First day of nursing School *unleashed* post yours

[9livesRN]

Well, I would like to share my first day of nursing school experience.

It all started last night when i could not go to sleep, then I woke up at 4 am, because I was so excited and anxiety had taken over! Well I got up, took a shower, took care of the dogs, and even ironed my uniform.

I ended up leaving home at 6 am, for the 1 hour commute, since I was afraid that I would be caught in the middle of traffic.

I ended up at school at 7 am, I sat in my car, had my coffee, and at 730 people started showing up. Well I found out that classes would not start until 9 on the first day, since they had people lost on the buildings, trying to find the classrooms, teachers coming back gathering loads of stuff, from a side to another, and finally classes started. It was funny to see all my peeps from pre-reqs there in addition to some other new faces!

It all started by our Pharmacology teacher (we have pharm all day long on Mondays) asking us to write a paragraph on:

- Why nursing?

- Semester goal

- 3 year goal

After we wrote that, she made us one by one, read it to the class, as an introduction! Well, I heard maybe half of the people with the CRNA goal, the other half with money/or NP goal, LOL hopefully they'll get there!

Then she started the syllabus, in which:

• 50% are tests
  
• 10% presentation
  
• 10% group work, participation
  
• 5% post test
  
• 25% finals.
  

Which is not bad. My first impression is that Our teacher is a nice Lady, she has been a NP for 12 years, and on still works 2 days a week on her private practice, which I thought was a plus, since she is updated on things.

Well, then lecture started, and we went over the nursing process, and then the 7 rights, and then we covered chapters 1 and 2 of the book (keep in mind 5 hour lecture LOL) the funny thing is: We have to know chapters 1-9 by next Monday!!! For our first test, she will give us multiple choices only, and will allow us to use a 4X6 flashcard, where we can write stuff on one side, and hand it to her, then she will return it to us on the first test day, keep in mind that we have 5 tests. OMG that is a lot of info, even though I had answered the questions already on the study guide...

She is really nice to us, always asking if it is all clear, anymore questions! I like her I guess! (Although you know... some people on the break room already started venting... blah)

Then she was telling us that we will have clinicals starting on the end of the month, so we can learn how to talk to our patients, practice some basic skills. (For the first 3 weeks we have Thursday and Fridays just for skills!!! 10 hours a week!).

She said that we will not do any invasive skill on ourselves, meaning no drawing each others blood, or giving any sort of injection. How the hell am I going to learn??? How did you guys learn this??? It makes me wonder, since I have no previous experience with that other than a few lovenox abdominal shots.

She said that in May we will start giving IM, IV, Sq, and all that good stuff. (But then again with no previous human attempts! She said that if we were to do it among ourselves, somewhere else... Whatever! But not in class!)

So it was exciting today, lots of information, and homework! Can't wait for tomorrow (but I am ok, anxiety level is down now).

We have fundamentals ALLLLLL day tomorrow, starting at 8-2pm

So, bottom line, so far I am very happy with everything, the nursing staff seems amazing so far (have dealt with them since pre-reqs) and all my classmates are cool (of course, there is the sleepy one, the parrot one, the repetitive one, the fancy girls, the CNA knows it all's, but they are ok so far!)

Comments are welcome!

Those who start(started) soon please post your experience here! Lets make this thread last all the way through our graduation!!!

[ETovar]

CSantos, I could not stop reading about all your experiences about your first semester in Nursing School. This is exactly the kind of thread I was looking for. You gave good detailed information about what goes on in Nursing School (types of lectures, exams, clinical experiences, etc.). Good job! I'm applying for the nursing program next year in the Fall. I'm taking Micro this Fall and then Pharmacology in the Spring of 2010 right before I enter the program. I will definitely keep checking your thread regularly. Thanks.

[9livesRN, BSN, RN]

Hi yall, as I have said before, i will keep you guys informed on what is up!

Haven't had much time for posting but here I am

as you all know I am taking medsurge and OB together this semester, so i will break down what is going on to you.

OB

- When i first got into this class I thought that I would not like it, but it is such an interesting class, and the information is just nice, it makes sense and it is easy to co-relate to your "imagination" and go - huh! that makes sense!

It is a very interesting class, and in our class, we started with having intensive labs, once a week for 4 days on mornings and afternoons, so we could get on to the clinical floor knowing our things

we learned how to care for mommy and the baby, adl's, assessments, care, meds, interventions, what to look for and everything else!

The parts of OB that I really enjoyed:

Labor and delivery, I loved being the baby nurse, they are so cute, and so funny, and so innocent, I had the experience to be in 3 natural births, being the baby nurse, calling the 1 minute apgar, doing the assessment, and the ery/vita K shots (remember the trick to rub the left over erythromycin onto the baby's foot (that is if they had that yucky black ink that they use to stamp the certificates) and the ery. will remove all the ink very easily!!! your nurse will love it!) weight, and vitals, first diaper (that is if dady wasnt able to do so) and them hand them in to mommy for some milk!

Post partum: all about mom and baby! helping the tired mother with what is necessary, unfortunately sometimes there is some grieffing involved, but you are there for them, give them their IV fluids, meds, and monitor them, care for the baby, do plenty of teaching, specially for young mothers, who don't know how to swaddle, feed, and care for their newborns, you talk to them about breastfeeding, baby vaccines, and answer their questions, while on the same hand you do your full assessment including BUBBLEHEB, and your baby assessments, it is just so cool that you get to help them and teach them!!! it is a lot of fun!!! oh yeah and you give the first babby bath or should i say scrub?

Brest

Uterus

Bbowell

Bladder

Lochia

Episiotomy

Holman's

Emotional status

Baby bonding!

then at the nicu:

I whent to a level II and a level III nicu.

haven't done much on level 3 since there is where the very tiny little babbies are, and they are very critical, so it was a lot of learning, and just looking and grabing whatever the nurses needed

but on level II, it was really nice, since you get to care for the little babbies, who are just not readdy to go home, and you see the difference among them over there.... you get to feed them, pump feed, assess, bath, care and what not.

So OB is pretty cool, a area of nursing which i thought i would not like at all but now... i could even see my self as a babby nurse!!!

_____________________________________________

Now on med surge, sight* back to reality sight*

this class is a pain in the neck!!!

I guess i might be too dumb, or something like that because i find it really hard!!!

there are so many things, and so many names, and when you starting grasping a system, or a content, there you go moving to another subject!!!

this class is a hand full, you have to be like a watch dog!!!

unfortunately a great few of us are not making it so far... I am so glad that I am passing this class, and hope to pass it with a high B... my A is almost out of sight

I don't care, just as long as i can pass this class it would be a great achievement! we only have 1 test to go, then ATI and finals, so ... lets hope for the best!

although i must be honest! i have given up on studying a lot for this class, what i do is i pay plenty of attention on the class room, then i do my diagram for comparing diseases and , then i read into a quick medsurge key point book to make sure i get it some what, then i get my powerpoint from lecture, and turn it all into note card questions, and voila! that is about it! and then, after that is when i will do questions on a work book, and on a nclex book... and so far it has been working just fine!

i think people freak out too much, and go reading the whole book, then they get a couple of other books, and then go to the internet, and blablablabla and get lost with the content, waste time and gain confusion!!!

so remember to try to make questions out of the powerpoint lectures... turn the whole thing into typed questions on a word file, then you print them out, cut them and glue them on collored note cards!!!!

to be quite honest to you I have not oppened my med surge book other then on the day I bought it! it is said to say... but it was a waste of 300 bucks! i jsut haven't sold it yet because we will use it on medsurge -advanced!

moving onto med surge clinicals!!!

Ok... so here we go,

I started my 1st rotation on a PCU unit, (progressive care unit) which basicaly it is a step down from ICU... AND I LOVED IT we were there on friday nights from 230pm to 1130pm

- I have learned so much with that...

- We had a very thorough instructor (well other people say tough) she wold make sure that on pre conference, we knew what we were into, our meds, our labs, the pt's rads and consults and everything that was going on with him... she would not only want the labs, but the reason why did they order it, and what is it telling you

- than after that we would get on the floor, and get report, start our assessments, passing our meds !!! even on the first day we passed meds!!!

- I was impressed that all of us (6 on that shift) got to pass meds, every day, and at all the times that meds were needed, she was very multifunctional! , but it was not easy, you should be prepared to be "med drilled " (other instructors from my class would require med cards and all that bs) but she could care less! she said: "all of you should be able to give meds, at anytime, so be prepared for it every day and all the time," and as soon as it was your turn, man she would get with you in that hallway and just ask it all, is it safe, what about the dose, does he really neads it, what about reactions, what else about this med, peak? can you score... so we all had to be preppared :typing

- It took us about 2 weeks to get used to her way, but then it just felt normal, we got used to the drilling, and the expectations, that we would not feel it (well some people that were not prepared felt it:rolleyes:)

- we had so many different patients on that floor, plenty of contact precaution, gi bleeds, alcoholism, diabetics, COPD'ers, R/O MIA.... so we really could co-relate the material we were learning with what we were doing in clinicals

the interesting things i had and went through:

- my first insuline shot, lol It really felt like a big deal back than lol

- suctioning on a DNR that was about to go...

- had a psych that has been baker acted 3 days before for punching staff

- saw C.Diff explode onto the air just like a whales water whole

- had a very heavy patient, with c diff from his knees to his sholders that could not move around in bed (3rd space fluid)... the same pt farted on my face when i had the pt. sideways and that is the only time that i almost threw up (actually it would be on top of him!!!) what can i do, i had a warm blow of C.diff whiff right into my face!

- found out how people react when they are on alcohol wirhdral, and the funny protocol questions you have to ask them

- had a pt telling me that she was no longer hungry (after taking 16 pills and a couple glasses full of water)

- had about 2 pts what were about to pass away and helped their families with a shoulder, maybe 2...

- had a pt that incisted in spelling his name to me when i would ask him his birth day!

and so on....

well now i am on a ortho rotation... what a bore! it is on a 6.30am -230pm and by 8.30 i am all done with assessments, morning care, bfast, bath, meds... bla bla bla...than i have nothing else to do!

and the instructor we have now, it more easy going, and it was funny to be expected to be drilled and she said "common what you are waiting for.. lets give the med!"

Guys... my finger hurts....

will type more soon!!!

Nursing school is a ton of fun!

i should write a book!

[Nepenthe Sea]

Thanks, Carlos! I was wondering what had happened to you, because I hadn't seen you on here in so long. I was about to post, asking people if they knew where you were. I was afraid some horrible instructor had your head mounted on a wall or something!

[tokidoki7, ASN, RN]

Carlos, thanks for sharing your OB/GYN experience. That's one area I"m very interested in working in. I start nursing school on August 17- I can't wait!

[One Scrubbin' Mama]

Let's keep this one going....we need all the info we can get to begin our journeys in NS!:typing

[Kaligirl02, ADN, BSN, MSN, LVN, RN, APRN, NP]

I love this thread!! hope to get into school this october @kaplan college....sooo excited!!!

[Rescue Ninja, ASN, RN]

You guys have officially scared me to death.:uhoh21::uhoh21:

DITTO!!!!!

[peytonsmom]

Giving this a bump for everyone starting this month. I'll have my own "first day" to post soon! YAY!

[Iwantobeanurse]

Me too! SO EXCITED! YEAY! :roll

[Rescue Ninja, ASN, RN]

i had my first day today. all in all it was pretty good. mostly the basics the instructors of the program all lined up and read their respective parts of the student handbook (verbatim) and then carried on amongst themselves with inside jokes, all while standing/sitting in front of a class full of 60 students (50 f, 10 m, i am a m). further, one of the teachers made a disclaimer to the men in the class t hat occasionally there would be sexist remarks made by the instructors but that the guys would just have to deal with it because we were now in a female dominated field, period, laugh, laugh, laugh….( i couldn’t help but wonder how that would go across if the same thing were said to a group of 60 engineering students 50 of which were men and 10 of which were women). anyway, i immediately decided to let that little unprofessionalism go, but to mention it both here and later in my final instructor evaluation should it prove to be problematic. sorry, i digress...though i was not impressed with the level of professionalism or the preparedness of the various instructors, it was easy to see that each of the instructors are committed to teaching and helping the students learn. also they are all quite personable and seem to be accessible, they even gave out there home phone numbers. also, it became clear to me that the teachers seemed both strict but fair and i did not detect much a sense of elitism either, of which i am thankful. like i said, all in all i am happy with my decision to pursue this program and look forward to hitting the books ($850 worth) and leaning all i can from these very experienced nurses. it will be very challenging, but the program i am attending has had a 100% nclex pass rate for years, so it seems to be a good school, and they must be doing something right. well that is all for now i would love to hear any of your comments.

[Nepenthe Sea]

i had my first day today. all in all it was pretty good. mostly the basics the instructors of the program all lined up and read their respective parts of the student handbook (verbatim) and then carried on amongst themselves with inside jokes, all while standing/sitting in front of a class full of 60 students (50 f, 10 m, i am a m). further, one of the teachers made a disclaimer to the men in the class t hat occasionally there would be sexist remarks made by the instructors but that the guys would just have to deal with it because we were now in a female dominated field, period, laugh, laugh, laugh....( i couldn't help but wonder how that would go across if the same thing were said to a group of 60 engineering students 50 of which were men and 10 of which were women).

sorry, man. that's not cool! i hope it doesn't prove to be a problem for you.

[Rescue Ninja, ASN, RN]

Sorry, man. That's not cool! I hope it doesn't prove to be a problem for you.

No worries, I don't let others indiscretions determine my success or personal outlook. It was just worth mentioning and noting on an evaluation, later on if the problem persists.