If you have an iTouch or iPhone, then this is perfect for you! It’s this really neat app that gives you practice NCLEX questions including with the coveted rationales! It even breaks it down into the categories of the NCLEX so you know where you need to practice. Usually it runs for $20,  but you can enter and possibly win for free!

http://www.atitesting.com/Solutions/PostGraduation/RNNCLEXPrepiPhoneApp.aspx

There’s the link if you want to check it out.

So, enter by next Tuesday (the 25th) at midnight and a winner will be randomly selected. Enter by leaving a comment with your ideal way to study. For me? It’s in the living room, laying on my stomach with a coffee or Dr Pepper and answering questions.

Good luck!

Love,

Laney

Case Study #1

Pre-nursing school Laney was mostly on her A-game. She cooked dinner regularly, had laundry folded and ready to go, was usually cracking a witty joke or three, and had time to go to out for movies/dinner/walks/tennis games/etc.

Intra-nursing school Laney is a wreck. She picks up dinner most nights or asks her husband to on his way home, is usually living out of baskets of clean laundry, cracking many jokes b/c lets face it- she’s hilarious, and will go out to the occasional movie/dinner/walk/tennis game while thinking about how much studying she is going to have to make up for it later.

Intra-nursing school Laney also has a lot of guilt. She will think that simple comments such as “What time did you get up? Oh right, we woke up at the same time” are secret judgments that say “why on earth on you tired if we woke up at the same time and I’m not tired?” She will also have occasional hateful thoughts when people say “Oh I’m so tired, I had an 8-hour shift today” because I had a 12 hour-shift and will have to go home and study after. [That's not a good attitude at all. I know this on some level. Truly. It's ugly thinking and I know it.] Her eye also twitches when people assume that clinicals are not tiring because, in actuality, it’s working an 8-hr shift + school for free. Free labor which does not pay the ever-growing mountain of bills that are neglected on a desk at home. Furthermore, she may suffer from hypertension from all the arguments and complaints from her friends that don’t understand why she can’t go out…again. It’s not from neglect, it’s from the fact that the first day of class, the instructor said “Tell everyone you know and love that you’ll see them in two years” and was not exaggerating.

Intra-nursing school Laney is sometimes a bitch.

Nursing Diagnosis: Emotional Distress r/t (related to) lack of mental sanity secondary to nursing school AEB (as evidenced by) lack of sleep, fits  of crying, glaring, and state of being irrational and/or inconsolable unless near chocolate.

Potential Complication: Mental Insanity, Hypertension, Cardiac Failure, Zero Friends outside of school/work

Good write-up  I think. Pathetic? Definitely. I just keep trying to tell myself that this time next year, I will be a nurse and a much better person. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go grab a brownie.

Love,

Laney

Difference between NA I and NA II? Well, there is a whole extra dollar an hour to start. But the level II is advanced meaning that I can do suctioning, wound care (if over 48 hours old), catheters, tube feedings, among other things whereas level I is limited to accuchecks, vitals, and bed changes as well as a few other things.

I had orientation the last couple of weeks and it went very well. Since I’m a student, I (along with my other classmates) only had four days of orientation. This afternoon I’ll have my first solo shift and I’m a little nervous.

I semi-soloed last week with only 6 patients, but today I’ll have a full load. I don’t know if I’m ready!

The perks of this job over the HUC job? I do more than answer phones. I get to handle my own patient loads. I’m learning to multitask better and handle mulitple patient care. I’m getting the opportunity to fine-tune the skills I had only  couple of chances to do before.

Ex: I had done maybe three accuchecks in clinicals the whole time in school. After my first 7am-7pm shift, I had done at least 10. I also got to do wound care every day on an unstageable pressure ulcer and try my hand at a condom catheter.

I feel great so far and think this was the best decision I could have made for right now. I graduate in 8 months…it’s time to start transitioning into a more of a nurse role. And since I’m in the Float Pool, I’ll get to see a little bit of everything.

I’ll let you know how my first solo shift goes. Hope you’re all having a lovely week.

Love,

Laney

Since I started orientation at the new job, it means full week to squeeze it in before school starts. Or three 12 hour shifts and an 8 hour shift (mon-thurs).

But since I quit my other job, I have to finish out my two week notice, meaning I go in for my last two 12 hour shifts (fri and sat).

Which equals a 68 hour work week.
Today is day 4 and I think its getting to me. Proof?

“Oops, sorry,” I said as I bumped into someone or something. It was habit.
“Um,” said my patient’s daughter while laughing, “do you realize you said sorry to a machine?”

Only 24 hours left right?

Love,
Laney

But not really. I’m pretty decent I like to think.

Back to your regular programming.
Previously on Laney’s life:
I was away all weekend in Virginia beach to celebrate Ishaq’s birthday. It was amazing.
I also was hired as an NA II, got in a fight with my managers at my current job, quit said job, and put in my two weeks notice, culminating in beginning orientation at my new job today.

So, that’s what you missed.

I’ll be back with updates, how-to’s, and general posts starting tomorrow. And Change of Shift is coming on March 18th aka Thursday.

Did you miss me? I missed you too.

Love,
Laney

There are a few things about where I work that I definitely don’t like and that had kind of turned me off the PICU idea for awhile. But here, at this other hospital, it was great! I asked questions about how they ran certain aspects and it fit me perfectly. I clicked well with the staff and the charge  nurse liked me so much she introduced me to the nurse manager AND gave me her number and email saying I could use her as a reference anytime.

I’m super stoked.

Hopefully, I’ll get my summer externship there and will have a leg-up on getting one of the new grad positions there.

=D

Overjoyed. Today was an amazing clinical day. I felt the spark reignite. The same one that had been dull and waning for awhile. Woo-hoo!

Love,

Laney

Considering how competitive it is right now to get jobs, especially in this area with not hiring too many new grads…I’m trying to do everything possible so I can get on a good floor when I graduate.

Cross your fingers for me!

Love,

Laney

“I’m getting ready to start nursing school and wonder if I should work while I’m there. I don’t have to work technically, but I don’t like relying on my parents to pay for everything even though they said it is fine. What do you think? I know you work on the weekends…”

Well, to be perfectly honest- if I didn’t have to work, I wouldn’t. First semester I worked 36 hours a week plus school and clinicals….and nearly burnt out.

Last semester and this semester, I go to school Monday through Thursday and then work 8am-8pm Fridays and Saturdays. Last semester wasn’t so bad, but I’m already burning out this semester and its only midterms!

They always told us in the first week of school, “Don’t work in nursing school!”, but when you’ve got a mortgage, that really isn’t an option. If you don’t HAVE to work, but maybe want a little extra cash to help out or for spending, I’d suggest getting a perdiem NA position at the hospital you’re interested in working at once you get your RN. Per-diem only requires something like 24 hours a month which is very doable. If you haven’t got your NA yet, there’s always the HUC position.

I’ve come to find that the topic of working while in this level of schooling is a very personal question and sometimes real touchy. I’ve seen divides in first semester from those who had to work and those who didn’t have to work. It was like those who had to work scoffed at those who didn’t have to work complaining about how they didn’t have any time to study.  I know I thought that in like the first month, but you know, everyone’s got their own issues- working and otherwise.

Anyhoo, that was kind of rambling at the end. Sorry about that. Best of luck to you!

How about you guys? Any thoughts on this? Do any of you have to work or do you do it because you want to?

Love,

Laney

PS- Keep the questions/emails coming! You can see other questions answered including those about how many hours to study in nursing school and the worst [and best] parts of nursing school.

Oh yes. Pap smears.
I went to an OB-GYN clinic today. The morning started off painfully boring because I wasn’t allowed to do anything but observe. I was bored to tears.
But then, in the afternoon, it got busier and I was actually allowed to do everything from taking patients back to assisting the doctor with his appointments.

And they were all pap smears.

The first couple, I was thinking ‘Alright, seeing something new. Getting to participate. Woo-hoo!’
The next couple were like, ‘Hmm. Well, see one, you see them all, right? Not my thing for an everyday career personally, but that’s okay…’

By the end of the day, it was, ‘If I see another pap smear again, it will be too soon!!’

That was pretty much my day.

Love,
Laney

PS- Here’s some help with beating those nursing smells…learned in first semester