My Last NS Paper is Still Hanging Over My Head

I've started it. I have an outline done. My reference list (thus far from what I've researched), is done. I even have my first sentence done! (that is usually the hardest part). Nothing seems to be helping me get going on this crazy last paper.

I even went for a run this morning, for the first time probably since October, or maybe even September. That felt like the longest 3 km of my life, but I'm feeling good and am so happy I went. But still, that is an element of procrastination.

There are eight pages of double spaced text (so really four pages of actual writing), standing between me and complete academic freedom from nursing school. Seriously, why is this so hard????  Maybe a subconscious part of me wants nursing school to go on and on? Nope. Definitely not.

I guess some habits just run deep, and even though I know this is the last thing that I need to do, it is still practically impossible to get it done early. Pathetic, I know.

LOL  - a friend just texted me as I am writing this post, that clearly going for the run was the much healthier choice between exercise and writing a paper.

Gotta love that perspective!!!

Kate

My Last Nursing School Exam is DONE

Really, truly, I have no more exams in nursing school. 4 years of nursing exams are o-v-e-r. I cannot quite believe that, yet, but I will in very short order. That's won't be a problem to accept.

I am going in for my work shift later today. We have less than 8 weeks left in the program, and all that remains now to do are two papers (one short, one longer -- outlines for both are done) and my remaining clinical shifts.

I am simply loving primary care nursing. It is something that didn't even cross my mind, when dreaming about being a nurse and planning the career change. I was going to be a Labour & Delivery nurse, to the exclusion of all else. Now here I am, a primary care/family practice nurse-to-be...and absolutely loving it. I will still get my peri-natal certification, as I still want to learn to be a LD RN, but it will somehow have to work in conjunction with primary care/family practice nursing.  I truly believe I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. And that is a great feeling.

I am so grateful to be where we are in the program. The end is so close, we can all almost believe it. It was bittersweet being together as a class one last time today. We had the exam in the same room that our first-ever class was in. It felt like the experience had come full circle. It is bittersweet, because it is the end of a phase, an era, but also very, very exciting because we are all very much looking forward to breaking out of the school/student routine, and start actually working as nurses.

Exciting times!!!

Kate

The Final Countdown

(cue the synthesizer music & drum intro...that tune was playing in my head as I wrote that title, so I thought I'd plant that in someone else's head too - you're welcome!  Here's Europe's official video of their song: http://youtu.be/9jK-NcRmVcw...but I digress)

The last semester is (finally) upon us. I must admit, that even though some days (weeks, months) have felt extremely long, when I look back at this nursing school journey now, it honestly seems like about a year, year and a half have gone by. It is a bit of a scary feeling to think how easily I could have still been sitting in my beautiful government office, wishing I had the courage to walk away and be a nurse. I am forever grateful to everyone who supported my in making this huge decision. I could never have had the courage to do it alone.

We officially finished classes. Only once more do I have to go back to the school, in mid February, for one final exam (YIPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). It seems surreal.

My last clinical rotation started a week ago today. I am working full time in a clinic, as a primary care nurse. For most of my nursing school, I had dreamt of being a Labour & Delivery nurse, and maybe an ER nurse. Then this past summer I discovered Primary Care nursing. It gives me the variety that the emergency room provides in terms to variety of people, ages, stages, conditions and needs (variety was the only thing lacking as a LD nurse). It lets me work with pregnant women and newborn babies (assessed 3 day old twins the other day!!!). It teaches me so much about so many conditions, that if I do become a Nurse Practitioner, I'll already have heaps of knowledge and experience to base my practice on. It allow me to build relationships with patients and families (that was the biggest component that was missing, in the ER option). And maybe best of all -- I work days, the occasional weekend, and NO nights!  (A good friend of mine is starting a marathon of 5 consecutive night shifts tonight at her placement -- I'll have to check in on her in a couple days and make sure she's hanging in there)

So who knew that primary care was where I'd ultimately end up. I am so grateful for this opportunity.  I have an incredible preceptor nurse, who is infinitely interested in teaching me the realities of nursing that one does not learn in nursing school. I think I remember reading somewhere that nursing school teaches you the basics of anatomy, physiology, etc, and how to not be a danger to your patients (and yourself!) when you graduate. The real learning comes from experience on the job.

I still think I'll probably start working on my perinatal nursing certification once school is done (thank goodness for 'lifelong learning' in the nursing profession -- I can continue to stress out for exams and tests for as long as I work!!!). In all seriousness, I think I will get that certification, and find a way to work both in the clinic and on a LD floor somewhere. But that will all sort itself out later.

For now, I'm focusing on primary care. The steepest learning curve that was the first week on the job was last week. Now I can hopefully focus on learning and doing as much as I can from this last rotation as a student.

10 more weeks!!!!!

Kate

Yep, this pretty much sums up fourth year nursing school

I fully subscribe to the theory that 1 picture = 1000 words.


Kate

Still Alive...but barely...

I can honestly say that the past few weeks have been among the toughest of my academic life (and this is not my first degree, there's been a few of those already).


There is a plague going around our nursing class. Our first exam last week seemed to have its own soundtrack -- coughing and sniffing. I haven't been this sick in years, and not be able to take any time off to recover.


Even today, after feeling exponentially better in the past few days, I still come home and need to lie down and sleep for a bit, before I can continue with my evening.


And my last complaint (for now), is that this semester is extremely morning-heavy. I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. However, I can certainly get up and do morning stuff. But the fact that the days are all completely busy are killing me. In the past years, I would have at least a half day or two, to myself, to study and get work done. My only free time this term is in the evenings, and that time is not at all free as I am a mom to three busy kids. So I try to study with lots of chaos in the house, and I cannot even stay up later to study, as I have to get up way too early every morning.  It is very unfortunate that I didn't get assigned to lab times later in the day. That would have made a world of difference to this student mom.  It is seriously awful this semester, and I am feeling at the end of my rope, with fatigue and stress.


Thank God this is the last year of this. That is my only motivation right now to keep at it. I cannot imagine another year of this -- I must finish now. Six more months. 28 more weeks, and of those 21 are school weeks (yes, I'm counting.) I simply cannot wait to graduate in April, and leave the school craziness behind me (at least for a few years, if that NP goal is to be realized...).


Enough of a vent. Must get back to my studies and I still have a quiz to do.  Oh, and then I get to wake up for the next two days at 4:45. I can hardly wait.


I have so much more to write. Hopefully things will settle down soon and I'll start getting my energy back and feeling more human again. I can but hope.


Kate

Back at the Keyboard!

I hope summer was great for everyone. It certainly has been for me, and two more glorious weeks are left before fourth, and FINAL year of nursing school rolls around.  I will be found at the keyboard more often in the coming weeks, after that extended summer break from blogging.


I am in equal parts dreading and looking forward to the resumption of classes. Dreading because now that I've survived third year, I know exactly how tough and busy the next eight months are going to be. And looking forward to it, because this is it. Only eight more months, 24 weeks of classes, to go.


We can do this.


We can really do this. The end is almost in sight.


Yipee!!!