I am officially blogging again after taking a break to move to my new city, and I want to give a special welcome to my family and friends who will start reading my blog now! I am going to continue using this blog to help other minority (and non-minority) nursing hopefuls with their nursing school/grad-nursing school process, but also to keep my family updated on my life all the way over "here."
Following in the footsteps of thirddegreenurse, who's blog is listed at the right, I am going to use a specific color for nursing/nursing school related info. This is so that people who are not interested in my clinical experiences (ie: how many adult diapers I had to change, vomit I had to wipe up today, etc) can skip over that medical mumbo-jumbo!
But anyway, my life this week has been hectic! Monday thru Wednesday, my orientation lasted from about 8am to 5pm. Man those were some long days, especially a 4-hour technology boot camp, and a 3-hour orientation to my first nursing class, MED SURG (medical-surgical nursing). Today we were "free" to go get a million and one things done, including:
immunization check-offs
books
HIPPA training (online)
bloodborne disease training (online)
clinical practice training (online)
IDs
registration forms signed after meeting our advisor for the year
and getting started with our blackboard modules (all classes have online components, other students will know what I'm talking about, but basically you online and print everything you need for the class - HASSLE)
Me and N have been very proactive and already have some of this done!
I also have to do some paperwork so my husband can get an ID so he can start using the services offered by the university, too!
Not to mention I already have tons of reading to do, but that's my life for the next 11 months.
My schedule for now thru December looks something like this:
Mondays: class from 8am to 3pm
Tuesdays: Clinical shift (clinical means go to the hospital and practice nursing)
Wednesdays: Clinical shift
Thursdays: class from 8 am to 3 pm
Fridays: class and clinicals, but only "sometimes" YEAH, we'll see.
I also have a workstudy job, but I don't know the schedule for that yet!
Again, welcome family and friends, and WELCOME BACK to my blogger friends who might (hopefully??) have missed me!
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
THANK YOU Girls Incorporated!
Girls Inc. has awarded me a $3,000 scholarship! I had no idea how or where I was going to get books for the semester, and I am really tired of sitting on a metal fold up chair in my living room, especially since we haven't gotten the bed yet. It'll be nice to have something soft to sit on. I also had no idea where we'd get more money for groceries. I am (of course) going to spread the money over three semesters, but even $1000 is enough to do what I need to do for now.
And for those of you who don't know, Girls Inc is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping girls from all different backgrounds become "strong, smart, and bold." I personally was a member of Girls Inc from age 6 to age 18. They introduced me to many things: the arts (opera, ballet, theater), exracurricular science programs, hygeine, ettiquette, and cooking classes, tutoring, computer classes, and the list goes on and on. Plus, undergraduate scholarships. People have their own ideas about the girls a place like Girls Inc serves, but I have always, always, ALWAYS been an advocate, and I will continue to do so.
Thanks again, Girls Inc. For everything.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
A Longer Update
Ok, so here's a better update:
1. The apartment. It's not in the best condition, it's old. And it's one of those paint jobs where they just slather layer after layer after layer of heavy paint over e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. The door knobs are all hanging on by a thread and a couple outlets don't work! BUT, it is very spacious. We have a studio, but it has a dining room and a dressing room...and a basement. I know, weird, huh? A basement in an apartment, and it's the size of the entire apartment! I love the space. There's nothing in it. We need furniture. But anyway, the neighborhood is good, it's on campus. It's a 30 minute walk to downtown, and we walk there all the time. The walk back sucks because it's up hill.
2. My neighbors. They're awesome. On my left there's C&M, a 3-years married couple in which the wife is white and the husband is mexican. Last night we had dinner at their place - tacos. OMG they were good! C (the wife) is in my program, her husband is looking for a job and wants to start an accelerated BSN program in the spring. On our right there's N&A, a 5-years married black couple. N (the wife) is in Family Health (one year ahead of me) and A is 2nd year law. Both graduated from an HBCU. It was heaven to see brown people, and they felt the same. We ate dinner over their house Sunday night (chinese) and played Spades! I love my neighbors. There are A LOT of kids in these apartments and a playground between each building, but it's a great thing!
3. The city. Man we need a car. Everything is far. You can't walk to a grocery store (thank god for peapod.com) or a shopping center (ie Walmart, Target, Ikea). Everything around the school is specialized. So, if you want shoes, you gotta go to a shoe store. If you want a sandwich, you gotta go to a deli. There's no "getting it all in one place." People are stuck on Tradder Joe's...it took me three days to get to a real grocery store! It's quaint. We al can imagine what the school looks like (I mean how different is one ivy from the next?) but the city is definitely black. It's amazing how if you step one blcok off the school grounds, the atmosphere changes drastically. And sad, too.
4. Us. He has been offered a job already but he didn't take it because it was not the best, or even a good, offer. He has another interview tomorrow. Wish us luck. I am ready for school to start and my house to be furnished. I received one box of books and that helped.
Thats it for now, I'm using the neighbor's computer!
1. The apartment. It's not in the best condition, it's old. And it's one of those paint jobs where they just slather layer after layer after layer of heavy paint over e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. The door knobs are all hanging on by a thread and a couple outlets don't work! BUT, it is very spacious. We have a studio, but it has a dining room and a dressing room...and a basement. I know, weird, huh? A basement in an apartment, and it's the size of the entire apartment! I love the space. There's nothing in it. We need furniture. But anyway, the neighborhood is good, it's on campus. It's a 30 minute walk to downtown, and we walk there all the time. The walk back sucks because it's up hill.
2. My neighbors. They're awesome. On my left there's C&M, a 3-years married couple in which the wife is white and the husband is mexican. Last night we had dinner at their place - tacos. OMG they were good! C (the wife) is in my program, her husband is looking for a job and wants to start an accelerated BSN program in the spring. On our right there's N&A, a 5-years married black couple. N (the wife) is in Family Health (one year ahead of me) and A is 2nd year law. Both graduated from an HBCU. It was heaven to see brown people, and they felt the same. We ate dinner over their house Sunday night (chinese) and played Spades! I love my neighbors. There are A LOT of kids in these apartments and a playground between each building, but it's a great thing!
3. The city. Man we need a car. Everything is far. You can't walk to a grocery store (thank god for peapod.com) or a shopping center (ie Walmart, Target, Ikea). Everything around the school is specialized. So, if you want shoes, you gotta go to a shoe store. If you want a sandwich, you gotta go to a deli. There's no "getting it all in one place." People are stuck on Tradder Joe's...it took me three days to get to a real grocery store! It's quaint. We al can imagine what the school looks like (I mean how different is one ivy from the next?) but the city is definitely black. It's amazing how if you step one blcok off the school grounds, the atmosphere changes drastically. And sad, too.
4. Us. He has been offered a job already but he didn't take it because it was not the best, or even a good, offer. He has another interview tomorrow. Wish us luck. I am ready for school to start and my house to be furnished. I received one box of books and that helped.
Thats it for now, I'm using the neighbor's computer!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
The Shortest of Updates
We're here. It was a long trip. Our apartment is O.K. - a little rggedy, but very spacious! This is definitely not a place where you can can get by without a car! We will have to get one very, very soon. I have met two other girls in my class, one in my program, and the other in Family Health - both neighbors on either side of me! I've lost a few pounds, walking in the heat. I've gotten almost everything I need, and been reassured that my non-Littman, non-expensive stthoscope is just fine by someone who is a RN. What a relief! There's a lot going on (of course) and I have a lot to say, but for now, I will just say I'm glad I came two weeks before school started!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)