sparky99

I've got three days of program orientation coming up next week, too, and have been wondering what we're going to do and need for that time. I'm picturing something like new recruit intake for the military.

Finished 8 week Micro with an A...huge sigh of relief! I feel a little sad, though, because what could have been and should have been an interesting class turned into a nightmare. I started out thinking our little drill sargeant teacher was just trying to give us a taste of nursing school boot camp and ended up thinking she had some major personal issues and needs some kind of help. I don't mind a teacher presenting challenging material and setting high standards for a class, I do want to get my money's worth for my classes, just hope the N program instructors aren't all somewhat unbalanced.

Heehee! Me too! I've finished my pre-reqs, feel like I've finally perfected my note-taking and organizing system, and wait with baited breath to see how well that system holds up in the actual nursing program :chuckle

Heehee! You sound like me, Hope! I've been buying school supplies off and on for months and am looking forward to at least orientation so I will have an idea what notebooks I need to set up for specific subjects. 26 days till...

I'm using the trial version of OneNote now for Micro, and will be purchasing it to use when the Nursing program starts next month. I checked out some of the free note-taking websites (Evernote, Google Docs etc) and still like OneNote enough to buy it.

I start MCC ADN program in August. I'm counting the days till then!

I've finished A&P 1 & 2 and am now finishing up Micro. Had an A in the first two and so far an A in Micro. Muscles were the most difficult section for me in A&P. For Micro, I'd say if you're not very current on your chemistry, give yourself a good review there. Find whatever study method(s) work best for you and be prepared to explore different options. I draw a lot of diagrams and hang them up in a part of the house where I have to see them many times a day, and have recently started listing to audio notes from VanGo notes. Good luck to ya and let us know how things go!

Cyber - veering a little off topic here - tell me what kinds of things were done and discussed in your orientation? We have 3 days worth of orientation next month. I'm so ready to get into the actual program I'm even excited about orientation :)

I'm using Vango Notes for Micro now. I like to listen to the chapter before I read it, helps my focus. Will have to check and see if Vango offers anything for the later nursing classes.

We have to wear all white for NS starting in a couple of months. I keep hearing people say they like Cherokee brand, so I ordered a couple of pairs of pants and, yeppers, they're see through. I do have white underwear but I'm still disappointed the fabric isn't more substantial. Anybody care to recommend other brands? Please tell me where you buy them online, and what kind of fabric you look for. Thanks!

You sound like me, Vida! Would you mind listing the books you have to have (just titles and authors)? I'm sure it won't be the same as ours, I'd just like to have an idea of the books required. Our college bookstore won't even give us a list until the week before school starts.

I started Micro yesterday too, after a looong day spent hurry up and waiting to register for NS, take first step TB test etc. I've noticed that the closer we get to the actual program, the more drill sargeantist the teachers seem to be, but that's probably good so we get a little taste of the atmosphere of boot camp (oops! Nursing School!)beforehand. Now picture a petite 5' tall D.S. who is excited about her subject and seems to really care about her students. :) Hope you enjoy the rest of your semester - let us know how things are going.

Daytonite, I am utterly dumbfounded by your attack on my essay on my experience in a long term care facility. If you were to share your deepest emotions with me, I would not critique your grammar or your method of literary construction. Two major issues that I explored were facing a fear from long ago, and finding peace and joy in a place where many people fear to go. Whenever the opportunity presents itself, I try to encourage people not to avoid visiting nursing homes. They might be pleasantly surprised by people there who are still worth knowing. I received an A for the class and an A+ for the essay. Congratulations on your graduation.

Essay written for Human Growth & Dev about my volunteer expenence in nursing home: Picture, if you will, a frightened nine year old girl pinned in a corner of a noisy, smelly nursing home by a wild haired, wild eyed old man muttering what seems to be curses in many languages. That was me, circa 1972. At this point I must bore my gentle reader with a bit of background. My father was a devout Christian who took as his mission the charge to visit the sick and elderly. We spent many Sunday afternoons making the rounds of nursing homes and hospitals. The powers that were in those days had emptied out the state mental hospitals and many of those patients found themselves in nursing homes. Fortunately that is not my only nursing home memory. I don't remember many of the individuals we visited, but I do remember the care and attention that Dad lavished on them. Some of them seemed to live for his visits. They knew they were still important to somebody, somewhere. Now I find myself volunteering to assist activities in a local nursing home for class credit. I will attempt to gather a few impressions each time for your perusal. 9/11 We lead exercises. Residents seem to enjoy themselves. We close with "Proud to be an American" and spending the anniversary of 9/11 in the company of men and women of the Greatest Generation makes me very proud to be an American. Next activity is "Name that Smell." Participants close their eyes, sniff and identify peanut butter, lemon, onion and other foods. Great idea for an activity but I wish we could use substances that might jog more memory, like motor oil for the men, sweet olive leaves for women and the scent of baking tea cakes for both. We go through the Alzheimers ward to collect the few residents who are able to play Bingo. One woman talks to herself constantly in a loud, shrill voice. I am horrified for the workers, her captive audience, until they tell me that she literally never sleeps. Then, I am heartbroken for the patient. 9/18 Outdoor activity. Mr. X will happily pull weeks from the flower bed until someone stops him. I help him until ants eat me up. An old farmer's hands are, apparently, impervious to ants. I remember Mrs. Z from my high school days. It hurts to see this vibrant teacher now frail and apathetic. I talk with her a little while and ask her to teach me some Spanish words. Then, she comes to life. 9/24 More flower watering, exercise and memory games. Residents frequently ask me when Bingo starts. I am puzzled by the allure of Bingo but happy to see their anticipation. One of the fears that people have regarding LTC is the idea of losing their identity, being just a body to be fed, watered and pushed from place to place. The people I meet here definitely still have personalities. 10/2 Rousing game of "Flyswatter Volleyball" followed by room visits. One resident wears a somewhat frightened expression most of the time, as befits a Katrina survivor. She'll never know how if makes my day when she does smile. 10/9 Devotional time. One resident enthusiastically quotes Scripture along with the leader. A white haired husband sits gazing at his white haired wife like the pride of his life. Another couple has received some bad medical news. The staff enters into their distress with the comfort of friends. I am touched by the love in this place and am trying to think of excuses to come back and visit certain people. To follow up the story of the little girl in the corner, I was in no way touched or harmed, just scared to death. My mother then convinced my Dad that a nursing home might not be the best place for a child to spend Sunday afternoons, and I avoided nursing homes for a long time afterward. Having completed my class assignment, I walk the hall of heroes. In this place, the workers are caring and attentive, and the residents are heroes for their lives of service while active and their grace and good humor with which they bear their infirmities. As a soon-to-be nursing student, I find myself drawn to specialize in Geriatrics. In the immortal words of Jerry Garcia, "What a long, strange trip it's been!"

Wonderful, Viva! I spent some time last year volunteering and then working in a nursing home, and you captured many of my thoughts too. My teacher for Human Growth & Dev required us to do volunteer work at the facility of our choice and the nursing home was mine. We then had to write an essay about our experience. I hope to post that on the site somewhere later today.

Message on the PA system is "Dr XYZ on line ___." This particular doctor had the personality of a loose cannon, English not his first language, and we made sure not to call him unless really really necessary. He would respond (loudly) to almost anything we said with "I am a medical doctor! Do you know what this means?!? Blah blah." As we would try to explain why we actually needed to talk to a "medical" doctor he would get louder and louder, drowning out most of the explanation. We all speculated on how much he must be paying his nurses for them to be willing to work for him, and thought he must just take out his frustrations on medical personnel around him. Later I learned from talking with our LTC residents that he treats them in much the same way.

in the pt chart, the doctor refers to pt as "interesting." This was a referral for a new admit to LTC. Note that we already had experience with non-English speaking residents, we had experience with residents weighing 400 or more lbs whose family members had been repeatedly warned about bringing snacks to the pt, etc. The doctor referring to this one as "interesting" made the hair stand up on back of our necks.

I just finished A&P 1&2 with an A, with a 40-ish brain, so I can relate! Both teachers used Power Point outlines a lot but what I had to do to get the material to stick with me was to rewrite the info from the outlines using complete sentences and paragraphs. Don't ask me why that worked but it seemed to :) I also made a lot of poster size drawings of body systems and tables of related material (hormones, gas laws, whatnot) and hung them on the walls in our back hallway where I had to see them many times a day. I guess my main point is be aware of the learning methods that work particularly well for you and use them but be willing to experiment a little too. Good luck and be kind to yourself! I didn't start feeling like anything like confidence until I was halfway through A&P 2.

Hi Amy! I'm in your bracket. If you're too old, then I'm too old, and I refuse to be too old!:pumpiron: Seriously though, I have some worries. I worry about being able to physically keep up with the demands of nursing. I worried a lot about absorbing tons of material in subjects I've never tried before, with a 40-something yr old brain instead of a 20 yr old brain. I've just finished A&P 1 & 2 with an A, and now feel like my concentration is slowly improving. That gives me hope that this old dog can actually run with the little dogs. What classes are you taking now or soon for your program? I'd love to hear how things go with you.

Our books are shrink wrapped so there's no way to open them without destroying the plastic. "Get Ready for Microbiology" is by Lori K Garrett and I think it would be worth your money to see if you can get it quickly from Amazon. Wish I could send you a copy! :)

I start Micro in two weeks too. My package came with a small book called "Get Ready for Micro" that gives you a good brush up on math, chemistry, terminology and basics of Micro. It looks like it will be perfect for me to use for the next couple of weeks. Does your school package your books in plastic and say you can't open them until class begins or you won't be able to return them if needed? That bugs me greatly-I'm always eager to look through my books. I got the ones for this class from another source.

Micro for me, two nights a week, 4-8:30 in June and July. In Chem that I took years ago, and then A&P recently, I almost enjoyed the book learning but found lab very nerve-wracking. Hoping Micro won't seem the same way.

Thanks for sharing, Lady, and congratulations! Our CC has the graduates wear white uniforms but not dresses and caps. I kind of wish they did offer the dress and cap because I'd like to feel connected to our great heritage of nursing through history. They do use lamps and play the song "Go Light Your World" for the closing. A Nursing graduation is a very emotional event. I just have to share a goodie from my daughter's graduation a few years back. She was a single mom with two kids under 7 while going to school. There was a little bit of crowd noise throughout most of the ceremony, but for some reason when they called her name, the whole place went silent. Then we heard a little voice ring out all over the auditorium, "I love you Mom!" I don't think anyone will ever forget that.:redpinkhe

AMEN! Good luck to us! What classes have you got coming up next?

Eeek!! Need 5 more credits, Leta? Do keep us posted - I'd love to hear what you choose to fill up your schedule.