Nursing School is DONE

It really, truly is finished. Today we gave our last presentations that summed up our nursing school journey and beyond. It was a nice way to end the program.

I am still a bit incredulous that it is finished. Back in another transition phase. Transition that I always find so unsettling.

The College of Nurses for my province has sent me a package that I need to complete so that I can write my licensing exam. I have filled out my temporary licence application form. I have a job lined up for as soon as I get my temporary licence, in primary care. I'll be working part-time at the clinic for the summer, and then switch to full-time in the fall, when the children go back to school.

In the summer, I'd also like to get to know the people in a couple clinics very close to my home, and try to get casual positions there, a couple nights per week, or on weekends. Variety is the spice of my working life.

In the fall, I'll head back to school, to get my post-RN certification as a trauma nurse. Hopefully, a year from now, I'll be working in a clinic part-time and at a local hospital ER part-time. That would be simply awesome.

In the meantime, I need to start studying for my NCLEX, so that I pass is on my first try.

We also have an awesome trip to Europe booked for May, so that is something I'm very, very much looking forward to for next month.

Life is so great. I am so incredibly grateful for the many blessings I've been lucky to receive in my life. Even though this is a transition phase, it is great.

I'm a nurse!!!!! I did it!!!!!

My nursing school courses are all done

Yes, it is really true. The academic component of my nursing program is finished. I've passed all my courses. I have no more quizzes, papers, tests or exams as part of my BScN program.

This new reality is still sinking in, even though its been a couple of days now. It is still sinking in.

I have 7 days left of my last rotation. The semester is officially over on April 14.

Even though its been a very long 4 years, it has truly flown by when I look back. I'm beyond grateful it is so close to being finally done. It seemed so daunting and far away at the start, and suddenly it is done.

Now I get to re-focus and start living my life again with no school stuff hanging over my head. Of course, that will last as long as it takes to start studying full-out for the NCLEX licensing exam, and then my post-RN certification courses that I'm already planning to take... But that is different. Those are purely interest courses that I'm choosing to take. Nursing school was a choice too, yes, but there were quite a few courses that I'd definitely not have chosen to take, had they not been a mandatory part of the curriculum! Lol. The courses I take from here on in, are purely my choice, based on interests.

And speaking of interests, this is the time when I get to re-awaken, and start re-discovering my pre-nursing school interests. Tennis? Play more piano? Dust off my saxophone that's been staring at me and making me feel guilty for the past 4 years? Writing for fun? Zumba? Pilates? I'm not quite sure where to start, and in my typical fashion, want to start everything at once...

Anyhow, this picture below captures EXACTLY how I am feeling now (I hope it gets better soon):

Signed, Sealed & Delivered

My last (hopefully ever!) scholarly article is finished, and was submitted yesterday. I'm still not quite truly believing that it is done, but my logical mind reassures me that it is. The email I also got that confirmed it being submitted, also helps reassure me. Anyhow, it is done, and I am feeling a sense of enormous relief.

I have about 20 more shifts left in my last rotation. I survived winter camping last weekend with my daughter, and am still recovering from the lack of sleep. There is a mountain of work for me to do around the house...stuff that's basically been 'on hold' for the last while, some since the second week of January.

The pressure and stress of the semester, and frankly, of the past 4 years is starting to lift. I have an evening shift today, so am basking in the free time I have this morning. One last little quiz to do on March 24, and then the academic component of the nursing program is officially finished.

What will I then do with myself and all my newly available free time?

Oh yeah, the "little" detail of starting to study for the NCLEX will become top of mind. Even though I may have soon finished nursing school and graduated from that, without successfully passing the licensing exam, the NCLEX, the exam that tests everything you've learned over the past 4 years, all that work is for nothing, as you cannot work as a nurse without a license.

Goody. More studying to look forward to. But not right now. This morning I am still basking in the post-last-scholarly-paper-submitted bliss.

Kate

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

I couldn't make this up if I tried

In the my short (8 days, to be precise) experience as a primary care nursing student, I've heard some sentences and learned about some situations that just make me shake my head in wonder.

Today I heard my nurse say the following to me: "You can't miss your patient. She's wearing a orange and green Hawaiian shirt, is barefoot and clutching a stuffed chicken." Say what?

OK.

Only it wasn't a chicken, it was a Holstein cow. But I still managed to easily find my patient, even with the wrong animal info.

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