knittingmonster

I went and looked and I still have my schedule from first semester! Yours will definitely vary because I know there have been changes in skills lab--I don't know what they are though. For an idea, though, here is what we had. The first week, we had orientation the first day and lecture the second day. There was also a little bit of time spent in the lab. Second week, we had PLA on Monday, lecture on T/W, check-off's could be done as early as Thursday of that week and as late as the following Friday. After that, we pretty much had class T/W, PLA's every other Monday with check-off's the end of that week and the next. PLA's occasionally were spaced at a tiny bit more. We had clinical orientation the fourth week of school. The fifth week clinicals started for Group 1 and the sixth week Group 2 started. You alternate from there. There is also sim lab, which is one day tossed in that you go to simulation lab and do a fake clinical experience. We spent a LOT of time on campus that first semester. I always did my practice right after PLA to get it out of the way. That only meant two or three hours on campus and then I could use the rest of the day for reading/studying. Check-off's only take a bit of time out of the day. If you manage to get them after class, then you have the rest of the week free. I never managed to do that, but it is a good way to make more free days in your week. Juggling it all will give you some good time management skills!

Clinicals: You can list preferences on the clinical sheet for days/times, but it won't necessarily be honored. There is always the option of trading with a classmate for a different time slot. In first semester, I believe you have five weeks of clinicals and it is every other week. They start after several weeks of class. You can't switch groups once you start. So you have the same day and time for the entire semester. You should also count on the start time being 6:30 and getting out about 30 minutes earlier. Most groups do this, but not all. Class: Those will be the only times you are in lecture, but you can count on being there more than that. For clinical skills lab, you have a PLA to teach skills that are an hour long plus you need to practice a minimum of an hour. Practice time is flexible; PLA's are not. When I was in fundamentals, PLA's were scheduled at different times during the week. We normally had them on Mondays, but your class time seems shorter so they may be after class now. There is no telling when they will be. There are also check-off's for skills that take up to 30 minutes. You sign up for these times, although sometimes it is difficult to get the time you need. Many of my classmates have work/family/school going on all at the same time. It is possible; you will just need flexibility. Feel free to ask any other questions!

I believe you will have the iTouch. I'm not 100% positive on that though. I can try to answer questions for you about class/clinicals. The only thing predictable about the schedule is that it won't be predictable. Feel free to ask for specifics though!

Library. It's your friend if you get there first! I have several review books from there. For peds, I also checked out a textbook. It isn't the one we use in class. It's the same authors though and the information is the same. I am very glad that I saved that money on a seven-week course where I have barely used the book. I've bought my other textbooks, but I buy from half.com. I saved a ton of money that way.

What I really, really, really hate is all the talking that is going on during class. We have not had this problem so much in the past semesters, but I swear I am going to lose my mind if it doesn't stop. The teacher stopped class at least 10 times today. Ridiculous. Go figure that the ones talking get annoyed at people shushing them.

I occasionally see posts and wonder if they are from classmates. The situations that are described will sound like my school and then they'll say something like, "I'm in a BSN program." That clues me in that it isn't a classmate! It drives me nuts when I can't figure out if it's someone I know or not! Do you suspect fellow classmates of posting here with you?

I loved micro and it didn't really worry me too much about the germs. Try not to spill and wash hands and life should be okay. Our instructor did talk about a student who had spilled something onto her purse. Apparently some of her make-up was contaminated and she didn't think about it before applying. She ended up with an infection on her face. Clinicals make me want to jump into a vat of sanitizer. The germs aren't contained in little vials--they are there to jump all over you.

I'm all about the dimensional analysis. I can't remember formulas to save my life and I also can never figure out what number goes on top and bottom. With dim. analysis, I just plug numbers in so that the units cancel out. It hasn't failed me yet!

Used all the way. I was not thrilled to hear that we were getting a new version of a textbook this year because it meant only buying new. I lucked out and found a "used" book for less than list price. It was new--spine wasn't even cracked.

I have three children, 7, 5, and almost 2. When I started pre-reqs, I only had two. I was a sahm and took classes at night. My one trick to get in study time was to study with my kids. I would teach them what I was learning on their level. I had to understand to be able to explain it to them. Nap time/tv time were also good places to get in studying. I just finished my second semester and have lived to tell that tale. Seriously, it is do-able. My kids do go to daycare so I use days off to study while I leave them there for a while. I also work at night after they go to bed. I don't always spend the time with them that I'd like, but we find time for family stuff. It's all about time management--a good skill for nursing anyways!

That's not how you say it? I can't figure out how else you would say it.

C. diff is spread by contact, not by inhalation. You would have to put your hand to your mouth after contact to become infected. It isn't transmitted through the air.

I would not have a baby on purpose during school. We tried during my pre-reqs with the plan to complete them during pregnancy and then apply so that I could go back around the time the baby was one-ish. It did not work out that way because I had difficulty getting pregnant. It took a year to get pregnant and then I stayed home almost a year. I hated putting off school, but having a baby and being home during infancy was important to me. One option you might consider is to take time during nursing school to get in tune with your body. Have a pre-pregnancy visit to make sure you're healthy. Bloodwork, paps, whatever. I read "Taking Charge of your Fertility" and practiced that method to learn when I was ovulating to increase our odds of pregnancy. Because I wasn't ovulating very often, it didn't help right away. I love it though because you become very aware of where you actually are in your cycle rather than relying on guesswork based on a calendar. I found having school while TTC helped a great deal because of the distraction. However, I don't think I could handle having a baby partway through the nursing program. Pregnancy was the easy part for me; postpartum was a crazy, emotional roller coaster.

I would say no (simply because nothing is rounded up in nursing school), but it's still a very good GPA. Whole lot better than mine!!

I think A&P 1 and 2 are both important and I'd want both under my belt. I don't think taking them together would have worked for me though. A&P 2 was just a continuation of 1--it finished up all of the body systems. I loved Microbiology though. It was really interesting. I took it with A&P 1 and it worked out.

My kids are in full-time. It gives me time to study and for all the times I have to be at school even though it is not the scheduled class time or clinicals. We have to come for skill lab demos--usually on a non-class day, check-offs for skills and picking up assignments for clinicals. This week, I was home M/Th. Next week it will be Th and Friday morning. It gives my kids some predictability to their schedules. I say some because my pick-up and drop-off times are completely random!

If I was making a trick to remember, I'd either do that they are in backwards abc order or this very stupid bit: "Dee (meaning vit D) calcium is in dee bones."

And on the flipside, what makes a bad L&D nurse? I'm a SN and we start our L&D rotation in the fall. It is my heart and passion and I want to be at the top of my game clinically. Any tips? Common drugs used on your floor?

Good for you for taking a break!! I'm glad the B didn't kill you!

For number one, you need to remember how many mLs are in a tsp. 1 tsp=5 mL For number two, you have to know how many mgs are in 1/150 gr. gr 1/150=0.4 mg

:lol2:I was picturing booty shorts!! All I could think was "No way, no how!!"

I said earlier that I would be very uncomfortable with wearing a sports bra and short shorts or even shorts. Even with my classmates acting in a professional manner (which they do), I would not be okay. We are required to assess under clothing and I am okay with people lifting shirts and such--I just need a shirt for when they aren't assessing heart/lungs/GI.

No nudity here. They asked us to wear loose clothing for our assessment and we just lifted/manipulated clothing to listen. Providing privacy is a pretty big thing in nursing, so I'm surprised that you would do an exam in any way that left you exposed. I would have a serious problem with doing the short shorts and sport bra thing. I'm fat and uncomfortable having my stomach exposed around anyone--professional or not. It needs to be covered unless that area is currently being assessed.

I agree that you need to take time for yourself. Nursing school is stressful and you have to find a way to manage stress. A 4.0 is awesome, but you can't maintain it at the risk of losing your sanity. If you can relax your standards a little, you may reduce stress and be able to finish school. The end goal of achieving your dream is more important than perfection in school. Granted, it is hard to get a lower grade than you are used to getting!!

My situation has been almost the same. I did pre-reqs and then found out I was pregnant. The school I chose started about the time my baby was due, so I did sit out a bit. I started when my daughter was 11 months and I had a 4 and 6 yr old at the time. I did put them in daycare full-time. It was a little hard since I had been a sahm for so long, but they adjusted, although I won't pretend that it was necessarily an easy transition. As far as juggling it all, I think it is doable. My husband is very supportive and his job has some flexibilty so that has worked out. I still take my kids to daycare on days I don't have class so I have some study time there. I fit it in after bed and while they are playing. My house is a diaster, but the kids are alive, fed and clothed and loved. My grades have run right around the mid-B to high-B mark and I've been able to get involved with the program. I don't have a ton of spare time to go out with friends or just chill outside in nice weather, but I can find time to fit that in as well. You have to do what is best for your family. I personally went for it because I couldn't handle the thought of sitting out any longer. That and I was scared I wouldn't actually finish if I did. I hate the sacrifice of time with my children. I still wouldn't change my decision. It was also pretty cool to read my son's school journal that he kept this year and see where he wrote that "My mom is going to be a nurse." Okay, it wasn't spelled like that, but it made me smile.