Did I REALLY sign up for this??

Four of five Critical Care clinicals DONE & can I just say, I REALLY like this.  I have to be honest, between my run in with one of my clinical instructors (who as it turned out happened to be MY clinical instructor [who turned out to be super nice even after the incident]), my lackluster attitude at the beginning of the semester regarding this class & not being REMOTELY interested in critical care, I really did NOT think I was going to like this clinical. Ha! I couldn't have been MORE wrong.  Not only do I like this clinical, I'm pretty sure it's going to be top on my list to do my capstone clinicals in.  And yes, no one is more surprised than I am.  I'm not sure where my perception of critical care came from, but I was totally wrong about it.  I thought I would be grossed out by the vent care & bored with just having two patients but I was way off.  My preceptor was so awesome.  The day of cc the first thing she...

I just  have to keep reminding myself, 57 more days, 57 more days, 57 more days!!   To say that this has been the worst semester since I've started nursing school is a total understatement!  Up until this point I suppose I should consider myself lucky. I've never had any problems with any of my professors, I've made decent grades & so far I have enjoyed nursing school.  Then this semester hit me like a ton of bricks.  Between working, clinicals, class & home I am just DONE.  I have NEVER counted down the days until a semester has been over until this one.  To add company to my misery, there have been some issues at work & my home life isn't the rosiest either.......................Why?? Why when I am SO close to the end is all of this cropping up??  Please God make this 57 days pass by without any more bumps............... Sincerely,

Finally a break!! Whew.  For the semester that was supposed to be "all down hill from here" let's just say that those nursing students before me either lied, or their version of "down hill" is WAY different from my version.  Of course it could just be the rotation I was handed.  In 4th semester we have CC and Peds, but what the clinical intstructors do is divide up the rotations.  So there are three rotations.  You either have Peds or you have CC going at one time, not both.  So for me I had Peds first.  Then I have CC immediately following.   Now, while this is a CRAPLOAD of stuff at the very beginning of the semester, I do have the relief of knowing that I will have NO clinicals at the end of the semester so that I can soley focus on studying for the finals.  And the way that my grades are going this semester, I'm going to need it.  Yesterday was our first "grand rounds".  We had to do it as a group and I am SOO glad that i...

  So tomorrow is my last day of Peds clinical......While I am VERY happy to have a little break from clinical to breathe & get caught up ( and not have to get up at 4 am ), I have to admit I am TOTALLY going to miss this clinical.  I wish I could just skip all the rest of these classes & get to working in pediatrics already!!  I am so happy to have found my niche.  I have to be honest.  Up until this point I was kind of wondering if I had made the right career decision.  Of course I never wanted to be a floor nurse anyway, but even so I was really worried that I had made a bit of a mistake by choosing nursing.  Up until this clinical nothing has really sparked my interest & I had just been waiting for this clinical from the very beginning of nursing school.  I kind of knew that I would like it, but I never thought that I would fall head over heels in love with Peds.  And the cherry on top is that there is a fabulous Pediat...

Or at least listen to all of the podcasts...or maybe just study?  Either way I bombed my first CC test.  I got a 73, which I guess is better than a 53 but it's still failing in our program.  But fortunately it's nothing that I can't come back from, so I'm not too terribly bummed about it.  Had my 2nd peds clinical, LOVED it! I mean seriously, I just can't explain how much I love pediatrics.  After I get out of nursing school I don't ever, ever, EVER want to take care of an adult again.  I seriously don't.  And while I would love to get my PNP, the only program around here is at Vanderbilt, which although Vandy is an AWESOME school and very prestigous, it also comes with an AWESOME & prestigous price tag as well.  I wish there was an online course that was doable but I haven't really found any.  I found one in Alabama at USA but it's double the time of the one at Vanderbilt and you have to have 2 years of floor experienc...

So yesterday was my first day of Peds, the clinical I have been waiting for since I started nursing school was finally here.  To say I was nervous was an understatement.  I was TERRIFIED, and honestly I have no idea why.  Maybe because it was the tiny human population?  Maybe because it was VANDERBILT, maybe because I didn't get enough sleep the day/night before.  Maybe because my best friend was no longer with me in class?  Honestly, I don't know why I was so skittish but seriously I felt like I could cry at least 3 times that day.  Ok, here's a recap of how it went & why it was so terrible & wonderful at the same time. Worked 7p-7a Saturday night.  Slept on Sunday until about 1:30 then got up because I knew I had an 36 strip EKG assignment due on Tuesday & I knew I wouldn't be able to do it Monday since I had Peds clinical.  Worked on my strips for as long as I could but then I was just totally exhausted by 6 pm.  ...

 That's right, ME!!!!! Monday was the start of my senior year.  I can hardly believe that it's here.  It seemed so long ago that I started this program & now it's finally getting close to the end!!  I can't wait to get finished.  And of course I'm super excited that this semester is my Peds rotation.  It's also my Critical Care rotation, which I'm not to thrilled about.  I have come to the conclusion that I really don't like sick adults that much.  Not personally of course, I mean I want them to get better.  But I am thinking that I don't really want to take care of them. Speaking of which, I am also changing departments at work.  I'm moving out of Med/Surg & into Gero pscyh.  Med/Surg doesn't have night techs & I have found that I really like nights a WHOLE lot more than days.  So I'm moving to a dept. that allows me to work evenings & nights.  I can hardly believe that I like it the way I ...