(As posted on my blog at http://dustyangels.blogspot.com)
Sometimes I lay awake at night and wonder where I'll work when I finish school and get my RN license. (January 2010). There are a few jobs I know I don't want and some I've thought about, but so far, I'm not finding opportunities where patient comfort and teamwork is paramount with nursing care.
Just last week I witnessed some situations as a student nurse that continue to haunt me. At the time, I told myself that I'm just a student nurse - there to learn and not teach! But, maybe I should have gone to my instructor anyway and asked that something be done.
I'll be discrete and perhaps change the actual events a little to protect identity, but on one assignment, a couple of us student nurses followed a director from another department (not nursing) as she did her job. When we entered a room, the patient was surrounded by family as he lay quietly with several machines attached. I immediately noticed that a tube going into his stomach (NG) was not attached like it should be. The tape had come loose and the tube could have slipped out with any movement or tug. I also noted that the machine for his nourishment was turned off (which is sometimes done for an hour or two), but the feeding tube was still attached to the machine which meant that the tube would be clogged by the time the machine was turned back on. (It's supposed to be flushed with water and disconnected from the machine when the patient isn't getting his feeding.)
Now you may be asking why I didn't just fix the tube like it should be. This is where there's a fine line between being a student and being a nurse! I did go and find his nurse and told her I noticed these two things. Her response was, "I know. I turned it off. It's no problem," as she walked down the hall in the opposite direction of his room.
Another time I was asked to do a blood draw on a PICC line (going directly into the heart). We couldn't find the patient in her room, so I started asking the regular nurses, charge nurse, unit clerk and unit coordinator if they had seen this patient. Not one of them knew this patient by name or room number. They looked up the room number on the computer to give me his name (which I already knew) and suggested I go look in the medication record for his picture. I was saddened that these nurses who work there every day didn't know the name or face of a patient who had been in their care for several weeks.
It's not really their fault. It's the system that puts more emphasis on making money than real patient care. The nurses who actually have patient contact spend all their time rushing through the med pass from start to finish of their shift. Most of the other staff have assignments so heavy that they only see the patient on the computer! The nursing assistants who actually 'touch' the patients have such a big assignment that they rush from one patient to another answering call lights, passing food trays, giving baths as fast as they can, and feeding those who can't feed themselves, so they have no time to provide anything extra or spend more time with someone who really needs it. (Those of you have ever worked as a CNA know what I mean.)
Living in the capital city of Ohio, I could have the opportunity to work in some of the finest medical facilities in the country such as Ohio State, Riverside Hospital, Children's Hospital, the many facilities of Ohio Health, and many more more. But, I want to make a difference to the patients - and the more I look at these websites - the less I see about patient care. It worries me.
It seems it's all about making money and keeping up with guidelines set by the government: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Managed Care, Health Care Financing Administration, Health and Human Services Department, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Employment Standards Administration, US Department of Labor, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), MDS and RUG http://www.aasa.dshs.wa.gov/Professional/MDS/Automation/primer.htm.
Don't worry, there's a lot more.
I will be a Registered Nurse. I will work where I can make a difference to my patients and my coworkers. I know there are many rules and regulations, but I won't give up my belief that there is a place where patient comfort and tender loving care can be offered while working with a professional caring team who wants to provide both AND keep the facility in good standing.
As my MySpace website says, "Anything Is Possible. You Just Need To Believe."
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
Showing posts with label LPN to RN School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LPN to RN School. Show all posts
March 11, 2009
There's A Mousetrap in My Med Cart
(I thank my hubby, James, for suggesting the theme for this story and offering ideas. He has listened to many of my nursing stories over the years and can relate to my feelings.) This story, as posted at my blogsite http://dustyangels.blogspot.com/
There’s a Mousetrap in My Med Cart
As some classmates in our RN nursing program gathered around in a small group this morning, I sided up and listened to a story that quickly carried me back in time when I was a newly licensed practical nurse (LPN) just learning how to manage my time as I passed the early morning medications.
The law requires that all meds be given within one hour before or after the medicines are due, and this often creates a lot of stress for busy nurses. For instance, the 8 a.m. meds can be started at 7 a.m., and the med pass, for however many patients you are assigned to, must all be given by 9 a.m., or the facility you work for is out of compliance with state regulations and subject to censure.
Many of my classmates have recently gotten their LPN license and are now RN students. They have not had experience with passing medications or time to learn some tricks of the trade that come with years of ‘working the med cart’.
The story this morning was told with tears streaming down my classmate’s face that expressed more than words could ever tell of how disappointed she was, as a student nurse, to have not completed the assigned task of giving meds to her 17 patients in the two-hour window of time.
Ah yes. I had to turn away as I could not keep my eyes from swimming with empathy while my heart filled with understanding.
Her story will be repeated every day by many nurses, especially LPN's.
I call it, “A Mousetrap in My Med Cart”.
My fingers are burning to tell this story in hopes that other nurses will feel better knowing that many of us have felt the pressure of that ticking mousetrap in our carts!
…Wishing the tired, sleepy, night nurse would hurry it along, I heard report on my patients just like I did at the start of every shift at the nursing home where I worked 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. three days a week.
There was a new admission in Room 5. The patient in Room 10 had fallen during the night and would need vital signs and neuro checks every two hours. Room 11 had ants crawling along the window that would need spraying today. There was a new patient in Room 13 who wanted pain pills more often than she had them ordered.
Time was ticking, and I knew the mousetrap of time would be set in my med cart on the dot at 8 a.m. I wanted to have my blood pressures taken before I started my med pass. I hoped I would have time for a quick check on each of my patients by then too.
As I prepared my cart and checked for supplies, a tiny little mouse scampered beside me when I ran to answer the phone from an impatient doctor who wanted to leave orders ‘with the medicine nurse’. ...At least the patient in Room 13 could have her pain pills more often now.
I had 19 patients this morning, and the first patient had to be wakened from a sound sleep.
“Why do they wake you up to give you sleeping pills?’ she grumbled.
“I need my pills crushed in applesauce,” she said in a more agitated voice as she almost threw the pills back at me.
Back at the med cart, I was somewhat confused because two of the meds were enteric coated, meaning they should not be crushed. I wondered what the other nurses were doing about that. Maybe I could convince her to swallow them whole if I did some patient teaching about enteric-coated pills.
In the next room, my patient was sound asleep, but I did not have to disturb him because he had a gastric tube (G-tube) and was on constant tube feeding. My problem was that his powdered medication would not dissolve in water! I stirred and stirred. I added warm water. Maybe it would dissolve while I did a placement and residual check of the tube. But no, the powder continued to float on the top of the water. Finally, I just poured the mixture into the tube syringe – and it promptly clogged up!
Just then his wife stirred from her sleep in the chair and said, “You have to mix it with hot water first.” Why hadn’t someone just written that on the medication record? Now I had to spend several precious mousetrap-ticking minutes unclogging the G-tube!
“Please help me to the bathroom. I’m going to mess this bed if I don’t get to the bathroom,” my next patient begged.
By law, the medication nurse isn’t supposed to be helping patients to the bathroom while passing meds. But tell that to someone who’s holding the back of their gown and slipping off the edge of the bed. I turned on the call light and felt that mouse getting bigger as it ran down the call light string toward my fingers.
Due to a sleepy, slow-voiced, night nurse who took 45-minutes to give report, I hadn’t had time to check any blood pressures, and my next patient had a medication that was certain to lower his blood pressure very effectively and quickly. I would not give this med without checking to see if his blood pressure was already low.
Shucks. It was 80/40. Too low for the medication. Too late, I realized I had put this pill in with his other meds, and now I had to figure out which one it was AND make a place to chart the low blood pressure because no one had done it before now. I also had to chart why I didn’t give the medication. And, I had to do another patient teaching about this medication to the patient when he got upset because I held the med.
Already it was almost 9 a.m. and the mousetrap in my med cart was rattling around every time I opened a drawer. I could smell the sweet cheesy odor on the trap, and I could feel the mouse allusively nearby!
Patient seven had more pills than Carter has liver pills – as we like to say about patients who take more than 10 pills at one time. This one had 20 pills that had to be laboriously checked and rechecked against the medication record. I put a dot on each space on the med record to indicate each pill had been accounted for. I would put my initial in each space after I gave the meds. I hurried into the room almost tripping on the fast-moving mouse as it ran ahead of me and dashed under the bed.
“Now what are these for?” asked my patient as she dumped the pulls onto the sheet for a re-count and explanation. Several small white pills slipped silently to the floor and rolled out of sight under the bed.
Do I chance getting bit by the hungry mouse as I get on my hands and knees and peer into the darkness? All I see are two beady eyes reminding me that the trap is still set. If I don’t find the pills and discard them, housekeeping will report the pills to the supervisor, and she will be sure to match them against who was suppose to have given them. I brave the mouse and return to the cart for new pills.
A half-hour later, in Room 14, my patient is asleep on his left side with a pillow stuffed against his back for support. There is a trocantor pillow strapped between his knees – a sure sign of a recent hip surgery. I cannot turn him by myself. We need to use the log-roll method of turning to prevent injury to his new metal hip.
Locking the med cart, closing all the med books, and covering any evidence of confidential patient information open to public view, I kick at the imaginary mouse under the cart.
“I know what time it is, but you won’t get the best of me. I’ll conquer you yet!” I hiss as I hurry down the hall to find help with my patient.
I’m quite aware that the medication is a simple stool softener than could be given at noon when the patient is up in his chair for therapy, but someone put it down as an 8 a.m. med because it’s given once a day. I could skip it and no one would know – except I would know!
Twenty minutes later the patient is positioned up in bed, the pill is given, and I can move on to patient number 15 (of 19).
The clock says it’s 10:00, and I have no more time to finish passing my meds, and still be in compliance. The second hand of the clock looks suspiciously like the long, brown tail of a mouse!
Biting my lower lip to stop the quiver and pushing back tears filling the corner of my eyes, I collect the meds for my next patient.
“I asked for a pain pill 45 minutes ago! Why can’t anybody do anything around here? I called my doctor, and he said he gave you new orders for my pain pills. I want the number for your administrator!”
"I’m so sorry you had to wait. I know you must be in a lot of pain. I’ll get your pain pills right now. In fact, the doctor said you could have two. Would you like me to bring both pills?” I reply in the most tender voice possible, although in a bit of a quandary because I can’t remember my patient's name at the moment.
“No. I’ll take one now and take the other one later if I need it,” replies the patient who is unaware that the request will would require another clarifying order from the doctor, because he ordered two pain pills to be given every four hours.
I’m sure I hear a nest full of squeaking baby mice under her bed as I hurry back to my cart to sign out one narcotic pill.
My last room has two little ladies who are comparing notes on their care.
“I’m suppose to take my meds with food,” one says to the other. “And I had breakfast hours ago.”
“I take three different kind of eye drops five-minutes apart,” adds the other patient as I walk through the door.
I turn back to find some crackers and milk at the nurses station.
After delivering the meds with food, I search frantically through the half dozen drawers in the med cart for the eye drops. I feel faint and nauseated. It’s almost 11 a.m. and that mouse is still dodging my every step and getting bigger by the minute! I’ve been up since 4 a.m. with nothing to eat or drink so far this morning. The prescribed eye drops are nowhere to be found! I strongly suspect that the night nurse put them in her pocket and didn’t check her uniform before she went to bed for the day.
I circle my initials in the space for the missing eye drops and wonder what I’m going to write as my reason for not giving the meds. And, I wonder how my patient will react when I tell her that I can’t give them now.
It’s almost time to start noon meds, and I’ve just finished morning meds – some of which are the same! Do I give them again?
It looks like the hall is becoming darker as it seems to fill with monster-sized marching rats, but it’s only my supervisor who asks how it’s going and offers an encouraging smile and a snack for my break.
I wait for her comments that I’m out of compliance or that I will have to do better if I’m going to work this hall. But instead, she carries a steaming cup of hot coffee hand in one hand and offers me one my most favorite dark chocolate candy bars with the other.
“May I borrow your keys to the med cart?” she asks with some mischief in her voice. “I have some mousetraps to remove."
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
There’s a Mousetrap in My Med Cart
As some classmates in our RN nursing program gathered around in a small group this morning, I sided up and listened to a story that quickly carried me back in time when I was a newly licensed practical nurse (LPN) just learning how to manage my time as I passed the early morning medications.
The law requires that all meds be given within one hour before or after the medicines are due, and this often creates a lot of stress for busy nurses. For instance, the 8 a.m. meds can be started at 7 a.m., and the med pass, for however many patients you are assigned to, must all be given by 9 a.m., or the facility you work for is out of compliance with state regulations and subject to censure.
Many of my classmates have recently gotten their LPN license and are now RN students. They have not had experience with passing medications or time to learn some tricks of the trade that come with years of ‘working the med cart’.
The story this morning was told with tears streaming down my classmate’s face that expressed more than words could ever tell of how disappointed she was, as a student nurse, to have not completed the assigned task of giving meds to her 17 patients in the two-hour window of time.
Ah yes. I had to turn away as I could not keep my eyes from swimming with empathy while my heart filled with understanding.
Her story will be repeated every day by many nurses, especially LPN's.
I call it, “A Mousetrap in My Med Cart”.
My fingers are burning to tell this story in hopes that other nurses will feel better knowing that many of us have felt the pressure of that ticking mousetrap in our carts!
…Wishing the tired, sleepy, night nurse would hurry it along, I heard report on my patients just like I did at the start of every shift at the nursing home where I worked 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. three days a week.
There was a new admission in Room 5. The patient in Room 10 had fallen during the night and would need vital signs and neuro checks every two hours. Room 11 had ants crawling along the window that would need spraying today. There was a new patient in Room 13 who wanted pain pills more often than she had them ordered.
Time was ticking, and I knew the mousetrap of time would be set in my med cart on the dot at 8 a.m. I wanted to have my blood pressures taken before I started my med pass. I hoped I would have time for a quick check on each of my patients by then too.
As I prepared my cart and checked for supplies, a tiny little mouse scampered beside me when I ran to answer the phone from an impatient doctor who wanted to leave orders ‘with the medicine nurse’. ...At least the patient in Room 13 could have her pain pills more often now.
I had 19 patients this morning, and the first patient had to be wakened from a sound sleep.
“Why do they wake you up to give you sleeping pills?’ she grumbled.
“I need my pills crushed in applesauce,” she said in a more agitated voice as she almost threw the pills back at me.
Back at the med cart, I was somewhat confused because two of the meds were enteric coated, meaning they should not be crushed. I wondered what the other nurses were doing about that. Maybe I could convince her to swallow them whole if I did some patient teaching about enteric-coated pills.
In the next room, my patient was sound asleep, but I did not have to disturb him because he had a gastric tube (G-tube) and was on constant tube feeding. My problem was that his powdered medication would not dissolve in water! I stirred and stirred. I added warm water. Maybe it would dissolve while I did a placement and residual check of the tube. But no, the powder continued to float on the top of the water. Finally, I just poured the mixture into the tube syringe – and it promptly clogged up!
Just then his wife stirred from her sleep in the chair and said, “You have to mix it with hot water first.” Why hadn’t someone just written that on the medication record? Now I had to spend several precious mousetrap-ticking minutes unclogging the G-tube!
“Please help me to the bathroom. I’m going to mess this bed if I don’t get to the bathroom,” my next patient begged.
By law, the medication nurse isn’t supposed to be helping patients to the bathroom while passing meds. But tell that to someone who’s holding the back of their gown and slipping off the edge of the bed. I turned on the call light and felt that mouse getting bigger as it ran down the call light string toward my fingers.
Due to a sleepy, slow-voiced, night nurse who took 45-minutes to give report, I hadn’t had time to check any blood pressures, and my next patient had a medication that was certain to lower his blood pressure very effectively and quickly. I would not give this med without checking to see if his blood pressure was already low.
Shucks. It was 80/40. Too low for the medication. Too late, I realized I had put this pill in with his other meds, and now I had to figure out which one it was AND make a place to chart the low blood pressure because no one had done it before now. I also had to chart why I didn’t give the medication. And, I had to do another patient teaching about this medication to the patient when he got upset because I held the med.
Already it was almost 9 a.m. and the mousetrap in my med cart was rattling around every time I opened a drawer. I could smell the sweet cheesy odor on the trap, and I could feel the mouse allusively nearby!
Patient seven had more pills than Carter has liver pills – as we like to say about patients who take more than 10 pills at one time. This one had 20 pills that had to be laboriously checked and rechecked against the medication record. I put a dot on each space on the med record to indicate each pill had been accounted for. I would put my initial in each space after I gave the meds. I hurried into the room almost tripping on the fast-moving mouse as it ran ahead of me and dashed under the bed.
“Now what are these for?” asked my patient as she dumped the pulls onto the sheet for a re-count and explanation. Several small white pills slipped silently to the floor and rolled out of sight under the bed.
Do I chance getting bit by the hungry mouse as I get on my hands and knees and peer into the darkness? All I see are two beady eyes reminding me that the trap is still set. If I don’t find the pills and discard them, housekeeping will report the pills to the supervisor, and she will be sure to match them against who was suppose to have given them. I brave the mouse and return to the cart for new pills.
A half-hour later, in Room 14, my patient is asleep on his left side with a pillow stuffed against his back for support. There is a trocantor pillow strapped between his knees – a sure sign of a recent hip surgery. I cannot turn him by myself. We need to use the log-roll method of turning to prevent injury to his new metal hip.
Locking the med cart, closing all the med books, and covering any evidence of confidential patient information open to public view, I kick at the imaginary mouse under the cart.
“I know what time it is, but you won’t get the best of me. I’ll conquer you yet!” I hiss as I hurry down the hall to find help with my patient.
I’m quite aware that the medication is a simple stool softener than could be given at noon when the patient is up in his chair for therapy, but someone put it down as an 8 a.m. med because it’s given once a day. I could skip it and no one would know – except I would know!
Twenty minutes later the patient is positioned up in bed, the pill is given, and I can move on to patient number 15 (of 19).
The clock says it’s 10:00, and I have no more time to finish passing my meds, and still be in compliance. The second hand of the clock looks suspiciously like the long, brown tail of a mouse!
Biting my lower lip to stop the quiver and pushing back tears filling the corner of my eyes, I collect the meds for my next patient.
“I asked for a pain pill 45 minutes ago! Why can’t anybody do anything around here? I called my doctor, and he said he gave you new orders for my pain pills. I want the number for your administrator!”
"I’m so sorry you had to wait. I know you must be in a lot of pain. I’ll get your pain pills right now. In fact, the doctor said you could have two. Would you like me to bring both pills?” I reply in the most tender voice possible, although in a bit of a quandary because I can’t remember my patient's name at the moment.
“No. I’ll take one now and take the other one later if I need it,” replies the patient who is unaware that the request will would require another clarifying order from the doctor, because he ordered two pain pills to be given every four hours.
I’m sure I hear a nest full of squeaking baby mice under her bed as I hurry back to my cart to sign out one narcotic pill.
My last room has two little ladies who are comparing notes on their care.
“I’m suppose to take my meds with food,” one says to the other. “And I had breakfast hours ago.”
“I take three different kind of eye drops five-minutes apart,” adds the other patient as I walk through the door.
I turn back to find some crackers and milk at the nurses station.
After delivering the meds with food, I search frantically through the half dozen drawers in the med cart for the eye drops. I feel faint and nauseated. It’s almost 11 a.m. and that mouse is still dodging my every step and getting bigger by the minute! I’ve been up since 4 a.m. with nothing to eat or drink so far this morning. The prescribed eye drops are nowhere to be found! I strongly suspect that the night nurse put them in her pocket and didn’t check her uniform before she went to bed for the day.
I circle my initials in the space for the missing eye drops and wonder what I’m going to write as my reason for not giving the meds. And, I wonder how my patient will react when I tell her that I can’t give them now.
It’s almost time to start noon meds, and I’ve just finished morning meds – some of which are the same! Do I give them again?
It looks like the hall is becoming darker as it seems to fill with monster-sized marching rats, but it’s only my supervisor who asks how it’s going and offers an encouraging smile and a snack for my break.
I wait for her comments that I’m out of compliance or that I will have to do better if I’m going to work this hall. But instead, she carries a steaming cup of hot coffee hand in one hand and offers me one my most favorite dark chocolate candy bars with the other.
“May I borrow your keys to the med cart?” she asks with some mischief in her voice. “I have some mousetraps to remove."
I would remind my classmates and myself, as new RN's and possible supervisor of LPN's,... May we always remember to remove the mousetraps.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.comE-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
March 10, 2009
Finally, Becoming a Nurse
(As posted at my blogsite http://dustyangels.blogspot.com/)My friend, Buffy, asked me how school was going when I visited her at the hospital on Monday. She had a beautiful baby girl and both are doing well. I met the ecstatic biological parents who were staying in the room next to Buffy, and I got a peek at baby Ava as she slept in her mother's arms.
Yes, I was pleased to report to Buffy that school is gaining strength and moving forward at a very fast pace. Finally, we are off the med carts at the nursing home and, after an hour or so of the backbreaking vital sign taking, we got to review charts, assess patients, work on care plans and learn about the many kinds of arrhythmia's of the heart!
Our classroom instructor showed us some great Youtube sites where we can learn and interact with the video of EKG's and interpretations of the heartbeats on the EKG strips. I'm anxious to go back to the websites and learn more! I already know some basics, but we are starting from the beginning in class.
A very good link is HERE for anyone who might like to see what we do in class. (Music is a big part of it.) It might sound boring if you aren't trying to actually understand it. LOL
For tonight, I have lots to get ready for school in the morning so will close for now.
Hope everyone is keeping strong and being positive in life.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
January 1, 2009
Calculating IV flow Rates Using MAGIC NUMBER Method
For my friends who get this by e-mail, you can ignore this one. It's for us math-challenged nurses!
After memorizing this formula, I just made 100% on an online Pharmacology Test!
Calculating IV flow rates using MAGIC NUMBER method.
I copied this from allnurses.com Thank-you NeneRN
Determining which "magic number" you will use depends on your tubing gtt size. (60 divided by gtt size equals magic number).
For example, 60 gtt tubing; 60 divided by 60 equals ONE.
15 gtt tubing; 60 divided by 15, equals FOUR.
10 gtt tubing; 60 divided by 10 equals SIX.
Okay, so once you know which "magic number" you're using, you then divide your ordered rate (ml/hr) by the magic number to get your gtts/min.
For example, You have an order for NS at 120cc/hr using 15 gtt tubing. What is your drip rate in gtts/min? 60 divided by 15 equals FOUR (magic number). 120 cc/hr divided by 4 equals 30 gtts/min.
Another example,Your order is to infuse D5NS at 240ml/hr using 10 gtt tubing. What is your drip rate in gtts/min? 60 divided by 10 equals SIX (magic number). 240ml/hr divided by 6 equals 40 gtts/min
Take Care on the Journey,
Always remember your Conversion Rules!
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com/
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
After memorizing this formula, I just made 100% on an online Pharmacology Test!
Calculating IV flow rates using MAGIC NUMBER method.
I copied this from allnurses.com Thank-you NeneRN
Determining which "magic number" you will use depends on your tubing gtt size. (60 divided by gtt size equals magic number).
For example, 60 gtt tubing; 60 divided by 60 equals ONE.
15 gtt tubing; 60 divided by 15, equals FOUR.
10 gtt tubing; 60 divided by 10 equals SIX.
Okay, so once you know which "magic number" you're using, you then divide your ordered rate (ml/hr) by the magic number to get your gtts/min.
For example, You have an order for NS at 120cc/hr using 15 gtt tubing. What is your drip rate in gtts/min? 60 divided by 15 equals FOUR (magic number). 120 cc/hr divided by 4 equals 30 gtts/min.
Another example,Your order is to infuse D5NS at 240ml/hr using 10 gtt tubing. What is your drip rate in gtts/min? 60 divided by 10 equals SIX (magic number). 240ml/hr divided by 6 equals 40 gtts/min
Take Care on the Journey,
Always remember your Conversion Rules!
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com/
E-Mail: bestnurse@usa.com
December 6, 2008
Susan
My husband says I can sleep through my English class at Bohecker College, Columbus, Ohio, but that class is the most exciting and enjoyable subject I've ever taken. I don't even yawn in this class! The three-hour session seems to flash by. Our English Professor loves her job! She reads every paper and praises us no matter how many times we forget to place the comma or put the apostrophe in the wrong spot. Throughout the quarter she has asked for many articles and something she calls, Journal Entries. This one was a little unusual and something I thought I'd share here. You'll understand when you read it.
The assignment: If you could find out about any of your childhood friends, who would you want to find about, and why.
Here's mine:
I don’t remember Susan’s last name. What I remember, more than 40 years later, is her unselfish kindness as a childhood friend. I had no toys to share, but she shared all of hers. I had no pretty clothes like hers, but she never noticed. I rode her bike down a hill and crashed it, but she didn’t complain. She always waited by the window after school for me to stop by and eat a small snack her mother prepared for both of us. There were Christmas gifts for me under her brightly lit tree, even though I had no tree at my house and could offer no gifts in return. My family left town in the middle of the night, and we never said good-bye, but I know that if Susan is still alive, she hasn’t forgotten me. I’m sure that she lifts her head in anticipation when she hears the name “Linda”, as I do whenever I hear the name “Susan”. Many years later (a couple years ago), my sister and I drove by the old house in Avon Park, Florida, where Susan and her mother used to live. It was smaller than I remembered. Unpainted with broken steps at the front door, the large living room window still looked out onto the world. I waited for the curtains to move as they did every day after school when Susan would be waiting for me. Today they were oddly still. I hope someday we will meet in some unexpected hallway and I can tell her how much her kindness made a difference in my life. Somehow I suspect that she's a nurse too.
Take Care on the Journey
And Thank-you to "Susan"
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com/
The assignment: If you could find out about any of your childhood friends, who would you want to find about, and why.
Here's mine:
I don’t remember Susan’s last name. What I remember, more than 40 years later, is her unselfish kindness as a childhood friend. I had no toys to share, but she shared all of hers. I had no pretty clothes like hers, but she never noticed. I rode her bike down a hill and crashed it, but she didn’t complain. She always waited by the window after school for me to stop by and eat a small snack her mother prepared for both of us. There were Christmas gifts for me under her brightly lit tree, even though I had no tree at my house and could offer no gifts in return. My family left town in the middle of the night, and we never said good-bye, but I know that if Susan is still alive, she hasn’t forgotten me. I’m sure that she lifts her head in anticipation when she hears the name “Linda”, as I do whenever I hear the name “Susan”. Many years later (a couple years ago), my sister and I drove by the old house in Avon Park, Florida, where Susan and her mother used to live. It was smaller than I remembered. Unpainted with broken steps at the front door, the large living room window still looked out onto the world. I waited for the curtains to move as they did every day after school when Susan would be waiting for me. Today they were oddly still. I hope someday we will meet in some unexpected hallway and I can tell her how much her kindness made a difference in my life. Somehow I suspect that she's a nurse too.
Take Care on the Journey
And Thank-you to "Susan"
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com/
November 16, 2008
The Correct Answer Please
I'm taking four subjects for the RN program right now, and two of them require much more study than the others.The four subjects are: Anatomy & Physiology; Pharmacology; English; and Psychology. Psychology and English being the more easy subjects for me, although they require a good bit of time for study and homework.
This week I have testing in A&P (chapter 6); Pharmacology (chapters 13-20); and Psychology (Chapters 5 and 6), so I've been spending a lot of time studying the last few days.
At the advice of my teacher sons and other helpful people, I'm trying to diversify! Along with reading the chapters in my textbooks, I'm making use of Wikipedia, online study guides that include quizzes and tests, animated tutorials, NCLEX (RN) questions, dosage calculations, the DVD study guide that comes with my textbooks, flashcards, critical thinking questions and workbook assignments. Whew!
What I enjoy most is taking the online quizzes, true and false quizzes, and multiple-choice tests because I can get the answers and know if I'm on the right track!
For instance, the answer to the question, "Are sebaceous glands associated with hair follicles"? I spent about a half hour searching the book for the right answer.
The online quiz says "no" because there are no sebaceous glands associated with hair follicles around the mouth.
The multiple-choice test words the question so that the answer is "yes", they are associated with hair follicles.
The book says sebaceous glands are 'usually' associated with hair follicles.
Our professor could have reason to argue both answers - and I'll be really upset if I miss that question on a test this week!
In the meantime, I break up my study periods with housework, laundry, Christmas shopping and finishing up planting my spring tulips!
Yep, everybody thought we were done with the outside work, but I had a few more spots where I wanted some color come next March and April. On Friday we had a beautiful balmy day in which I dug those last few holes and dropped in purple and pink tulip bulbs. I also cleaned out the car and brought in the last of the winter clothes from the garage.
Today (Sunday, November 16, 2008) we got our first snow flurries of the Ohio Valley! The temp got down to about 25 degrees and the wind howled like a hungry puppy! We feel quite special to click the auto-start of our car, and about 10-minutes later, climb into warm seats and hot air from the heater! Very nice for those achy knees and painful backs both of us suffer with in cold weather!
I stayed focused today and inbetwen taking those tests, I got both bathrooms cleaned, changed the sheets on the bed and got the laundry done and put away. I still have a little to do in the kitchen.
Now it's back to the books! Opps, I forgot to start the dryer.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
October 8, 2008
English Composition and a Deck of Cards
Now that I’ve attended class for each of my course subjects for this quarter, I can report that I’m still smiling and still casting a golden glow in my shadow!You never know what new idea or plan a teacher will bring to the classroom. (Are they called teacher, instructor, or professor?) Our English teacher came into class today shuffling a desk of cards. The psychology professor asked us to put our name on a piece of paper and place it on the front of our desk for instant recognition (smart). Our Anatomy & Physiology instructor is also a massage therapist and a Myopractor (look it up). But alas, there will be some MATH in Pharmacology. Our Pharmacology teacher is the only nurse instructor so far. She is brimming with experience and extensive knowledge of nursing!
Bohecker College in Westerville (sometime referred to as in Columbus, but it’s actually in Westerville, Ohio) is a fairly new college so it’s still having some growing pains. Perhaps some former students felt its birthing pains in the last couple years, but all have lived to tell the story.
In our first two days, we have adjusted to some changes in every course including a mix-up in posted classrooms and some modification of class times. I like the adjustment of A&P because we loose a couple extra breaks, but get out an hour earlier than expected. For some reason, Bohecker offers a 10-minute break out of every hour! Most classes are 3-5 hours long, so I guess it keeps the momentum going. The instructors take roll call every hour too. I suspect too many skip and run students forced that rule!
I hope we keep every teacher presently on staff because I like all of them – and each is as different as the leaves on a tree! It doesn’t appear that we will be overloaded with homework, though one will need to organize notes and plan ahead to succeed. I’m sure there will be some difficult assignments but I still say, “Bring it on!”
What I like best is the large classroom where we spend most of our time – especially the morning classes. One wall of the second-story classroom is all windows that look out over a small subdivision where the trees are changing into fall coats of Autumn color and onto a busy street where Jim’s bus goes by taking him to work in the city. “Hi Jim. Have a good day! Bye Jim!”
Psychology is in a room with all the windows at the back, so it feels a little stuffy and because the time frame is 12:30 to 3:30, it seems to drag on a bit. Maybe it’s those photos of old men like Aristotle, Wilhelm Wundt and, of course, Sigmund Freud make me feel even order than I really am! (That’s okay, Sandy, I didn’t know who those men were either!) Our instructor is teaching this class for the first time, but it sounds like he’s already read the book and will keep us on our toes. He asks questions that our blogger friend, Floyd, would love to answer. Like, “Do we think with our minds or our heart?”
The subject I think I will enjoy the most is (you guessed it), English! While I have been a writer since I could hold a pencil, I have not had the opportunity to enjoy leaning the details of correct writing and rules of the English language. I'm surprised how far I've come with so little formal education in that area. I just hope that my book, "Dusty Angels and Old Diaries" is never put on a pedestal. It's too personal and close to my heart to be taken apart like that. Otherwise, I'm eager to learn every nuance about proper writing! And, do even better with my next published book, "The Laughing Place."
The biggest problem so far is the massive weight of all my books! Heavy backpacks and book bags do not go hand-in-hand with lower back pain! If you were to actually look at the lower part of my back (the distal end), you would see some swelling that is painful to the touch. Imagine a heavy backpack hitting against that spot with every step! We stopped that after the first class!
I finally broke down and ordered a rolling organizer briefcase from the Nurses Station Catalog. (I give you that link because it’s a wonderful place to do Christmas shopping for a nurse too!) In the meantime, I’ve dumped any extras and all the heavy books I had in my current backpack onto the kitchen table until the rolling briefcase gets here.
Most quotable quotes from teachers so far include...
“Grades are not all that important in nursing. You just want to pass so you can sit for the state boards. Grades don’t matter in the long run.”
“No texting! No sidebars. No excused absences.”
“Most of you have recently graduated from LPN school.”
“My wife and I are on the outs…but don’t feel sorry for me.”
“LPN’s don’t do assessments”. (They do! RN's sign them.)
An English classroom assignment today was to write a paragraph answering these questions. If you could invite four people from history (past or present, dead or alive), for supper, who would it be and why? What would you serve, and where would you serve it?
Briefly, I wrote that I’d invite my two sons because I don’t see them very often. I’d ask the English teacher over because I enjoy talking with other writers, and I’d invite a student in class named Katy who seems to be lonely. The menu would include my, “Mama Linda” homemade cheesy lasagna. I'd also make a crispy green salad and some hot garlic toast because that’s my sons’ favorite meal at home. We’d eat at home in our dining room to encourage small talk, and so that my oldest son, Billy, could discretely pick out the bits of tomato from his lasagna. (I didn't put that in my paper. lol)
If I was suppose to invite President Kennedy or Obama, that wasn’t on my menu today.
Oh yes, the deck of cards in English class? It was for us to select one to determine what group we would subdivided into for discussion groups.
Speaking of groups, I've already made several friends from school. Of course I'm the oldest and have been a LPN the longest. (Everyone now knows I've been a LPN for 38-years. The class applauded me when I told them!) The next longest-time LPN is a woman who has been a LPN for 17 years and wants to go on to be a Nurse Practitioner. Every LPN is our class has high hopes that becoming a RN will help them make a difference in the life of those who are ill.
We have four men and 20 women in our RN class, but there are about 20 others who are on a different schedule for the same program. By the way, I noticed a large classroom of very noisy students down the hall. I asked who they were and discovered these are a group of about 100 student LPN's!!!!! I don't think there's a nursing shortage at Bohecker College!
I’m really tired tonight, so I hope this gives all of you a nice overview of my first days of the RN program without my overwhelming feeling of tiredness coming through. Jim and every dog in the house is already sound asleep.I went straight from class today to check on the little boy I take care of because his parents are out of town and he's quite sick. I ended up staying there for five hours until his grandmother could arrive from another state. He's better now and was very happy to see his grandma! (So was I.)
Nightly-night.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
October 5, 2008
Tomorrow Is The Big Day
Jupiter reaches out to the moon in the October sky. (flickr photo)First, for those who depend on me to keep you updated on world news: OJ is found guilty of armed robbery - all 12 counts - and is handcuffed in the courtroom after the lights came back on and taken to prison to await sentencing. There's a very interesting story that includes a bizarre twist of the number 13 for OJ but it won't save here. You can goggle OJ Simpson for the story with the words "snake eyes" in the title.
For those who watched (as I did) and to those who simply heard the news reports, Sarah Palin did not fall on her face during the vice-presidential debate. She looked right into our living rooms with a vibrant strong voice and said just what she wanted to say! While I'm still NOT going to vote for McCain, I have to admit she carried herself beautifully and even caused the "church-mice" quiet audience to chuckle a time or two. Woman-to-woman, she does have a figure to die for! But, that does not make her qualified to run the country. Nor do I think McCain will be actually do more than Bush has done for us in the last eight years.
Well, it's almost like a wedding day at our house! My RN program starts at Bohecker College in less than 24-hours on October 6, 2008 although my first full day is Tuesday because of the class schedule. Life as I know it changes on that day!
Jim and I have been discussing our early morning schedule. While we don't have little kids to get off to school, he catches the city bus for his ride to work, and I'll be picking him up from the bus stop in the afternoons. This because we made some driving changes in order to save hundreds of dollars in gas money by not driving to work every day. Jim's got the route under his belt and actually enjoys reading the paper on his way to the city and back.
During the summer we made another change in anticipation of Old Man Winter here in Ohio. Modern technology has offered a way to avoid cleaning off the snow, scraping the frozen windshield and sit shivering on the icy cold seat waiting for the heat to warm our frozen fingers. We had an auto starter installed in our car!!!!
So, on a school day I'll go to the bedroom window and clicker-start the car with the defrost and seat warmers already turned on. After breakfast we drop him off at the bus stop (about a mile away) and I'll go to school (about two miles away). On non-class days I plan to spend several hours at the local library so I'm not tempted to do housework or watch my favorite show, The Baby Story. Also, when someone is home during the day, the dogs think they have permission to ask to go out every hour on the hour!
I'm wondering how many of you who know me have asked the question already? "Is Linda going to keep working while going to school?"
Yep. You know me well. I ask myself the same question several times a day. Yesterday we sat down and put our entire budget on an Excel program and it's very very close with expenditures and revenue! But it IS possible to get by without me working if there are no unexpected surprises.
As Jim and I enjoyed our weekend treat of supper at Cracker Barrel last night, we discussed how we could save even more by planning meals during the week (like my sister Sandy does) and limiting how often we give in to the temptation to enjoy someone else doing the cooking (and cleaning).
"If my boys and my sister hear that I'm trying to work and go to school, they're going to be very mad," I told Jim. He agrees that this is a time in my life to do something 100 percent for me. He will tie my hands behind my back if he thinks I'm dialing my agency to offer to work!
On the other hand, the first four months of school will be a light schedule due to not doing clinicals at the hospital. We agree that I might work 8-12 hours a week during these months if we find that I'm keeping up with school work and it will mean a little more spending freedom for us. (I hate when I can never go shopping!!!!) But nobody's getting the call yet! It's a wonderful feeling not being pressured to WORK! Thank-you hubby for doing that for us.
Last night parts of Ohio had its first mild frost. They say the leaves will be in full color within a couple weeks but we aren't seeing it yet. We've pulled out the jackets and mittens but are enjoying every minute of the misty cool nights and sparkling beautiful days of Indian Summer here in the Ohio Valley. (Jim says it's Indian Summer until the first full moon of October.)
On the way home last night we were enjoying the sky constellations and commenting that almost 11 years ago Jim wrote a poem to me about Jupiter, Mars and Venus coming to a conjunction around the full moon in the October sky. We were married a month later on November 23, 1997.
While the news is good here, it reminds me that not everyone is feeling so 'happy'. Jobs are scarce. Money is tight. Families despair and work hard as they hang on to tiny threads of hope. Friends seem too far away, and there are not enough hours in the day to keep up! I am aware of the frustrations and fears of those around me and those I love. Just know that I do care, and I believe in YOU. As my friend, Kathryn F. used to say, "Write, stop by or call anytime." We can add e-mail to that now.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
September 29, 2008
Orientation Day for RN Program
Wow!
955,000 miles, almost 500 months and 15,500 days after I became a LPN, I'm finally a student nurse again. I'm getting my associates degree in nursing so I can sit for state boards and work as a registered nurse.
The new vibrant colorful textbooks decorate the kitchen table and a quick peek into several reveal that they are written in English and the information is not all Greek! (Click photo for close-up).
These are my study guides for the first quarter of my RN program at Bohecker College! Almost $855.00 and about 55 pounds of dry weight to lug from class to class. "They aren't heavy...They're my BOOKS!"
The magic number 55 cheered loudly again today! Cars with 55 in the license plates surrounded me as I traveled the two miles to school. The president of Bohecker College announced that after our class graduates, Bohecker College will have graduated 455 nurses (LPN and RN's). And, my drive-through lunch came to $5.05. As if I need more affirmation!
Orientation was scheduled for 8:30 a.m., but I was saying good-morning to the college landscapers by 8:15. Not surprisingly, I was one of the first student nurses to arrive. Almost 25 other students trickled in for the next 45 minutes. But absolutely no one wore a bigger smile than I did! (Our class has more students (55?), but we are divided up into different orientation days.)
The crispy morning air seemed perfect for my first day although early fog caused some schools in the county to open a couple hours late. On the whiteboard at the front on the room the words blazed out at me. "Welcome RN Students".
Orientation included a welcome to several students who were returning after finishing the LPN course to complete the RN program. As I glanced around the room full of LPN's, I looked to see if there was anyone I knew or had worked with but all were strangers with almost no expression on their sleepy faces. The young man next to me looked way to young to be a nurse. He shivered in the cool classroom. The young lady on the other side said she'd been working as a LPN for a year but there was no shine in her eyes.
she was already tired? Most of the class agreed with the admissions director that the main reason for advancing their education is to make more money.
My numbers-minded husband has put together some figures, but my goal when I'm an RN is to work WHERE I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. For too many years I've been an observer in the team-making process of care-giving when my abilities and experience could have been used if the letters after my name had been different. I feel like I've been walking behind the horse in the parade, cleaning up the mess even as I listened and learned along the way.
Yep. At the golden age of 58, I will be the oldest, wisest and most grandmotherly student in the school. (That's not to say the smartest.) Hubby advises to choose my study partners carefully because, he says, many will be coming to me for advice. I'm not convinced of that, but do hope to have the same opportunity to learn as if it was my first year on the job!
Much of the orientation time was spent listening to motivational speakers urging students to not give up and keep their goals in front of them at all times. "You'll want to throw your books at the wall and give up. You'll have excuses to call off. Kids will get sick. Cars will break down. You will be tempted to give up!".
I wanted to raise my hand high and argue.
"Not me! I've looked forward to this year for 38 years. See me smile! Nothing you offer will beat me down! BRING IT ON!
My smile didn't fade as I signed my name to a $800+ bill for my books! My smile didn't fade as I lugged the pile of textbooks to my car in several trips. My smile didn't fade when my uniform fitting was about at least 6 sizes larger than the first time I was a student nurse! My smile didn't fade when I noticed that I was older then most of the administration and ALL of the students in my class
My smile will glow in the dark tonight as I snuggle next to hubby Jim who must take some credit for directing me on the path! Jim's faith in me is unwavering!. His belief in my dreams and gentle nudges to keep me focused on the goal are priceless! He has promised to "hold the ladder" and I am sure he will not only hold the ladder but build a bridge if I need it.
After orientation today as I was loading the trunk with boxes of books, another student stopped to say hi. He asked why I had waited so long to get my RN. My reply...
"I finally have a husband who believes in me and wouldn't let me give up my dream."
I'm also appreciative that my sons are grown, educated and supportive.
By the way, I started a new website to keep a 'living diary" of my 14-month program, but most of the postings will also be carried here. That site is listed on the left with my other websites.
Tale Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: dustyangels.blogspot.comAugust 13, 2008
LPN to RN - Back to School Fun
I'm as excited as a 4th grader finding back to school supplies and some nursing supplies I'll need for my RN program that starts October 6.My son suggested using the time before school starts to start reviewing a book or two from my first classes. My advisor gave me the name of the A&P book, but a quick check on amazon.com floored me with the price of $141.00! Not to be discouraged, I found a "used' one for $4.00. With tongue in cheek, I ordered it figuring it would be the wrong thing or in such tattered condition I couldn't open it. (Like my 50-year old diaries.)
Well, the book arrived today. A nice sturdy HEAVY box - that was a good sign!
Low and behold. It's the real deal! In pretty good condition with 'footprints' of the previous owner all over the inside. One note says, "Is this picture for real?" Thanks whoever-you-are for all the helpful notes. Priceless!
Also, I wanted to find a "nursing' backpack and tote. I spent a couple hours searching Google to no avail. I found a lot of "nursing' as in baby, but that wasn't quite the area I wanted to go. Finally, I did find a site that sells promotional stuff and while most items had a 50 minimum order, I was able to get one small backpack with a nursing quote on it. I'm still looking for something like a rolling backpack or small luggage carrier on wheels that has a nursing theme on it. Jim says, "It has to be out there. There's nothing that someone doesn't make!"
Speaking of....Our backs are finally starting to get better. Our Chiropractors, Drs. Greg and Heather here in New Albany, never spend less than an hour adjusting and treating. My lower back gets the electrical stem with four patches that send little pulses of electricity between them to help open up the pathways and relieve inflammation for healing. Dr. Greg even adjusted my knees yesterday.
I wonder how many of you are staying up to watch the Olympics and find yourself getting reminded of it in the afternoons with a case of the "sleepies"? I'm the 'watcher' and give hubby updates every morning!
Okay. It's my annual announcement. I'm not shy about reminding everyone that my birthday is coming up on September 3. Not that people forget (do they?), but I do enjoy the week-long celebration. Everyone is invited to be happy and enjoy the birthday week!
That's all for now. Supper time.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
July 16, 2008
LPN to RN
I'm 57 years-old and getting ready to go back to college!
Yesterday was one of my biggest days getting 'ready' for the RN program that starts October 6, 2008 and finishes December 20, 2009. At 2 p.m. yesterday I had a meeting with my advisor, Candice T. She was expecting receipts showing I'd had a drug test (urine) and background check (fingerprinting). The paperwork for financial aid was done using our 1040 from last year and a letter of support was promised from Teresa L. (Thank-you soooo much.)
They got copies of my drivers license, medical insurance, social security card, current CPR card and current TB test (2-step). Actually, there was a whole page of single spaced "lists" of information they needed. GED results (from 1969!), practical nursing transcripts from my school that is now closed! and (oh yeah), my current LPN license!
Tomorrow is the doctor's appointment to get blood drawn for 'titers' to see what immunizations I need (even if I think the shots are harmful to my body) and a completed "physical" that says I can lift 40 pounds and work long hours on my feet. I've decided to quit fighting against the immunizations because if I choose to do nursing, it's part of the package!
Early yesterday morning I mapped out my route for the day starting with the drug testing station close to home and then going downtown to the (massive!) Columbus Police Station for the FBI and background check. Then back to the library to make hideous amounts of copies and a swing back home to freshen up before my 2 p.m. appointment with Candice whose birthday is today!
I took her a small gift basket that delighted her no end! Mostly, I think, because she didn't expect me to remember it was her birthday.
At the front desk, the receptionist (who has assisted me several times) asked if I had been there before. "Enough to know that tomorrow is Candice's birthday" I said as I was ushered right in.
After that it was the dreaded financial aid's office. She also asked me my name even though I sat in front of her last week. (But that's okay. I can't remember names or faces very well.) After handing her the worksheets Jim had filled out for me, she entered some numbers into her computer so fast that her fingers seemed to fly over the keys. She quickly showed me the results. (That I'm very happy with.)
I can get $19,000 in Stafford Loans and must pay $5,000 during the 14 months I'm in school that comes to about $350/mo. (No interest). Of course, I'm indebted to "Uncle Sam" that $19,000 after I finish. (Total cost of the course including textbooks and uniforms is just about $24,000.)
I'm searching the Internet and anyplace I can to find additional scholarships for nurses. I know there must be a LOT out there.
Also, I'm looking for volunteers (your assignment) to ask around and/or search for scholarships that might apply to me. If you'd send me the link(s) or information, I'll check them out and/or apply for them.
Jim is better. (Big Smile). He's been back to work the last two days (not smiling as much as I am). When he's home, he has to rest a lot but we're thankful that he can at least walk about and go 'back' to work.
I'm picking up some extra nursing hours (that doesn't seem much like work) while I can. The nurse who usually works on my days off is going to be gone for a couple weeks so I offered to pick up most of the hours and my company said "sure".
Wish we could all gather around a big ole campfire tonight. Tell stories (for those who are storytellers) play music and sit quietly in the night. Well, we can dream of it and be encouraged.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
Yesterday was one of my biggest days getting 'ready' for the RN program that starts October 6, 2008 and finishes December 20, 2009. At 2 p.m. yesterday I had a meeting with my advisor, Candice T. She was expecting receipts showing I'd had a drug test (urine) and background check (fingerprinting). The paperwork for financial aid was done using our 1040 from last year and a letter of support was promised from Teresa L. (Thank-you soooo much.)
They got copies of my drivers license, medical insurance, social security card, current CPR card and current TB test (2-step). Actually, there was a whole page of single spaced "lists" of information they needed. GED results (from 1969!), practical nursing transcripts from my school that is now closed! and (oh yeah), my current LPN license!
Tomorrow is the doctor's appointment to get blood drawn for 'titers' to see what immunizations I need (even if I think the shots are harmful to my body) and a completed "physical" that says I can lift 40 pounds and work long hours on my feet. I've decided to quit fighting against the immunizations because if I choose to do nursing, it's part of the package!
Early yesterday morning I mapped out my route for the day starting with the drug testing station close to home and then going downtown to the (massive!) Columbus Police Station for the FBI and background check. Then back to the library to make hideous amounts of copies and a swing back home to freshen up before my 2 p.m. appointment with Candice whose birthday is today!
I took her a small gift basket that delighted her no end! Mostly, I think, because she didn't expect me to remember it was her birthday.
At the front desk, the receptionist (who has assisted me several times) asked if I had been there before. "Enough to know that tomorrow is Candice's birthday" I said as I was ushered right in.
After that it was the dreaded financial aid's office. She also asked me my name even though I sat in front of her last week. (But that's okay. I can't remember names or faces very well.) After handing her the worksheets Jim had filled out for me, she entered some numbers into her computer so fast that her fingers seemed to fly over the keys. She quickly showed me the results. (That I'm very happy with.)
I can get $19,000 in Stafford Loans and must pay $5,000 during the 14 months I'm in school that comes to about $350/mo. (No interest). Of course, I'm indebted to "Uncle Sam" that $19,000 after I finish. (Total cost of the course including textbooks and uniforms is just about $24,000.)
I'm searching the Internet and anyplace I can to find additional scholarships for nurses. I know there must be a LOT out there.
Also, I'm looking for volunteers (your assignment) to ask around and/or search for scholarships that might apply to me. If you'd send me the link(s) or information, I'll check them out and/or apply for them.
Jim is better. (Big Smile). He's been back to work the last two days (not smiling as much as I am). When he's home, he has to rest a lot but we're thankful that he can at least walk about and go 'back' to work.
I'm picking up some extra nursing hours (that doesn't seem much like work) while I can. The nurse who usually works on my days off is going to be gone for a couple weeks so I offered to pick up most of the hours and my company said "sure".
Wish we could all gather around a big ole campfire tonight. Tell stories (for those who are storytellers) play music and sit quietly in the night. Well, we can dream of it and be encouraged.
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
July 10, 2008
One Giant Step for Linda Meikle
Dear Family and Cyber Friends,
Today was the day for the entrance exams at Behecker College! For me to be considered for acceptance, I had to make 850 (not sure where that number came from), so I've been studying and worrying and studying some more - especially the math and basic algebra!
Jim's been helping me even though he's sick in bed, and my friend, Buffy spent some time reviewing with me. She can instantly see right through any algebra problem. But, I still felt very shaky about the math and really hoped my angels would amplify the encouragement and helpfulness from others!
So today at 1:30 p.m. I sat down for the 4-hour test - and finished at 3:30 with a score of 1,032.
The preceptor of the test looked at my score on the computer and did a double-take. Then she said "OMG" as she patted me on the back. "I think that's the best score we've ever had" she quietly squealed.
Funny, on the computer screen as you answer the last question and click for your final score (at least 850), it says "please remember to be quiet". (Others are still taking the test). I reminded the preceptor that we were suppose to be quiet, but we were both excited and it was hard to keep quiet.!
Later, my advisor said, "See I told you that you're smart." I pointed to the little golden angel pinned on my blouse and said, "She helped".
Actually, there's a story about that little angel too! Before leaving for the test, I was looking for a pencil sharpener and remembered that Sandy had sent me one for a Christmas present a couple years ago that I'd never opened but had sitting next to the computer. I opened the package - and it wasn't a pencil sharpener at all!!!!! She had wrapped two very tiny packages and put them into a cutest little container that had a picture of a dog (like Sheba) on it. Inside the miniature container was the tiny little angel and a set of angel earrings. I don't know how long that "pencil sharpener" box has been sitting there, but I suspect I've been carrying it around for several years!
Well, my smallest "Go-for-it" (the name of all my angels) arrived at just the right time and place!
By the way, for tests these days one does not need pen, pencil, calculator or scratch paper! The questions and answers are done with a computer and the calculator is on the computer screen. They give you scratch paper and well-sharpened pencils which are returned at the end of the test.
My next appt. is Tuesday July 15 when I turn in my paperwork for financial aid and a million other forms of paperwork that is required in today's technology society. (Immunization records ((from how many years ago?)), health records, drug screening, background check, physical from the doctor, letter of recommendation from a RN, tax papers, and more!)
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
Today was the day for the entrance exams at Behecker College! For me to be considered for acceptance, I had to make 850 (not sure where that number came from), so I've been studying and worrying and studying some more - especially the math and basic algebra!
Jim's been helping me even though he's sick in bed, and my friend, Buffy spent some time reviewing with me. She can instantly see right through any algebra problem. But, I still felt very shaky about the math and really hoped my angels would amplify the encouragement and helpfulness from others!
So today at 1:30 p.m. I sat down for the 4-hour test - and finished at 3:30 with a score of 1,032.
The preceptor of the test looked at my score on the computer and did a double-take. Then she said "OMG" as she patted me on the back. "I think that's the best score we've ever had" she quietly squealed.
Funny, on the computer screen as you answer the last question and click for your final score (at least 850), it says "please remember to be quiet". (Others are still taking the test). I reminded the preceptor that we were suppose to be quiet, but we were both excited and it was hard to keep quiet.!
Later, my advisor said, "See I told you that you're smart." I pointed to the little golden angel pinned on my blouse and said, "She helped".
Actually, there's a story about that little angel too! Before leaving for the test, I was looking for a pencil sharpener and remembered that Sandy had sent me one for a Christmas present a couple years ago that I'd never opened but had sitting next to the computer. I opened the package - and it wasn't a pencil sharpener at all!!!!! She had wrapped two very tiny packages and put them into a cutest little container that had a picture of a dog (like Sheba) on it. Inside the miniature container was the tiny little angel and a set of angel earrings. I don't know how long that "pencil sharpener" box has been sitting there, but I suspect I've been carrying it around for several years!
Well, my smallest "Go-for-it" (the name of all my angels) arrived at just the right time and place!
By the way, for tests these days one does not need pen, pencil, calculator or scratch paper! The questions and answers are done with a computer and the calculator is on the computer screen. They give you scratch paper and well-sharpened pencils which are returned at the end of the test.
My next appt. is Tuesday July 15 when I turn in my paperwork for financial aid and a million other forms of paperwork that is required in today's technology society. (Immunization records ((from how many years ago?)), health records, drug screening, background check, physical from the doctor, letter of recommendation from a RN, tax papers, and more!)
Jim is still having very bad back problems and has been off work (and mostly in bed) all week. He's afraid he's never going to recover, but I assure him that back spasms do eventually resolve themselves. He's been to the emergency walk-in clinic, our medical doctor and to the local chiropractor several times this week.
Chiropractic care is something that he's never been exposed to, so they've spent a lot of time with him explaining everything they do and believe in and are giving him several types of treatments and adjustments. We love the new chiropractors in town Drs. Heather and Greg Prenger.
It's been stressful, but we are survivors!
Take Care on the Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
July 6, 2008
Linda Meikle, RN (Again)
Like a bride-to-be writing her soon-to-be married name, I'm practicing a new name!If I told you that I'm planning to start the RN program on October 6, 2008, would you say, "Oh yeah, you've said that before!"
If I told you that there are no prerequisites such as Algebra or Chemistry, would you think maybe I had a chance?
If I told you that even though I told everyone that at my age, it's crazy to change from LPN to RN because I'll make less money as a entry-level RN than what I'm making now, would you still think it's worth the time and trouble?
If I told you that when my good friend, Neil, asked me if I was sure I really wanted to do this at....(he stopped from saying "at your age"), would you agree? (I reminded him that one is never to 'old' to move forward in life.) I'll be 60 when I'm finished and maybe 61 by the time I take state boards!
A couple things happened lately that started me on this path again. First of all, my hubby believes in me and won't let the dream die! Then, I started getting this RN magizine that I did NOT order and it had so many articles about being a travel nurse. (They pay housing and everything!). And, about this time, Jim started riding the bus to work and noticed a new school, Bohecker College very near our home. He suggested I check it out!
I discovered they don't require any courses to start. And, they don't include all those subjects that have been so difficult for me in the past. So, I made an appointment and got an advisor who is thrilled that I have the courage to take this step right in the middle of my life! She's also very positive and helpful.
Jim says he will support me 1,000% because he knows that deep in my heart, getting my RN was a goal I always wanted, even if I SAID I decided not to.
He sent me an email with a picture of a ladder going up into the sky and said, "I will hold the ladder for you!"
Please remember me on Thursday, July 10 from 2-6 p.m. as I take the entrance exam. I've purchased the review books and am feeling pretty good about how I'm doing on the review questions. But, my educational background did not provide me with many basics one needs to b
uild on for continuing education - especially in math and science. When I'm done, I'm going to write a small booklet with examples of math problems and how I learned to remember the rules and sell it on eBay!
I have to tell you this funny illustration that Jim and I came up with for remembering the graph points. If you don't know what a Cartesian Graph is, here's a link.
So, here's how I will remember the graph if asked to plot (-2, +4). Where we live in our apartment complex, we have to pick up the dog poo from the yard. Sometimes, I take the dogs out and Jim goes back out to pick up the dirty work. Using the graph and the post on our side patio as "0", I can tell him exactly where he needs to walk to find the little pick-up spot. Straight out from the post and to the left would be something like (-2, +4). If you don't know what the graph is, just have faith, it works for us!
For measurements like the radius of a circle, we use a pancake as an example. First of all, I have to memorize the definitions such as what circumference and surface area means in the first place. Then I can figure out how to solve the problem by using common items like traffic signs, car windows and even food items.
Then there are those questions like if I have an order to give 0.1 mg of epinephrine and it come in a vial labeled 1:10,000, how much do I give? (I know that one from experience.)
So hip-hip hurray for me and follow my progress in this adventure from now until December 20, 2009 when my class graduates!
Did you know I may have become a registered nurse when I was 19-years old but grandma was so sure that Jesus would come before I finished school, that we decided on less education at the time!
What a journey it's been, but not that one yet!
Take Care on Your Journey,
~Linda
Home: http://dustyangels.blogspot.com
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