I had a really hard time our first day back. I could not get to sleep last night and had to wake up early for class and then headed straight to work. Now I am at home studying for my Pharm test - psychopharm. I started thinking about Daniel Johnston and of course googled him. I found a couple of cool youtub videos. This is called a brainbreak.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Sping Break
Well, what can I say – it has been a while. Last week I was on spring break and just didn’t get around to blogging and the week before I was studying for finals, so I just didn’t get around to it.
We take some of our classes in eight-week blocks. I just wrapped up the first of these – Health Assessment. This is one of two classes needed to take the CNA exam – not that I am interested in doing this but it is an option. My instructor Tammy – is really great and I already miss her. I will see her again near the end of my program. At the conclusion of class she gave an optional lecture on things we can do now, as students, to help job opportunities in the future. It was really helpful and informative. One of the things that came out during that lecture and in other instances is this idea that we (recent graduates) should work a couple of years before choosing a specialty area to get a Masters degree in. And for the most part I agree – if your goal is to be a nurse. But for me, and I feel like such a snob saying it but I don’t want to be a nurse. I want to be a midwife. That is my goal. So with any luck I will not be working as a nurse for two years or any length of time but jump right into my program to become a nurse. Sorry – that was probably more cathartic for me than informative to anyone that might be reading.
Over the break I got word that I have been assigned to OB/GYN for my first clinical. Not that I see myself working for an OB but I would have liked to do this rotation a little later in my nursing school career. I guess I have the feeling it will be hard to impress anyone with my limited knowledge and skills. What can you do? It’ll be fun, I am excited. I am not excited that I have been separated from my nursing school buddy. Again, what can you do?
My main goals for spring break were to start a garden, alter my scrub pants, and complete my schematic assignment for Patho. I did in fact start my garden. We dug up the earth and made a little fence to keep the dogs out, and also started seedlings in the basement. My cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts have already started sprouting – in less than a week. I also pulled weeds in my flower bed and along the walkway on the side of my house. Weeds are the bane of my existence. Last night I altered my scrub pants, as well as sewed a button on one of my blouses that has been hanging around my sewing room for some time, and fixed another blouse where the button hole ripped. I also tried to fix a hole in a new sweater. It doesn’t look very good but really – what to do with a hole? And just because, I bought an awesome pattern for a skirt from Fancy Tiger that I love and started cutting out all of my pieces. I need to buy more fabric to complete the project but hey a start is pretty good. Lastly, my schematic assignment, I have not completed or really started for that matter. I have thought about it a lot and have done some research but nothing I have found is really that helpful. I went to the public library last night but didn’t quite find what I was looking for. My next stop is the school library. So I am not quite there but on my way.
I am hoping to end my spring break by putting some seeds in the ground, studying for the Pharm exam I have on Tuesday, prepping for my new class for the block – Fundamentals of Nursing, and preparing for the Arrested Development Trivia to take place next Saturday. By the way, my trivia team has not won in two weeks – WTS? Another by the way, I hate, hate, hate when teachers assign reading, assignments, send emails, etc. during break. I mean come on – class hasn’t even started yet. Just let me enjoy my time off.
Blooms on one of the trees I planted last year.
The weather has been beautiful in Denver. My plants and trees from last year are starting to bloom. I am hoping to start riding my bike to school. I am really slow and don’t really have a great bike for this but again, what are you gonna do? I hope the warm weather is here to stay, and I hope everyone get s a chance to enjoy it. In my neighborhood the bulbs are starting to bloom – it is my favorite spring event. What’s yours?
We take some of our classes in eight-week blocks. I just wrapped up the first of these – Health Assessment. This is one of two classes needed to take the CNA exam – not that I am interested in doing this but it is an option. My instructor Tammy – is really great and I already miss her. I will see her again near the end of my program. At the conclusion of class she gave an optional lecture on things we can do now, as students, to help job opportunities in the future. It was really helpful and informative. One of the things that came out during that lecture and in other instances is this idea that we (recent graduates) should work a couple of years before choosing a specialty area to get a Masters degree in. And for the most part I agree – if your goal is to be a nurse. But for me, and I feel like such a snob saying it but I don’t want to be a nurse. I want to be a midwife. That is my goal. So with any luck I will not be working as a nurse for two years or any length of time but jump right into my program to become a nurse. Sorry – that was probably more cathartic for me than informative to anyone that might be reading.
Over the break I got word that I have been assigned to OB/GYN for my first clinical. Not that I see myself working for an OB but I would have liked to do this rotation a little later in my nursing school career. I guess I have the feeling it will be hard to impress anyone with my limited knowledge and skills. What can you do? It’ll be fun, I am excited. I am not excited that I have been separated from my nursing school buddy. Again, what can you do?
My main goals for spring break were to start a garden, alter my scrub pants, and complete my schematic assignment for Patho. I did in fact start my garden. We dug up the earth and made a little fence to keep the dogs out, and also started seedlings in the basement. My cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts have already started sprouting – in less than a week. I also pulled weeds in my flower bed and along the walkway on the side of my house. Weeds are the bane of my existence. Last night I altered my scrub pants, as well as sewed a button on one of my blouses that has been hanging around my sewing room for some time, and fixed another blouse where the button hole ripped. I also tried to fix a hole in a new sweater. It doesn’t look very good but really – what to do with a hole? And just because, I bought an awesome pattern for a skirt from Fancy Tiger that I love and started cutting out all of my pieces. I need to buy more fabric to complete the project but hey a start is pretty good. Lastly, my schematic assignment, I have not completed or really started for that matter. I have thought about it a lot and have done some research but nothing I have found is really that helpful. I went to the public library last night but didn’t quite find what I was looking for. My next stop is the school library. So I am not quite there but on my way.
I am hoping to end my spring break by putting some seeds in the ground, studying for the Pharm exam I have on Tuesday, prepping for my new class for the block – Fundamentals of Nursing, and preparing for the Arrested Development Trivia to take place next Saturday. By the way, my trivia team has not won in two weeks – WTS? Another by the way, I hate, hate, hate when teachers assign reading, assignments, send emails, etc. during break. I mean come on – class hasn’t even started yet. Just let me enjoy my time off.
The weather has been beautiful in Denver. My plants and trees from last year are starting to bloom. I am hoping to start riding my bike to school. I am really slow and don’t really have a great bike for this but again, what are you gonna do? I hope the warm weather is here to stay, and I hope everyone get s a chance to enjoy it. In my neighborhood the bulbs are starting to bloom – it is my favorite spring event. What’s yours?
Sunday, March 6, 2011
I can already start to see...
Weel I just wrapped up week six, only two more weeks till Spring Break . I am still struggling with the same things I have been in the past weeks and have not worked out in something like 6 weeks, and I again have vowed to make it better...
My trivia came in 5th this week - which sucks. I am a sore loser and it sucked. Always next week.
Tonight my husband and I are going to Table 6 with our friends for Restaurant week - really excited.
So that's the week but I thought I would change things up and blog about other things nursing students, or in the case nursing hopefuls want to know.
Getting In to Nursing Schools:
When I started looking into applying for nursing schools I was limited by my options because I didn't want to move and I needed an BSN in order to move on to get my Masters. (Some of the Masters programs I looked at have RN to Masters programs, but not very many). I have to admit I was completely overwhelmed. My undergrad degree is in Elementary Education and I didn't have any of the prerequisites. I took one prereq per semester for 2 years: Anatomy, Physiology, Stats, and Microbiology. These classes really intimidated me. I had never been a "science" person and assumed that I couldn't be. Turns out - I am. I did awesome and knew that I pretty much needed to nail these classes because the grades I received in these classes are the first thing CU looked at for admittance. I received 3 As and 1 B. Once I had finished up my prereqs I was finally able to apply.
Initially CU was my only choice. My husband was still in grad school and we really weren't in a position to move. There was a reason I didn't apply to Regis, but I can't remember it now. I applied and I was really frustrated at the whole process. According to the information they give they select applicants based on 1) your gpa in the 4 classes I mentioned above, 2) your overall gpa, and 2) your essay, no letters of recommendation, no test. I took a few prereqs with a person who had a BS in biology and a Masters in Public Health, but her gpa was lower than mine. In the eyes of the school I am more qualified than she is but to me she is way more qualified than me. However, I have yet to see her at school. I don't know if she got in. The essay I mentioned was a really basic entrance essay (in my case, but it changes). It asked about cultural differences, critical thinking, and one other I can't recall. But the thing with the essay was the length - it asked three questions and it had to be answered in one page. I felt is though they really didn't want to know anything about me but more or less, can this person write well.
At the time I applied, CU was selecting for the year, the class that started in June and the class that started in January. I submitted my application and sesveral months later I received word that I had not been accepted. BUT, they were changing they acceptance cycle and that they were only selecing the class starting in June and my application would be rolled over. Needless to say, I was devistated. Before I applied I had gone to their information session and was told they received something like 350 applications and accepted something like 210. So a pretty high acceptance rrate. After hearing the bad news, I called to see what I could have done, where I ranked, etc. I called and she said they had received an overwhelming number of applicants, something like 700, and because of the change in they process only accepted 100. A much smaller acceptance rate.
After going through a brief period of depression (why not me, I suck! if they don't who will... kind of thoughts), I pulled myself up via my bootsraps and made a list. The list was, places we would want to live, and schools that had BSN and CNM (Certified Nursee Midwife) programs - if we were moving, we were only going to do it once. When that listed was narrowed down - added to it were the prereqs that their programs called for, and other pertinent application information. What became the final list, was the most ridiculous list of hard to get in schools you can imagine. My top choice was UCSF (the only one that I applied to and didn't not get in), followed by OHSU (Oregon Health and Sciences University), Yale, Columbia, NYU, Penn State, and one of the universities in Chicago, I can't recall the name. If I though I was overwhelmed before - now I was really overwhelmed. These were some of the toughest schools to get into, and I had a whole new prereq list. I literally took a semster full of prereqs; Genetics, Nutrition, Human Development, Chemistry lab and the fun one I took for me, Spanish III. I could have taken a whole semester more of prereqs - research methods, the rest of human development, Penn wanted 1 more credit of chemistry than I had, etc.
But, in early October that I didn't need to take any more prereqs, that I had been accepted, and would be starting in January. I can't tell you why or how, why not the first time. I had the option to resubmit by essay but decided not to. My overall gpa was 3.69. For most people this is fine, and for me and my previous life, studying elementary education - gpa was the last thing I worried about. But it is in my life now, as I think about Masters programs, I am daunted once more.
My advice: be yourself. If you are able to retake bad grades, and you think it might help, not only your chances of admittance, but your knowledge, do it, and don't think twice about it. I think we all have classes that we took at 19, and hated and squeeked by with a C. Maybe this time you can get something more out of it. Follow instructions. Ask people to review your letter. Not only for grammar errors but also for content clarity, and compare to what they are asking. Is it addressing the questions being asked.
Another thing I want to say about the process for me was the idea of following my dreams. It is one thing to say I am going to be a good nurse for this reason, but I can't. I don't know what kind of nurse I want to be. What I can say is that I want to follow my dream, and that dream starts with you and you letting me in to your school. Now, let me in! And, of course, we can't do that, and it is frustrating. I wish we could say what we really want to say. I hope that this is helpful and good luck.
One more thing, one of the blogs I read addressed college admittance and the application process so eloquently, I really want to share. She is in a different stage in her life, but has really great insight. You can find the entry I am thinking of here. Also check out her other entries and story - it is inspiring, heart breaking and heart warming all at the same time.
My trivia came in 5th this week - which sucks. I am a sore loser and it sucked. Always next week.
Tonight my husband and I are going to Table 6 with our friends for Restaurant week - really excited.
So that's the week but I thought I would change things up and blog about other things nursing students, or in the case nursing hopefuls want to know.
Getting In to Nursing Schools:
When I started looking into applying for nursing schools I was limited by my options because I didn't want to move and I needed an BSN in order to move on to get my Masters. (Some of the Masters programs I looked at have RN to Masters programs, but not very many). I have to admit I was completely overwhelmed. My undergrad degree is in Elementary Education and I didn't have any of the prerequisites. I took one prereq per semester for 2 years: Anatomy, Physiology, Stats, and Microbiology. These classes really intimidated me. I had never been a "science" person and assumed that I couldn't be. Turns out - I am. I did awesome and knew that I pretty much needed to nail these classes because the grades I received in these classes are the first thing CU looked at for admittance. I received 3 As and 1 B. Once I had finished up my prereqs I was finally able to apply.
Initially CU was my only choice. My husband was still in grad school and we really weren't in a position to move. There was a reason I didn't apply to Regis, but I can't remember it now. I applied and I was really frustrated at the whole process. According to the information they give they select applicants based on 1) your gpa in the 4 classes I mentioned above, 2) your overall gpa, and 2) your essay, no letters of recommendation, no test. I took a few prereqs with a person who had a BS in biology and a Masters in Public Health, but her gpa was lower than mine. In the eyes of the school I am more qualified than she is but to me she is way more qualified than me. However, I have yet to see her at school. I don't know if she got in. The essay I mentioned was a really basic entrance essay (in my case, but it changes). It asked about cultural differences, critical thinking, and one other I can't recall. But the thing with the essay was the length - it asked three questions and it had to be answered in one page. I felt is though they really didn't want to know anything about me but more or less, can this person write well.
At the time I applied, CU was selecting for the year, the class that started in June and the class that started in January. I submitted my application and sesveral months later I received word that I had not been accepted. BUT, they were changing they acceptance cycle and that they were only selecing the class starting in June and my application would be rolled over. Needless to say, I was devistated. Before I applied I had gone to their information session and was told they received something like 350 applications and accepted something like 210. So a pretty high acceptance rrate. After hearing the bad news, I called to see what I could have done, where I ranked, etc. I called and she said they had received an overwhelming number of applicants, something like 700, and because of the change in they process only accepted 100. A much smaller acceptance rate.
After going through a brief period of depression (why not me, I suck! if they don't who will... kind of thoughts), I pulled myself up via my bootsraps and made a list. The list was, places we would want to live, and schools that had BSN and CNM (Certified Nursee Midwife) programs - if we were moving, we were only going to do it once. When that listed was narrowed down - added to it were the prereqs that their programs called for, and other pertinent application information. What became the final list, was the most ridiculous list of hard to get in schools you can imagine. My top choice was UCSF (the only one that I applied to and didn't not get in), followed by OHSU (Oregon Health and Sciences University), Yale, Columbia, NYU, Penn State, and one of the universities in Chicago, I can't recall the name. If I though I was overwhelmed before - now I was really overwhelmed. These were some of the toughest schools to get into, and I had a whole new prereq list. I literally took a semster full of prereqs; Genetics, Nutrition, Human Development, Chemistry lab and the fun one I took for me, Spanish III. I could have taken a whole semester more of prereqs - research methods, the rest of human development, Penn wanted 1 more credit of chemistry than I had, etc.
But, in early October that I didn't need to take any more prereqs, that I had been accepted, and would be starting in January. I can't tell you why or how, why not the first time. I had the option to resubmit by essay but decided not to. My overall gpa was 3.69. For most people this is fine, and for me and my previous life, studying elementary education - gpa was the last thing I worried about. But it is in my life now, as I think about Masters programs, I am daunted once more.
My advice: be yourself. If you are able to retake bad grades, and you think it might help, not only your chances of admittance, but your knowledge, do it, and don't think twice about it. I think we all have classes that we took at 19, and hated and squeeked by with a C. Maybe this time you can get something more out of it. Follow instructions. Ask people to review your letter. Not only for grammar errors but also for content clarity, and compare to what they are asking. Is it addressing the questions being asked.
Another thing I want to say about the process for me was the idea of following my dreams. It is one thing to say I am going to be a good nurse for this reason, but I can't. I don't know what kind of nurse I want to be. What I can say is that I want to follow my dream, and that dream starts with you and you letting me in to your school. Now, let me in! And, of course, we can't do that, and it is frustrating. I wish we could say what we really want to say. I hope that this is helpful and good luck.
One more thing, one of the blogs I read addressed college admittance and the application process so eloquently, I really want to share. She is in a different stage in her life, but has really great insight. You can find the entry I am thinking of here. Also check out her other entries and story - it is inspiring, heart breaking and heart warming all at the same time.
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