Use Your Resources!

One important thing I have learned since starting nursing school is that you can't do it on your own. You can try and some do, but many are not successful. What do I mean by doing it on your own? Not using your resources! And what are your resources? All the instructors within your program, study groups, exam blueprints, your fellow classmates, other nursing students in your program, supplemental materials. They're all important!

Recently, I was having a little trouble with a certain subject...electrolytes! The instructor who went over electrolytes was all over the place in lecture. Nothing was sinking in! Reading helped a bit, but not to the point I needed. So I asked my clinical instructor to go over it with our clinical group. We all had this AHA! moment when he began explaining things. Especially when he started relating it to patient care.

This is just one simple example of using resources. Don't rely on just your notes and textbooks. If you need help, ask for it. Go to the other resources. Your report card will thank you!

Just an update...

I do actually plan to blog. Like a real blog post. Not an excuse post. A real post. Soon. After I plow through some of this work. Holy poo, there is a ton of it.

Practice, Practice, Practice

"Practice makes perfect." I have always hated that saying. Mainly because I can be kind of lazy. BUT in the world of nursing and nursing school, you have to practice.

My 1st semester of nursing school was last semester, Spring 2013. In that semester, I learned how to place urinary catheters, administer medications via injection, give oxygen, how to do aspectic technique, and place a nasogastric tube. That's a lot of stuff. And then my first semester was over and I had a lovely, loooooooooong summer break. WHICH MEANS not a lot of practice going on!

Well, I am back in school for my second semester. And this past week and last week, we have been reviewing and practicing. I am beyond grateful for the review. It helped reinforce everything I learned last semester. It all came flooding back to me. But I can't help but think what if it didn't? This is where practice comes in. So practice your skills, read up on the procedure, and keep it fresh in your head!

Personal Struggles in Nursing School

In nursing school, we explore a variety of content. And there will be times where a nursing student will relate to it - on some level. I have seen students in my classes get emotional about certain topics, I have seen topics affect my friends, and this past week, the content affected me. The important thing about all of this is how you will use it once you become a nurse.

I am currently in my med-surg class. Right now, our topic is on OB. OB is definitely an interesting topic. And I didn't feel any effect from it the first day when we were discussing a typical, textbook birth. The following day, we went over augmentation and interventions in the labor process as well as cesarean section. And that is where I had a moment

You see, I have 2 kids. My son was born eight years ago. I went into labor and when I arrived at the hospital, I was dilated to a 4. However, the admitting people put me into an observation room until a birthing suite was ready. There were other women in there - one with her 3 kids. They were running around and my focus was thrown out the window. The pain got intense and I asked for an epidural. The problem with epidurals is that they can slow labor down and that happened to me. And from there out, my labor was augmented and I had multiple interventions. I feel those interventions helped lead to a c-section.

With my daughter, I had hoped to have a VBAC ( vaginal birth after cesarean). My OB/GYN was 100% on board with this. But for a multitude of reasons, I ended up having to have a repeat section. Yes, at the end of the day, I had 2 beautiful, healthy babies. But my plans for my births were not what I imagined and it makes me sad. Labor and delivery isn't just about healthy babies, it also about moms and their feelings.

So what am I going to take away from this? Should I ever become an L&D nurse, I know that I will advocate for my patients and their birth plans. I know that I will be able to be empathetic to a mother that cannot have her baby vaginally. I know that I will be able to a better nurse to my patients.

Ask Me Anything

No really. I don't mind.

http://ask.fm/RamblingSN

So You're About To Start Nursing School

For many of us, school starts back up in the next week or two. And if you are about to start nursing school, I am sure you are nervous. I know I was. So I thought I would offer a few more tips to get you ready.

• Get everything ready the night before school starts. You do not want to be scrambling in the morning. You'll want your tablet or laptop, books, notebooks, planner, pens, pencils, etc. Pick out your clothes/scrubs, sock, shoes, everything! 

•  Get some sleep the night before. You want to be well-rested! Take a melatonin, some Z-Quil, drink warm milk. Not necessarily all of them of course! 

•  Do not expect the first week to be syllabus week! You will go over the syllabus on the first class, but then you jump right into lecture. If you get your syllabus ahead of time, go over it and read the assigned reading before class. 

• Sit in the front row or as close as possible. It forces you to pay attention and ask questions if you're confused. 

• Your instructors may not let you record the lectures. So make sure to listen extra carefully and take good notes. If you write your notes short-hand, make sure you can interpret them. I personally would rather take notes on my laptop, since I can type faster than I can write. But then I go home and write down key points. Physically writing information down has been shown to stay fresher in the mind than just typing. 

•  Keep up with the reading! Nursing school isn't like other classes where you only need to study sometimes. Studying should be an everyday thing. 

• Nursing school isn't just memorization. It's about understanding concepts and how to apply them to nursing situations. Your instructors will guide you into this process. 

I hope this helped some and if you have any questions, please feel free to comment! 

Things to Know Before You Start Nursing School!

New Nursing Tips

Buy a planner and use it, even if you're the type to use an electronic calendar. It's a good place to write down assignments until you can transfer it over. Plus, if you can't access your computer or phone, you'll have another place with the information.

ASK QUESTIONS! If you need help, ask your instructors or students in a semester or 2 ahead of you. If you're nervous about asking for help in front of your class, talk to your instructors during their office hours.

Read the chapters before lecture. No really. It helps so much with understanding your lecture content. It will help cement the concepts rather than sounding like Greek to you.

Buy a drug guide with an online/digital version of it. Believe me, it is worth it. You will be doing a lot of drug concept maps and copying and pasting over information saves you tons of time!

Use your lab time! And use it wisely. Remember in chem lab or A&P lab when you were trying to get through it as fast as possible? Yeah, you don't want to do that in your labs. Take the time to practice your skills because you will be tested on them. For instance, inserting catheters is a sterile procedure. One mistake and you have to start all over again. If you're having trouble, ask your instructors to give you tips and tricks.

You might gain weight in nursing school. You spend lots of time sitting and studying. You grab junk because it's faster. You might eat because you're stressed. BUT, you don't have to gain weight. Eat sensibly, pack your lunch on school and clinical days, grab nutrient dense snacks over the crap, and avoid the vending machines at all costs! Also, exercise! It's a great stress relief.

Take care of your whites and by whites, I mean your clinical scrubs. Oxyclean is great for keeping whites white. Bleach can actually make whites look dingy. Use peroxide for blood and hairspray for ink stains. Throwing a damp washcloth in with your scrubs in the dryer can help remove wrinkles! Oh and as for underthings, wear flesh toned undies and bras. They are less likely to show up under your scrubs.

Make friends/be nice with everyone in your nursing class. Even if you don't like them. Why? Well, first of all, you're stuck with them for the next 2 years. And secondly, they might have some awesome studying tips, tricks, notes, etc. Or they'll become part of your study group.

Find a carpool group if you don't live close to your campus. Why? You save on gas/money, it's better for the environment, and you have an instant study group on test days!
Buy yourself some smelly lip balm and dab some under your nose when you need to change a patient's smelly brief. It helps with the gaggy smell. I like this one!