As with any nursing school (I hope!) our work load is getting heavier as the quarter progresses. This coming up week has a research paper due (our first in APA format, which is enough to make any nursing student want to cry), as well as 2 tests and a midterm. This is on top of our normal homework, and we have a lab also.

As a group, we are coming closer together. Group e-mails are hitting my in-box several times a day as we all do the best we can to help each other through this craziness. This is what I've been waiting for... the great group effort vs the aggressive competition.

Instead of working on my research paper, I went with my daughter, my best friend and her daughter to a dance class at the local high school. The girls were dropped off at 11 am to work on learning a dance routine in 5 hours. We picked them back up again at 4pm, fed them dinner and rested (us, they played) until heading back to the school at 7pm so the group could perform during half time of the high school basketball game.

A big treat for my friend and I... we were not allowed to stay with the girls as they learned the new dance routine. And since we had told our families that we would be with the young girls, we found ourselves with a few hours to use as we wanted! We didn't tell the men about our new freedom, we just snuck off to enjoy the afternoon! It was great! And I think we came back refreshed and ready to tackle our family responsibilities again.

Tomorrow I must finish my research paper!

Just looked ahead to next weeks schedule. Eeek! 3 tests and a major research paper due, plus whatever homework is assigned this week!

I've always been a lover of school supplies. I loved getting new pencils and pens and binders and a new backpack at the beginning of the school year. Being an adult college student hasn't changed that. What I am finding, though, is that over the years I have found some tried and true supplies that I love. These are the supplies that I always come back to after trying the newest fad and finding it not to my satisfaction...

My husband bought this bag for me from amazon.com last year for Christmas.


It all started when my husband decided he wanted a messenger bag to carry his laptop in. I spent days searching amazon.com for just the right bag. I kept coming back to this bag, and attempted to convince my husband that this was the bag he wanted. He didn't agree and I ended up buying a different bag for him, but was sad that this perfect bag would not be coming to my house. I know my husband, and he never sticks with anything for very long. I had figured that if I could get him to want this bag I could use it once he was on to something new. Instead he bought me the bag as a surprise.

I love this bag. It does everything I need my bag to do with style. The craftsmanship is fantastic, it still looks new after a year of abuse. On the inside there is a laptop compartment lined with corduroy fabric and great padding. I don't have to worry that my laptop is going to be abused while in my bag. There is also just the right amount of organizing pockets on the inside. Two pen holders and 3 larger pockets that fit my graphing calculator perfectly! Under the front flap are two zippered compartments. I find them to be the perfect size to toss in a book, or a can of pop and snack, or my day planner! They seem to be slightly padded also, and this works well when I have a can of pop of yogurt... my snack is still cold when I'm ready to eat! Next, the outside of the flap; there are 3 pockets, one with a grommet that allows you to put your MP3 player inside and have your earbuds threaded out the grommet. This zippered pocket often has my wallet and keys for quick, but protected, access. On the sides of the bag are 2 pockets. One has a gusset and is designed to carry your water bottle. The other does not have a gusset, but smaller water bottles would be fine. On the back of the bag is one last zippered pocket, perfect for a folder or some papers. There is also ample padding on the back of the bag so you aren't beating yourself up with your heavy bag on your way to class.

I see this bag taking me through nursing school and well beyond, I have no disappointments what so ever.

So now you've gotten to class and it's time to take notes. I have one preferred pen, and one mechanical pencil.


I'm sure everyone has seen the RSVP pens. I've used them since high school. It never fails that I am in some store and see a new pen that promises to be everything you've ever dreamed about in a pen. I buy the new shiny pen, take it home and decide this new pen was not worth the money I paid for it. And then I'm very happy that I have my trusty RSVP pens waiting for me. I find the ink quality to be great, not skipping and refusing to wright every other letter but not flooding the paper and leaving streaks. I'm left handed, so I have trouble with pens smearing onto my hand and then smudging across my paper. These come in colors also, which I really loved in Chemistry. My instructor would color code our chemical equations and I would copy it down in full color. They are cheap too... bonus!


These pencils have saved my hands. Having an autoimmune disease, the joints in my fingers can become swollen and painful. This pencil is the right mix of not too heavy, nice wide barrel and comfortable cushion grip. The thing that seals the deal for me is the metal tip on this pencil. I had another pencil that I was quite fond of, however by the end of one quarter I had broken the plastic tips on two. I have had the same sumo grip pencil for over a year now, and no breaking! I have purchased two more to carry in my bag in case the unthinkable happens and I lose one somewhere, or the manufacturer decides not to sell these wonderful things anymore. Also, they come in three different lead sizes; 0.9, 0.7 and 0.5. I like to use 0.5 lead as I like the small precise line I get. Others prefer the silkier line of the 0.9, everyone loves this pencil after they pick it up.

One more and then I'll let your eyes (and credit card!) rest.


I see I've already lost most of you, but wait! I too am a coffee snob. I live in Washington, love of coffee is a requirement. My husband and I have gone through not a small number of coffee pots in search of the perfect one. For us, for everyday coffee, this is it.

I can't say a lot about the K-cups that come all ready to be tossed in this machine and made into coffee, we use the filter that came with, and freshly grind our own beans. But, the convenience of this little machine means that I never have to whine about the coffee being 'old' and 'yucky!' which was anytime the coffee had sat more than 30 minutes. The tricks to great coffee (beyond working as a barista and knowing what it takes to make good coffee) is good beans, freshly ground, served and drank immediately. No really, it's imperative.

The younger members of the family also love this machine. Since the water reservoir is keeps the water ready all the time, there is much more cocoa and tea for them.

The one downside we have found is that since coffee is always an option, we find ourselves drinking considerably more coffee than before.

If anyone is still reading... I need suggestions for the perfect highlighter. I hate highlighters that smear the ink all over your page. Anyone?

Today was our first test in Therapeutic Communications. It went better, and worse!, than anticipated. Most of the questions it was easy to pick the right answer. There were 2 short answer questions, and one of them was a fairly detailed question from a chapter we didn't cover and had been told to just skim the basics when studying. Drat! Both my husband and I had 3 multiple choice questions that we waffled back and forth between two answers (same 3 questions out of the whole test) and funny enough... we picked the opposite answer on all 3. It will be interesting to see if one of us gets all three right or it it's a mixed bag.

In Pharmacology we went over some sample NCLEX questions, lectured a little bit on mechanism of action of medications, and then got out of class nearly 2 hours early! And, she doesn't feel like grading homework next week so she told us no homework!

Another class tomorrow and then we are done with week 3... man this is flying by!

Sorry I haven't updated! I was putting together a post about my favorite things for school... and then put that off while I studied. Then I wanted to update about how class was going, but again I ended up studying instead. And then I had the worst weekend I've had in a long time... and then I was studying again. You get the idea.

So..

School is still going pretty well, I think. The one common theme of nursing schools seems to be the mass confusion and lack or organization. It's not as bad as some programs I've heard of, but we are all still walking around in a daze trying to figure everything out.

Our first test is on Wednesday morning. In Therapeutic Communications. She gave us a quick list of what to study, but there are still many e-mails traveling between us students trying to figure out what she meant by nursing theory, the basics. She also told us not to study too much. Half of me hopes this is her way of assuring us that this first test wont be any big deal. The other half cynically feels that we have been thrown to the wolves.

Must go study more!

I have a lot of reading that I need to complete for my Therapeutic Communications class, and I'm struggling with it. It's not that I don't want to be a compassionate nurse, I absolutely do. But, the reading for this class is the quickest way to get me to fall asleep... the text is very dry and dull. I'm a bit nervous about this, as I don't know what the exams for this class are going to look like. It would be easier if I knew that reading through it quickly would give me enough of the information that I could do well on the tests. Also, if I really do need to study each and every word, it would be nice to know that now.

One other complaint. I wish we had been given an idea of what classes we are taking and when. I like to look ahead and see what is coming next. And, when there is a class that just doesn't flip your skirt up... it would be nice to know if you have another round of it next quarter or if the end is in sight.

Now on to the good things.

My lab group had our first clinical lab today. It was neat to see us all gathered together in our uniforms and as much as I wanted to complain about the uniform, it did make me feel part of a team instead of just a lone student. I chatted with a few people I hadn't gotten to know before, and also had the opportunity to rub elbows with the second year students. Funny how they look all calm and relaxed and we (the first years) look like we are waiting for the fire alarm to go off!

Today's important lesson was how to wash our hands... and throw our paper towel away! Hey, at least I have one skill checked off!

Today was our first day of Therapeutic Communications and Pharmacology. Therapeutic Communications scares me. There seems to be a lot of busy work mixed in with a lot of heavy work and group projects. This will be the class that attempts to make us all as culturally compassionate as possible. Very important, I know... and also not terribly exciting for me. I'm already dreading the long research papers... and writing in APA format!

Pharmacology is really interesting. It helps that our instructor does not necessarily follow the "pills and doctors are the only way" mentality. Mixed in with learning about generic drug names vs trade names was discussion on herbal medicine and other non-western medicine approaches. She also talked with us about medication errors, and personal flaws of some past nursing cohorts. Not in a bad way, but letting us know that some nurses will go to great lengths to divert medications, and you are often shocked that nurses you really thought were completely upstanding may have dark secrets.

I felt that both instructors really wanted us to succeed, and enjoy teaching. And, they made it all seem not so scary. Which is sort of scary.

Yay! I made it!

Today was our final orientation into the nursing program. There has been much printing of pages and other preparations going on at my house. We were instructed to print and bring both the student handbook and clinical handbooks, to the tune of 70 pages each. The classroom was a-buzz with excitement. People introducing themselves, comparing stories and wondering about just what kind of adventure we had signed ourselves up for.

We were scheduled for 2 hours, but ended up finishing in just over an hour. It was really nice to reconnect with classmates, and my work study people. We also managed to spend some time with the year two nursing students and let them reassure us that we would survive this.

My husband has noticed that now that we are nursing students instead of general students, we all kind of group together and almost seem not to notice the non-nursing students anymore. I know this is more obvious for him than it is for me, as my work study position doesn't have me interacting with the students a whole lot anyway, and his is very student oriented. I think, for the most part, this banding together is normal. For over a year we have all been competing for slots in the nursing program. Now, we have made it, the competition is over. Now, we can focus on working together to get through these next 18 months. The last 2 graduating classes haven't lost a single student. I hope our class can achieve the same.

Today was not done with the completion of orientation. Next was the long wait in the Financial Aid line, all of us hoping that this quarter our grants and scholarships and loans had been processed correctly and there would be a check waiting. My luck was better than my husbands. I'm not sure we would know what to do if both of our checks was correct on the first day of class, how could we miss out on our quarterly visit with our favorite Financial Aid person?

The next order of business was finishing up getting the kids paperwork for their before and after school care program filled out and turned in. Another 30 pages from the printer, and one hand cramp later; I can't help but think there has to be a more efficient way to do this? Why do we need paperwork in triplicate for each of my 3 children?

Paperwork complete, I headed in to visit my doctor and rolled up my sleeve for my third, and last!, Hepatitis vaccine. I'm so glad to have that over with! Now, with luck, I can stay out of the doctors office long enough for people to not know my name and birthday by heart.

Upon arriving home I found e-mails from my instructors, providing syllabuses for our classes... Again, please print out and bring to the next class. Another 50 pages each, for myself and hubby puked forth from the tired printer. the printer had now informed me that I need new ink.

At least I have my financial aid check so I can afford printer ink!

Tomorrow morning we have our orientation! I should be sleeping, but I'm a bit too worked up. Not really nervous, or anxious... and not entirely excited, I can't really describe it. Whatever it is, I've been up folding laundry and puttering around the house.

Ready or not, here we go!

I wonder just how many blog posts have that title today? Probably a huge majority.

The last two days of the year were spent tying up lose ends in preparation for starting school on Monday. We managed to get everything done, with one small exception that I hope to finish up with on Monday.

On the 30th Mike and I drove in to Seattle to complete our CPR for health care providers. I had not previously taken the health care provider specific course, but had heard quite a bit about it from friends. The general consensus was that in many ways the health care provider course was easier than the basic CPR course. It is assumed that you know how to perform CPR, and that most likely you will be performing CPR in a hospital setting which is quite different than CPR in the field.

The instructor for this course did not follow that plan. It was the same old dummy on the floor. Everyone else has said that in their class the dummies were on the tables, as in the hospital you wont be coding people on the floor.

I tried my best, but despite a stellar performance, my dummy was still in the plastic and dead category when I left.

On the 31st we ordered our text books. I think we saved about $200 by ordering from amazon.com instead of buying from the college bookstore. We are also trying out amazon prime, so shipping was free! And, since we saved so much we treated ourselves to a couple things we thought might be helpful. We got a student nurse planner that had many great reviews, and a care plan/nursing diagnosis book that was also highly spoke of.

So, now we just have to get the house ready to be neglected and write up a meal plan for the first couple weeks.

We had a nice quiet evening at home with the kids. We ordered take out Chinese, and had root beer floats for dessert. Then we gathered around the TV to watch a movie and play wii. We received a couple fun family games for Christmas, and the kids had fun playing into the wee hours of the morning.

Just a couple days until we start classes!