1 week down!

I have successfully completed my very first week of nursing school! Yea for me! (Imagine me cheering) Now that you're done laughing at your mental picture, here's the low down. It is hot in Tucson. Oh, you want to hear something new? Fine.

I'll just hit you with the highlights so as not to bore you with the boring details.

Tuesday was our first lab. I paired up with a darling girl, Chrissy, whom I met at orientation. Chrissy is 5'1-1/2" (I know because I measured her) and probably 103 lbs (we weighed ourselves), a former cheerleader at her university and a former stunt girl for her local pro basketball team. She really is darling. So, back to the lab. Tuesday we learned how to assess the vital signs, including the apical pulse. The apical pulse is located at the mid-clavicular line between the 4 and 5 ribs, i.e. just below and to the left of your left nipple. Of course we couldn't hear it through our layers of shirts and bras so my instructor had us remove them (gowned and behind a curtain). So here I am, having known my lab partner for all of 2 days and off come our shirts. SOOOOOO BAZAAR!!! I was so grateful I didn't pair up with any of the guys (who I consciously avoid now). It's like that nightmare of going to school naked come true. Actually it wasn't much different than going to the doctor's office except this was a classmate.

Wednesday and Thursday were lecture days. Lectures are 5-6 hours a day with 400-600 assigned pages of preparatory reading. So I scan the info the night before, go to class, come home and review, scan the reading for the next day and go to bed. I'm not sure when I'm supposed to commit this to memory.

Today was my favorite day so far. We did shift assessments. During a shift assessment (which occurs at the beginning of each shift so the new nurse can get a baseline) we review each body system starting at the head and going to the toes. This is why I'm here. We check the vitals, listen to the heart and lungs and GI track, check the eyes... everything (except unmentionables). It makes me giddy just thinking about it. You know how some people listen to the ocean or the wind in the trees to relax - I think I could listen to heart or breath sounds. We have these SIM mannequins that can be programed to who knows what - we practice all our procedures from codes to drugs to IVs, everything on them. Today we listened to their "hearts" and "lungs". The cool part is they can simulate various disease processes so today I heard a murmur, a mitral valve prolapse, pneumonia, crackles (which is generally bronchitis and sounds exactly like rice krispies), and several others. So, so cool. I wish you were all here so I could listen to your hearts and lungs. Anyway, I'm getting long-winded. Tonight some girls from my program and I are getting together for dinner to celebrate surviving the first week. Oh, and to make my brothers proud - I wasn't the first student to cry. I knew it would happen soon, someone would have a breakdown, I'm just glad it wasn't me. I'm loving this... well, except for the reading.

First Day

My first day isn't over yet, I still have hours of reading and reviewing to do but since my first official class day is over - I'll fill you in.

There is no parking near the nursing school so instead of wandering for hours I parked at the church building 4 blocks away. I assume my BYU Alumni license plate is a sufficient parking pass. 4 blocks is really no big deal unless there's a hospital between you and the building you're trying to get to. Thankfully I didn't make the mistake of going inside the hospital but I did take the very long way around. I allowed myself lots of extra time (Dad would be so proud) so I made it to my class 15 minutes early. Walking in the morning was quite pleasant (except the lost part) so I decided not to get a parking pass and just walk each day. I changed my mind when I walked back at 3pm in the 104 degree sun. Shortly thereafter I showed up with backpack shaped sweat marks, dehydrated at the parking office.

Class wasn't too wild today. We covered critical thinking, health and wellness, and assessments. I wasn't particularly excited or impressed until I reviewed my assessment notes (in preparation for lab tomorrow) and now I'm SUPER EXCITED! I bought my stethoscope and sphygmomanometer (that's a BP cuff) today. I tried out the stethoscope on myself - heart rate might be a smidgen fast today. I think I'm going to really like my lab instructor. She makes me "laugh thunderously"! She typo'd some page numbers so as far as we knew our first lab was going to cover male genitalia examinations. And I assumed we'd start with the basics. She also loves "poop". She made lots of poop comments and was very pleased with herself. Kind of like a kid that poops in inappropriate places. All that and she said we can't leave our bags on the floor or in the hallway in case we have a terrorist attack. And she said that with a totally straight face - like it happens in Tucson every day! I suppose it could but the presentation was just so funny.

Sadly the most exciting part of my day, so far, was not school but my water adventure after school. I always have way to much stuff when I get out of the car so today I tried to consolidate. Unfortunately my water bottle leaked all over, which wouldn't have been a big deal except it happened on my bed and my cell phone was in the bag. So, sorry, I will not be accepting calls until it dries or I break down and buy a new one. Not that my life didn't suddenly get extremely expensive. Yes, the AC in my car has been repaired but I definitely miss my right arm. In other good news, I think I broke a filling or have the fastest growing cavity ever. When will my luck end???

So that's the summary. Despite all the challenges, mostly financial, that I have had since moving to Tucson I am enjoying it. I've met really friendly people, I am still excited about my program and I'm starting to build some great friendships. Tomorrow I have lab so I'll be sure to post any humiliating experiences!

Yes, it's very hot here!

I decided it was about time I catch up my blog. Lots has happened since my last entry, most importantly that I finally moved to Tucson, AZ to start nursing school! I drove down last Saturday in my car, with Mom, and Dad driving his Jeep with a trailer full of my stuff. First off I would like to say this move has been the most expensive of my life. That said, the trip was uneventful except for the occasional "breaks" my AC seemed to be taking. The move into my apartment went fine. I'm not used to having a big desk in my bedroom so my beautiful dresser is in the closet. Very strange. Also strange, my AC was taking longer and more frequent "breaks". Mom and Dad set me up quite nicely, for which I am beyond grateful, and then left me on Sunday evening. My roommate has been in and out but mostly out since I've been here so I've spent the vast majority of my time alone. Not that I haven't been productive. I'm all moved in now, have worked out every day, have my textbooks and have done a significant amount of reading. There are only a few events that deserve mentioning further, they will be described below.

Textbooks.
It turns out you have to be accepted to medical school to be smart enough to get out of the medical school building. Getting in is easy, getting out - not so much. Of course the medical bookstore is in some obscure corner which I will never find again. I parked in the nursing school parking lot thinking it couldn't be that far and set off to get my books. There are no signs in the med school building (except for exit signs that don't lead to exits). After wandering for a while some girl took pity on my and walked me to the bookstore. The clerk piled my pre-ordered books on the counter and, with a smile, asked me to fork over more than $1100!!! She mentioned something about someone helping me take my 3 bags and 2 boxes of textbooks to my car if I would like to pull around. Fine, so I took 2 bags (not sure what I was thinking) and headed off to get my car. There was just the small matter of getting out of the building. After 2 flights of stairs, an elevator ride, several deadends (that had exit signs) some kind lady escorted me outside into the 100+ degree heat. Great. 40 pounds worth of textbooks and I'm forever away from my car. AC doesn't work. By the time I pulled around I was dripping with sweat and couldn't feel my fingers. After getting a fruit smoothie and wandering around Target (the only place in town less than 80 degrees) for vowed to get my AC fixed.

My AC
So I went to get my AC fixed and the compressor is dead. The warranty won't cover the compressor unless they replace a bunch of other stuff too. My car uses an old system that no one in town carries anymore. Mitsubishi placed the AC in a difficult location. They ordered the parts on Friday and won't be able to start on my car until Tuesday at the earliest. I have been staying home a lot and will have to sell several body parts.

The Blind Date
So, it sounds like it's been awful since I've been here which isn't true. The people here are super nice and helpful and many people have gone out of their way to help me and befriend me. So here's the up side. On Friday - the day I found out I'd have to sell a kidney to get my AC fixed - my friend Jen called and asked if I'd like to go on a blind date. I agreed - I generally enjoy blind dates and it was certainly better than staying home alone. I had a great time - dinner at Chipotle and frisbee golf - and then after bringing me home he stayed and we chatted for several hours. Nothing extravagant, just really fun.

That catches us up to today. I went grocery shopping and worked out and now I'm procrastinating working on my clinical calculations for administering meds assignment. Yes, they sent us a letter saying we had to pass a dosing exam at 90% in a couple of weeks but we would not be covering the material in class. I'm good except for apothacary units which I've never used before. Fun for me.

Whate Watching!

I fulfilled a childhood dream today - whale watching. We only saw killer whales as all other mammals swim away when killers are on the prowl. They were beautiful, amazing, and swam right under our boat! The best part, now I don't have to become a Sea World trainer. And yes, I did donate my stomach contents to the ocean gods.

Tucson Apartment

I made a run to Tucson to find an apartment. This is the place: 3 bed, 2 bath - big kitchen - huge closets - full-size washer/dryer. Only fault is the distance from school and the hospital but I'll be in a ward where I know a few people. I figure it'll all work out okay, besides I'm used to driving. I move in on the 18th! I can't believe this is actually happening...


Dining Area

Kitchen (obviously)

My room

My closet (notice, only one set of doors is open)

Dirty Dancing 20th Anniversary!

As good now as it was 20 years ago... probably better.

I'm pretty good-looking!