Catching Up and Moving Forward

The thought occurred to me the other day that I should use some pent-up energy and “downtime” during this pandemic to return to writing. That being said, I think I need to start with a little catch-up considering my last post was over two years ago.

Two days after my last post about being sick and calling out, my grandmother died. My grief was overwhelming and I am honestly still to this day working through it. My grandma was a huge part of my life and with her passing, our family dynamic shifted.

A few months later our family received some good news at the announcement of my sister’s pregnancy – the first baby of the family in almost a decade and the first great-granddaughter for my grandfather! My sister prematurely delivered a beautiful baby girl at the end of 2018 and my niece brought with her a vivacity to our family that had been missing for a while.

During this time my grandfather finally decided to undergo knee replacement surgery because he wanted to be able to walk with his great-granddaughter.

Unfortunately, 2019 did not start off as well as one would have hoped. My father suffered from a heart attack a few weeks into the new year and a couple weeks after that my grandfather had his surgery but soon developed complications.

Although he was never able to walk with his great-granddaughter, I will always be grateful my grandfather spent some quality time with her before he passed.

Losing my grandfather was another huge blow to our family and made me feel like I was suspended in time. The opportunity came to switch from nightshift to dayshift and I took it thinking perhaps that was the kind of change I needed in my life to keep me moving forward.

Meanwhile my niece grew and began crawling, standing, walking, and verbalizing. I am now the proud aunt of a fiesty one year old!

A recent photo of my niece and I with a Snapchat filter which we subsequently sent to my sister at work.

It is almost needless to say, but I will anyway – life moves on. It is up to us as individuals find our way to move forward. And that is exactly what I am trying to do.

Fueling the Fire

Several months ago I admitted to feeling entirely burnt out with my job. Now I am proud to say that I have rekindled my passion – by transferring units!

The transition has not gone as smoothly as I thought, but in some ways it has gone better than I had hoped. There were some complications with scheduling and communication, but I have finally integrated entirely into the NICU. The other nurses were very welcoming and genuinely seem excited that I have joined the team. As apprehensive as I am to prove my worth, I am enjoying every minute of working with such compassionate people.

Interspersed with time on the floor are classes called “Didactic” which is defined as … Basically it is like nursing school that focuses specifically on neonates. Knowing the theory behind our practice is integral. As many nurses know, policies and standards of practice are based on evidence-based research that denotes the best practices. Needless to say, I am asking many questions and “poking” peoples’ brain often.

Focusing on one patient population has allowed me to further develop my critical thinking skills, but to be quite frank, working more closely with such a vulnerable population is the most fulfilling part of my new job. The resilience of neonates is incredibly inspirational!

Have you ever made a change in your work life that has made a major difference in your personal life? Let me know in the comments!

Impending Travel Plans

The simple thought of traveling excites me. Add in friends, new places, and a cause for celebration and one can imagine the anticipatory excitement I feel for the upcoming month. A friend of mine currently goes to college in New Orleans and I have been wanting to visit ever since he moved. By the time my friend experienced his first Mardi Gras, he was thoroughly engrossed in the culture of the “Big Easy.” His excitement about the Mardi Gras festivities was infectious and I have deemed it an item worthy of The List (#35 under Not-So-Impromptu) to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

This year, I have the good fortune to fulfill that item and I am so grateful! Mardi Gras falls on the 17th of February, the Tuesday of the second week of my spring semester. My friend is lucky enough to have the entire week of Mardi Gras off, but because I do not, I will be visiting the weekend before. It just so happens that I do not have classes Thursday or Friday, so I have the opportunity to spend an entire 4 days and 3 nights in New Orleans! My hope is that it is enough time to sight-see, visit with my friend, meet his friends, and enjoy a few Mardi Gras parades.

Are there any tips for traveling to Louisiana? Any must-see places in New Orleans or must-attend events?

Studying for the NCLEX

Linfield, like many other colleges and universities, has a month-long term that spans the entire month of January. Students are able to participate in classes which may not be offered at other times in the year. For instance, my freshman year I took Latin 100 – it was the best and only Jan Term course I have taken. I was able to immerse myself in the language and spend most of my day with one of my best friends.

Unfortunately, that was the only year Jan Term was feasible for me and thus I have spent the last two years at home, biding my time until I returned for the Spring semester. The limbo I experience every year only lasts a bit before I focus on something to do with my time. Last year I spent it working on my blog, reading, and watching movies from the AFI’s 100 Best Films list with my dad.

This year I am using the copious amount of time I have on my hands to begin preparing for the NCLEX and get in a healthy workout routine. My family gave me the Illustrated Study Guide for the NCLEX-RN Exam by JoAnn Zerwekh, a book I have repeatedly checked out from the Linfield library to help me study, for Christmas and it is one of the books I am using to help me study. I also have Davis’s Q&A for the NCLEX-RN Examination by Kathleen A. Ohman to practice answering NCLEX-style questions. I have also checked out NCLEX-RN: Power Practice from the public library to practice actually taking the exam.

Although I have not entirely decided on a study strategy, I hope by beginning to study earlier than later I will be able to effectively review all the materials I need in time for the NCLEX in June. Granted, I will need a study strategy to do so, but for the time being I am reviewing material from the first year of nursing school that needs brushing up on.

If anyone has any suggestions of study strategies I would greatly appreciate the help!

2015 New Years Resolutions

I do love good lighting. Wintertime is the best time for mood lighting – and what better way to light the mood than by stringing white Christmas lights up everywhere?

My new years resolutions are based on six characteristics I would like to foster in the new year. The chosen characteristics are ones that I may have but are underdeveloped or ones that I feel I lack entirely. I have written resolutions based on the characteristics I want to exemplify – and some things I just want to accomplish.

The six characteristics are as follows:

1) Patience

One can never have enough patience. This year especially I have noticed how my patience has grown and how much I still need to improve.

2) Trust

I have been challenged more than ever to be trusting of others in my professional and personal life. I hope that in the next year I can develop a sense of trust that will enable me to care for my loved ones.

3) Wisdom

Of course, this does not simply mean “learning.” It goes without saying that my education will not end when I graduate next May. I want to develop the wisdom that comes from experiencing joy, tragedy, love, and laughter. I hope that this next year I can truly devote myself to the relationships I have previously nurtured.

4) Faith

My faith journey is a very long and twisty one. I hope that in the coming year I can foster good habits in my prayer life and pass along only the best for my friends.

5) Courage

This one is a difficult one to explain. While I may be able to advocate for my patients, I want to develop my own sense of courage. I want to be able to withdraw from relationships and revoke bad habits that hold me back from becoming the best person I can be and providing the best care I can as a nurse. This will be especially beneficial as I progress in my nursing career.

6) Compassion

The above being said, I hope to have the compassion to understand others and develop relationships that will benefit others. I want the compassion I develop to transfer to the patients I care for.

Now I know this post does not necessarily cover my new years resolutions themselves but there will be another post coming that will cover them. Although, I’m curious as to what others’ new years resolutions are… Two of my more practical ones are to exercise more regularly and finally learn how to snowboard.

Wow, It’s Been A While.

Hello everyone, so sorry it’s been so long!

As some may know, I am in my third semester of nursing school. I had my obstetrics rotation in L&D and a postpartum unit earlier in the semester and am now finishing up my med-surg rotation in a stroke unit. To be completely honest, I loved working with the infants on the unit more than I did working with the mothers during labor. It emphasized my dedication towards neonatal intensive care.

I applied recently for a preceptorship with a NICU nurse in my fourth semester… I may have to wait until the beginning of February to find out whether or not I received the placement. I am not concerned, however. Wherever I end up, I will do my absolute best and learn as much as I can while I can.

This optimistic attitude extends from the positive experience I have had the last few months in clinical. I have been given great feedback and encouragement and am feeling more and more confident in my nursing practice.

In the meantime, I have been expanding my knowledge in various areas, particularly reproductive health. I had the opportunity to attend the NSFC Summit in Minneapolis and learned more about reproductive health than I have in pretty much the entire nursing curriculum. It was a wonderful experience and I am so grateful for the Nursing Students For Choice organization for putting it on.

I have also started to consider pursuing post-graduate education, although I am not entirely sold on the idea. Whatever I decide, I will be sure to blog about it.

Hopefully now that I am on Thanksgiving Break I can blog more and regain the practice of blogging nightly. No promises though!

Semester Three

My mom, while excited it is my last year of college, still cried at saying goodbye.

I am currently heading into my third week of my last year of nursing school! To say that the last few weeks have been interesting is an understatement. It almost seems as though we started off at a jog and are now at full speed. 

My clinical rotation for the first half of the semester is split between the labor and delivery unit and postpartum care unit. I have not had the opportunity to observe a delivery, but I have learned newborn and postpartum assessments as well as how to teach mothers how to breastfeed. Not super exciting stuff, but it is all part of the learning experience. 

Also part of the learning experience is my clinical advisor. Unfortunately my advisor is not familiar with obstetrics nor has very good organizational skills. The learning curve for me this rotation is steep. My advisor is expecting me to know and understand far more than what has been taught to us in the two classes covering pregnancy. While it is frustrating, I am trying to view this as an opportunity to take charge of my learning and be prepared for anything. 

Despite all the stress and frustrations I have met with, I have enjoyed having a little more time for myself. I am definitely adjusted to the flow of nursing school; I know when and how to study most effectively as well as when to relax and watch Pretty Little Liars (my guilty pleasure). I look forward to meeting more challenges in the future, but I also hope there are not more than are necessary… 

Bubble tea, my other guilty pleasure.

Summertime is the Best

As I continue to wait for my CNA license to come through for Washington state, I have been updating and organizing parts of my life, including my blog. As a result, I am now here on WordPress! I am excited to explore the new platform and share media content that I could not before. I hope that with the new site I can be more accessible and connect more with other bloggers and nurses. All that being said, it will take me a while to get used to WordPress and I ask for continued patience. Thank you!

Summer is Here!

Thank goodness for summer! It has been almost a week since I left school and I have spent much of that time with my family. I may have had an over-indulgence in self-care this last week – I went to the public library several times, re-organized my room, did a bit of spring cleaning, and snuggled with my pup, Echo. I am so happy to be home!!

 

The end of the semester came more swiftly than I would have ever imagined. Preparing for exams was a lot less stressful than it was last semester, although knowing I had to pack everything away for the summer was taxing my concentration.

 

Taking the HESI this semester was quite an experience. We were told that there was a focus on mental health and pharmacology, both subjects in which I excelled. The exam itself was more difficult than I anticipated and it was disturbing how unprepared I felt for it. Considering it started off finals week, the unexpected results shed a pall over the second semester students. As if we needed more excuses to drink.

 

Despite the challenge finals posed, it was such a relief to be able to pack and move on my own. Usually my parents come and help, but… sometimes three is a crowd. I was fortunate enough to find storage nearby the campus. After my last final I hastily packed up my things and, with the help of several friends, moved them into the storage unit. Neither my things nor us movers sustained damages, physically or otherwise.

 

Before I came “home” home, I was able to have drinks with my traveling aunt and help my cousin with a graduation speech. I adopted for the summer my friend’s fish and was even able to bond with it slightly before making the long(-ish) journey home.

 

Now that I am home, I am waiting on my CNA license to come through to practice at a local clinic or hospital. The licensing process, however, is taking much longer than I expected. I may end up job-shadowing for most of my summer, but in any case I would rather that than random summer activities. I will be traveling a bit this summer for various reasons which I will explain at a later date. In any case, I will be blogging more frequently and hope that each post will be interesting enough to spend a few minutes of these long summer days reading.

 

(P.S. I passed all my courses, in case anyone was wondering.)

 

 

Spring, a Time for Renewal

Well it certainly has been a while hasn’t it?

Oh there is so much to update! For one, Spring is almost certainly upon us in the Pacific Northwest! The past few days there has been the typical Spring weather fluctuations – and I will not lie, I am very much enjoying it.

That being said, I have returned to running after a brief lapse to accommodate increasing physical fatigue secondary to demands from academia as evidenced by an ever-aching knee, sleep deprivation, and frequent dehydration from increased caffeine intake.

Spring always reminds me of renewal in the most basic sense – “the replacement or repair of something that is worn-down, run-out, or broken”- in that I can either scrap whatever failed or failing endeavors I was attending to or return to them with refreshed vigor.

I love that I have options… They provide hope.