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Nursing School week 4/#16
May. 13th, 2013 10:10 amThis was a pretty good week! On Monday, I took my final exam in the main nursing course for the semester. I successfully kept my 'A' in the class, although only barely...it was a hard exam! I tried hard to stay focused during it, but this was a little more challenging that I'd anticipated because Monday morning I got a phone call offering me the job I'd interviewed for last week. I accepted it--assuming I pass my NCLEX, I'll be starting mid-July on the Burn unit/ICU at the big teaching hospital/level 1 Trauma center here. It's an evening/night job, which will be an adjustment (but PoC already works nights, so we'll figure it out!). I'm definitely expecting orientation to be pretty intense--there's a lot of equipment and standards of care in Intensive Care that we don't really learn about in school, and we've only covered burns briefly.
On Tuesday we took our very last computerized exam, which is meant to predict your probability of passing the NCLEX on the first try. Based on your performance on the exam, it designs a "study" plan for you and gives you a coach to work with. (This has all been paid for via our tuition, but I'm still skeptical since I haven't loved this computerized-testing company throughout school. However, we're not required to use their review materials; just to take the predictor exam.) I did very well on the predictor, but of course I still plan to do a lot of studying after graduation.
Wednesday-Friday I didn't have any official school obligations, but I did have my employee physical/TB test/drug screening, and picked up my cap and gown, and other exciting tasks.
Saturday and Sunday were my first two days of our final "bridging" clinical work. During this time we work with a preceptor nurse, and an instructor checks in with us once a day. We have to submit brief journal entries, but not the full-length self-reflections we've had to do for other classes. I worked 12-hour shifts both days (the shifts are assigned to us). I was definitely tired last night! I haven't been on my feet for 12 hours at a stretch for a long time--it takes some getting used to! I'm off today and then back tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, and next Monday (the day before convocation). I felt like both days went pretty well. During this time we're supposed to be demonstrating increasing independence and judgment, and also working up to caring for 3-4 patients at a time.
Today, the car is in the shop getting a lot of expensive work done...good thing I should be earning a paycheck in a couple of months!
On Tuesday we took our very last computerized exam, which is meant to predict your probability of passing the NCLEX on the first try. Based on your performance on the exam, it designs a "study" plan for you and gives you a coach to work with. (This has all been paid for via our tuition, but I'm still skeptical since I haven't loved this computerized-testing company throughout school. However, we're not required to use their review materials; just to take the predictor exam.) I did very well on the predictor, but of course I still plan to do a lot of studying after graduation.
Wednesday-Friday I didn't have any official school obligations, but I did have my employee physical/TB test/drug screening, and picked up my cap and gown, and other exciting tasks.
Saturday and Sunday were my first two days of our final "bridging" clinical work. During this time we work with a preceptor nurse, and an instructor checks in with us once a day. We have to submit brief journal entries, but not the full-length self-reflections we've had to do for other classes. I worked 12-hour shifts both days (the shifts are assigned to us). I was definitely tired last night! I haven't been on my feet for 12 hours at a stretch for a long time--it takes some getting used to! I'm off today and then back tomorrow, Thursday, Friday, and next Monday (the day before convocation). I felt like both days went pretty well. During this time we're supposed to be demonstrating increasing independence and judgment, and also working up to caring for 3-4 patients at a time.
Today, the car is in the shop getting a lot of expensive work done...good thing I should be earning a paycheck in a couple of months!
