I can see the light!!!

It has been nearly a year since my last post. I missed posting about my Maternity and Mental Health semesters, which were AMAZING!!! My classmates and I laugh at ourselves because every semester and clinical semester "WAS AMAZING!!!" We change our minds just about every clinical day and it's fun to share our experiences. As a nursing student I can tell you that clinical is the favorite part of any semester. That applies to every semester for me. Exams, papers and nursing care plans on the other hand.....bleck!

Maternity was pretty flippin' awesome! I was privileged to be present during 2 C-Sections and one Vaginal Birth which were equally emotional. Word of advice, while holding the mom's leg and the doctor says "OK take a deep breath and push, push, push", it's not ok for you to do it along with her because chances are....you're gonna pass out! Ha, ha, ha So 2 princesses and 1 prince later (and tons of care plans and assessments)I wrapped up Maternity with a day in the NICU. Although I thought I wasn't going to be able to handle the NICU I enjoyed my day there. Now that I'm in my Critical Care rotation I see the same equipment on a much larger scale and its still all very intimidating!

As a Mental Health Technician I was excited for my Mental Health rotation. It has always been near and dear to my heart and I always believed its where I would start my nursing career. Everyone says you should always start in Med/Surg and that may be true for some but I have seen some recent grads opt for Mental Health.

Now I'm in my final semester and Critical Care is....NO JOKE. I now see how Med/Surg set the stage for Critical Care. Now while I think my Med/Surg professor slipped up in some very crucial areas, I'm catching on to vents, titration, meds and the dreaded ECG interpretations. I was lucky enough to find an awesome site that helps with this. www.skillstat.com has helped tremendously!! During this rotation I've been on the Open Heart Unit and it has been very rewarding for me. In the following weeks I will move on to my Acute Care rotation which I'm hoping will be a breeze after completing what seemed more difficult with Critical Care.

Most rewarding and career guiding moment for me so far this semester was my day in the ED. I enjoy fast paced, every changing and rewarding work and I found that in Emergency Department Nursing. I found that I can have the best of all of my nursing experiences in one location. I used EVERYTHING I learned that day and it had the multitasking that I do great with. In an administrative position I made even the most boring part of my day enjoyable and while I don't think I will ever be bored in the ED, I plan to bring that talent along with me IF I'm blessed to land in the ED. Here's hoping!!!

Med/Surg - 215

Holy heck! I mean no one ever said that being a nursing student was easy....but DAMN!!!

Midway through Med/Surg and although my Clinical days are thoroughly enjoyable, lecture is frustrating! I thought I had a handle on the NCLEX style of questions but apparently I continue to look to deeply into the questions. My exam grades suffer but I am determined to "dig deeper" as my advisor said.

I've been told this is one of the most difficult semesters....uhhhh I agree!!! Failure is not in my vocabulary....I got this!

Preparing for Nursing 101

Yesterday evening I went to the bookstore to pick up my textbooks for class. Holy crow!!! I asked for a box, because the bags were just not going to cut it. I picked up 9 of the 10 I need for this ONE class. Three of the books are approximately 2.5 inches thick and all I could think of was "I hope I don't have to carry anymore than one at a time to class." I'm already looking into a rolling crate to lug these bricks around!

Today I decided I needed to review Fundamentals of Nursing and the several reading assignments sent to us over the summer. I took a post-it pad and flagged the pages and material I needed to review. I'm not even a third of the way through my reading but I already am very excited to get to class Monday morning and review the material in class. I've already taken out the trusty hi-lighter and marked up my textbook.

What I enjoy about this book is that they added "Through the Eyes of a Student" stories and its relieving to see that other people with my same passion for nursing had that "What was I thinking?" feeling and still continued with their dream because they grew from the experiences that they thought initially would have them throwing in the towel. I look forward to clinicals and learning from my own experiences.

One step closer!

It has been a while since I've posted. So much has happened in the past year! I rocked AP2 and thoroughly enjoyed the studying.....Who said that?? Best part of it all is I MADE NCC's RN PROGRAM!!!! Woo hoo!!! Party time

I busted my butt and it paid off. I'm so proud of myself. It's almost time to get back to classes. August 22nd is day one of Nursing 101. The reading assignments are already coming in and the list of books I need is a mile long. I look forward to diving in and learning more. While I will miss my amazing Anatomy and Physiology professor, I look forward to meeting my new professors and classmates. I am sooooo ready for the next step closer to my dream!



BRING IT ON!!!!

Mark For Life T-Shirt

On The Doctors they did a segment on tips for early detection of breast cancer. They showed a t-shirt that is being marketed to assist women with self breast exams. Performing self-exams is unerving to begin with because most women don't know what they're looking for. Created and introduced in 2004 by two Atlanta women, the "Mark For Life" T-shirt was an idea they came up with to teach women how to properly conduct a breast self exam and illustrate where potentially cancerous breast tissue exists. More importantly, they wanted a product that would allow women to track the results of their monthly exams to enable them to compare against past exams for any changes.




Interesting facts from their website at markforlife.com:
97% of women survive breast cancer when it is discovered early.
90% of women who get breast cancer have no family history.
70% of women find their own breast cancer using breast self-exams.







The T-Shirt comes with an instruction card listing 9 steps for use of the kit. Utilizing the enclosed marker you follow the spirals on the form fitting shirt and mark this shirt up to take it with you to your next doctors appointment and you can discuss your findings with your doctor. So many times women do not remember where they may have felt something questionable and cannot recall the location. This T-shirt eliminates that problem. There are even monthly reminder stickers to mark your calendar as well as an email address you can submit to for reminders.

Acting F.A.S.T. Can Save Your Life

May is Stroke Awareness Month. What are the signs and symptoms of a stroke?










Did you know that acting "FAST" can save your life:

It's important to remember that not all the warning signs occur in every stroke. Don't ignore any signs of stroke, even if they go away.

Remember to check the time. When did the first warning sign or symptom start? You'll be asked this important question later. If given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke. tPA is the only FDA-approved medication for the treatment of stroke within three hours of stroke symptom onset.

If you have one or more stroke symptoms that last more than a few minutes, don't delay. Immediately call 9-1-1.

If you're with someone who may be having stroke symptoms, immediately call 9-1-1 or the EMS. Expect the person to protest — denial is common. Don't take "no" for an answer. Insist on taking prompt action.

Prevention is key when you've a history of high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Along with regular medical check-ups, maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise, it's also recommended to:

Avoid excess fats: Eating a lot of fat, particularly saturated fat and cholesterol, may contribute to atherosclerosis, which is associated with stroke.

Avoid excess sodium: Excess sodium in the diet is linked to hypertension.

Limit alcohol intake: Individuals who have more than two or three alcoholic beverages a day are at an increased risk of stroke.

For more information visit the American Stroke Association's their website at strokeassociation.org

For Patrick....I love you Sweetie.

For my nephew Patrick, an amazing kid I might add, who has Cystic Fibrosis. I decided to post information about his donation page, to inform people about CF and bring attention to his cause.

In hopes to raise money to find a cure and awareness about CF, this little darling has named his team named "Cough Up the Bucks." The name comes from his "hopes that all will dig deep and cough up a few bucks to help him make a difference."

Patrick, along with all the other CF kids would like CF to someday stand for Cure Found.



To register as part of Pat's Team, or to simply made a secure donation , Please visit his page.


So what Is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and adults in the United States (70,000 worldwide). A defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that:

. clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections; and
. obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food.



In the 1950s, few children with cystic fibrosis lived to attend elementary school. Today, advances in research and medical treatments have further enhanced and extended life for children and adults with CF. Many people with the disease can now expect to live into their 30s, 40s and beyond.

Symptoms of Cystic Fibrosis

People with CF can have a variety of symptoms, including:

very salty-tasting skin;
persistent coughing, at times with phlegm;
frequent lung infections;
wheezing or shortness of breath;
poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite; and
frequent greasy, bulky stools or difficulty in bowel movements.

Statistics
About 1,000 new cases of cystic fibrosis are diagnosed each year.
More than 70% of patients are diagnosed by age two.
More than 40% of the CF patient population is age 18 or older.
The predicted median age of survival for a person with CF is more than 37 years.