Ay yi yi!

This has been yet another crazy week. I spent all weekend studying for my crazy Med Surg final we had on Monday. It was intense and all I have to say is thank GOD I didn't have to work because all I did was study all the livelong weekend. I'm surprised I could still read the text in my book from all of the circling, highlighting and margin writing I did. I was at a comfortable 80% in the class as of last week but due to some issues that I will not rehash again and again (because I've been doing that already lol), 10 points will be deducted from my grade... so that brought me down a bit plus the last online quiz I got a 3/5. The worst grade I've gotten on one of those and it's when I need every single point I can get. :-\ Ticks me off!! I studied my butt off... hid in the basement to study while I listened to Christmas music coming from upstairs from my family who was putting up the Christmas tree. :-\ Kind of a sad 'poor me' moment but it'll be worth it, right? RIGHT? LOL

We had roughly 750 disease processes for GI to study for plus since the final was cumulative, we had respiratory, endocrine and cardiac on there as well. :-| Crazyness.

One disease. 

Anyway, I need an 84/100 on the final to pass the class... to some that is reachable. To me, a horrible test taker, that seems like a very far goal. But what's done is done and I can only hope and pray I achieved it. It was strange... I had a very bizarre calm about me after it was finished. We have to wait almost 2 weeks for the grade, which may drive me a bit insane but I haven't been obsessing (yet). Many friends were praying for me which I know helped. :) I could not do this without their support as well as my family. I know I've said that numerous times but it just proves how much I truly mean that. Some provide a comfy shoulder to vent on, some provide a smack of reality and some provide both :-P

Today we had our HESI exam which is basically a standard exam for nursing to determine where we're at. Let's just say I'm glad it's not an exit exam. :-| Tomorrow is (hopefully) my last Med Surg I clinical then practice for my final head to toe physical exam, Friday is diabetic simulation followed by work. Saturday we have a family Christmas party, Sunday more practice and work, Monday is my final physical assessment exam at 1pm. Then HOPEFULLY IM DONE and will OFFICIALLY be 3rd semester. :-D PLEASE GOD!

A proud moment.

Yesterday was pretty busy at work. I had been off for a few days now that I'm back to my normal weekend :-D Anyway, I was admitting nursery tech but we didn't have anyone about to deliver so I helped out on the floor with patients. It was pretty busy but around 7pm, I finally got the chance to eat something. Not 5 minutes into my dinner break, the secretary (who's pretty new) came into the breakroom and said the nursery nurse was looking for me because an OB was there ready to do 2 circumcisions and apparently no one else could help.

I covered my food and went into the nursery and one of my favorite OB's was doing the circ. I quickly opened the trays, got everything ready and the doctor said "Amanda, you are so awesome, how much schooling do you have left?" I said "About a year..." She said "Are you planning on working here?" I said "I hope so!" and she replied with "You'd be so awesome. If you need any recommendations, you let me know". <3 I was taken aback. What a sweet thing to say! She kept on about how great I was and how glad she is to see me when she gets here. What a way to make my night! Totally made up for interrupting my salad. ;-)

Then when we had an new baby admitted to the nursery, I was giving the baby a bath and the dad was seriously all up in the baby's space. I had asked him to move a bit so I could rinse the soap off of the baby. If you've ever seen a baby being bathed in the hospital, it's like an art form and a juggling act all at once. While I was washing the baby's hair, the dad said to me "You are really good at this". As bizarre as he was (for other reasons), I wanted to give him a big hug for that. It is the little things people say... I tell ya!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I'm grateful for everyone in my life... my nursing family, my friends who make my life better every day and for my family who if they weren't my family, I'm pretty sure they'd leave me out on the curb with how ridiculously insane I've been with school. I could not ask for better people in my life.

And the verdict is....

I passed! I passed! I passed!! I cannot even explain the emotions I've been going through this past week. What a rollercoaster. I passed IV calculations, 100% on my dosage and an 80% on my cardiac exam. This is WONDERFUL news. I am so freaken happy. I worked my ass off and it paid off. One step closer to Christmas break. :) YES. YES YES!!!!!!

Going into the storm.

Trying suuuper hard to go into this week with a positive attitude. I'm looking forward to things AFTER this week, like the end of the semester, Thanksgiving, going out with friends and general merriment of Christmas :) If I survive this week... ;-)

Monday: Cardiac Exam 8am then Endocrine lecture until noon

               Panera Bread 12:30pm with Angel and Julie to go over IV calculations (being done off campus so we don't have 500 people telling us their ways of calculating. 

Tuesday: 8-10am practice IV skills in lab

              10am-12pm IV calculation remediation 

              12p-5p- IV skills practice

              5-8pm Physical Assessment class

Wednesday: 8am Practice IV skills in lab

                   Work

Thursday: Clinical 4:30am-2:30pm

                Start Clinical Eval

                Julie's house to practice IV skills together off campus without a bajillion people

                Oh yeah, and it's my birthday...

Friday: 8a-1p IV skills test (*scream*) and IV calculation exam retake

           After 1pm get together with physical assessment group to put together group  project (due next Tuesday) on female genital mutilation. 

Saturday: Spend all day praising God if I passed both IV calc and IV skills. 

Prayers would be graciously accepted this week. :-)

The day has been crazy. I feel like that's what it's been like lately all of the time and when I come to type it all out on here, I just don't have the energy to do it. We had a pneumonia simulation today and an IV calculation exam in which we must pass with 100%. We'll be getting our grades tomorrow but I already know I'll be retaking the test next week. Sucks big time. My IV skills is next week which I am freaking out about... plus my second med surg test is on Monday. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I hope this next week flies by. Please.

How many more weeks?

Two tests down... Med Surg and Physical Assessment. Now we wait for results. I don't think I did as well on the Phys Assessment test as I did the first time around. We'll see. I went to the lab to practice today then stayed to study with some friends. Tomorrow I wasn't planning on going to the lab but I don't feel we practiced enough today so I'll try to get there early and then go to work at 3pm. :-\ Thus begins my crazy schedule of work tomorrow night, clinical Thursday morning until 2pm and then straight to work again after clinical then back to clinical Friday morning until 2pm. My friend is celebrating her 29th birthday and invited me but I honestly don't think I'm going to be able to go. Friday after clinical I'm going to have to do my clinical eval, online quiz for med surg and case study which are all due by Sunday night. Plus I work all weekend. I feel like I want to get off the ferris wheel but it won't stop. Day by day, week by week.