Reading week.

So this week was reading week. I did absolutely nothing with regards to school, which is sad because I had all these plans...

However I am also trying to work on paying off some foolish debt I have accumulated over the past while. I got use to the big bucks working as an R.P.N (L.P.N depending on where you're reading this from), and kept living the lifestyle even after I left my job.

Earlier this year I started doing Personal Support Work at a local home care agency. Because I want to try and pay off a LARGE chunk of my debt before the summer hits so I can look forward to a trip and possibly begin saving up, I've had to work every weekend. Luckily I work nights a lot, which helps me do my homework as they are simply respite care visits and so I get a whole 8 hours to myself pretty well uninterrupted. So this reading week I worked two extra night shifts, as well as the weekend and tonight and tomorrow I also work night shifts. I plan to do some serious home work on these shifts. I promise to myself I will!!

It hasn't felt like a reading week. I have been so busy trying to rest up and doing work that I was unable to really enjoy it for myself. Yesterday and today were a pretty big success in that department but I just don't want to do ANYTHING when I get some time alone. And thats rare...

For example, lately a lot of my friends (or I guess at this point you should say acquaintances) have been getting seriously frustrated and annoyed with me. I understand that its hard for them to understand. Barely any other program on this earth is as challenging as Nursing school (Degree nursing, that is).

A typical day looks like these two:

Day 1                                                                        
9:30 am - 12:30 am - Class
12:30 - 13:30 - lunch of some sort. Sometimes
includes lunch with some friends or lunch on my own.
13:30-16:30 - I either do homework, catch up on errands or hit the gym.
16:30-18:00 - Gym time. Usually always a dedicated time because I religiously attend a class, enjoy a shake afterwards and get all showered up.
18:30 - Get home exhausted, and just want to crawl into bed. Sometimes I will do homework to prep for the following day (which is usually placement day). A lot of the times I just fall asleep early.

 Day 5
9:30 - 12:30 am - Class
12:30 - 13:30 - lunch which pretty well has to be eaten at the school.
13:30 - 15:30 - class.
15:30 - 17:00 - Gym time on my own generally speaking as there are no classes I attend however I do tend to keep up with my fitness 6 days of the week.
18:00 - Either dinner with my parents in the city or with friends.
20:00 - sleep
21:30 - work until the following morning at 7 AM. Alternating weekends I am able to sleep in a bit or go to bed early so I cam work for 8 AM.

And with a schedule like this when I have five minutes to myself, I want to spend it by myself. I made a posting on facebook the other day apologizing to my friends for not having any time for them and the next morning i got angry messages and phone calls where I got yelled at. People tell me "Take half an hour from studying and come see me". Okay we all know a half hour does not suffice for a visit. Its just a ploy to try and get me there. Not to mention when I do take that half hour out of my time, I feel guilty because I am not studying and am worried I will be falling behind. Now keep in mind I am actually somewhat ahead, which is a good thing but I would like to maintain that.

People just don't get it and its been frustrating me beyond belief lately. People are threatening to stop being friends with me, thinking I am avoiding them because I don't like them, etc. Its ridiculous. And I realize that these individuals are not real friends if thats what they are saying. But they don't see it that way and it doesn't stop them from harassing me and making me feel bad.

Ugh.

However I won't get to where I want and need to be by trying to please others. You and I both know damn well if the roles were reversed, they wouldn't be giving up what they need to do to get to where they want to be. People are just selfish in nature and I have a hard time explaining this to them without them getting angry. Lol. No good with people unless its clients apparently.

Also in other words, I am on my way to Nicaragua for a nursing experience in April! I am so excited! Its with our school, only 15 people were picked from a lengthy application process and I made the cut! Apparently something about being able to obtain a reference letter from a professor who they say "its like pulling teeth" to get a reference from her upped my chances. Plus I think I'm pretty charming and outgoing and that had an effect on things. Just keeping my fingers crossed my passport makes its way in soon. Like ASAP so that I can get those documents to the head of the trip.

Annnd I was told if I can secure at least three more months worth of RPN work I will be eligible to do travel nursing and make lots of money to travel!!

Need to buckle down and apply.. Dammmmnit.

Arrggg.. Update

So its been ages... Sorry for not updating much more then that. I just haven't really been the blogging type. Anywho! I graduated from the PN program on May 25th 2012. I got my license and passed my CRPNE the first time I wrote. I got hired at the place I had done my final consolidation placement where I learned a lot. Mostly about inter-office politics and how nurses eat their young and all that crap. It wasn't the nicest. I realized there was a lot of responsibility for a nurse even just at the RPN level. Too much bullshit too. So I decided you know what, for the money I'm NOT making this isn't worth it. So I headed back into the land of BSCN! And here I am, in my last week of classes of second year. The year I originally dropped out and it makes me feel good that this time around I was able to make it to the end of my classes. I successfully passed my scenario testing. I have been hired at a local home care company for the summer doing Personal Support Work which is fine, I just needed a job that wasn't minimum wage. I didn't get hired at the new nursing home that is opening, despite the fact that my old boss had told me when I quite to return to school that she would put a good word in for me.. then it turns out she was doing the hiring.. and I even called her to ask if she had received my resume. Nothing. People can be so... nasty. So now its onto studying for a final pathophysiology in class quiz, then nursing practice final, clinical chemistry (yuck) final and patho then im done and its onto year three!! Even though I still feel like school will take a long time to finish I'm happy I made the decision to come back. I wouldn't say I've made friends because we all know I can't tolerate a lot of people but as a whole they are a very nice friendly class that works together. Not try to bring each other down which is a lot more than I can say about the previous class I was with in the BSCN who is coincidentally graduating this year. Try not to be bitter. Lol.

History

So I dropped down to the PN level from the BScN RN level.

I am so sick of school I could puke. Its been so long.. I've been in school my entire existence minus 2.5 years of being a babbling, drooling and pooping baby. I took half the semester off and only finished one of the classes in fourth semester that I deemed necessary for moving forward in the PN program...

And now I am enrolled in three summer classes.

1) English 1
2) Business Report Writing
3) Introduction to Sociology.

Mostly a bunch of bull. I've written advanced university papers that were wroth 60% of my mark and gotten A's. I know how to write english. I was in a UNIVERSITY nursing program. And yet they feel its necessary for me to take this dumb class that is teaching me (or re-teaching, I should say) how to put sentences and phrases together and proper english grammar. Kill me now?

Don't even get me started on Business Report Writing... And Intro to Soc? Guess they'd rather me take a general sociology than count the SOCIOLOGY FOR HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE that I took first semester of RN. Whatevs.

In the fall I need to take some general education class thats a pile of crap. But it needs to be done.

Oh and I don't even know if I have a spot yet. Its all based on first come first serve for those who weren't entering from first year. Its all bull. I don't know what I will do if they don't have a spot for me. Probably explode.

Question for your nuses out there...or nursing students...

What was it like giving your first peri care to a patient? Tell me about your experience. I am dying of nervousness and anxiety just thinking about my first time....Oh dear.... :(

Ahhh.

So I have a midterm today. I guess I'm not really prepared. I read the notes and studied a bit and am currently supposed to be studying, but really...who cares about life developpment. Not me! I could care less about these dumb theorists. Is that really going to help me be a better nurse?

Tomorrow I have an anatomy mid-term. Really now. They do it on purpose to cram everything together just to see if you will survive. How rude! I feel like it'll be super heavy. But I know the basics...so Hopefully!!

I get distracted very easily. Blaah.

I did realize that I am bound to have the same marks for the rest of the year...almost anything I've gotten back has been a 78%. Whyyyy. JUST under a 4.0. BRUTAL. Guess I need to try and get my gluteal in gearrrr! Oh I made a funny!

Okay for serious now. Onto finishing my bagel and studying. Hope hope...

Strange experiences!

So I've been super busy lately. Not to mention not home last night. Spent the night at a friends. We were all supposed to weep in sorrow together. Apparently only 12 out of the 62 students in my year passed the professional growth mid-term. Everyone checked their grades (who was at the sleepover) and they all said they had failed. I got really worried, checked my mark and- I passed!! I was so surprised. Not by much, and not a good grade either but I must say a pass in this stance is a lot better than a no-pass. Gives me an advantage to do well for my final mark. Better than if I had not passed it.

I've been doing decently so far. I would love to be doing better. Tomorrow I hand in my first paper and do my second lab quiz! Hopefully all goes well and I do well on the paper..I tried hard!

Off to study...blah :(

Results

So I got my results back. Didn't do as well as I thought...:( But I didn't do that horrible either I mean its definitely acceptable. For a first quiz with a new teacher. And considering everyone else I talked to did horrible.

Off to study for professional growth!