I am back from the Florida wedding and the Caribbean vacation. 10 days of 90 degrees spent basking (intermittently) in the sun's rays. Then, the shocking return to the arctic tundra that is Rochester. High 40s and rainy. Its May 20th! From the place where summer never stops to the place where summer never begins. I knew we should have gotten off the plane for good in Charlotte where it was mid-70s and sunny.
Wedding went off without much of a hitch. Only two minor issues occurred: the losing and subsequent retrieval of Tia's veil (it apparently got cold feet and tried to take off through the parking lot. Thankfully a handicapped sign dissuaded it from leaving entirely) and the high winds that made Tia's hair and veil swirl violently about her face (but strangely did not disturb my coif whatsoever). We were badly in need of some Aquanet and DEP, but sadly for us, we didn't get married in 1987 where such things would be readily available.
The cruise was really enjoyable except for the excruciating times spent embarking and debarking. Why all cruise ships insist upon making the experiences that bookend your trip as horrible as possible still evades me. The only other major complaint I have was that the loudspeakers on the ship were all cranked up so loud as to distort most everything that was screamed through them. So, all cruisers got the dual benefit of a splitting headache and no discernible information. Add to that the fact the same process was then repeated for 4 additional languages and you have a replication of what I imagine the announcements in hell must sound like. The food was good, if not a little repetitive. The activities were quite varied (I mad it up the rock wall, but fell promptly on my backside on both attempts at surfing) and the promenade always offered good snacks and beverages. The ship itself was beautiful and immaculately maintained.
Things still remain somewhat foggy and mentally I am still rocking side-to-side a bit. There is a lot to deal with in the next week+. Selling whatever else isn't nailed down. Packing. Re-packing. The dreaded drive. Applying for more jobs. An interview with Silverton. And, of course, studying and more studying for the omnipresent specter that hover about all nursing students like paparazzi hover around Britney on a Marbolo run, the dreaded NCLEX. It is hard to even type the acronym what with the shivers crawling up my spine. At least I have a few months if need be to study. I just recently discovered, through a practice test, that I am at risk for the area of therapeutic communication. Apparently sprinkling in the occasional profanity is not considered therapeutic. Well, f**k that! :)
I promise a return to more frequent updates, especially as there will likely be much to update about in the coming weeks and months between. In the meantime, I have many more areas to prove myself at risk for on practice tests.
9 days til departure.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Today and tomorrow
Another VERY brief blurb. I will re-commit myself to the task after things simmer down. Tomorrow is the wedding. It should be really interesting. Haven't seen the location. Haven't met the person performing the ceremony. Haven't met the photographer. A lot of surprises ahead.
In nursing news: I GOT A JOB!!! Crazy as it sounds. I had an interview on Wednesday morning for about 30 minutes. They asked me a number of clinical questions and, though I stumbled through it, they must have heard something that led them to believe I wouldn't kill the patients. Starts on the 21st of July. Up next, passing the NCLEX. The only downside is that the job is in Salem, not Portland. I was contacted by another hospital as well. Will see what that leads to. It is nice to have something locked down.....helps de-emphasize the stench of desperation.
Back in a week.
In nursing news: I GOT A JOB!!! Crazy as it sounds. I had an interview on Wednesday morning for about 30 minutes. They asked me a number of clinical questions and, though I stumbled through it, they must have heard something that led them to believe I wouldn't kill the patients. Starts on the 21st of July. Up next, passing the NCLEX. The only downside is that the job is in Salem, not Portland. I was contacted by another hospital as well. Will see what that leads to. It is nice to have something locked down.....helps de-emphasize the stench of desperation.
Back in a week.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Interview (another brief post)
I have my first nursing interview on Wednesday (My first out of Rochester interview anyway) for a hospital in Salem, OR. Obviously, this will be a phone interview which affords me the added benefit of not having to dress up. Hell, I don't even have to comb my hair. Not sure how to prepare though. Preparing for interviews for Rochester area hospitals seems to consist of showing up roughly on time and having a list of questions for them. It will be interesting to compare.
Grades are finally in. I did far better than I thought on my final paper. Go figure.
I will try to post after the interview. Keep em crossed. It isn't Portland, but it is a damn sight closer than Western NY.
Grades are finally in. I did far better than I thought on my final paper. Go figure.
I will try to post after the interview. Keep em crossed. It isn't Portland, but it is a damn sight closer than Western NY.
Friday, May 02, 2008
(Deep Exhalation)
It is officially over!!!!! I have completed the program and, as a sidebar, I still have most of my sanity intact (given that there wasn't much to start with).
I am still awaiting the final numbers for Ethics, but even if I had failed to turn in the final paper I would have passed the course. So, no worries there. (As a sidebar: I wrote said paper with such minimal effort and in such a hurry that I didn't bother to even proofread it. It may well be the biggest piece of typed trash since Paris Hilton's book came out). I managed to squeak by with the bare-minimum I needed to get an 'A' in Management, which was a nice bonus for a class I scarcely attended and only lightly reviewed for (I say this not as a testament to my own intellectual acumen, but rather as an indictment of the course and the instructor). Management remains among the most superfluous courses I have ever taken. What little I gleaned was mostly related to the capstone project, and that bared so little relation to the coursework and the teachings that it could have stood apart from it completely.
The biggest piece of good news is that I succeeded in passing the dreaded exit assessment. I improved markedly from my initial performance (by 10 points). The bad news is that more people than usual will be retaking the examination. In the past 3 years 6 people had to retake the examination COMBINED. This year, two dozen (over 20%) will be retaking it. According to our resident test guru, it is due largely to the fact that the test was much more difficult than in years past. Whatever the cause, I still feel terrible for everyone who has to retake it. I am sure they will all pass it the second time, and there is no penalty to retaking it multiple times if need be, but still it would be quite debilitating to anyone's confidence. I wish them all luck the second time through.
Now to get my Oregon state license application together. I think I am finished with two of the 67 steps needed to complete it. I got the fingerprints and the physical application, but I still need a passport photo, official transcripts, a videotape of me breaking the all-time scoring record for Donkey Kong, a signed copy of the New Testament, and about $400 odd dollars in cash. I think that covers it.
Off to celebrate.
I am still awaiting the final numbers for Ethics, but even if I had failed to turn in the final paper I would have passed the course. So, no worries there. (As a sidebar: I wrote said paper with such minimal effort and in such a hurry that I didn't bother to even proofread it. It may well be the biggest piece of typed trash since Paris Hilton's book came out). I managed to squeak by with the bare-minimum I needed to get an 'A' in Management, which was a nice bonus for a class I scarcely attended and only lightly reviewed for (I say this not as a testament to my own intellectual acumen, but rather as an indictment of the course and the instructor). Management remains among the most superfluous courses I have ever taken. What little I gleaned was mostly related to the capstone project, and that bared so little relation to the coursework and the teachings that it could have stood apart from it completely.
The biggest piece of good news is that I succeeded in passing the dreaded exit assessment. I improved markedly from my initial performance (by 10 points). The bad news is that more people than usual will be retaking the examination. In the past 3 years 6 people had to retake the examination COMBINED. This year, two dozen (over 20%) will be retaking it. According to our resident test guru, it is due largely to the fact that the test was much more difficult than in years past. Whatever the cause, I still feel terrible for everyone who has to retake it. I am sure they will all pass it the second time, and there is no penalty to retaking it multiple times if need be, but still it would be quite debilitating to anyone's confidence. I wish them all luck the second time through.
Now to get my Oregon state license application together. I think I am finished with two of the 67 steps needed to complete it. I got the fingerprints and the physical application, but I still need a passport photo, official transcripts, a videotape of me breaking the all-time scoring record for Donkey Kong, a signed copy of the New Testament, and about $400 odd dollars in cash. I think that covers it.
Off to celebrate.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Brief update
The Management final was a cakewalk. I think it took all of 15 minutes. Interested to see the outcome.
The ERI test today was a total clusterf**k........or possibly not. I have absolutely no idea how I fared on it. I can say that the 4 day review session and the associated study materials were largely incongruent with what I encountered on the exam. The answers will be revealed this Friday supposedly. In the meantime, I have a paper to finish.
The ERI test today was a total clusterf**k........or possibly not. I have absolutely no idea how I fared on it. I can say that the 4 day review session and the associated study materials were largely incongruent with what I encountered on the exam. The answers will be revealed this Friday supposedly. In the meantime, I have a paper to finish.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Four
Four days of review. Four days spent in chairs meant for not more than a few hours of sitting. Four more days, after today, until it is all over (give or take four hours). 444 more questions to review before Wednesday's ERI exam (I was off by 24 hours when I originally said Tuesday). Unfortunately, I have but four more brain cells with which to study.
The review session was, er, informative. I am not sure how much it helped, though with her offered test-taking strategies, I am sure it ultimately did. Mostly she offered up a lot of stories to illustrate points, to augment our meager knowledge, or for shits and giggles. Things like (I can neither confirm nor deny the veracity of any of these statements mind you):
* The origin of HIV is Africa evidently. But, the first case of the virus being activated was in a pilot. The patient 0 as it were. Regretfully, this pilot was a man of voluminous sexual appetite. Fortunately, he was also a scribe and recorded his sexual conquests, which included underage girls around the world, men, women, and his wife. His wife an he had an open relationship as well, so she helped to further the disease spread as well.
* Semen concentrates alcohol at twice the rate of blood. It can be passed on through intercourse as a woman's vagina absorbs the proteins from semen.
* Immunizations have mercury in them still, but the total amount in ALL the immunizations is so trace that their is more in a tablespoon of tuna fish. There is still no link to autism.
* Autism is, however, linked to a mitochondrial weakness. Giving the immunizations all at once has been noted to accelerate the symptoms. However, it isn't causative. The acceleration can be avoided if the immunizations are broken up into smaller groups instead of all given at one visit.
* Magic Johnson has not ever developed AIDS despite testing positive for the HIV virus over 20 years ago largely because his HLA type is middle eastern. They evidently had some form of the virus go through their population in the 1500s and have increased immunity towards it.
* The HPV vaccine in this country only protects against 70% of the types of the virus. There is another vaccine overseas that protects against the other kinds. The same company owns both patents. When the patents expire, they will be switched. They could be combined and offer 100% coverage, but fiscally this does not make sense for the company.
* The HPV vaccine is not needed if a woman waits until after her 60th menstruation to have sex (or at least unprotected sex). Something to do with the roughening of the cervix.
I just couldn't help but feel that, though the stories and odd tidbits were fascinating, the actual content was somewhat lacking. When content was provided, it seemed kind of disjointed. Questions were covered, but often the rationale for correct answers was not explained. Just as frequently, assumptions about our level of prior knowledge were made overestimating both our experiences and our content.
That said, she was a dynamic lecturer and there is obviously only so much that we can cover in a four day span. I wish very much that she had been to our school earlier because she did manage to explain quite a few things that I never picked up on the first go round in a way that was both understandable and memorable. I would have chosen her over EVERY single one of our classroom clinical area instructors (not a one for adult, psych, peds, or OB were of near the value......i was very fortunate that my clinicians on my rotations were exceptional).
I need to get my learn on once again. Class tonight, Management final tomorrow morning, ERI Wednesday afternoon, Ethics paper Thursday afternoon, and final exit assessment on Friday. Drinking starts at 1pm Friday afternoon.
The review session was, er, informative. I am not sure how much it helped, though with her offered test-taking strategies, I am sure it ultimately did. Mostly she offered up a lot of stories to illustrate points, to augment our meager knowledge, or for shits and giggles. Things like (I can neither confirm nor deny the veracity of any of these statements mind you):
* The origin of HIV is Africa evidently. But, the first case of the virus being activated was in a pilot. The patient 0 as it were. Regretfully, this pilot was a man of voluminous sexual appetite. Fortunately, he was also a scribe and recorded his sexual conquests, which included underage girls around the world, men, women, and his wife. His wife an he had an open relationship as well, so she helped to further the disease spread as well.
* Semen concentrates alcohol at twice the rate of blood. It can be passed on through intercourse as a woman's vagina absorbs the proteins from semen.
* Immunizations have mercury in them still, but the total amount in ALL the immunizations is so trace that their is more in a tablespoon of tuna fish. There is still no link to autism.
* Autism is, however, linked to a mitochondrial weakness. Giving the immunizations all at once has been noted to accelerate the symptoms. However, it isn't causative. The acceleration can be avoided if the immunizations are broken up into smaller groups instead of all given at one visit.
* Magic Johnson has not ever developed AIDS despite testing positive for the HIV virus over 20 years ago largely because his HLA type is middle eastern. They evidently had some form of the virus go through their population in the 1500s and have increased immunity towards it.
* The HPV vaccine in this country only protects against 70% of the types of the virus. There is another vaccine overseas that protects against the other kinds. The same company owns both patents. When the patents expire, they will be switched. They could be combined and offer 100% coverage, but fiscally this does not make sense for the company.
* The HPV vaccine is not needed if a woman waits until after her 60th menstruation to have sex (or at least unprotected sex). Something to do with the roughening of the cervix.
I just couldn't help but feel that, though the stories and odd tidbits were fascinating, the actual content was somewhat lacking. When content was provided, it seemed kind of disjointed. Questions were covered, but often the rationale for correct answers was not explained. Just as frequently, assumptions about our level of prior knowledge were made overestimating both our experiences and our content.
That said, she was a dynamic lecturer and there is obviously only so much that we can cover in a four day span. I wish very much that she had been to our school earlier because she did manage to explain quite a few things that I never picked up on the first go round in a way that was both understandable and memorable. I would have chosen her over EVERY single one of our classroom clinical area instructors (not a one for adult, psych, peds, or OB were of near the value......i was very fortunate that my clinicians on my rotations were exceptional).
I need to get my learn on once again. Class tonight, Management final tomorrow morning, ERI Wednesday afternoon, Ethics paper Thursday afternoon, and final exit assessment on Friday. Drinking starts at 1pm Friday afternoon.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
ERI
ERI probably doesn't mean much to anyone outside of nursing. The acronym has a downright malevolent connotation to those of us trying to get into the nursing profession and out of school however. You see, once you graduate, no matter valedictorian nor bottom scraper, you have to pass the ERI examination to make it 'official' and move on to the next round. Sure, you may have successfully navigated the pratfalls of a long litany of courses over a short span of time, but how much did you retain.....or learn in the first place for that matter? ERI aims to find out.
Based on the preliminary exam, I fall somewhere in the purgatory of scores: not quite high risk, but not quite passing either. The upside (should one be inclined to look from a glass half full perspective) is that I am not alone there. Most of the classmates I have spoken with who are inclined to divulge their results are there as well. How i could manage to make it to this point in the program with a GPA in the 3.6somethings and know as little about what they are testing as I do is beyond me. Most of what I don't know seems to be couched in one of two camps: utterly foreign or only vaguely familiar. In essence, a split between things not taught or not retained. Of course, half that problem relates to the sheer speed of the accelerated program. You can't dwell on anything, or you risk falling woefully behind. Knowledge is gleaned quickly or not at all.
Thankfully for future patients, there was no skimping on the clinical side. There are numerous graduates from our program who are doing quite well. There are also many other such programs around the country. Even if I fell dead in the middle of all students as far as acumen and intelligence, I would likely be a very competent nurse (or at least have the capability of being trained to become one, which is the essence of your first 2 months on the floor). Even in the bottom quartile, just graduating would prove I would be functional at the least. So, there is that.
This all brings me to the next four days of my life. We are all being trained to take this ERI test and pass it when it counts (that would be next Tuesday by the way). The training takes place from 8am until 4:30pm tomorrow through Saturday and will evidently prepare us in a way that the school itself has not. We will be drilled with hundreds of questions (possibly an underestimate on my part) and their explanations. We will learn not just what they are asking, but what they are looking for behind the words. We will sit in uncomfortable chairs in a dimly lit and windowless auditorium for days on end. Pretty much just like every other test prep everywhere else. I can barely restrain my anticipation.
This test, of course, will tell us if we will be good nurses the same way that the SAT will tell you if you will be a successful college student. That is to say, that there is little to no correlation at all. It will, however, inform people that with enough training, we have the capability of passing a standardized test. What that is supposed to ultimately mean evades me. Only the truly jaded would suggest it is just a means to line pockets of policy makers and testing companies while acquiring little information of utility from students. Thank god I am not jaded.
This will all be over soon, then I can begin to worry over the next acronym: NCLEX. I should probably start taking PPIs or other acid reducers prophylactically to stem the ulcers now.
Wish me luck as always. Pretty please.
Based on the preliminary exam, I fall somewhere in the purgatory of scores: not quite high risk, but not quite passing either. The upside (should one be inclined to look from a glass half full perspective) is that I am not alone there. Most of the classmates I have spoken with who are inclined to divulge their results are there as well. How i could manage to make it to this point in the program with a GPA in the 3.6somethings and know as little about what they are testing as I do is beyond me. Most of what I don't know seems to be couched in one of two camps: utterly foreign or only vaguely familiar. In essence, a split between things not taught or not retained. Of course, half that problem relates to the sheer speed of the accelerated program. You can't dwell on anything, or you risk falling woefully behind. Knowledge is gleaned quickly or not at all.
Thankfully for future patients, there was no skimping on the clinical side. There are numerous graduates from our program who are doing quite well. There are also many other such programs around the country. Even if I fell dead in the middle of all students as far as acumen and intelligence, I would likely be a very competent nurse (or at least have the capability of being trained to become one, which is the essence of your first 2 months on the floor). Even in the bottom quartile, just graduating would prove I would be functional at the least. So, there is that.
This all brings me to the next four days of my life. We are all being trained to take this ERI test and pass it when it counts (that would be next Tuesday by the way). The training takes place from 8am until 4:30pm tomorrow through Saturday and will evidently prepare us in a way that the school itself has not. We will be drilled with hundreds of questions (possibly an underestimate on my part) and their explanations. We will learn not just what they are asking, but what they are looking for behind the words. We will sit in uncomfortable chairs in a dimly lit and windowless auditorium for days on end. Pretty much just like every other test prep everywhere else. I can barely restrain my anticipation.
This test, of course, will tell us if we will be good nurses the same way that the SAT will tell you if you will be a successful college student. That is to say, that there is little to no correlation at all. It will, however, inform people that with enough training, we have the capability of passing a standardized test. What that is supposed to ultimately mean evades me. Only the truly jaded would suggest it is just a means to line pockets of policy makers and testing companies while acquiring little information of utility from students. Thank god I am not jaded.
This will all be over soon, then I can begin to worry over the next acronym: NCLEX. I should probably start taking PPIs or other acid reducers prophylactically to stem the ulcers now.
Wish me luck as always. Pretty please.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Random odds and ends
I think my friend Josh is right is saying that the little I have been reporting on doesn't accurately portray all that is happening here.....but it does pretty much accurately represent all that has been going on with school. My group is done with the PI project for Management. We had a poster presentation yesterday which, for the most part, was eerily similar to being at an elementary school science fair. All that was missing were the volcanoes that spewed forth 'lava' made of vinegar, baking soda, and dye and Styrofoam representations of the solar system. We all dressed up in our niceties and stood in front of our tri-fold carbboard displays outlining some plan or another that we wanted (the term wanted could be replaced with were required to) to implement on this unit or that one. We followed this up with a 1-hour reception and a 2 hour mandatory 'role panel discussion' that consisted primarily of nothing important or even remotely interesting. Everyone was there out of fear that I spoke with, concerned that they would lose points by not attending. The calculated gamble did not pay off, there was no attendance sheet circulated. Damn!
Speaking of Management, the class continues to remind me of a class I had in undergrad, theater appreciation. In theater appreciation, the professor sold his notes to a store across the street which turned around and made copies to sell to the students (somehow this circumvented the professor selling his own notes directly I guess.....how that makes it any more or less wrong is beyond me). I attended that course a sum total of three times. Day 1 to get the syllabus, the midterm, and the final. I got an 'A' for my troubles (or lack thereof) boosting my GPA while checking off 3 credits of humanities. I have been to Management a few more times than that, but only a few. I went to the first class, the second where we signed up for our PI projects, the midterm, the mandatory role panel last night, and I will attend the final. Thus far, I have a solid 'A' in that course as well, only this time I study by picking the most textbook sounding answer and not studying at all. Ethics is just as bad only they require us to sign in each class period or we lose points. We have an instructor for small group that I refer to as 'the substitute' because she always comes to class ill-prepared to teach, like a substitute who just got the lesson plan a few minutes ago. We tend to get out of group discussion 45 minutes to an hour before any other group. On one hand, these classes will only serve to increase my GPA, and on the other hand I am paying about $1K per credit hour for jack-squat.
Since Tia is always peeved that I don't talk about wedding stuff, I thought I would try to appease her. Her website has the countdown, but it is roughly three weeks off. We have been trying to tie up all the little loose ends that even a small wedding seems to have. Making matters infinitely more difficult are the facts that we are in NY, her parents are in Portland, and mine are in Florida. It should come together since there aren't too many stray pieces with so small an affair.
All things related to moving are still messy. We are presently in process of trying to find a place to land out West. Tia has been in contact with some people who are renting out furnished places for the summer, hopefully allowing for enough time for me to find a job so we can pick a more permanent residence (and not having to purchase furniture right off the bat would be excellent). We are still selling off things, and have done better than I had hoped for the most part. We still have more to go of course.....and it never ceases to amaze me just how much of it there is. We still need to get a hitch put on Tia's car and book the trailer as well. Big fun.
Other than those things, most of our time has been spent practicing NCLEX questions, reading, and watching TV. Have seen quite a few 'bad' movies lately as well. As critically acclaimed as they were, I really did not like No Country for Old Men (a torpid affair with an abrupt and unsatisfying ending) or Michael Clayton (stopped it before it finished). I have There Will be Blood in my mail box right now and I am not sure if I even want to watch it. Also saw American Gangster (decent), American Psycho (also decent), and a number of other films that I can't recall because of what little impact they made upon me. I am happy the Office is back at least.
I better get to work on my Ethics paper now. It is one of the few things I have left to complete. Between now and May 2nd, I have the Ethics paper, a presentation on policy, a final exam in Management, and the exit exam to get through. Plus, the 4 day 8:30-4:30 NCLEX training Wednesday-Friday of next week. Sounds action packed doesn't it.
Speaking of Management, the class continues to remind me of a class I had in undergrad, theater appreciation. In theater appreciation, the professor sold his notes to a store across the street which turned around and made copies to sell to the students (somehow this circumvented the professor selling his own notes directly I guess.....how that makes it any more or less wrong is beyond me). I attended that course a sum total of three times. Day 1 to get the syllabus, the midterm, and the final. I got an 'A' for my troubles (or lack thereof) boosting my GPA while checking off 3 credits of humanities. I have been to Management a few more times than that, but only a few. I went to the first class, the second where we signed up for our PI projects, the midterm, the mandatory role panel last night, and I will attend the final. Thus far, I have a solid 'A' in that course as well, only this time I study by picking the most textbook sounding answer and not studying at all. Ethics is just as bad only they require us to sign in each class period or we lose points. We have an instructor for small group that I refer to as 'the substitute' because she always comes to class ill-prepared to teach, like a substitute who just got the lesson plan a few minutes ago. We tend to get out of group discussion 45 minutes to an hour before any other group. On one hand, these classes will only serve to increase my GPA, and on the other hand I am paying about $1K per credit hour for jack-squat.
Since Tia is always peeved that I don't talk about wedding stuff, I thought I would try to appease her. Her website has the countdown, but it is roughly three weeks off. We have been trying to tie up all the little loose ends that even a small wedding seems to have. Making matters infinitely more difficult are the facts that we are in NY, her parents are in Portland, and mine are in Florida. It should come together since there aren't too many stray pieces with so small an affair.
All things related to moving are still messy. We are presently in process of trying to find a place to land out West. Tia has been in contact with some people who are renting out furnished places for the summer, hopefully allowing for enough time for me to find a job so we can pick a more permanent residence (and not having to purchase furniture right off the bat would be excellent). We are still selling off things, and have done better than I had hoped for the most part. We still have more to go of course.....and it never ceases to amaze me just how much of it there is. We still need to get a hitch put on Tia's car and book the trailer as well. Big fun.
Other than those things, most of our time has been spent practicing NCLEX questions, reading, and watching TV. Have seen quite a few 'bad' movies lately as well. As critically acclaimed as they were, I really did not like No Country for Old Men (a torpid affair with an abrupt and unsatisfying ending) or Michael Clayton (stopped it before it finished). I have There Will be Blood in my mail box right now and I am not sure if I even want to watch it. Also saw American Gangster (decent), American Psycho (also decent), and a number of other films that I can't recall because of what little impact they made upon me. I am happy the Office is back at least.
I better get to work on my Ethics paper now. It is one of the few things I have left to complete. Between now and May 2nd, I have the Ethics paper, a presentation on policy, a final exam in Management, and the exit exam to get through. Plus, the 4 day 8:30-4:30 NCLEX training Wednesday-Friday of next week. Sounds action packed doesn't it.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
A whole lotta nothing
I continue to be a little disappointed and extremely pleased that there has been little of note to write about of late. With nothing to report on the upshot is that nothing bad is happening with school or life in general. The downside is nothing particularly exciting or positive is happening either. I will take the peace, because a storm is on the horizon with so much going on from the end of April until I find employment in field.
My time has mostly been spent tying up group projects, selling all manner of worldly possessions, and practicing test questions for the dreaded NCLEX. I am upset at how little it seems I know, and mollified somewhat by how that dearth of knowledge is mirrored by everyone else in the program. Surely, if everyone else jumps off a cliff, you don't want to necessarily follow......but its nice to know that if you do jump, you have plenty of company on the way down.
I am not earnestly worried as yet. I feel comfortable enough in practice (which is the most important part by my measure) and have plenty of time to acquire the assorted bric-a-brac of knowledge NCLEX seems to value. The most difficult part is learning to read within the questions as they seem determined to test not just on your depth and breadth of knowledge, but also on your ability to parse out meaning from the query itself. The national pass rate is 85% on the first shot, so I think I will be A-OK.
Other than what lies in the paragraphs above, there is little to report upon. I will of course be the first to tell you here if anything does.
My time has mostly been spent tying up group projects, selling all manner of worldly possessions, and practicing test questions for the dreaded NCLEX. I am upset at how little it seems I know, and mollified somewhat by how that dearth of knowledge is mirrored by everyone else in the program. Surely, if everyone else jumps off a cliff, you don't want to necessarily follow......but its nice to know that if you do jump, you have plenty of company on the way down.
I am not earnestly worried as yet. I feel comfortable enough in practice (which is the most important part by my measure) and have plenty of time to acquire the assorted bric-a-brac of knowledge NCLEX seems to value. The most difficult part is learning to read within the questions as they seem determined to test not just on your depth and breadth of knowledge, but also on your ability to parse out meaning from the query itself. The national pass rate is 85% on the first shot, so I think I will be A-OK.
Other than what lies in the paragraphs above, there is little to report upon. I will of course be the first to tell you here if anything does.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Trying to find something blogworthy
There was a Seinfeld episode where Elaine found out the stores stopped carrying her birth control of choice, the Today sponge, and, from that point forthwith, interviewed guys before sleeping with them, having to dub them 'spongeworthy.' In a poor attempt at a segue way, I try to find things that are worthy of blogging about (based upon my committee of 1). Nothing seems quite blogworthy of late.
The clinicals are done and the simulation day was much less arduous then we were led to believe (it ended a few hours prior to when we thought it would). In the intervening week, little of merit has occurred. We had another in the continuing series of pointless lectures in both Ethics and Management, we were thrown another random group presentation assignment in the former, and we had a meeting about what to expect from Nursing Integration (a lot of test questions and examinations meant to sharpen us up for NCLEX pretty much). The group projects continue to linger around like an obtuse party guest that can't figure out when to leave, but nothing else is hovering at the moment. I would feel free, but I still have that nagging feeling of 'this can't possibly be it.......can it?' Like the school is just lulling us into a false sense of security only to pounce and destroy our ambitions at the last second when we are least expecting it.
Til next time.
The clinicals are done and the simulation day was much less arduous then we were led to believe (it ended a few hours prior to when we thought it would). In the intervening week, little of merit has occurred. We had another in the continuing series of pointless lectures in both Ethics and Management, we were thrown another random group presentation assignment in the former, and we had a meeting about what to expect from Nursing Integration (a lot of test questions and examinations meant to sharpen us up for NCLEX pretty much). The group projects continue to linger around like an obtuse party guest that can't figure out when to leave, but nothing else is hovering at the moment. I would feel free, but I still have that nagging feeling of 'this can't possibly be it.......can it?' Like the school is just lulling us into a false sense of security only to pounce and destroy our ambitions at the last second when we are least expecting it.
Til next time.
Friday, March 28, 2008
The last day of clinical
Though I am quite proficient at complaining, I cannot find much to complain about in being done with clinicals. All the early frigid mornings, the endless patient preparations, and the pre- and post-clinical wrap-ups are officially at an end. The next time I take care of a patient, I expect I will be getting paid for it.
As far as last days go, it was about as uneventful a day as you could ask for. The hardest part was not staring gape mouthed at the clock for the entirety of the shift. My patient had plenty that was/is wrong with her, but none of it was affecting her in any discernible manner on this day, so she was being discharged (eventually.....getting discharged from the hospital is akin to waiting on cable repair, there is a broad range of time when it might happen). Her mother took care of her feeding, washing, and changing. I was left to do little more than collect vital signs (twice) and check in periodically to see if anything had gone awry. Thankfully, nothing did. I am sure this did little to impress my clinical instructor, but aside from hiding out under my patient's crib I didn't see much way around moseying about the nurses station with my chart in my hand.
Tomorrow will be a simulation day. Well, mostly. It will involve a few hours of simulation and a few hours of lecture and a few hours of post conference and............well, and who gives a shit its over!!! The chapter officially closes on PEDs this coming week with a Monday exam and a midweek NCLEX style challenge for extra points. There are plenty of other things to do, but it is a HUGE relief that clinicals will not be one of them. Would I have liked to deal with full patient loads and other things that would better prepare me? Absolutely! But, UR places more emphasis on other things. Hopefully that emphasis will not prove misplaced.
The fire sale continues on our belongings and, happily, are selling briskly. We may yet condense our belongings enough. It remains to be seen of course, but optimism abounds until you actually start trying to pack it all. I will truly loathe that part. Tia's chinchilla cage weighs more than an offensive lineman and is just as big. Maybe we can strap it to the top of the trailer?
Off to some Nyquil dreams (my allergies will be the death of me yet).
As far as last days go, it was about as uneventful a day as you could ask for. The hardest part was not staring gape mouthed at the clock for the entirety of the shift. My patient had plenty that was/is wrong with her, but none of it was affecting her in any discernible manner on this day, so she was being discharged (eventually.....getting discharged from the hospital is akin to waiting on cable repair, there is a broad range of time when it might happen). Her mother took care of her feeding, washing, and changing. I was left to do little more than collect vital signs (twice) and check in periodically to see if anything had gone awry. Thankfully, nothing did. I am sure this did little to impress my clinical instructor, but aside from hiding out under my patient's crib I didn't see much way around moseying about the nurses station with my chart in my hand.
Tomorrow will be a simulation day. Well, mostly. It will involve a few hours of simulation and a few hours of lecture and a few hours of post conference and............well, and who gives a shit its over!!! The chapter officially closes on PEDs this coming week with a Monday exam and a midweek NCLEX style challenge for extra points. There are plenty of other things to do, but it is a HUGE relief that clinicals will not be one of them. Would I have liked to deal with full patient loads and other things that would better prepare me? Absolutely! But, UR places more emphasis on other things. Hopefully that emphasis will not prove misplaced.
The fire sale continues on our belongings and, happily, are selling briskly. We may yet condense our belongings enough. It remains to be seen of course, but optimism abounds until you actually start trying to pack it all. I will truly loathe that part. Tia's chinchilla cage weighs more than an offensive lineman and is just as big. Maybe we can strap it to the top of the trailer?
Off to some Nyquil dreams (my allergies will be the death of me yet).
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
This blog for sale. Slightly warn. $50 obo.
Now comes the point in our adventure when we have to start selling off our belongings (and by 'our' belongings I predominately mean Tia's belongings as my accumulation of tangible goods is rivaled by any cart-pushing vagrant) and begin, slowly at first and then with alarming rapidity, to devolve back into "first apartment in college living." The kind of living that has everyone seated around a coffee table that used to serve another purpose (like a spool for cable) until a friend finds a dining set under the stairwell that is so covered in cobwebs that the Addams family would reject it. Somehow I doubt things will go that far....but we will for sure find ourselves slumbering on an inflatable mattress, dining without benefit of a table, and sitting on the living room floor for at least a few weeks. Perhaps we will look back fondly and laugh at such inconsequential hardships, but in the interim it will be really annoying for all involved.
What this means in the long term is that we will likely be hitching up a trailer and driving across the country that way. I am sure my brother-in-law can relate to the fun that that will yield, but at least we will not be taking any mountain passes of substance until Idaho. I don't anticipate the nasty weather we encountered there in early May to be present in early June. But then again, I am incredibly naive.
I now have to actually write a fake letter to a representative about a policy issue. You might assume that my program was hijacked by a high school civics teacher, but you would be wrong. This is actual college work. Seriously.
What this means in the long term is that we will likely be hitching up a trailer and driving across the country that way. I am sure my brother-in-law can relate to the fun that that will yield, but at least we will not be taking any mountain passes of substance until Idaho. I don't anticipate the nasty weather we encountered there in early May to be present in early June. But then again, I am incredibly naive.
I now have to actually write a fake letter to a representative about a policy issue. You might assume that my program was hijacked by a high school civics teacher, but you would be wrong. This is actual college work. Seriously.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Childe Roland to the Dark Tower came
Another week of clinicals has been put to rest. This week was harder than most, but not for any particular reason. Just the sense that things are winding down makes it seemingly harder to concentrate on the most immediate tasks and not concern yourself with what lies down the road. I understand this, but it makes it no easier. You can sense it from those around me who are settled in a job and a place. I don't want to label it a sense of inner peace, which sounds an altogether too ethereal for what it is, but they are definitely more at ease. I can't help but wonder how we will figure out what needs to come with us when we move such as: where the money for the move will come from; how to determine the value of things you have to sell vs. the cost of re-buying items you need vs. the cost of moving some of those things vs. all of them; whether or not to sell a car or keep them both; and, of a lesser concern only because I am impotent to do anything about it at the moment, where and when I will be employed both immediately upon my return to PDX and in the Fall. All of this plus trying to tie together details for the wedding and maintaining course work. May will be both a huge stressor and an enormous relief.
As for clinicals, my patients were all in good spirits in spite of their ailments. You have to give kids credit for that. They are so resilient in the face of what lies ahead, both because it is their nature and because they cannot possibly comprehend the bigger picture. The more I am there, the more I wonder about possibly working with this population down the road. We will have to wait and see. I love being able to interact with the parents and the children, but hate to see children dealing with chronic ailments. Definitely on the table. Just need to develop a better comfort level with the really little ones. I have no familiarity at all.
I finished the Dark Tower series (septology?) finally. It was quite a literary journey, but a really enjoyable one at that. As with any series as long as that, there are many places that could be trimmed and streamlined, but overall there was a whole lot to like. Now I have to find something else to tide me over when I am not knee deep in reading about pediatric neuromuscular disorders.
I hope everyone is having a good Easter Sunday howsoever you celebrate it. I don't tie any particularly religious connotations to the day, but I definitely miss being around family, snacking on chocolate and closing the day by eating an overlarge meal. Here there is just Tia and myself and, quite frankly, little is even open and operating today. It is beautiful and sunny, but still far too cold to be outside soaking it in. Maybe fate is trying to force me to study......I will do my best to fight it off.
As for clinicals, my patients were all in good spirits in spite of their ailments. You have to give kids credit for that. They are so resilient in the face of what lies ahead, both because it is their nature and because they cannot possibly comprehend the bigger picture. The more I am there, the more I wonder about possibly working with this population down the road. We will have to wait and see. I love being able to interact with the parents and the children, but hate to see children dealing with chronic ailments. Definitely on the table. Just need to develop a better comfort level with the really little ones. I have no familiarity at all.
I finished the Dark Tower series (septology?) finally. It was quite a literary journey, but a really enjoyable one at that. As with any series as long as that, there are many places that could be trimmed and streamlined, but overall there was a whole lot to like. Now I have to find something else to tide me over when I am not knee deep in reading about pediatric neuromuscular disorders.
I hope everyone is having a good Easter Sunday howsoever you celebrate it. I don't tie any particularly religious connotations to the day, but I definitely miss being around family, snacking on chocolate and closing the day by eating an overlarge meal. Here there is just Tia and myself and, quite frankly, little is even open and operating today. It is beautiful and sunny, but still far too cold to be outside soaking it in. Maybe fate is trying to force me to study......I will do my best to fight it off.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Escape from New York (Snake Plissken edition)
What can I say about NYC? It is one of those places that has a distinct feel to it to be sure and those are few and far between with the homogenizing of America. Most cities nowadays all have the same restaurants, malls with the same stores, and the same look. The few that don't that I have visited in the US are San Francisco, Las Vegas, NYC, Washington DC, San Antonio, New Orleans, Portland, and Miami (I had hopes for others like Seattle, but take away the waterfront, and you could stick that city anywhere. I still think it looks like the Pearl in Portland, only through the whole city). That isn't to say that any of these cities are places I would want to live nor is it to say that they have a feel that is necessarily good or bad, but they stand out and thrum with a distinct energy. NYC is too dirty, expensive, noisy, and crowded for me to ever want to life there. But, it had its beauty too around Central Park and in some of the neighborhoods. It isn't a place that I will be compelled to come visit again, but I am glad i had a chance to see and explore it and that is more than I can say about a lot of places I have seen (such as Rochester).
School continues to be an overwhelming pain in the ass, but it is a muted pain anymore (perhaps a dull ache). The clock is winding down and the classes are less strenuous than they were last term. At this point, I just need to show up sober at the last few clinicals to pass PEDs, force out a few papers for Ethics and tie up a group project (and poster presentation........i hope we get to use fingerpaint!) in Management. Nice.
That said, I did just find out that that UR will be discontinuing both the management and ethics course and replacing them with more simulation time and more time in clinicals working with a larger patient load. Part of me understands that I ultimately have an easier path with those two god-awful useless courses, but part of me cant help but be upset that they always make changes that would better prepare you for the actual career the year AFTER I finish a program (I had a similar experience in elementary ed). The opportunity to work with a full patient load under the tutelage of a nurse will have to wait until I start working, which is fine if I stayed here where that is understood by local hospitals, but potentially a bit more of a problem out West. Only potentially though since I dont know what preparation occurs out West. As usual, fake it til you make it........at least I will be ethical and understand the principles of followership while doing so! :)
Lesa asked me a question that was, I thought, quite poignant, "Do I feel well prepared?" I could only answer that I do............and I don't. On one hand, I think I will be as well prepared clinically as any other student having spent a lot of time with patients on the floor. On the other hand, I will not have had more than 2 patients in any given shift. That will have to be learned and is usually part of training. On the other hand, ss for pharmacology, I am a bit underwhelmed by our preparation and feel like I wish I knew more than I do. That knowledge will also come in time and will be fairly rote once you see them over and over again on a unit. Still, I have a lot to learn. Mercifully, it is not my job or within the scope of my ability to prescribe anything. So, ultimately I think I have the tools to be trained to be a nurse, but I certainly wish I felt more confident about certain subjects within the profession.
On a completely other note, check out the show Dexter if you haven't. I don't think you will find another show (and hopefully not in real life either) where you blatantly root for the serial killer to win out in the end. Michael Hall is great in the lead role.
There is little else to tell. The countdown is most assuredly on. Less than 50 days and counting until classes recede into fading memories. Less than 75 before we are back in the Pacific NW. Hopefully less than 125 before I find someone to pay me for all this schooling.
School continues to be an overwhelming pain in the ass, but it is a muted pain anymore (perhaps a dull ache). The clock is winding down and the classes are less strenuous than they were last term. At this point, I just need to show up sober at the last few clinicals to pass PEDs, force out a few papers for Ethics and tie up a group project (and poster presentation........i hope we get to use fingerpaint!) in Management. Nice.
That said, I did just find out that that UR will be discontinuing both the management and ethics course and replacing them with more simulation time and more time in clinicals working with a larger patient load. Part of me understands that I ultimately have an easier path with those two god-awful useless courses, but part of me cant help but be upset that they always make changes that would better prepare you for the actual career the year AFTER I finish a program (I had a similar experience in elementary ed). The opportunity to work with a full patient load under the tutelage of a nurse will have to wait until I start working, which is fine if I stayed here where that is understood by local hospitals, but potentially a bit more of a problem out West. Only potentially though since I dont know what preparation occurs out West. As usual, fake it til you make it........at least I will be ethical and understand the principles of followership while doing so! :)
Lesa asked me a question that was, I thought, quite poignant, "Do I feel well prepared?" I could only answer that I do............and I don't. On one hand, I think I will be as well prepared clinically as any other student having spent a lot of time with patients on the floor. On the other hand, I will not have had more than 2 patients in any given shift. That will have to be learned and is usually part of training. On the other hand, ss for pharmacology, I am a bit underwhelmed by our preparation and feel like I wish I knew more than I do. That knowledge will also come in time and will be fairly rote once you see them over and over again on a unit. Still, I have a lot to learn. Mercifully, it is not my job or within the scope of my ability to prescribe anything. So, ultimately I think I have the tools to be trained to be a nurse, but I certainly wish I felt more confident about certain subjects within the profession.
On a completely other note, check out the show Dexter if you haven't. I don't think you will find another show (and hopefully not in real life either) where you blatantly root for the serial killer to win out in the end. Michael Hall is great in the lead role.
There is little else to tell. The countdown is most assuredly on. Less than 50 days and counting until classes recede into fading memories. Less than 75 before we are back in the Pacific NW. Hopefully less than 125 before I find someone to pay me for all this schooling.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Happy Hump Day
Hump day is Wednesday..........get your mind out of the gutter! :)
I am shocked that it is already Wednesday. My spring break is fast becoming a memory and I have little 'break' to show for it. I have been working on papers and my packet for Legacy for the most part. That will all change tomorrow though. Tomorrow Tia and I head down to NYC for what I hope will be a fun time. I think it will anyway as we are staying with a friend of Tia's there who happens to have time off to show us around. Very nice. I am not sure what we are going to do once there, but I want to see Central Park, Chinatown, and Times Square of course. There will be so much to do and see. Especially when compared to Rochester.
We had our first (probably only) moving estimate today. If we take it all, looks like $2500ish. Could be more if we take the couches. Bare bones, nearly $2000. That is juxtaposed with renting a trailer and putting a hitch on Tia's car which will be about $1000 all told, but will significantly limit our space and require some hard choices to be made. I, of course, would rather save the money than have things that we can do without in the short term. Buy some Ikea chairs and the bare minimum furniture that will get us by until I start working and pick up things like a sofa later. Short term it would work, but it isn't necessarily the most financially prudent thing long term. But, then again, I am nomadic by nature and don't like to accumulate much in the first place. Tia, on the other hand, has a much stronger affinity for things. Hard to blame her totally, most things are hers to begin with. My belongings would still all fit in my car.
However, when faced with the distinct possibility of not being gainfully employed in my profession until August and the likelihood that I will need to take a very low-paying job in the meantime, it certainly appears preferable to spend down the road. We are even discussing selling my car if we can get a good price. It should net us a few thousand, after paying it off, and we can buy something new once I find employment (something compact with exceptional gas mileage since gas is supposed to go up significantly by the summer). It would save car payments for a few months as well which would be good. I never thought I would be at a more precarious point financially out of school than in it. At least Tia is gainfully employed and can float us for awhile if we find reasonably inexpensive accommodations out in Portland. We will have to talk about my allowance first of course :)
I need to finish up my cover letter and resolve a hypothetical ethical issue for class on Monday. I will write of my NYC adventures upon return to the artic tundra in which we reside.
I am shocked that it is already Wednesday. My spring break is fast becoming a memory and I have little 'break' to show for it. I have been working on papers and my packet for Legacy for the most part. That will all change tomorrow though. Tomorrow Tia and I head down to NYC for what I hope will be a fun time. I think it will anyway as we are staying with a friend of Tia's there who happens to have time off to show us around. Very nice. I am not sure what we are going to do once there, but I want to see Central Park, Chinatown, and Times Square of course. There will be so much to do and see. Especially when compared to Rochester.
We had our first (probably only) moving estimate today. If we take it all, looks like $2500ish. Could be more if we take the couches. Bare bones, nearly $2000. That is juxtaposed with renting a trailer and putting a hitch on Tia's car which will be about $1000 all told, but will significantly limit our space and require some hard choices to be made. I, of course, would rather save the money than have things that we can do without in the short term. Buy some Ikea chairs and the bare minimum furniture that will get us by until I start working and pick up things like a sofa later. Short term it would work, but it isn't necessarily the most financially prudent thing long term. But, then again, I am nomadic by nature and don't like to accumulate much in the first place. Tia, on the other hand, has a much stronger affinity for things. Hard to blame her totally, most things are hers to begin with. My belongings would still all fit in my car.
However, when faced with the distinct possibility of not being gainfully employed in my profession until August and the likelihood that I will need to take a very low-paying job in the meantime, it certainly appears preferable to spend down the road. We are even discussing selling my car if we can get a good price. It should net us a few thousand, after paying it off, and we can buy something new once I find employment (something compact with exceptional gas mileage since gas is supposed to go up significantly by the summer). It would save car payments for a few months as well which would be good. I never thought I would be at a more precarious point financially out of school than in it. At least Tia is gainfully employed and can float us for awhile if we find reasonably inexpensive accommodations out in Portland. We will have to talk about my allowance first of course :)
I need to finish up my cover letter and resolve a hypothetical ethical issue for class on Monday. I will write of my NYC adventures upon return to the artic tundra in which we reside.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Job update
Since I know you are interested in my becoming financially solvent, I thought I would let you know what I have found out thus far regarding applying for positions out in Portland/Vancouver:
Providence: Applications should be held until at least late April/early May, preferably until after graduation (but can be submitted prior to NCLEX).
Legacy: Applications accepted only through internship program (which I am applying to). 1-2 positions per unit twice a year (fingers crossed so hard they are becoming cyanotic).
Kaiser Permanente: applications should be held until after graduation and preferably until NCLEX has been passed or they are screened out by recruiters and don't go to nurse managers (meaning you WILL NOT be getting hired period unless you have passed already).
SW Med: wait until graduation. 3 references needed from clinical instructors.
OHSU: wait until license. Highly competitive with low turnover according to recruiter. She kind of made it sound like a NYC apartment, like I should scan the obits and see if an OHSU nurse died so I could apply for her newly vacant position.
So, it looks EXTREMELY unlikely I will have so much as an interview prior to moving unless the Legacy internship comes through.
This is all a bit discouraging, but hopefully it just means I need to bide my time and something will come through once I get out there.
Providence: Applications should be held until at least late April/early May, preferably until after graduation (but can be submitted prior to NCLEX).
Legacy: Applications accepted only through internship program (which I am applying to). 1-2 positions per unit twice a year (fingers crossed so hard they are becoming cyanotic).
Kaiser Permanente: applications should be held until after graduation and preferably until NCLEX has been passed or they are screened out by recruiters and don't go to nurse managers (meaning you WILL NOT be getting hired period unless you have passed already).
SW Med: wait until graduation. 3 references needed from clinical instructors.
OHSU: wait until license. Highly competitive with low turnover according to recruiter. She kind of made it sound like a NYC apartment, like I should scan the obits and see if an OHSU nurse died so I could apply for her newly vacant position.
So, it looks EXTREMELY unlikely I will have so much as an interview prior to moving unless the Legacy internship comes through.
This is all a bit discouraging, but hopefully it just means I need to bide my time and something will come through once I get out there.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Spring Break and another foot
How spectacular to only have to think a modicum about school over the next week. I wish I could say that I intended to not think about school at all, but there are a few assignments due immediately upon the culmination of the break. Who does that? University of Rochester SON thats who. Oh yeah, and it snowed a little over a foot the past two days. We are now jsut shy of 100 inches for the winter. I miss grass, leaves on trees, and my car not being covered in more salt than an Auntie Anne pretzel.
Interesting SON story. A fellow student, lets call her M for the sake of anonymity, had an altercation with a clinical instructor, lets call her D, who already has a poor reputation within the school that, through teacher evals should bear out if not through direct complaints. Anyway, M had a rough go in her clinical with D, and thought that the attacks seemed personal rather than having anything to do with her performance. Her final student evaluation was passing, but a lot of the comments were quite negative. M was disheartened, but could really do little accept complain through her teacher eval of D. However, evidently D decided to talk to someone about M and said something to the effect that she purposefully gave her a negative write-up and thought it was funny. M was pissed and went to the school to complain about her confidential student information being made public and the fact that D was acting completely unprofessionally. Contacting a lawyer was brought up. The school reacted to that.........well, kind of. D was talked to (scolded?) and the next day D came up to M at work with a new student evaluation that has nothing but stellar things to say about M. She told M that the other eval 'was a goof' and that she hadn't meant to give it to her really. She asked M to sign it so that everyone could move on. To M's credit she told her to kiss off. It wasn't about the evaluation, but rather was about confidential information, her information, being broadcast to third parties and about the complete lack of professionalism that D had displayed. M says had she not closed the term with a very positive alternate site placement or she would have dropped out then and there. This complaint was not the first that I have heard about D.....and I am sure I have not heard them all.
Multiple choice: The school, threatened with litigation because of D, has decided to:
A. Immediately terminate her contract in light of the mounting evidence against her.
B. Suspended her while they investigated the matter further
C. Reassigned her to a non-clinical role
D. Did absolutely nothing except give her a tongue lashing
Don't think too hard about it, because you can probably guess based on my other observations that the school not only did very little, but that she is teaching another group RIGHT now. Re-god-damn-diculous!
I had an interesting clinical day yesterday. I ended up working with 2 young girls, 11mo and 14mo respectively. One had a brain tumor and had shunts in her skull to relieve the pressure. The other had a disorder that, without getting too medical, basically led to her urine going back up to her kidneys from her bladder. The girl with cancer had an NG tube, so I had to do some feedings through it and change my second ever diaper. The other girl was in the hospital for her 27th UTI infection since birth and had to be straight-cathed 4 times a day to get urine. So, I ended up straight cathing her. I am definitely getting some experiences, but I truly dislike seeing little kids in such bad places. I cannot imagine working in PEDs any more than I could imagine working in long term care. I think I would be an alcoholic by the third month.
Off to enjoy my lazy Sunday without a pressing need to read some textbook or another. Feels nice. A guy could get used to this.
Interesting SON story. A fellow student, lets call her M for the sake of anonymity, had an altercation with a clinical instructor, lets call her D, who already has a poor reputation within the school that, through teacher evals should bear out if not through direct complaints. Anyway, M had a rough go in her clinical with D, and thought that the attacks seemed personal rather than having anything to do with her performance. Her final student evaluation was passing, but a lot of the comments were quite negative. M was disheartened, but could really do little accept complain through her teacher eval of D. However, evidently D decided to talk to someone about M and said something to the effect that she purposefully gave her a negative write-up and thought it was funny. M was pissed and went to the school to complain about her confidential student information being made public and the fact that D was acting completely unprofessionally. Contacting a lawyer was brought up. The school reacted to that.........well, kind of. D was talked to (scolded?) and the next day D came up to M at work with a new student evaluation that has nothing but stellar things to say about M. She told M that the other eval 'was a goof' and that she hadn't meant to give it to her really. She asked M to sign it so that everyone could move on. To M's credit she told her to kiss off. It wasn't about the evaluation, but rather was about confidential information, her information, being broadcast to third parties and about the complete lack of professionalism that D had displayed. M says had she not closed the term with a very positive alternate site placement or she would have dropped out then and there. This complaint was not the first that I have heard about D.....and I am sure I have not heard them all.
Multiple choice: The school, threatened with litigation because of D, has decided to:
A. Immediately terminate her contract in light of the mounting evidence against her.
B. Suspended her while they investigated the matter further
C. Reassigned her to a non-clinical role
D. Did absolutely nothing except give her a tongue lashing
Don't think too hard about it, because you can probably guess based on my other observations that the school not only did very little, but that she is teaching another group RIGHT now. Re-god-damn-diculous!
I had an interesting clinical day yesterday. I ended up working with 2 young girls, 11mo and 14mo respectively. One had a brain tumor and had shunts in her skull to relieve the pressure. The other had a disorder that, without getting too medical, basically led to her urine going back up to her kidneys from her bladder. The girl with cancer had an NG tube, so I had to do some feedings through it and change my second ever diaper. The other girl was in the hospital for her 27th UTI infection since birth and had to be straight-cathed 4 times a day to get urine. So, I ended up straight cathing her. I am definitely getting some experiences, but I truly dislike seeing little kids in such bad places. I cannot imagine working in PEDs any more than I could imagine working in long term care. I think I would be an alcoholic by the third month.
Off to enjoy my lazy Sunday without a pressing need to read some textbook or another. Feels nice. A guy could get used to this.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Pulling out my hair
Just taking a break from my patient prep. I need to tie up a few loose ends before submitting it tomorrow morning. Also, I need to prep for both my patients tomorrow (it will be half-assed to say the least. I am not passing meds so I plan on acquiring only a passing knowledge of their uses). I spent today down in the acute care clinical for pediatrics which was surprisingly a lot better experience than I was led to believe it would be. It was fast-paced with a lot of variety, and that is what I prefer in relation to hospital care. I saw chemo therapy delivered through a spinal infusion, spinal fluid collected for testing, port access for meds, kids with colds through cancer, and even got to listen in on some phone calls from parents. Overall, about 10 times better than the babysitting we predominantly do on the pediatric unit. Oh well, like it or not, I have to get through it.
Speaking of getting through.......I am writing out of lucid hours and I have a lot to get accomplished before I do.
Speaking of getting through.......I am writing out of lucid hours and I have a lot to get accomplished before I do.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Some people can't find the needle, I can't find the haystack
Things are taking a turn towards both the interesting and the frustrating of late.
Out here, the recruiters seem to smell blood in the water when you contact them. It is getting kind of ridiculous how desperately they circle. They call and call, even if you schedule a set day that you will call them. It is nice to be wooed and wanted, but it almost feels a little too good to be true. Of course, considering the relatively low pay, mediocre benefits, being charged for parking and living in one of the snowiest and most crime-ridden cities in the country per capita is a dead give-away that it most assuredly isn't all that good.
It is the opposite out in the Pacific Northwest. To continue with the aquatic theme, Portland is much more akin to chumming the water hoping for a dorsal fin to pop up over the breaking surf and getting nothing. There is no sense of urgency at all. The recruiters there seem to have a "dont call us, we'll call you" mentality. This to live where we want to, instead of where we are with significantly better pay and benefits.
Both situations make me a little edgy because I feel most comfortable somewhere in the middle. I don't need to be sold on a job, any job, just because there is an opening that needs to be filled. However, I also don't want to be pushed off like I am bothering them by applying. It is discouraging. The hardest thing about Portland is that I KNOW there are jobs. Plenty of them in fact. They have innumerable opportunities at almost every hospital on their websites. Some have been posted for months and are still vacant.
Speaking of jobs, I am now trying to get my ducks in a row for an internship at Legacy. I think this illustrates the difference between Portland and Rochester pretty clearly. In Rochester, I applied with just a resume and a smile. At Legacy, I applied and was told I need to apply through the internship because that is the only way they will hire new graduates. The application opened up on the 3rd (I found out on the 4th) and will close on the 21st. In the meantime I need to get two reference forms filled out by clinical instructors. Sounds easy right? Well, it kind of is and kind of isn't. The forms have to be filled out and signed somehow by me and the clinical person, which isn't easy to do since I don't work with these people any longer. So, I thought I would just email them instead. Well, this is an issue because the forms then need to be sealed and signed across the seal (and also cannot be folded or stapled or breathed on incorrectly) while somehow I sign it too. This is in addition to a few other pieces of paperwork that also need to be included in the application. Then I have to hope that I can get an interview dependent upon my application and what two areas I select to apply to (which is its own issue because you have to guess how many new hires might be accepted and there is a possibility that some areas may not hire anyone).
On a funny job side note, I got a call from Rochester Psychiatric hospital today where I had previously interviewed. They are literally sending letters to my last three places of employment and needed the address for the school in Korea. I shit you not. I explained that they would be better served writing to just the US locales because of the English barrier, but they weren't sure what they were going to do. The chances of me working there went from 5% to less than 1% both because they aren't likely to get much of a reference from overseas and because if they are working on a letter writing campaign, by the time they would even get around to offering me a job, we will be long gone from this area. I am glad to see it is 1982 and physical letters are still be used for references. I am half surprised they didn't tie a note to a carrier pigeon's leg or send it by donkey.
I really ought to get back to work on my patient assignment, but I keep getting distracted by everything else going on. I plan on continuing to try to pester places into taking my resume next week. In the meantime, if anyone knows anyone who might be able to help with the hunt, it would be most appreciated. I am not opposed to begging. Unless a perfect job presents itself here, there is pretty much ZERO chance we will stay in ROC. Even if it does, the chance maybe creeps into numbers congruent with the weather here in the dead of winter....high teens, but a 'feels like' chance of much less.
Two more days of clinical and then a week off for Spring Break. Sweet sweet freedom.
Out here, the recruiters seem to smell blood in the water when you contact them. It is getting kind of ridiculous how desperately they circle. They call and call, even if you schedule a set day that you will call them. It is nice to be wooed and wanted, but it almost feels a little too good to be true. Of course, considering the relatively low pay, mediocre benefits, being charged for parking and living in one of the snowiest and most crime-ridden cities in the country per capita is a dead give-away that it most assuredly isn't all that good.
It is the opposite out in the Pacific Northwest. To continue with the aquatic theme, Portland is much more akin to chumming the water hoping for a dorsal fin to pop up over the breaking surf and getting nothing. There is no sense of urgency at all. The recruiters there seem to have a "dont call us, we'll call you" mentality. This to live where we want to, instead of where we are with significantly better pay and benefits.
Both situations make me a little edgy because I feel most comfortable somewhere in the middle. I don't need to be sold on a job, any job, just because there is an opening that needs to be filled. However, I also don't want to be pushed off like I am bothering them by applying. It is discouraging. The hardest thing about Portland is that I KNOW there are jobs. Plenty of them in fact. They have innumerable opportunities at almost every hospital on their websites. Some have been posted for months and are still vacant.
Speaking of jobs, I am now trying to get my ducks in a row for an internship at Legacy. I think this illustrates the difference between Portland and Rochester pretty clearly. In Rochester, I applied with just a resume and a smile. At Legacy, I applied and was told I need to apply through the internship because that is the only way they will hire new graduates. The application opened up on the 3rd (I found out on the 4th) and will close on the 21st. In the meantime I need to get two reference forms filled out by clinical instructors. Sounds easy right? Well, it kind of is and kind of isn't. The forms have to be filled out and signed somehow by me and the clinical person, which isn't easy to do since I don't work with these people any longer. So, I thought I would just email them instead. Well, this is an issue because the forms then need to be sealed and signed across the seal (and also cannot be folded or stapled or breathed on incorrectly) while somehow I sign it too. This is in addition to a few other pieces of paperwork that also need to be included in the application. Then I have to hope that I can get an interview dependent upon my application and what two areas I select to apply to (which is its own issue because you have to guess how many new hires might be accepted and there is a possibility that some areas may not hire anyone).
On a funny job side note, I got a call from Rochester Psychiatric hospital today where I had previously interviewed. They are literally sending letters to my last three places of employment and needed the address for the school in Korea. I shit you not. I explained that they would be better served writing to just the US locales because of the English barrier, but they weren't sure what they were going to do. The chances of me working there went from 5% to less than 1% both because they aren't likely to get much of a reference from overseas and because if they are working on a letter writing campaign, by the time they would even get around to offering me a job, we will be long gone from this area. I am glad to see it is 1982 and physical letters are still be used for references. I am half surprised they didn't tie a note to a carrier pigeon's leg or send it by donkey.
I really ought to get back to work on my patient assignment, but I keep getting distracted by everything else going on. I plan on continuing to try to pester places into taking my resume next week. In the meantime, if anyone knows anyone who might be able to help with the hunt, it would be most appreciated. I am not opposed to begging. Unless a perfect job presents itself here, there is pretty much ZERO chance we will stay in ROC. Even if it does, the chance maybe creeps into numbers congruent with the weather here in the dead of winter....high teens, but a 'feels like' chance of much less.
Two more days of clinical and then a week off for Spring Break. Sweet sweet freedom.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
I can't study any more today
Thought I would evade reality for a bit and post up some thoughts while I had a few minutes.
My first thought is that I must NEVER eat at Taco Bell again. I am sure there are those among the people who read this with iron constitutions who might disagree, but probably more than that who have already learned the hard lesson about eating there. Suffice to say, I think I learned my lesson this time. Damn you Montezuma and your intolerably pungent vengeance!
My second thought is that PEDS nursing is okay and quite a noble profession, but not my bag. The patient I worked with was as pleasant as he could be considering that he was restricted to his room because of ORSA precautions. It is hard to be cooped up for 2 weeks in a house, let alone being cooped up in a single room with the patience and and energy level of a 7 year old boy. I would be going insane. On top of that, he has to sit in a pneumatic vest 4 times a day (30 minutes each time) that pummels his chest and back to loosen up the thick mucus from his CF. I saw another child, also with CF but two years younger, who had had a stomach, kidney and small intestine transplant already and two young girls with cancer. D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-N-G.
I don't know if I have a third thought at the moment other than I really don't want to wake up early the next two days to take exams, but hopefully I know just enough and all will end well. Once I get through this week it really will be the home stretch. Two months from today is the official endpoint (well, the last day of classes which is official enough for me). I can't believe I have made it successfully this far.
Josh - I will pick you up a garnet ring too. I could sense the jealousy.
My first thought is that I must NEVER eat at Taco Bell again. I am sure there are those among the people who read this with iron constitutions who might disagree, but probably more than that who have already learned the hard lesson about eating there. Suffice to say, I think I learned my lesson this time. Damn you Montezuma and your intolerably pungent vengeance!
My second thought is that PEDS nursing is okay and quite a noble profession, but not my bag. The patient I worked with was as pleasant as he could be considering that he was restricted to his room because of ORSA precautions. It is hard to be cooped up for 2 weeks in a house, let alone being cooped up in a single room with the patience and and energy level of a 7 year old boy. I would be going insane. On top of that, he has to sit in a pneumatic vest 4 times a day (30 minutes each time) that pummels his chest and back to loosen up the thick mucus from his CF. I saw another child, also with CF but two years younger, who had had a stomach, kidney and small intestine transplant already and two young girls with cancer. D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-N-G.
I don't know if I have a third thought at the moment other than I really don't want to wake up early the next two days to take exams, but hopefully I know just enough and all will end well. Once I get through this week it really will be the home stretch. Two months from today is the official endpoint (well, the last day of classes which is official enough for me). I can't believe I have made it successfully this far.
Josh - I will pick you up a garnet ring too. I could sense the jealousy.
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