an update on school...

School is hell. Ok, its not that bad. It is so hard to focus on studying when the internship and other projects are eating up so much of my time. I have Summary 1 next Thursday and i have not studied at all. I am headed down the studying path, I am organized and ready to go...but I can't bring myself to actually study. damn, I cant' fail out of Nursing school in the last term!!!

Preceptorship is going really well. I am at KSMC Oncology (on the east side of town). I am working with a great nurse, who is intelligent and skilled at what she does. On Tuesday I completed my fourth 12.5 hour shift. My feet are getting used to it, but my brain is still a bit foggy towards the end of the day. I took on the care of two patients, and managed to have everything done, and I was somewhat organized. I really need to devise a more appropriate "brain." "brain" is what we call the piece of paper we carry around with all the patient info on it. this is how we keep track of who needs what, when. You would be shocked at how difficult it is to manage 6 patients meds, procedures, and treatments during a 12 hour shift. The good news for Oncology nurses is that we only take 3 or 4 patients...but the bad news is that the care is much more acute. When a patient is receiving chemotherapy their status could change at any moment. So far, everyone I have worked with has stayed "healthy" I have a mini project to do today in preparation for tomorrow. I have to teach the other nurses about the use of IVIG in patients with Thrombocytopenia....and I really don't understand why the get immunoglobulin for low blood counts....guess I will be looking it up today :)

As far as projects go...I turned in the first draft of my final paper, that was a huge weight off my shoulders. Now I have to work on the community paper, the management project, a large teaching project, and of course I have to study for the exams. OH, and i have to be prepared for NCLEX at the end of June

NCLEX is the big test that all Nurses have to pass in order to receive a license. You spend anywhere from 45min-6 hours in front of a computer. During that time the computer will decided if you are smart enough to be a nurse, or too dumb to be a nurse, and will shut off accordingly. if you answer all correctly for 45min, you pass. if you answer all wrong for 45 min, you fail....either way, the computer shuts off and you have no idea if you passed or failed. But if you are answering some right and some wrong it will keep going until it can tell how much knowledge you do or do not have. FUCK, I am nervous about that test.

I am organizing a review session for my classmates with an instructor at a different school. I really pissed off the faculty here at PCC. Not my intention, just trying to do something good for myself and my classmates. It will be a two day class, costing only $125 each. in terms of review classes that is dirt cheap. The class that PCC is offering in 5 days and costs $450, and has a required text that costs $100+. So I am going to push forwards and advocate for my broke ass that those of my fellow classmates!!!!

Ok, I have to stop blogging and start studying.

much love
Amanda