.  And that parts that generally are new, namely memorizing the various theories, I have a difficult time finding a practical use for in the real world.

Maybe because I'm a "non-traditional" student, I just want to cut to the core, and focus on the nursing material.  Don't get me wrong here, I'm not complaining, I'm just "thinking" with my fingers on the keyboard, about the merits of various courses.  (and there are only three more classes until its over!)

I guess the focused-only-on-nursing-courses approach is what I'd be getting if I'd chosen to the accelerated BScN route.  But that would have caused our family much more undue stress with me attending school full-time, especially over the summer semester when the kids are home.  I'd have been finishing my first term of fourth year right now.

But taking this longer, part-time route (due to credits being accepted that I'd studied previously), is really the right approach, and worth it in the long run for us.  I am forever grateful that I got to spend so much time with my littlest last year, when she was just in school half days, and for the past year, to be able to take my kids to school in the morning, and be home when they come home.  Those are moments that are fleeting and can never be re-gained once they're over.  Our family has definitely benefitted from my career changes, in ways that cannot be quantified.  

Actually, come to think of it, increased parental involvement is definitely a bonus for kids, (and us parents!), in all their various stages of development.  That is something that has been confirmed by my lifespan psychology course! 

Onwards and upwards!

Future Nurse Kate

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