Life of a Do-It-All

There are thousands of webinars, pdf's, books, etc.'s warning people of the effects of working too hard, burnout, and why they should be working smarter. There's a hopeless amount of books just for one class, and it seems like there are more resources than what time is alotted throughout one 24 hour day. Sometimes the easier, and better road to take it following plainly what your instructor suggests, no matter how intensive it may be. Other times, we have to get creative by making colorful concept maps, wildly labeled pictures, and flashcards that have such small lettering you need a magnifying glass. The important part is to focus on the material that is given through course shells and by instructors. If you do not have a good outline, the material that you're preparing might not be accurate. Before every exam, I TRY (doesn't always happen) to create an exam packet. (It includes what helps me master many of my exams) Outline  Any questions/reviews  Chapte...

The next session, my cohort is going to be hit with the challenging duo of Adult Health I and Pharmacology. I've heard horror stories following pharmacology, and how daunting the amount of work seems. I am going to have my first ever 12 hour clinical on a Medical-surgical floor on in a hospital (will not disclose for HIPAA and privacy reasons) I don't know what to expect, and I am excited and nervous to learn a lot about the fields I'm passionate about in nursing. My textbooks for this session resemble a small stepping stool, and I haven't even found all of the resources I need- If anyone has any suggestions for pharmacology ( leave a comment!) We're all nervous and slightly overwhelmed with everything ahead of us, will keep you all updated. -M

Through nursing school, it can easily feel as if you're fully immersed without exit. While the workload might make everything seem impossible to juggle, it's easy to remember how rewarding it is. It's hard to make time for anything else but nursing school, but we all make do. Each nursing student is juggling a myriad of dreams and goals while trying to pave a bright future ahead. When given opportunities, no matter how many obstacles stand in your way... it's important to take advantage of each one in your path. When you receive news of a great opportunity, at the moment it's jumping for joy... but over time the reality sets in. The work and desire to make it all perfect is so exciting but can also seem like a looming cloud. But the important thing is to stay positive. Remind yourself... things aren't slipping through the cracks, you can do it, and to stay focused on the task ahead. Take every day as a blessing!

You might be nervous, feel adrenaline running through your body - or it might be something that you want it to be done before the day even begins. Nursing is a calling, and while the pay is good- do not step into this profession if you do not have a passion for your patients and what you're doing... it's easy to feel swallowed whole otherwise.  Clinical was great! I can only disclose so much that I was exposed to as a right to my patient. But I had a great time. Within the first hour, I felt my heart swell... knowing truly that this field (in all it's glory) is something that I am so excited to be a part of. Family and friends always insisted I would be better as a lab rat, but in fact, I adore direct patient care. While nursing is a science and has A LOT of studying and hard work behind it... pay attention to your heart and what you're passionate about- it can take you far. If you're just starting nursing school- clinical can seem like something you're ru...

It's easy to struggle through nursing school and focus on the material that is in front of you. Even if you're in front of patients. We might fully understand how a procedure works and know how to instruct a patient to relax, but we can never understand their point of view. Sometimes all we need is a change of perspective, and a personal experience to help make our patients have the best one that they can have. I was a patient recently getting my cavities fixed. I was more than freaked out about getting numb, and it was more than comforting to have a great dentist. I was shakey and teary-eyed while I felt the loss of control of the left side of my face. I was terrified to talk to even see the drill, let alone feel the vibrations through my mouth.  I realize going through nursing school, and for any type of healthcare professional, it's a "no-no" to tell the patient exactly how things will end up or an exact amount of time it will take. But, being an anxious...

While 99% of my posts thus far have been around nursing, this blog is centered around trying to juggle everything that is placed in your path that you wish to accomplish. I currently work with a group of high-schoolers that are on a Youth Leadership Board, under the non-profit I work with. I slowly am creating a collection of infographics that they can learn leadership skills from. I use them as a starting point for all of our meetings, I print and pass out copies to each child and we use it as a discussion starter for each meeting. After they will still have the resource. Here's my first one:

I'm officially in my first course that has a clinical rotation! Fundamentals II, we are going to a nursing home and learning! While I 100% am not volunteering patient information, I will be volunteering my perspective on what to look out for and what I paid attention to. Feel free to follow along and learn more about a clinical journey.  I'm writing this pre-orientation to my first clinical site. It feels like so much has been thrown at us requirement wise, but not much information wise. I lost count of how many emails have been sent out of reminders, dates, conflicts, etc. There's a lot that can flood a nursing student's mind, and it can all come at the rate of a tsunami. It's important to make a distinction between class requirements, and what the clinical site is asking of you. Just as we like our homes and private areas to be respected... each clinical site expects the same- and more... rightfully so. It's imperative to remember some of these clinical si...