status: pass
PASS!!!
I am now officially a neonatal intensive care Registered Nurse.
I actually burst out crying when I saw status:pass underneath my name. That's not really my style, but apparently the momentous occasion called for an unusual emotional outburst. It was this kind of interesting, very short-lived, heaving sobs type of thing. Nursing school catharsis.
30 June 2008
28 June 2008
Advice For Myself
Don't go to Home Depot on a Saturday morning before 9am if you are 1) a woman 2) alone and 3) wearing anything other than a turtleneck, baggy pants, and maybe a head scarf. I do not think any girl deserves the kind of lechering, grinning and mental pawing that I encountered while trying to pick up packing tape this morning. Girls, please remember - Sunday afternoons at Home Depot are packed with families and therefore safe. Saturday mornings are for contractors who forgot to stop and refocus after getting trashed ogling girls at the Admiral on Lawrence. Avoid these people at all costs.
Never say to your husband, "Don't worry honey, I will have the apartment all packed up when you return". Because, HA! You will drink too much the night before (and fall down the stairs, WTF) and you will not want to pack all day. And your cats will frolic in the open boxes like it is the kitty Wisconsin Dells (slide, pam, slide!) and shed all over your pots and pans which were previously the only items in the house which had not seen the underbelly of a feline.
Do not check the NCLEX website every 5 minutes to see if your results are posted. THEY ARE NOT. Every message board and piece of official literature tells you they will not be available for 48 hours. So relax. Your fate as a RN is in someone else's hands and just because you are a highstrung nursing student (and possibly, a nurse, but how would you know?)those 48 hours aren't going by any faster.
Do not think of combining drinking and packing. Especially before noon.
Wait until at least 12:30pm.
Never say to your husband, "Don't worry honey, I will have the apartment all packed up when you return". Because, HA! You will drink too much the night before (and fall down the stairs, WTF) and you will not want to pack all day. And your cats will frolic in the open boxes like it is the kitty Wisconsin Dells (slide, pam, slide!) and shed all over your pots and pans which were previously the only items in the house which had not seen the underbelly of a feline.
Do not check the NCLEX website every 5 minutes to see if your results are posted. THEY ARE NOT. Every message board and piece of official literature tells you they will not be available for 48 hours. So relax. Your fate as a RN is in someone else's hands and just because you are a highstrung nursing student (and possibly, a nurse, but how would you know?)those 48 hours aren't going by any faster.
Do not think of combining drinking and packing. Especially before noon.
Wait until at least 12:30pm.
27 June 2008
Fin
My exam is over.
75 questions.
One hour.
Not as horrible as I expected.
Not as good as I hoped.
15 select all that apply.
2 med calcs.
2 correct the order.
Many many priority.
Infection control.
2 questions on fosamax of all drugs?!
Never heard of tumor lysis syndrome.
Never heard of most the meds.
I really hate select all that apply.
75 questions.
15 of which are trial and don't count.
So in 60 questions I either demonstrated my competence or not.
And I will find out in 2 business days.
75 questions.
One hour.
Not as horrible as I expected.
Not as good as I hoped.
15 select all that apply.
2 med calcs.
2 correct the order.
Many many priority.
Infection control.
2 questions on fosamax of all drugs?!
Never heard of tumor lysis syndrome.
Never heard of most the meds.
I really hate select all that apply.
75 questions.
15 of which are trial and don't count.
So in 60 questions I either demonstrated my competence or not.
And I will find out in 2 business days.
20 June 2008
One week from today, I will be on the el headed downtown to take my nursing boards. I have been studying constantly and I am beginning to think in multiple choice questions. In so many ways, it feels I have been holding my breath for two years, and until i see the words PASS on a computer screen, I will not be able to let it out. Nursing school was a compressed, intense, overwhelming experience that doesn't end at graduation, no matter how excited you are to see your diploma (mine came in the mail this week) or how soon your student loans bills are coming (november, along with my impending heart attack). Nursing school ends somewhere between the minute your test shuts off, the next 48 hours of anxiety (and heavy drinking) and the moment you see P-A-S-S with your name next to it.
This morning at 5:30am, through random circumstances involving Joshua's increasingly crazy job, I saw one of my favorite professors and his wife, who are both nurses. Standing with them was a woman who just passed her NCLEX on Wednesday. I don't believe in luck, but I believe God comforts us in mysterious ways...and so I was really relieved to have met that woman and have seen my professor again (a small-ish man who was wearing biking spandex and those strange clomping bike shoes; let's be serious, this situation was actually hilarious. In addition, Joshua will be traveling in a van that follows my professor and other bikers for 230 miles, driven by the woman who recently became a registered nurse. If I have anything to do with it, he WILL shake her down for all the info).
This apartment is getting packed up...and messy...and dirty...and my nursing books and CDs and paints chips for colors we are thinking of in the new place are everywhere and although I did just talk about feeling comforted, the physical space around me sucks right now. I need to get off the computer and organize something.
That is a phrase I do NOT use often.
This morning at 5:30am, through random circumstances involving Joshua's increasingly crazy job, I saw one of my favorite professors and his wife, who are both nurses. Standing with them was a woman who just passed her NCLEX on Wednesday. I don't believe in luck, but I believe God comforts us in mysterious ways...and so I was really relieved to have met that woman and have seen my professor again (a small-ish man who was wearing biking spandex and those strange clomping bike shoes; let's be serious, this situation was actually hilarious. In addition, Joshua will be traveling in a van that follows my professor and other bikers for 230 miles, driven by the woman who recently became a registered nurse. If I have anything to do with it, he WILL shake her down for all the info).
This apartment is getting packed up...and messy...and dirty...and my nursing books and CDs and paints chips for colors we are thinking of in the new place are everywhere and although I did just talk about feeling comforted, the physical space around me sucks right now. I need to get off the computer and organize something.
That is a phrase I do NOT use often.
17 June 2008
Random Thoughts
I am a sucker for catchy songs, I can't get them out of my head for days and I can become sort of obsessed with playing them over and over. Pop-y, summer-y songs usually stick with me the longest, and I would like to complain about the lyrics of my current keep-on-repeat:
I kissed a girl and I liked it is not exactly doing wonders for my marriage. Joshua is less than thrilled with me humming under my breath, "it felt so wrong, it felt so right"...and etc. But the song is like crack, I cannot stop hearing it in my head.
Speaking of crack, I have not been drinking coffee lately. At all. I had iced coffee before church 2 weeks ago, and only really drank about half of it, and that was the very last time a drop has passed my lips. I've had iced tea since then, but the coffee has been dead to me. I don't miss it, I don't crave it. I think at some point over the fall, probably when I start working the night shift, coffee and I will reconcile. But for now, it's kind of nice to go through the day feeling like I am not being propelled from behind by a venti cup.
More thoughts...Amy and I ran a 5k on Sunday. Without any training (except for some fatigued half-mile runs in 100% humidity). I was happy with how well we did, crossing the finish line around 36 minutes. We ran all but about 1/4 mile of the course, including a cobblestone bridge which was basically a pool of standing water from the fierce thunderstorm we had that morning, and a hill. (A hill! I run at the lake and in the neighborhoods in one of the flattest cities in this country, so no, I did not run up that big fat hill during the race. I wouldn't know how). It was so fun, and really encouraging to me because I was not half as tired as I thought I would be at the finish line. Two new goals: 1) finish another 5k this summer and 2)do it in under 30 minutes, no walking at all.
I have now been sick for over a week with a nasty summer cold. I can't get rid of it and it's driving me crazy. Every morning I wake up and the symptoms are just slightly different - one day more in my nose, the next in my throat, and so on. It's all just so interesting and unpredictable. My cats make these horrified faces when I blow my nose, which makes it fun.
During my "illness", I discovered Gyminee, a nicely done website that helps you track your weight loss, food choices, and workouts. I am not by nature a calorie-counter or a very disciplined exerciser, so it's kind of fun to see exactly what I am putting in my body and how that translates to the amount of fat, carbs, and proteins I should be eating. Left to my own bread-craving devices I think I eat about 60% carbs, 30% fat and 10% protein. So this has been helping me realize what I'm actually putting in my mouth all day long, and I've already started to change my eating habits (waaaaay more protein! waaaaaay less carbs!). Plus, the food-finder feature is super helpful. For instance, for lunch I tossed pesto with cannellini (as opposed to my typical capellini!) and the food-finder has nutrition facts on the exact brands of both the beans and the pesto I used. Of course I will not be able to do this every day, but it's a good eye-opened none the less.
Lastly, I am packing up our apartment and studying for NCLEX every day and hopefully (fingers crossed, practice questions in hand) next Friday I will officially become a Registered Nurse. Then a week later we move to our new place and our happy, financially solvent life as DINKS - Dual Income No Kids - can begin.
OH! And I have a secret. A happy secret. (I am NOT pregnant, there is NO baby, CALM DOWN. Like I could keep that quiet). A very exciting future development secret.
(I love the summertime!!!)
I kissed a girl and I liked it is not exactly doing wonders for my marriage. Joshua is less than thrilled with me humming under my breath, "it felt so wrong, it felt so right"...and etc. But the song is like crack, I cannot stop hearing it in my head.
Speaking of crack, I have not been drinking coffee lately. At all. I had iced coffee before church 2 weeks ago, and only really drank about half of it, and that was the very last time a drop has passed my lips. I've had iced tea since then, but the coffee has been dead to me. I don't miss it, I don't crave it. I think at some point over the fall, probably when I start working the night shift, coffee and I will reconcile. But for now, it's kind of nice to go through the day feeling like I am not being propelled from behind by a venti cup.
More thoughts...Amy and I ran a 5k on Sunday. Without any training (except for some fatigued half-mile runs in 100% humidity). I was happy with how well we did, crossing the finish line around 36 minutes. We ran all but about 1/4 mile of the course, including a cobblestone bridge which was basically a pool of standing water from the fierce thunderstorm we had that morning, and a hill. (A hill! I run at the lake and in the neighborhoods in one of the flattest cities in this country, so no, I did not run up that big fat hill during the race. I wouldn't know how). It was so fun, and really encouraging to me because I was not half as tired as I thought I would be at the finish line. Two new goals: 1) finish another 5k this summer and 2)do it in under 30 minutes, no walking at all.
I have now been sick for over a week with a nasty summer cold. I can't get rid of it and it's driving me crazy. Every morning I wake up and the symptoms are just slightly different - one day more in my nose, the next in my throat, and so on. It's all just so interesting and unpredictable. My cats make these horrified faces when I blow my nose, which makes it fun.
During my "illness", I discovered Gyminee, a nicely done website that helps you track your weight loss, food choices, and workouts. I am not by nature a calorie-counter or a very disciplined exerciser, so it's kind of fun to see exactly what I am putting in my body and how that translates to the amount of fat, carbs, and proteins I should be eating. Left to my own bread-craving devices I think I eat about 60% carbs, 30% fat and 10% protein. So this has been helping me realize what I'm actually putting in my mouth all day long, and I've already started to change my eating habits (waaaaay more protein! waaaaaay less carbs!). Plus, the food-finder feature is super helpful. For instance, for lunch I tossed pesto with cannellini (as opposed to my typical capellini!) and the food-finder has nutrition facts on the exact brands of both the beans and the pesto I used. Of course I will not be able to do this every day, but it's a good eye-opened none the less.
Lastly, I am packing up our apartment and studying for NCLEX every day and hopefully (fingers crossed, practice questions in hand) next Friday I will officially become a Registered Nurse. Then a week later we move to our new place and our happy, financially solvent life as DINKS - Dual Income No Kids - can begin.
OH! And I have a secret. A happy secret. (I am NOT pregnant, there is NO baby, CALM DOWN. Like I could keep that quiet). A very exciting future development secret.
(I love the summertime!!!)
28 May 2008
$40
Today I took $40 out of my bank account at approximately 9:30am. I was on my way to the farmer's market with my friend Kristin and her friend Bri, and I needed cash. I really had no intention of spending all of the $40, but it's definitely gone (should I really be surprised?) and as I was thinking back over the events of the day, it kind of just...randomly dissipated..
At 6:45pm, with my $40, I have acquired:
-Two bunches of spring onions, one white and one red
-One bunch of radishes
-Half a pound of crimini mushrooms
-One pound of fingerling potatoes
-One bunch of flowering chives (which are quite beautiful and also have purple, edible, onion-y blooms attached)
-One organic cheddar and dill scone that was excellent but also the weight of a brick
-One pair of $5.99 sunglasses to replace a pair I scratched in Florida
-Tangerine shampoo that smells like summer
-Two gallons of Benjamin Moore paint, one chocolate brown and one tan (actually kind of a nasty color) which I found on Craigslist for $5
-One sneaky item for a friend which is actually from her husband, which I purchased in Target while she wasn't paying attention, and then forgot to give him and get the money he owed me (oops)
And I actually do have a few dollars hanging around in my purse.
I have been everywhere from downtown to the northwest suburbs today and I had big plans for dinner with roasted potatoes with purple chive blossoms and pasta with asparagus and mushrooms...who knows if that will happen.
At 6:45pm, with my $40, I have acquired:
-Two bunches of spring onions, one white and one red
-One bunch of radishes
-Half a pound of crimini mushrooms
-One pound of fingerling potatoes
-One bunch of flowering chives (which are quite beautiful and also have purple, edible, onion-y blooms attached)
-One organic cheddar and dill scone that was excellent but also the weight of a brick
-One pair of $5.99 sunglasses to replace a pair I scratched in Florida
-Tangerine shampoo that smells like summer
-Two gallons of Benjamin Moore paint, one chocolate brown and one tan (actually kind of a nasty color) which I found on Craigslist for $5
-One sneaky item for a friend which is actually from her husband, which I purchased in Target while she wasn't paying attention, and then forgot to give him and get the money he owed me (oops)
And I actually do have a few dollars hanging around in my purse.
I have been everywhere from downtown to the northwest suburbs today and I had big plans for dinner with roasted potatoes with purple chive blossoms and pasta with asparagus and mushrooms...who knows if that will happen.
27 May 2008
Still Alive
I can't believe it's been more than a month since I updated - more than 2 weeks since I checked every single thing off that list in the post below.
I was offered a job in Labor and Delivery, and I turned it down the Monday morning before graduation. That afternoon, I was offered a job in the neonatal intensive care unit (please see below - DREAM JOB!!) and I took it. So I start in July and I am alternately overwhelmed with excitement and scared sh*tless. Because my patients will be babies. In intensive care. At a hospital where babies go when they are too sick to be treated at other hospitals. And I do not feel at all qualified for that kind of crazy responsibility - but apparently, my degree makes it so.
Speaking of my degree, here it is:
along with my friend Kristin, who will be working at the same hospital as me on a transplant floor (yikes!). Although I don't think we look alike in the real world, we kind of do in this picture. Must be the tassel. Anyways, the night before graduation I got this:
A plaque with my name on it, because I received one of the senior awards at our pinning ceremony. They handed it to me during the ceremony which was awkward because I had no idea what to do with it...and then my mom stuck it in her bag so we could take some photos after and one of my professors came along and snatched it out and said, "sorry, you can't keep this!"
Oh really? I was planning on hanging it on the front door.
It was kind of a funny end to nursing school. Did they really think I was trying to steal the plaque that I have seen hanging in the office for the past two years??
I am really not that kind of girl!
After graduation of course I did this:
and partied with Joshua and my friends. Who are crazy. As you can see by this:
And also this:
Crazy fools.
So now all the hoopla and bells and whistles of graduation are over and I have gone back to just being a semi-employed housewife with too much time on my hands. We've moving July 1st to a smaller apartment closer to downtown and the el, which will be wonderful because it has a dishwasher and a breakfast bar and a big back porch where I can put tomato plants and a patio table. Also, I can basically see into my best friend's apartment from my living room, because she lives directly across the street. Another one of my best friends lives two buildings away. It will basically be one big party.
But the bedroom is smaller and we're going to have to get rid of some furniture to make everything fit...and we've lived in our big apartment now for 3 years. So overall, it may be a hard transition.
Which I will write more about later, because right now I have to bring Joshua back to work and then head to Starbucks to do my new favorite activity...
Study for boards.
I was offered a job in Labor and Delivery, and I turned it down the Monday morning before graduation. That afternoon, I was offered a job in the neonatal intensive care unit (please see below - DREAM JOB!!) and I took it. So I start in July and I am alternately overwhelmed with excitement and scared sh*tless. Because my patients will be babies. In intensive care. At a hospital where babies go when they are too sick to be treated at other hospitals. And I do not feel at all qualified for that kind of crazy responsibility - but apparently, my degree makes it so.
Speaking of my degree, here it is:
along with my friend Kristin, who will be working at the same hospital as me on a transplant floor (yikes!). Although I don't think we look alike in the real world, we kind of do in this picture. Must be the tassel. Anyways, the night before graduation I got this:
A plaque with my name on it, because I received one of the senior awards at our pinning ceremony. They handed it to me during the ceremony which was awkward because I had no idea what to do with it...and then my mom stuck it in her bag so we could take some photos after and one of my professors came along and snatched it out and said, "sorry, you can't keep this!"
Oh really? I was planning on hanging it on the front door.
It was kind of a funny end to nursing school. Did they really think I was trying to steal the plaque that I have seen hanging in the office for the past two years??
I am really not that kind of girl!
After graduation of course I did this:
and partied with Joshua and my friends. Who are crazy. As you can see by this:
And also this:
Crazy fools.
So now all the hoopla and bells and whistles of graduation are over and I have gone back to just being a semi-employed housewife with too much time on my hands. We've moving July 1st to a smaller apartment closer to downtown and the el, which will be wonderful because it has a dishwasher and a breakfast bar and a big back porch where I can put tomato plants and a patio table. Also, I can basically see into my best friend's apartment from my living room, because she lives directly across the street. Another one of my best friends lives two buildings away. It will basically be one big party.
But the bedroom is smaller and we're going to have to get rid of some furniture to make everything fit...and we've lived in our big apartment now for 3 years. So overall, it may be a hard transition.
Which I will write more about later, because right now I have to bring Joshua back to work and then head to Starbucks to do my new favorite activity...
Study for boards.
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