Hurricanes wrecking this semester... chime in please

Up North, I guess you guys are used to snow days and blizzard days (the ones that leave you without power for days), so this post may seem kind of ridiculous to you. Down here in South Florida, there isn't much in the way of weather that gets in our way except for the hurricane. We get wind of it when it's about a week away and every day that it gets closer, we get more fixated on the weather news. A couple of days out, if you happen to be in the cone of doom which is something like 500 miles wide, it gets difficult to concentrate on much else. Will it grow, will it intensify, is it another Andrew... You just know that the eye of that miserable life wrecker is going to zero in on your house.

Try to incorporate this into school and clinical. We are still responsible for the material in the syllabus and for turning in our assignments, even if done by candle light. My head is mush for school now. Pure and utter mush. The momentum has been sucked right out of my sails. We've lost several students who have had to drop because they had obviously higher priorities to deal with like finding a roof to put over their heads. Others have been hit by depression.

How are other Floridians who have been visited by these storms managing? I'm hoping and praying that there will be no more of these angry visitors coming our way.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Fortunately my internet course is only affected by those without power and we are right on time. I have a friend who goes to USF who is so far behind because of cancellations. Not sure what they are going to do, classes are cancelled again tomorrow.

[myrtledturtle]

I agree, and I don't even live in Florida. I live in southwest Georgia, and almost every hurricane has come through this area. Now they're looking at Jeanne to see how bad she's gonna be for us. We've missed 3 days of school, and the 2 that have come through have been on clinical days (12 hours to make up now). I know it's not as bad here, but it's affecting a lot of people I'm sorry.

[NewEnglandRN, RN]

Here in New England, we have plenty of snow days, etc., but that does not compare to what you are dealing with in Florida this year. I have been closely following the hurricane tracks this season... I don't know how you can get any school work done with everything going on.

Hang in there. I'll be saying an extra prayer for all Floridians.

[Altra, BSN, RN]

All I can do is send good thoughts in the direction of all those affected. Take care all.

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

We missed one week and two clinical days. Classes will be cancelled tomorrow too. I hope we don't run into another week lost.

[dixienurse2be]

i'm right there with you guys...I am in Alabama and we've missed 5 or 6 class days and 2 clinicals days...somehow we still have to squeeze everything in and make up those clinicals by the end of the semester. I hope we all make it through. Ivan got us pretty bad but I think we're ok for this one so far. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and any other state affected by this terrible terrible hurricane season.

[maire, ASN, RN]

My thoughts and prayers are with you all. I can't imagine how bad it must be down there.

[kahumai, RN]

As long as you and your families are safe, that's all that matters, right? Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the hurricane victims.

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

As long as you and your families are safe, that's all that matters, right? Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the hurricane victims.

With all the devestation that's just a few short miles away, that is soooo true.

Our Monday and Tuesday clinicals were cancelled for this week. On the upside, it gave us more time to study for this week's test. So many of our number are without power so I guess it's by candle or flashlight. I guess if it had to happen during any rotation, OB would be the better one than med/surg. It seems pretty repetitive with the same meds, same care pathway, etc.

Our school is scheduled to re-open tomorrow. Keeping fingers crossed.

[Jennerizer, ASN, RN]

I'm in the central Florida area (Volusia county) & I understand what you mean when you say it takes the momentum right out of you. We missed 2 class days because of Charley, 2 clinical days & 2 more class days because of Frances - by the time Jeanne got here - we were able to recover quickly & didn't miss any school time. We've had time added to our regular class hours to make up for the days missed. It is tough because the expectations don't change or let up as far as the school schedule goes. I know for my class - we are so focused on graduating (76 more days, but who's counting???) that we really aren't allowing the hurricanes to be much of a distraction. It's not easy, but we know we need to get this stuff done in order to graduate.

My advice is to just hang in there & make the best of it. You can't stop mother nature although I pray that there are no more hurricanes for the rest of this year. I hope everyone stays safe & passes their classes!!!

[Timora]

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected by all the hurricanes this season. Living in Virginia, we also have to worry about the storms hitting us as well. We have been fortunate enough not to be hit hard at all. No classes cancelled where I go, I don't think I could imagine classes being cancelled and then trying to make them up as well. I feel majorly overwhelmed at the moment and wonder how I am going to keep up as it is. This is my first semester of nursing class, so this is a major blow to my system as it is. Last September was my first time back to college after 10 years of being out of school and I had a nice flow going and then, WHAM here is Isabelle, my very first Hurricane. I am from the North, blizzards, and being snowed in, no problem. But a hurricane and how everything got out of whack, was tough to get back into the groove again. So for all of those in the more Southern states, I will keep you in my prayers and hope that you can pull through this just fine.