Monday's Musings

Things I've discovered this week:

1. The Carmel Brule Latte at Starbucks is grand.

2. I am destined to become a pediatric nurse. I love it. Mayo Clinic, please hire me after graduation!

3. I really despise snow. I love it from like December 15th through January 3rd and then it needs. to. go.

4. The Miranda Lambert concert is just a little over a month away!

5. Did I mention how much I love the nursing profession?! Honestly, I am so thankful I switched majors when I did because, despite how frustrating school & clinical with a hard professor may be, I really do enjoy working with wonderful patients. It's always a great end to the week. This week was especially wonderful.

6. Speaking of frustrating school, next week is finals and I am realizing how unprepared I am to take these cumulative tests. Uh. Oh.

See you after finals. I hope.

A Day in the Life of a Rochester Nursing Student

Since I have nothing else to do this morning at the library, I thought I'd grace you with a peek at my nursing life/schedule so far.

For orientation August 31st - September 6th:
Wednesday August 31st
8:30am - 9:45am: Welcome to Rochester Nursing (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
10:00am - 11:00am: Pharmacology Introduction (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
11:30am - 2:00pm: Mayo Clinic Presentations (Assisi Heights)
5:00pm - 5:30pm: Textbook Pick-up (Assisi Heights)
5:30pm - 7:00pm: Pizza Party (Valentino's)

Thursday September 1st
8:30am - 11:30am: Med/Surg Introduction (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
11:30am - 1:00pm: Lunch Break
1:00pm - 5:00pm: Med/Surg Clinical Introduction (St. Mary's Hospital)

Friday September 2nd
8:30am - 9:00am: Group Picture (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
9:00am - 12:00pm: Pediatrics Introduction (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch Break
1:00pm - 4:00pm: Pediatrics Clinical Introduction & Tour (St. Mary's Hospital)


Monday September 5th (Labor Day, no less)
9:00am - 12:00pm: Computer Orientation (St. Mary's Hospital)
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch Break
1:00pm - 5:00pm: Med/Surg Lab Introduction (St. Mary's Hospital)

Tuesday September 6th
9:00am - 11:00am: Pathophysiology Introduction (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
11:00am - 12:30pm: Lunch Break
12:30pm - 2:30pm: Library Orientation (Plummer Library)

Schedule (for me) from September 7th - October 21st
Mondays
7:30am - 9:30am: Starbucks & Studying (Plummer Library)
10:00am - 1:00pm: Pediatrics Lecture & Lab (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
1:00pm - 2:00pm: Lunch Break
2:00pm - 4:00pm: Pathophysiology Lecture (Zumbro Lutheran Church)

Tuesdays
7:30am - 8:30am: Starbucks & Studying (Plummer Library)
9:00am - 10:00am: Med/Surg Lab Lecture (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
10:00am - 1:00pm: Studying
1:00pm - 2:00pm: Med/Surg Lab (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
2:00pm - 2:30pm: Studying

Wednesday
7:30am - 9:30am: Starbucks & Studying (Plummer Library)
10:00am - 12:00pm: Pharmacology Lecture (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch Break
1:00pm - 3:00pm: Med/Surg Lecture (Zumbro Lutheran Church)
6:00pm - 8:30pm: Work (Gloria Dei Lutheran Church)

Thursdays
7:30am - 8:00am: Studying (Rochester Methodist Hospital)
8:00am - 9:00am: Clinical Prep Time (Rochester Methodist Hospital)
9:00am - 11:30am: Colorectal Clinical (Rochester Methodist Hospital)
11:30am - 12:15pm: Lunch Break
12:15pm - 2:15pm: Colorectal Clinical (Rochester Methodist Hospital)
2:15pm - 3:30pm: Clinical Post-Conference (Rochester Methodist Hospital)

Fridays
6:00am - 7:00am: Clinical Prep Time (St. Mary's Hospital)
7:00am - 12:00pm: Pediatrics Clinical (St. Mary's Hospital)
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Clinical Post-Conference (St. Mary's Hospital)
1:00pm - 2:30pm: Lunch & Studying (Plummer Library)


Here's my current schedule - October 31st - December 7th

Mondays - Wednesdays are the same ol', same ol'
Thursdays
7:30am - 11:45am: Studying/wasting time (Plummer Library)
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Lunch
1:00pm - 2:00pm: Clinical Prep Time (St. Mary's Hospital)
2:00pm - 7:00pm: Pediatrics Clinical (St. Mary's Hospital)
7:00pm - 8:00pm: Clinical Post-Conference (St. Mary's Hospital)

Fridays
6:00am - 7:00am: Clinical Prep Time (St. Mary's Hospital)
7:00am - 12:00pm: Neurology Clinical (St. Mary's Hospital)
12:00pm - 1:00pm: Clinical Post Conference (St. Mary's Hospital)
1:00pm - 2:30pm: Lunch & Studying (Plummer Library)

You know you're a Rochester Nursing student when...

So today I have Peds clinical from 1pm-8pm, but I am currently at Plummer Library downtown and I have been since 7:30am this morning. And I will be staying here until I catch the bus to St. Mary's. Transportation in Rochester sucks.

Anyway, Luther had the Nursing Banquet on Tuesday night and, although I wasn't able to make it down to Decorah for it, a few of my classmates did go. We were the entertainment for the evening and made a slideshow of pictures so far and a list of "You know you're a Rochester Nursing student when...". So I thought I would grace you all with a few off the list.

• You attend church at Zumbro Lutheran on Sunday & people come up to you and say "you're a Luther nursing student, aren't you?"
• Halloween includes your classmates dressing up as gangrene, your Pharm professor dressing up as an obese Twinkie advertising Lipitor, and your Psych professor dressing up as a Freudian slip.
• Clinical is so much better when your instructor wins a free trip to Las Vegas on the radio in the morning.
• You decorate your walls with bed pans.
• Instead of chugging beer, you chug coffee (IV caffeine anyone?)
• You start speaking in nursing diagnoses - nervousness r/t a big exam tomorrow AEB butterflies in the stomach.
• Your family and friends start telling you where their aches and pains are and ask you to diagnose them.
• You start to believe you have most of the diseases and disorders that are talked about in lecture.
• You accidentally leave the stove on when you leave the apartment and the fire department gets called (*cough* Mike *cough*).
• Lunch breaks mean Guitar Hero, Pit, Ping Pong, and naps.
• You have in-depth discussions about bodily functions around the dinner table.
• You go to Plummer Library in hopes of spotting a cute med student or resident.
• When you return to Luther, people say "Are you a Freshman?" or "Did you transfer?" in which you respond "If I hear that one more time, I will slap you!"
• The only compliment you get during your Psych clinical about your long hair is "You could hang yourself with hair like that!"
• Hopping on your bike in your nursing uniform at 5:30am is a weekly occurance.
• You accidentally drink out of a doctor's coffee cup at Caribou...twice.
• You play games with your patients for your clinical.
• You have hours of narrated lectures to listen to online before coming to the actual 2 hour lecture.
• You have probably single handedly killed a small forest with your lecture notes.
• You use your Med-Surg and Pharm books as free weights instead of going to the gym.
• You get decubitis ulcers from sitting in folding chairs for 2 hour lectures.
• Being assigned a concept map means you no longer have a weekend.
• You ask your non-nursing friends for Ibuprofen and they hand you Acetaminophen.
• You get excited when you get to give a shot during clinical.
• "Sleeping in" on clinical days is 5:45am.
• You literally laugh out loud when listening to the online Pharm lectures.
• You make lefse with the Zumbro Lutheran Church ladies for fun.
• You notice that Jayme starts out each Pharm lecture by saying "Hi. This is Jayme". Well I would hope so....
• You spend way more time coming up with things a Rochester nursing student does than studying.

Stress r/t Nursing School AEB high anxiety, insomnia, & lack of a social life

Right now I am sitting at Zumbro Lutheran Church (where we have our nursing classes here in Rochester) & listening to the 2nd of 3 Pharmacology online lectures. Each of them are around 1.5 hours. This is going to be a long day. 

And I promise to try and put more about my nursing adventures so far on here sometime soon! I've had so much homework & clinical work plus a bunch of family get-togethers and events to go to that I haven't had much time for my blog lately. 

I will say that despite the overwhelming amounts of work and stress, I am learning A LOT & so satisfied with having went back to a nursing major. I can't wait to actually start practicing after graduating in December 2012 & taking (and PASSING) my NCLEX!

Commitment

Apparently I have commitment issues with my blog because, once again, I have neglected to keep it a part of my life for almost a month now. And I have no excuses this time because I have been doing nothing but enjoying summer. My bad. I do plan on hopefully starting up a Life of a Nursing Student "segment" type thing this upcoming school year to document my journey here in Rochester at Mayo Clinic for my clinicals and classes. Classes start up on Wednesday August 31st at 8:30am sharp & I already have the first weeks orientation schedule. Can you say overwhelming? As my best friend/forever roomie Megan would say..."GET USED TO IT" :)
 


P.S.: I can't promise I will blog before school starts up because I need to help move my brother into his apartment in Winona on Saturday & need to go shopping with him still this week & I want to fully enjoy my last week of freedom before my nursing brain gets turned on again. Plus we're painting our house on Labor Day weekend. And I go to school on Labor Day.

See ya soon bloggy!!

Music Monday

1. "Halo/Walking on Sunshine" from Glee (Download here)

2. "Touch of My Hand" by Britney Spears (SCANDALOUS! haha)

3. "A Real Fine Place to Start" by Sara Evans

4. "Torn (Live)" by Natalie Imbruglia

5. "Last Night Again" by Steel Magnolia

6. "The Last Country Song" by Blake Shelton feat. John Anderson & George Jones

7. "Most of Me" by Mandy Moore

8. "Fidelity" by Regina Spektor

9. "Each Other" by Katharine McPhee

10. "Infatuation" by Christina Aguilera

 And, by chance, most of these songs you'll have to find on YouTube because they are only stored in my iTunes - Sorry! More downloads next week!

Music Monday

1. "Boys" by Ashlee Simpson
2. "Strangers on a Train" by David Nail (Download here)
3. "The Way You Love Me" by Faith Hill (Download here)
4. "Who Says You Can't Go Home" by Bon Jovi & Jennifer Nettles
5. "A Place in This World" by Taylor Swift (Download here)
6. "When Boy Meets Girl" by Terri Clark (Download here)
7. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by Lady Antebellum (Download here)
8. "When My Dreams Come True" by Rebecca Lynn Howard
9. "Love Story" by Katharine McPhee
10. "A Good Man" by Emerson Drive (Download here)