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!!!
. Luckily the package remained closed and landed right back on the table.
. Today we learned how to change the bedding in an occupied bed and do a bed bath on a pt. (not in that order) and tomorrow we have checkoffs on sterile gloving and we learn how to insert a urinary catheter on a pt.
Nepenthe Sea
585 Posts
Last Tuesday was the first day of Nursing Skills I. We just went over the syllabus and talked a little about the program. Nothing major. We would have had Intro to Nursing the day before had it not been MLK day. In the meantime, I keep hearing about how overwhelming it all is, and how people drop out because they can't handle all the work. It didn't seem that bad to me, but I knew there would be more to come with Intro.
This Monday was the first day of Intro, and that's when they unleashed it all on us. They explained all this online stuff that we will have to do (Medspub), in addition to the online Nursing Success course we have to do, plus all the videos we have to watch (a ton!), AND all the time we have to spend in the lab practicing skills. They made a joke about passing around the smelling salts for all the people who were going to faint!
Personally, I am not that daunted right now. I don't know if I am in denial or what. Last semester, I took A&P I, Microbiology, nutrition, and speech. They were my first science courses since high school, so that was all new to me. I got used to having to study EVERY single day for hours, and having at least one test, usually more, every week. Maybe that's why I'm not that afraid yet. I know everyone else is scared, though!
Other than that, class was cool this week. In Skills we started practicing putting on our PPE and sterile gloving. I already feel good about that part. So far, I'm just really enjoying it all!