End of Block I

Well I actually don't finish clinicals until June 17th, but I finished all my finals last week :balloons: :biggringi :roll :biere:

I'm so glad to be on the downward slope of block one. All in all it was very doable and I really enjoyed it. I'm sure block II will be more difficult, new information and all that, but i can't wait to get started on it either. We start block II July 14th, so I'll let you all know how it's going after that.

Congratulations to all those that have passed whatever block they're in.

Keli

Congrats on finishing up block 1 guys! It's a nice feeling isn't it?

So you guys are in programs that have the summer off before you start block 2?

Ciao!

Hey Deanna,

I finished yesterday as well......I'm so glad we made it! Now we can look forward to not wearing white pants next semester!

I'm going to try to work a little this summer, relax, clean my house, and read some books that I want to read.....oh yeah, and maybe even go to a movie....I can't believe how time consuming this past semester has been!

I am curious about how all of you felt during Block I - and any comments you can offer to those of us still waiting to be in your shoes! For instance, what did you find was the most difficult thing about school? Was it what you expected? Or did something unexpected throw you for a loop? What was the best thing about it? Any input any of you offer, now that you are on the downward side would be great!

Also - did any of you think to yourself, even for a moment, Boy - have I made a mistake? This isn't for me!

Thanks again for your input!

DC

let's see....the beginning was scary....you're excited to be there but at the same time you hear all of these stories about how hard nursing school is, that the instructors eat their young, rumors that half the class won't make it etc, etc...to top that off, during orientation you are told about the requirements ( I love all of those 3 strikes and your out tasks such as checkoffs and the math test), given a syllabus that indicates that you have about 7 chapters of reading due per day, and informed that two of teh classes are based on a 100 point scale meaning that if you miss 25 points the whole semester you fail the class! I think the point scale thing was the hardest for me because I was determined to get A's in my classes, but with this scale you could only miss 8 questions!

after the first couple of weeks you realize that the instructors are really great and will do anything to help you succeed, the reading isn't that bad, the material being presented isn't difficult at all, you just need to have some good time management skills. The checkoffs aren't that bad either as long as you practice your skills, and the math test is just basic stuff with about two easy formulas to remember....

I think the hardest part for some people was getting used to the NCLEX style questions. The tests are written differently than others. YOu will be given a situation and 4 answers that are all correct but you need to select the best answer. Luckily I had experience with these kinds of tests so it wasn't a real issus. I would recommend that you invest in a good NCLEX review book so you can practice.....

The fun really began when we started clinicals. It was great to actually put into practice what we were being taught. Clinicals are more time consuming than I originally thought...we had to go the day before to pick out patients, from start to finish that usually took me about 3 hours, then you had to write prepatory care plans which usually took another 4-6 hours depending on the # of patients you were caring for, how many meds they were on etc..etc.....

Did I ever think "Boy is this for me?"...Oh yeah, during the first week I thought "What did I get myself into", but that only lasted about a day or two...once we started the course work I really enjoyed it! Even better, once you get to clinical and you start interacting with your patients and they tell you what a wonderful nurse you're going to make, or you get that patient that is scared, anxious, and noncompliant and you're able to put a smile on their face and have them followow their care plan...Then IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH IT! :wink2:

Congratulations you guys!! I just started block two @ Rio yesterday! I know it is supposed to be much harder, but so far I think it is going to be great - we're really getting into the details! Good luck you guys and enjoy your break.