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This is my "cheat sheet" for my med/surg pts. I have only balanced caring for 2 pts at this point, so my day organizer sheet is built only for two pts. My pt assessment sheet is meant for one pt/sheet. Two pt worksheet.doc Pt Assessment Tool.doc

Agreed. Our patho teacher was good for filling in the blanks, as was YouTube. Heather

We used Porth's patho text. Big, Canadian, and decently written.

It used to be called Malispina College (sp?), but has since expanded its programs and was renamed VIU. I also know Camosun College (not UVic) has an LPN program. I'm not in it so I can't speak to its quality, though. Heather

Congrats! Decision made then, eh?! Enjoy your program and studies. Heather

That's great you got in earlier than the instituted change! I wish you all the best as you start out in the program. They've revamped it so your first year will be much different than mine was. Hopefully it's better, too! As for your question, always cover your bases, so if there's a chance you can get in a Vancouver program, why not keep applying?! Save $ and stress. Though Victoria is pretty amazing... :) Heather

I thought they had suspended intake into the program b/c they are changing the intake requirements? Heather (3rd year)

I agree... the more I learn, the more I realize I know so very little, it feels. I guess that's the process... I look forward to the time when I feel comfortable w/ my skills and capabilities, and can show up to work feeling like I have my sh&t together!

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate any and all helpful nursing critiques I can get! I see it as an important way in improving and I'd way rather be corrected than con't doing something wrong. My point was more of a "when am I going to get things right enough that critique isn't necessary"... Thank you for your encouragement. I'll hold onto that and await the day it all clicks together. And yes!!! I hope to be the kind of nurse who includes, teaches, and shares w/ the student nurses. But that seems so far away at this point... H

I'm going into year 3 of a BSN program. When I look back on my education, I feel I've learned so much and can perform many nursing assessments and actions. I've had opportunity to do various skills, some more than others. But for the summer, I am fortunate enough to have an employed student nurse position in an adult ICU, and I'm surrounded by incredibly acute pt's who have multi-complex health challenges. I recognize this is a specialty area and I'm not supposed to know it all here. But last night I was given some useful critique on how to brush a pt's teeth. If I can't even brush someone's teeth correctly, what is going on?! When, oh when, will I start to feel confident in my skill set?! When will I be a contributor to the team and not be a time-drag to those around me? H

I misunderstood your comment. I thought you said you were bridging in, like an LPN would. The transfer to UVic happens semester 2 of third year. Heather

I was taking my Bio and Chem pre-req's thru Camosun so I could be on the waitlist at the same time as I was accomplishing my classes. That meant that I was on the wait list Sept 09 and got in Sept 10. Not a bad turn around time, eh?Bridge-in happens in January of first year. In the meantime, take Eng 150 and Phil 250 to make your course load easier. Also nail your non nursing electives. Enjoy! I'm just finishing the practicum portion of 2nd year and enjoying it very much. Then it's onto 3rd year! it goes by fast, though the days seem long...Heather

Do you mean tPA (the clot buster)?

Install Zotero (google it) on your web browser and after you adjust your settings, your citations are done for you w/ a click of a button.

I'm in a BSN program and have five kids (16, 14, 12, 10, 8). Mon - 12:30-5:20 Tues - 8:30-4:20 Wed - 8:30-2:50 Fri - 7:15-6:30 (clinical day) Heather

Yes! I'm using the same book as you and have only gone through the first three chapters. Those chapters are mostly review, but it's been a while since I've done "math" that I'm glad I took the time to refresh my brain. We have to achieve 100% on the math exams to move on to the next stage. I would prefer to nail the exam the first sitting rather than use my full three chances to pass. We begin classes Sept. 6; I'm not sure the date of our first math exam. Heather

Has anyone de-spined their textbooks and three hole punched them so they could take whatever chapters they needed that day to school in a binder or w/ rings keeping the pages together, w/o lugging around such heavy texts? I am contemplating this but I wanted to hear from others how that worked for them. Heather

When I did A&P last year, I found this site useful for cementing concepts more clearly in my mind: http://www.khanacademy.org/ Scroll down to the "biology" topics. I also youtubed a lot of physiology concepts and found some great videos. Heather

I'm so very sorry you are not holding your baby son today. My heart aches for you. Please don't blame yourself. It sounds like you are an amazing mom who loves her children more than words can express. You did nothing wrong. Babies are born healthy in the most dire of circumstances everyday. A drink of coffee or working nights is nothing harmful. It's normal to feel you must blame yourself, but please know it's nothing you did. Life is just cruelly random sometimes. Know that we are all behind you while you go through this heartshattering experience. I'm so sorry.... Heather

I'm just south of you, attending Camosun College. I have five children (16, 14, 12, 10, 7.5) and have just finished my first year of my BSN. I am still trying to figure this balancing act out myself, but for what it's worth, here's my tips: Sleeping- I'm already used to being tired... But I do try to get to bed earlier on weeknights. Recently, during our practicum, I took to having the occasional afternoon nap so I was a little more pleasant to be around. Studying- I would have to hide myself away or I was regularly interrupted. That meant either leaving the house to study, or threatening death to whomever knocked on my bedroom door unless the house was on fire. And some days were simply school-write-off days. I occasionally would let my studies slide that evening and try to make up for it later. Kids- It's a good thing to teach kids to be more independent. I let go of trying to be/do everything for and with them, and instead gave them room to figure things out. Somedays it worked, others not so much. Husband- love him up; go on dates when possible; hopefully he supports your endeavors and will step up his game when you're cramming and/or composing papers... Shopping- (sigh) I haven't been super successful here. But menu making followed by detailed grocery shopping has made my life easier at times. That, and frozen pizzas... Exercise- I hear that! I ended up buying a pretty groovy elliptical so I could fit in fitness w/o having to go out. Plunked it in front of a TV so I could either watch while I'm working out or even listen to a recorded lecture on my iPhone. Sometimes if I watch House, I like to pretend it's patho review... Good luck figuring out your groove. It won't always be easy, and some days you might want to give up. But get more rest, don't get too ahead of yourself, take a deep breath, and start again the next day. Heather

I am over on the Island at Camosun doing their BSN program, so I don't know much about the programs on the lower mainland. But I was told by a faculty member here that some colleges that offer BSN programs offer an applied BSN while others offer an academic BSN. The difference being, if one wanted to get a master's degree eventually, the applied graduate would need to complete some upgrade type courses, while the academic graduate would not. I can't personally verify the authenticity of that info but I doubt my prof would be misled on that info. Something to look into as you choose your school, possibly. Heather

Thank you, all, so much for your information. That was very helpful and I have good direction as I approach the summer season and begin looking for a job. Enjoy your weekend! Heather

Come summer time, I will have finished my first of four years of nursing school. I would love to find a p/t job somewhere in the medical field but I'm not sure what I would be qualified to do, given my level of nursing education. Any ideas? I'm in BC, if that makes a difference. Heather

Congrats to you, too! I imagine it would have been hard to have to postpone your commencement, but at least you're guaranteed a Sept 2011 intake. There are maybe a few different set schedules, but my schedule for September has four days that begin at 8:30am. I, too, have kids, but my husband has a flexible work schedule and will usually be able to stick around until the kids leave for school. When he cannot, I suspect that either they will be leaving early for school that day, or, because I have five kids, one of the older ones might linger at home w/ the younger ones and then get to school. As for end of the school day times, one day I'm done at 3:20, one day at 4:20, one day at 2:20, one day at 1:50, and one day at 11:20. So, minus the 4:20 day, I should be home either before or at the same time as my kids. It's going to be a bit of a juggle, but hopefully we'll all come out of this in one piece... Heather

You likely already know this by now but the UVic undergrad BSN degree is actually a program that starts out at Camosun College ( Nursing - Camosun College ). You do the first 5 semesters at Camosun and then the final 3 semester at UVic. You end up w/ a degree from UVic, but you don't actually take the first few years there. The two institutions work in conjunction w/ each other. Heather