Oh my goodness! It's finally Christmas break!!!
I think I've said 5,000 times in the last month "I can't wait for Christmas time" and it's finally here!
This semester was a whirlwind, to say the very least. There were high highs and low lows. One thing I'm slowly learning about myself is that I am my own worst critic. Nine times out of ten, I'm harder on myself than anyone else. Maybe that's just the perfectionist in me, but that and nursing school don't mix. Still a work in progress.
So, last time I checked in was on fall break, and needless to say a lot has happened since then. I've had exams, care plans, papers, presentations, you know.. the everything you can imagine.
Let's start with care plans! This semester we had verbal care plans. So instead of typing everything out and submitting online, we had everything typed out and delivered it verbally to our professors. Terrifying at first, yes. Worth it in the end, yes.
The positives of verbal care plan: IMMEDIATE feedback. You know right away how you did, whether you passed/failed, and whether the instructors were pleased. Back to first semester (ugh, sigh, shoot me, couldn't make me go back if you gave me a hundred dollars....), I remember I didn't get my care plan back for like five weeks. Five agonizing weeks that I cried every day concerned about how I did on it. So this is a BIG positive. Also, you have the chance to clarify anything that didn't seem clear to the professors. And lastly, there's no drug sheet... and all nursing students say amen. We needed to know why were giving the drug, but didn't need to know every little detail. These three points are true for both my Peds and OB care plan, but for the Peds care plan we didn't have to do a health history either!
Now on to the negatives of verbal care plan: ANXIETY. Holy anxiety. I was so incredibly nervous for both it was unreal. I had my Pediatrics one first and it was just my professor and I sitting in the nurses station of the Emergency Room... so laid back! I remember as soon as I finished my first words were, "Did I do alright?" And thankfully, her answer was "absolutely!" Little did I know, that would be a baby care plan compared to my OB care plan. So my first one I was nervous because I had never done one, and the second one I was nervous because there was SO much stuff included and they have the right to ask any questions to clarify. So on the next negative... they can ask anything. You have to know your stuff.
Peds care plan was pretty simple. We gave report and gave our care plan (only three diagnoses!) For OB.. we gave report on our patient, had a health history, a ten minute assessment, a nutrition assessment, culture assessment, and then our actual care plan. A LOT. I think I worked about three weeks, and the best thing... they loved it! After giving report, no one said anything... and I didn't know what to do. Next thing I know, they started raving about it. Said it was the best report they had heard, and then... they said the same thing about my nutrition and write up! I hadn't even made it to my care plan yet and I was beaming. I had seven diagnoses and they chose my last one listed in priority order. It wasn't my strongest, but they still loved it. They ended up requesting a copy of my entire care plan, all pieces included, and I gladly handed it over! I walked out of that office feeling so happy and so proud of myself. This was one of those high-highs. There's something so rewarding about working so incredibly hard for something, and it paying off. So as far as care plans go, this semester was a success!
For grades, my third and fourth OB exams I made As. And for Peds, my second exam I made an A, and my third exam I made a B. In my Professional Practice class I made an A on both my paper and presentation. For finals, I made an A on my OB final and a B on my Peds final.
The last stressful thing on the nursing school agenda this semester was taking my two ATI exams. We had an ATI exam for both OB and Peds. I can't exactly describe how stressful these both were, being pass/fail exams with only about 8 days apart with two finals in the mix. Long story short... I made level three on both! Level three is the highest you can get, definitely another high :)
The best part of it all... I finished the semester with a 4.0! I couldn't be happier!!! It was so so tough!
p.s. shout-out to Hillsong United for their song "Oceans" that I listened to before every single exam/care plan this semester. And most importantly, I'm forever thankful for the reason behind the song, my loving Savior who can bring peace in all circumstances.
Level four is known to be the toughest semester thus far, even though I don't know how that can be possible. Taking it one day at a time and excited to enjoy my Christmas break! Dosage exam first day back, so gotta study up a few days prior :)
Merry Christmas eve eve eve!
The positives of verbal care plan: IMMEDIATE feedback. You know right away how you did, whether you passed/failed, and whether the instructors were pleased. Back to first semester (ugh, sigh, shoot me, couldn't make me go back if you gave me a hundred dollars....), I remember I didn't get my care plan back for like five weeks. Five agonizing weeks that I cried every day concerned about how I did on it. So this is a BIG positive. Also, you have the chance to clarify anything that didn't seem clear to the professors. And lastly, there's no drug sheet... and all nursing students say amen. We needed to know why were giving the drug, but didn't need to know every little detail. These three points are true for both my Peds and OB care plan, but for the Peds care plan we didn't have to do a health history either!
Now on to the negatives of verbal care plan: ANXIETY. Holy anxiety. I was so incredibly nervous for both it was unreal. I had my Pediatrics one first and it was just my professor and I sitting in the nurses station of the Emergency Room... so laid back! I remember as soon as I finished my first words were, "Did I do alright?" And thankfully, her answer was "absolutely!" Little did I know, that would be a baby care plan compared to my OB care plan. So my first one I was nervous because I had never done one, and the second one I was nervous because there was SO much stuff included and they have the right to ask any questions to clarify. So on the next negative... they can ask anything. You have to know your stuff.
Peds care plan was pretty simple. We gave report and gave our care plan (only three diagnoses!) For OB.. we gave report on our patient, had a health history, a ten minute assessment, a nutrition assessment, culture assessment, and then our actual care plan. A LOT. I think I worked about three weeks, and the best thing... they loved it! After giving report, no one said anything... and I didn't know what to do. Next thing I know, they started raving about it. Said it was the best report they had heard, and then... they said the same thing about my nutrition and write up! I hadn't even made it to my care plan yet and I was beaming. I had seven diagnoses and they chose my last one listed in priority order. It wasn't my strongest, but they still loved it. They ended up requesting a copy of my entire care plan, all pieces included, and I gladly handed it over! I walked out of that office feeling so happy and so proud of myself. This was one of those high-highs. There's something so rewarding about working so incredibly hard for something, and it paying off. So as far as care plans go, this semester was a success!
For grades, my third and fourth OB exams I made As. And for Peds, my second exam I made an A, and my third exam I made a B. In my Professional Practice class I made an A on both my paper and presentation. For finals, I made an A on my OB final and a B on my Peds final.
The last stressful thing on the nursing school agenda this semester was taking my two ATI exams. We had an ATI exam for both OB and Peds. I can't exactly describe how stressful these both were, being pass/fail exams with only about 8 days apart with two finals in the mix. Long story short... I made level three on both! Level three is the highest you can get, definitely another high :)
The best part of it all... I finished the semester with a 4.0! I couldn't be happier!!! It was so so tough!
p.s. shout-out to Hillsong United for their song "Oceans" that I listened to before every single exam/care plan this semester. And most importantly, I'm forever thankful for the reason behind the song, my loving Savior who can bring peace in all circumstances.
Level four is known to be the toughest semester thus far, even though I don't know how that can be possible. Taking it one day at a time and excited to enjoy my Christmas break! Dosage exam first day back, so gotta study up a few days prior :)
Merry Christmas eve eve eve!
