Study in Style

  

Do you liiiiiike?  I know, cute right.  I'm only half way through though; so, we'll call this Part one.   So this here you guys is what will be my study area.  Yes, I'm preparing for the future.  My efforts of studying in the past has resulted to what I'd like to call "Stair Studying".  It's the most effective, uncomfortable, best way to keep your eye on the kids while they're on the second floor, not to far from the first floor while foods cooking, too far away from your bed on the third floor to get comfortable, method of studying.  Who'd- a -thunk that the cozy comfy living room would get me to page 6 and 6 hours of sleep not even thirty minutes into studying. 

I got it down to a perfect science.  Why, because I'm a huge believer in if you don't like something and you're in control of it, then dag on it, FIX IT.  Don't like traffic..........leave early........don't like being late..........get prepared the night before...you know...stuff like that.  However, I didn't like getting everyone situated, (diner, baths, clothes ironed, etc) and the time mapped out for myself to study was a complete joke. I would always fall asleep and rightfully so.  I was beat!

So what I've done for the past year was went to bed early, because I found that cramming in HW after working 8 hours and spending another few hours with kindergarten work, diner, baths, etc was unrealistic to really comprehend anything else afterwards.  So I figured crash early, wake up at 4:00 a.m and Stair Study.

  It was great. NO one needed me! It was silent......

Not a creature was staring, not even a mouse. I studied until it was time to wake them up at 6:00 a.m.  After two hours of coffee sipping, page turning, in my jamas I had accomplished a huge chunk already.  I know what you're thinking, what the heck is wrong with the table.  Well, I'd tell ya that the coach would just be staring at me like, "Girl, you know you wanna come over here".  And don't even talk about Starbucks, library or study groups.  Those areas are NOT for me.  I feel study groups are like AA meetings where you go around and soberly talk about your hopes, dreams and aspirations.  Everything but WBCs and RBCs are discussed.  Now now there, don't get me wrong......I'd love to study with the right group of people.  So hopefully my clinical group is on point.  If not, here's my back up.  $5.00 for the chair, $5.00 for the table, $6.00 for gold spray paint and $8.00 for can of paint.

That my fellow student nurses and murses is what I'd like to call

"Decorating on a Dime"

What to do while you wait!

How does that little saying go.........oh yeah........"The struggle is real", well in the Nursing School realm, it should be called "The wait is real" after you submit your clinical application.  I mean, there's every class known to man that needs to be taken before you can enter.  I seriously need a course on what to do while I wait.


I was an early bird and submitted my application back in May.  The application deadline was not until July 31st and letters aren't sent out until the end of September, possibly early October. I know, start biting your nails already because I have none left. 

What's bothersome is how much waiting can lead to doubt, worry and anxiety.  You began to read other success stories, begin to think you're going to be wait-listed and even not make it into the program.  I can't stress how much I've done this.  Then it all stopped when my Pastor had a message that said "Trust God whether it's a good day or a bad day and believe that God is with us on both of those days".  He also mentioned that fear and anxiety is natural, but we must fight it back and have a Psalm 46:1-10 attitude (Your challenge to look it up).  And ever since, a sense of peace has come over me.  I figured why sit around and wait and worry.  Why not wait and get PREPARRED...come on somebody.  ( I just love saying that).  Here are some things that I'm doing.

-Of course blogging

-Hitting up those dreadful A&P books as a refresher.  Can you imagine not knowing your medulla oblongata from your gluteus maximus.

-I've heard there's an exam the first week of school and have also gotten hold of the material such as the most commonly used abbreviations, like  AKA, no silly...not also known as, but above knee amputation.

-I've also fallen for the Fall already and have begun my fall décor shopping (score)

-Obtaining my CPR certification (required)

-Annual Physical (required)

-Getting used to using a fun calendar and mapping out every breath I take as we will do once in school.  Lets not even talk about the Hustle Happy Planner at Micheals or Erin Condren Planner, my gosh!

-Watching a TON and I mean a TON of first semester of nursing school youtube videos. My fav Nurse bass and Just Jess Nursing

After getting an acceptance letter, it is a whole different story with what needs to be done.

Those mentioned above that are required, I'd really recommend doing ahead of time.  Lots of students dont finish their requirements on time and loose their spots.  I believe there will be a dosage calculation test the first week as well.  More on this of course after September!

Mean while.......... get busy



Keep calm and raise those kids!

Does anyone out there have any idea how long it's taking me to get this ASN under my belt? I mean talk about the scenic route towards becoming an RN.  I've made so many lefts and rights and pit stops along the way that I could've become a doctor by now.  Three colleges..................wait this one currently makes the fourth (geesh)........well yeah....... could've been an MD for sure.  However, I'm not so sure that if I could turn back the hands of time, I would've accomplished everything that I've accomplished thus far.  At 32, you'd expect to have your career under your belt, married, home, kids, white picket fence, dog, etc, all that good stuff out the way..........but dang it........... that's just not my story, nor my end.
I can thankfully say that besides the career under my belt I do have all those things, with the exception of the dog that I gave away (more on that later, or never, lol)  I can say that the Lord has allowed me to accomplish a whole lot.  I had a convo with one of my patients and while drawing her blood, we got on the subject of how I became a phlebotomist? Then long story short how in the world was I getting ready to dive into nursing school?  Her words were "Don't you have kids, how are you going to juggle all of that"?  And I sat back down and got comfy for this one.  This is always a wonderful topic for me because I love to get women on the Super Woman band wagon....the "I can do all things through Jesus Christ" ya heard.....come on somebody!
So I said, there's two ways of thinking when accomplishing your goals and having kids. 
One: Either they'll be the reason why you do something or
Two: They'll be the reason why you don't do something.
I cant imagine years from now me telling my children "Well you're the reason why I couldn't do this- that and the third" and then in the same breath, tell them they can do all things.  Them buggers will look back at me like "yeah,......... well why didn't you finish school". No mam, cant have that.


So yes, my kids have kept me so focused and so in tune with my dream of becoming an RN.  My kids didn't burden me or rain on my parade.  God put them before me to focus, not to be a distraction.


What's your motivation?