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

First midterm exam

Last night I got to write my first mid-term exam for second year nursing school.

It was on "lifespan psychology", which, I must admit, is a course I am having trouble linking its real value, to nursing. I'm hoping it will get more interesting/useful as time goes on, but the first exam focused heavily on theories -- Piaget's theory, Erikson, Pavlov, Bronfenbrenner, Watson, Skinner, Bandura, and on and on....

There was also a large component on heredity and prenatal develpment. Both of those topics we covered in detail so great in last year's physiology classes, that it was amusing to listen to our prof, a newly-minted PhD in psychology, (who is apparently teaching his first course ever, based on his ego-laden lecturing approach...but I digress...), lecture us about neurotransmitters, neurons, axons and the like (this course is reserved for nursing students, so we all have the same background in physiology).  It was a repeat of high school biology class. 

I don't mean to complain, but frankly, I sincerely do hope it gets more useful and interesting.

Something happened to me as I sat down to write yesterday's exam.  Something that has never, ever, ever happened to me before (and this is my fourth university degree!)

I realized I had NOTHING to write the exam with.  Normally, I bring my backpack or computer case, which has loads of pens, pencils and erasers in it.  I'm the one who shares my pencils with others.  For the exam, however, I brought only my purse with me.

So last night, I sat there in the classroom, and my blood ran cold as I dug through my purse and realized it contained my wallet, my BlackBerry, my daughter's Epi-pen and two lollipops.  Nothing else!  I could not believe it.  Perhaps what I could not believe even more, was that that making sure I had a pencil with me hadn't even crossed my mind when I left the house!!!

Luckily two friends came through very quickly as I sheepishly voiced my need for a pencil.  But I just kept shaking my head in disbelief that I could come so unprepared like that to an exam.  After all the university exams I've written in my life, you'd think, just maybe, I'd know better.

It all ended well, and gave us a good laugh after the exam!

Onwards and upwards!!!

Back on track!

What a difference a few days can make!  "Life" is definitely getting back on track, energy levels are increasing, and I got caught up in my courses.  Yes, this is much better than last week.  What an awful feeling that was, to want and need to do things, yet feel so incredibly tired. 

We are also s-l-o-w-l-y getting into a home routine, with the kids activities, sports, music lessons, homework, and my new 'stay at home mom' routine into just that -- a routine, not randomly happening days.  In hindsight, even under regular conditions (i.e. not mom leaving her job and starting nursing school!), it always takes us a few weeks to establish a busier routine, after a relaxing summer.  This year it was particularly different, with so many changes happening. 

In terms of school, it is such a reassuring feeling to know that I already have a classmate network established, where I can get help if needed.  Now we're talking about getting a study group going.  This is probably a good idea, given how much memorizing is required in physiology classes, and even in psychology class.  The latter class, it turns out (so far, anyways), is mostly a combination of stats class and neurophysiology.  I've studied both, so the topics aren't really 'new' to me.  I really didn't know what to expect from the psych course, but so far it is very much related to physiology....I admit I haven't yet looked at chapters in the text that we're not doing yet.  My first mid-term is next week, in psych, so hopefully that will be OK. 

I've done one physiology assignment so far (got 90% - yay!!!), and have another one due early next week.  Everything, and I mean everything tested, is multiple choice.  This is a h.u.g.e change from my previous university studies (I think a post on test taking will be in the works soon).  Even when I was writing exams in my science courses, we didn't do any multiple choice exams.  Every test was short answer, definitions, and of course, in the chemistry and calculus courses, showing the work and the calculations for the various reactions. 

What I find somewhat ironic (is that the proper use of the word?), is that I avoided taking this 'intro to psych' course when I was doing my first undergraduate degree, because we students knew that that course was marked based entirely on multiple choice tests and exams!!!  That was the main reason I didn't feel like taking it as an elective back then.  Now here I am, years later, taking the same class that is tested in the same format.  C'est la vie, life goes on, and frankly, it is an interesting course!

Back to paying some attention to my littlest one now.  She only goes to school in the afternoons, so mornings are 'our' time.  In one word, these morning together in the past few weeks have been 'amazing'.  I am so grateful to have this time with her.  :-)

Happy momma, wife and nursing student!!!