Any Spring 2009 Linfield Cohorts?

I'll be starting in February as well! I can't wait! Linfield was my first choice. I've been reading everything I can to prepare.

Me too!!

Are either of you attending the scholarship workshop they are holding?

I am so excited, time is dragging by.

Hi,

This is my first post, so I hope I am doing it right. I am also starting at Linfield in February. I am glad to have found other students in the same situation. Are you scared? I have to admitt that I am a little

What are you doing to get ready? Have you received any information on the orientation?

Hi,

Thanks for your response!! Like you said it is nice to find people on the same boat.

I guess we all go through the same things, because I have also been second guessing myself lately (like in "what the heck did I get myself into?". Funny thing if we consider how hard we had to work to get here, and also the fact that we "made it", so we have to be good, right?

I am an old student (I am 41) and I have a daughter, so I wonder if I am going to be able to keep up, and how this is going to affect her, or if it is fair to have a mom that will barely be able to pay attention to her. Oh well, like you said, it is probably nerves.

Congrats for getting into Linfield! I know the post is intended for Spring '09 cohorts, but I had to reply anyway. I graduated from the accelerated 2nd degree program at Linfield a couple of years ago. I got my acceptance in Apr '05, and started that June...and for those 2 months I was nervous, apprehensive, terrified, and constantly second guessing myself. I kept telling myself that I would feel better and more at ease after orientation, because then I would at least have an idea of what to expect. The first day of Orientation was interesting and incredibly overwhelming at the same time. I can tell you, I didn't really feel any better....EXCEPT that there were 40 other people with me, all in the same boat. Once the term got going, I found myself settling into the routine. It wasn't a walk in the park. There were certainly times that I was incredibly frustrated. You probably will be too, but, hey, that's part of nursing school! Will it be easier than you expect? Quite possibly, it was for me...and for many of my classmates. I think that we all built up nursing school so much that we were pleasantly surprised. That's not to say I didn't work hard. But I was able to play hard too. I don't have kids, but classmates of mine did, and they made it work. Hey, I even had time to plan a wedding and get married during our short summer break!

As for Linfield. I liked it, despite some of my classmates arguments that there was more of a community health emphasis. I think I got plenty of med/surg knowledge. After graduation, I went to work on a med/onc floor, and felt I was adequately prepared. I will say this - there are some pretty amazing professors and instructors there - you will quickly learn who they are. The location is awesome. Lots of stuff going on around NW 21st and 23rd.

While you wait for the term to start: Just try to have some fun! Or, if you really want to get a start on your nursing career, I would just get into the groove of nursing...There are some great magazine/journals out there that have really good info. Read Nursing2009. Or, for some basic, fun, and very easy to read tips, Nursing Made Incredibly Easy is a good source. You could get a start on the required course reading, but you might as well just wait...there will be plenty of time.

Again, congratulations, and good luck at Linfield!

Just of note, you guys will be grouped by your graduation date, not your start date. We (my cohort) were originally calling ourselves the "Summer 2009 Cohort" but we quickly found out that was incorrect. The correct designation was "December 2009 Cohort" - our graduation date. So I think you guys should be the "Fall 2010 Cohort" - just a tip so you don't look silly like we did.

Congrats by the way! Khazel's post is very accurate assessment. Oh get used to that word "assessment", you'll be using it a lot!

The community health is not that bad. I was concerned about it as well, but in the bigger picture, every client you have (regardless of what area you work) is part of a larger community. So knowing that community can help in the care of your client. You get your hospital rotations as well, so don't worry about getting "enough". If anything, the community health gives you more than other programs that don't cover it as in depth as Linfield. You'll just have a better grasp of community issues compared to other programs. Nursing has a broad history in the community, but you'll learn that your first semester...

Good Luck! Feeling excited then burned out is perfectly normal. It happens several times a semester.