merry christmas :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Eddie's family was way too good to me this year! I got a lot more than I asked for - I think too much! Four of my favorite gifts:

+ my fiance coming home :) <- this is like the best Christmas present of all!

+ a Vera Bradley Betsy from Eddie's sister husband in Imperial Toile. I actually don't have this pattern yet and I really like it, I just never bought anything in it! He picked it out himself and I love it :)

+ TomTom GPS from Eddie - this will be very helpful especially when I trek out to Missouri and also when I move to Texas.

+ This wine serving set from Eddie's dad that was actually on our wedding registry haha. It comes with 4 wine glasses, a wine glass rack and a bucket to chill your bottle in :)

I just realized that next Christmas will probably suck, because there will be a good chance that Eddie will be deployed (he is trying to deploy as soon as he can, grrr...) and hopefully I will have a big kid job by then, so I will probably have to work on Christmas. Ohhhhh well!

1 more day of work 2010 (tomorrow!!) and then HOPEFULLY seeing my fiance tomorrow night - if not then definitely for Christmas eve! Can't wait!

I went to Ulta today (again) to first return this Smashbox foundation which was too orangey on me so I got a lighter shade to try. I also picked up some UDPP, a Tarte 4-in-1 concealer and I was on the hunt for another spot treatment, so one of the SA's recommended Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion.

She told me this has been in many beauty magazines and a lot of people swear by it. It's $17 for a 1.0-oz bottle. Basically smells like calamine, which is one of the ingredients. You just take a Q-tip, dip it into the bottle and then apply it to your blemishes. I dipped mine in the pink calamine stuff (I don't know if you're supposed to) and put it on my face...now I've got spots and look ridiculous haha. I've read somewhere that this is more so for pustule acne (and while I occasionally get those, mine is more of the red/minor inflammatory stuff)...but we'll see!

I'm also starting to study for my boards. Slowly but surely. Its rough, because this stuff can be quite boring! lol...I also love looking at this while I study and make my notecards :)

I still need to send in my shiz (application for licensure + registering for the NCLEX...FYI, Ohio's application is only $75, New York is $143 and Texas is freakin $200 :(...NCLEX is another $200... + fingerprints, which are like $57, boo!)...but of course I don't want to do that until I know FOR SURE WHERE I AM LIVING. Once again Eddie said Texas is only a possibility, after he told me we were for sure going there! Grrrr! I should find out during the first or second week of January, though.

still can't decide.

I still can't decide on what to do.

It shouldn't be this hard. I seriously think that sometimes I have a hard time making decisions haha.

Eddie proposed the idea of getting legally married when he comes back for Christmas/New Year's. There are many benefits to this:

* an extra $1500/mo. that he'll be making just for being married. it goes to him but it's for me, I guess you could say. He said he would give me $2000 when he comes back (if we do this) to help tie me over, which can be used to help pay rent if I end up being short on money for a month or for more wedding stuff.

* an estimated $7500 would be made by May, but with taxes it would be more like $3000 + whatever I don't use (basically around $5000 if I don't spend anything). This could be used towards a honeymoon as well as extra money in the bank in case we need it for whatever reason.

* I also probably won't be working right off the bat when we move. So this will help.

* I can jump on his health insurance. I'm currently on my mom's, but then she wouldn't have to pay for me any more and that's more money she'll save.

* Changing my name now will save me from having to deal with it later. As of now we're planning on leaving the day after the wedding because it's about a 22 hour drive to Texas. All we'll have to do is go to the BMV and get new driver's licenses.

* This will also help with my RN license. It is such a pain in the ass to change your name on a license like that, at least in Ohio. if I sit for my NCLEX in March, I'm going to have to go through the whole name change process 2 months later anyway.

I probably wouldn't make this entirely public...just let closer friends/family know. I would have to change my name on all of my ID's and everything, but that doesn't mean I have to change my Facebook name (the name that matters, I think! lol). And with all of this shiz with the wedding bands I probably won't have one to wear for awhile so as my roommate said, it's even easier to hide lol.

Everyone says go for it. My mom said ultimately it is my decision but she feels it would "take away" from the wedding ceremony. I don't think it will because Eddie will only be here for a week and then he goes back to MO. I'll see him very little between January-May. Even if I legally change my name, I probably won't "feel" married until after the actual wedding ceremony. A friend of mine did this and in no way did this "take away" from her wedding day. I honestly think it's my mom that is keeping me from making this decision.

On a side note, work kind of sucked yesterday. Normally the ICU stepdown unit isn't bad. I was actually expecting to float to sit because that is what happened to me the past few times I picked up on that floor. One of the NA's called in sick so I had the floor. It was just one of those days where you constantly had to play "catch up" with everything - all of my work got done but I was constantly behind on everything. Then of course, I forgot to clock out at the end of my shift lol.

Only 3 more work days for 2010! :)

I also bought a dress! It's all black with beading detail on the straps and underneath the bust, but you can't see that in these pictures. It's got kind of like a ruching/pleating detail down the center. It's also form-fitting, which I kind of like. Only $69.99 @ Dillard's!

Don't mind my bug-eyed expression haha.

And the side:

I love it and can't wait to wear it!

I had all of these options for shoes but go figure I couldn't find any of them and I wanted to have shoes as soon as possible, so I just bought these pink leopard print ones from Kohl's:

They weren't my first choice but when I saw them in person I loved them even more! And best of all, these $54.99 shoes were only like $14 :)

6 more days until my fiance comes home!

Yesterday at work (for the mere 4 hours I was there lol) we just got a fresh post-op GSW to the face. He had a trach with a ballard suctioning system, which is basically an enclosed suctioning device. They're nice (and save time!) because since it is enclosed, it is sterile and non-sterile gloves aren't going to break the sterile field. This also means you don't have to bring in a new sterile suctioning kit every time you want to suction someone.

The seasoned RN, who works on an orthopedic floor, has never seen these before or worked with them. I got to do my teaching moment by showing her how to use it. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks, though it must have been embarrassing for her because the family members were in the room. Generally people look up to RN's as the "know-it-all" people - and my badge definitely does not say "RN" in big black bold letters.

8 more days until Christmas, and that means 8 more days until I get to see my fiance! That is seriously like the best Christmas present ever :)

I'm graduating!

After waiting an agonizing 10 days for my nursing research final exam grade (the ONE test that would determine if I graduate or not)...I received my fate this morning and ended up with a 94% on the final! The instructors must have done some SERIOUS curving because I was certain I failed that test. With that said, I am GRADUATING FROM NURSING SCHOOL WITH MY BSN ON SATURDAY!!!!

THANK YOU to everyone who believed in me and set me straight and proved me wrong by telling me to "shut up and stop worrying because you'll make it," and I did! I couldn't be happier! I'm so excited to conclude this chapter of my life. Now I have some time to RELAX, start studying for boards, take my NCLEX class starting at the end of January, work in between and plan my wedding!

Halle-freakin-lujah! :D

:)

Long overdue (like over 2 months lol) but I'm engaged! And I think he did a fabulous job on the ring :) The date and the church/reception hall and other details are already set!

And on another note, this upcoming nursing research final that I have on Monday might just be the death of me.

1 week down, 15 more to go...

I already made it through 1 week of my final semester and I am already really stressed out.

Peds doesn't seem bad, but we have to remember all of the growth & development stuff which can get really confusing and there is a ton of information. Other than that we talked about fluid & electrolyte problems as well as pain management in kids. I believe this week we're going over respiratory and cardiac disorders :)

We didn't do much in clinical aside from your "typical" first day - computer class, getting ID badges, touring the unit, etc. I am on 6100, which is the school-age floor (ages 6-12). They have telemetry monitoring, so occasionally they will get a toddler or infant on the floor if they need tele. The nurses seem very nice along with my clinical instructor. One of my good friends also works on that floor as a tech which will be really nice :) We also took tours on the PICU, NICU, burn unit & ER and saw their life flight helicopter, called the "Air Bear:"

No other helicopter out there has a giant teddy bear on it with stars. I have no idea how I am going to be with kids because I haven't been around kids much while growing up, but I love how this hospital is so "kid friendly." EVERYTHING is decorated - the portable x-ray machines, other equipment...even their helicopter! And who knows, maybe I will love this rotation by the time I finish it. Maybe I want to be a PICU nurse when I grow all the way up.

The one class that terrifies me is nursing research. Not only is it sooooooo boring, but they only gives us ONE shot to pass that stupid final - we need a 74% of higher. Every nursing class we have all have different rules to passing, and most of them say obtaining an average on all of the tests or on the tests and all coursework. For this class, it's just the final. The other grades will not be taken into consideration unless you pass. If you fail the final, you automatically fail the class - no ifs, ands, or buts. It's scary, because this could be the one class that will set me back another semester. I really need to finish this semester!!!

I am also taking an area studies and a humanities option - The Black Experience and Bach to Rock. The Black Experience seems pretty easy. We have to do a presentation (which I *HATE*!) but the class itself is only 8 weeks which is really nice. Bach to Rock is for the entire semester. I have that every saturday from 8-11am but our instructor already told us that we won't be there the whole time. I can already tell that this class will be RIDICULOUSLY easy. It's nice to have easy classes with my really hard ones. The building that it is in, however, is the most confusing and most poorly-designed building I have ever been in.

I also caved in and bought a pair of Dansko clogs the other day :) They're just plain black - the same ones I posted a picture of a few posts back. I work tomorrow on my floor from 3-7pm so I can't wait to wear them and start breaking them in :)

rant about my coworker...

Okay so the second to last time I was on my floor, it was pretty busy. I admit, the charge nurse didn't assign patients the way she should have. One of the RN's had 2 patients the entire day while the CN had 5. She was complaining that she was very stressed out and didn't have time for a break. In that case, you shouldn't have given yourself so many patients while the other RN's were waiting! That was an error on her part.

I do like working with this nurse, however. She always has "fun" things for me to do - blood draws, dressing changes, wound cultures, etc. That is the main reason why I wanted this job was to get EXPERIENCE in things like that. Half of the time I feel like I'm a "glorified" nursing assistant. The one nurse who had 2 patients kept telling me not to help the CN and that they needed help on the other hand. There was another aide on the other side and he immediately got talked to when he went down to my side to answer a call light, being told NOT to go down to my side and that they needed him on their side. You have *2* patients.

The CN came up to me and told me to do a dressing change (although simple - xenaderm then apply mesalt to the area), get wound cultures on her big toe and then wrap the toe. Right after she told me that, the RN with 2 patients got a new admit. She came up to me and said, "hey, can you get vitals on this patient?" I looked at her because I was on my way to the other pt with all of the dressing supplies and wound culture swabs in my hand, and without me saying a word the RN said, "by the way, that trumps what the CN said. go get vitals."

That pissed me off. What pissed me off even more is that my roommate is a new RN at the hospital I work at. She is currently going through her orientation and yesterday they were going through a list of what techs can and cannot do. One of the things we ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO is get vitals on a new admit, because vitals are part of an assessment and that is the RN's job. I get them anyway, but I just think it was really rude for that nurse to say that.

Ever since then she has rubbed me off the wrong way. I worked with her again yesterday but pretty much ignored her lol...because she is orienting a new grad and she is to the point where the new grad has taken over care and this nurse just sort of oversees it - so every time I had to report something, I went to the new grad.

Some nurses are appreciative of my work; others are like "go do this. go do that." I am *ONE* person - I cannot be in all of these places at once. I don't seem to get this from the nurses in the MSICU or ICU stepdown that I tend to float to a lot.

I have to go back to work today, but only for four hours. That's the nice thing about being a tech - we can come in for shifts like that or come in at odd times if we have class or something (one time I came in from 5-11).

I also just got my course information for peds (but of course nothing else for the others). Seems like a lot of busy work to me!!

I CANNOT believe that I am going back to school in a week! I am very excited, but I think that's because I just want to be done!!

In the meantime, I have just been enjoying time off as well as working as much as I can before school starts because once that happens, I won't be able to work nearly as much. I have been floating a lot to my hospital's ICU stepdown unit which I LOVE. The nurses on my home floor treat me well, but the nurses on the stepdown treat me even better. I just love the whole nature of the floor and the fact that it is still critical care also makes me really happy because that's what I want to do when I graduate! Unfortunately the floor isn't hiring despite the fact a full-timer quit and a part-timer just put in their 2 week notice to quit...but they keep calling me to come in so they obviously must like me :)

For those who don't know, the ICU is for the critically-ill patients. You get patients with traumas (MVA's, GSW's, impalements, etc...generally those go to the SICU, or surgical ICU) as well those with critical diagnoses, such as ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) which generally leads to intubation and having the patient on a ventilator, drug OD's/toxicities, DIC, DKA, TBI's, etc...when the patient gets better, but still needs close monitoring, they go to the stepdown unit. Sometimes you will still see ventilators, but generally patients who have trachs that are hooked up to them. Everyone is still on telemetry. You will still see things like DKA, respiratory problems, cardiac problems, guillan barre, etc. Patients aren't sedated in the stepdown like they are in the ICU. Once they get better, they are then d/c'ed to a general medical floor. It is truly amazing to see patients get better :)

The Student Nurse's Prayer

Lord: I know we go through this every day but please give me the knowledge as to why I actually wanted to go to nursing school.

Lord, give me the strength to make it through those boring three hour lectures without falling asleep.

Lord, please give me the patience to make it through twelve hour clinicals with instructors that can't just give you the right answer and on the same note, give the nurses the ability to remember what it was like to be a student and give us just a little more respect.

Lord, give me the endurance to read all the assigned readings and be able to remember it when I am taking a test with four right answers.

Lord, give my family and friends the ability to realize I really am on the edge of insanity.

Finally, Lord, give me the vision to see that one day I will be a real nurse and I will never have to wear this ugly uniform again.

~Anonymous

Today I almost gave up my Crocs Specialists for these.

They're Dansko professional clogs. I really recommend trying these out in store because

1) they come in European sizes

2) because they are apparently hand-made, each one fits differently, even if they are the same style.

Also (as a general rule-of-thumb) you should be able to fit at least one finger in the back of the shoe when it is on. They are meant to be a little loose in the back.

I wear a size 6 1/2-7 (depends on the shoe) and I was told to stick with a 37.

I was also told that even though these clogs are loved by many, it takes awhile to break them in. When I slipped them on they were comfortable, but I could see why...they're heavy and the high point in the shoe should hit in the middle of your arch. I could tell my arches would hurt after awhile of walking/standing but apparently once you get used to them, they are extremely comfortable. It is recommended to bring them, wear them for maybe half of your shift and bring another pair of shoes you normally wear to begin the breaking-in process.

I'll probably purchase these either before I graduate or as a graduation gift lol, because I already bought myself a new stethoscope lol.

Tomorrow is the College of Nursing orientation for the new sophomores. Ohhh they have no idea what they are getting themselves into jk :D

Is it sad that I am really excited for this semester to start? Maybe it's because I will be GRADUATING this semester, and also maybe because I will finally get to use my brand new Littmann Cardiology III stethoscope I purchased about a month ago. Compared to my Classic II S.E., the Cardiology III is far superior. It has a pediatric bell/diaphragm which is really nice especially since I'm taking peds my first rotation, and best of all, the stethoscope is in a plum-purple - my favorite color :)

My schedule doesn't look too bad...

1st Rotation
+ Peds lecture + clinical + LRC

+ Nursing Research
+ The Black Experience (lol stupid area studies requirements)
+ Bach to Rock (lol stupid humanities option requirements...)

2nd Rotation

+ Preceptorship - lecture is only on Wednesdays and I have to complete 120 clinical hours...so ten 12-hour shifts. I'll probably do 2-3 per week.
+ Nursing Research (only once/week)
+ Bach to Rock (Saturday mornings)

My 2nd rotation is a lot lighter.

December 11th needs to get here STAT!