Ginny’s comment I had to share

Hi, just found your site from a link to the seven misconceptions about nursing. Very good list. Glad you were accepted. I’ve just finished a term as clinical instructor for RN students. Your attitude toward the math is terrific. It isn’t that hard once you have done it enough.

Which is true of all things you are learning. I explain to my students that I learned a lot about learning because my daughter is quite dyslexic. With a lot of private tutoring, daily support, extensive technology (computer with scanning, text to voice and dictation, plus tape recorder and top notch Franklin spelling dictionary) she did quite well in high school. Especially in science and math where they eventually allowed her to take honors classes. First they explained she would have to learn the material with only 10 repetitions. Most of us require 15. (And health care considers you ‘non compliant’ if you didn’t get the first time…) She is going into her junior year at Colorado School of Mines in mechanical engineering with a GPA of 3.999- because last semester she got her first B..

Go over the notes, the medical diagnoses, meds, etc. as frequently as you can. It’s a lot like learning to become proficient with a musical instrument. Practice, practice and more practice. Nursing requires left brain, right brain and kinesthetic (touching, feeling, seeing, hearing, smelling) learning. The more you experience, the sooner you will be able to start connecting the dots in complex patients to adjust their care or notify the physician about a possible complication – in time to head it off.

Politics and nutrition, two of my favorites. Hopefully you are contacting lots of the Congress critters to let them know how badly we need more low interest loans and grants for nursing instructors.

Finally, check out this new study on sleep and memory.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/science/09sleep.html?ei=5087&em=&en=39c01776286d0c71&ex=1173589200&pagewanted=print

Have fun, hope all goes well with your studies.

Ginny

I GOT IN!!!! WOOO HOOO!!!

I got my letter of acceptance three weeks early.  I am so excited I can’t stand it.  It was so wonderful to have all my hard work pay off!!!  I was really trying to prepare myself for not making it.  I was trying to focus on things like I can go get a job and pay off all my student loans.  I was trying to hard not to think about getting in.  But in all honesty but the begining of June that resolve was starting to waiver. I wanted it so very bad.  I just couldn’t deny I would have been crushed if I was rejected.

That isn’t the end of my hard work though.   I am nervous about the math, so I am reworking my way through the text book this summer and trying to take 20 minutes a day to work out math problems by hand.  I also ordered a copy of nursing calulations for dummies to start on now. I am so used to a calculator that doing things long hand makes me a little anxious.  I need to be very very comfortable with it. Becuase I will have too much else to learn and can’t take the time to go over basic math again and again.  I know how to do it, but it is one area that I know I am very weak in.

So a good lesson for those trying to become nurses… know your weakenesses and become good friends with them!

Tools ‹ Experiences of a blogger mom — WordPress

Questions about classes answered

Hi Corinne,

I’m glad run into your web link, I’m going to take some pre-requite classes this summer for Nursing program,

my question to you is did you study Human Biology before taking Human Anatomy & Physiology I ? I can take general Chemistry then Intro to Chemistry then to Human A & P but the adviser said it’s very helpful to take Human Biology to make Human A & P easier, I understand but on the other hand, if I can jump skip any recommend by not required classes, it will surely help to shorten my pre-requi time.

Just want your opinion since you’re just down this road, and thank you for your effort & kindness to share information.

Sincerely,

Chris

One thing I would recommend is meeting with your adviser at your college and get the list of classes you need to take and get their recommendations on the order which will make it more helpful.  My college names things slightly different and we don’t have a human biology and our general chemistry is the same as our intro to chemistry.  So Here are my very general recommendations.  First a cell biology or class that explains the basic working of cells and organelles would be helpful for a Human Anatomy class then I would absolutely recommend taking your chemistry classes before any Human Anatomy or Physiology classes.  The Physiology aspect of things deals a lot with chemistry and any back ground you have ahead of time will only make things easier.  Many colleges also have math requirements you must meet before taking certain chemistry classes.  So, when planning your schedule be sure to take that into consideration.

Corinne

Nursing application essay **crosing fingers**

For the past year and a half, I have been focused on one thing: becoming a nurse. It started as an interest in biology and medicine and has found its way into my heart as a determination to continue to learn and develop as a person and to constantly seek ways to help others throughout my career. In the last year of working toward my goal of becoming a nursing professional at Peninsula College I have learned many things. One of which is how necessary it is for student nurses to have an accurate perception of what nursing a truly entails. Also how important it is as a nurse to have solid, critical, thinking skills, and to be able to grow as a nurse and student using both negative and positive feedback.

I feel that my experience as a volunteer at Forks Community Hospital’s Long Term Care Unit combined with Peninsula College’s N100 class, has given me a very accurate perception of nursing in general. This is important because as a student nurse knowing the amount of responsibilities lying ahead will motivate me to fulfill those responsibilities. Furthermore, knowing how broad of a field nursing is, I know that the time I spend in the nursing program will be some of the most intense and challenging education I will receive. Knowing what nursing entails, makes students take their education more seriously and work harder to meet the demands they will inevitably face.

Critical thinking is an integral part of becoming a nurse. Being able to observe the details of a situation and reach a logical conclusion and decision are an everyday part of nursing. I have used this skill many times in my past experience, but most notably so in helping an elderly couple in Snohomish County. Their problems were a myriad of interconnected situations. The ability to sort through them and find solutions was a long drawn out process. When I met them, they were both in poor health. He was recovering from a double bypass surgery, and she was in chemotherapy for an aggressive cancer. At the same time their home was being repossessed, they had too much debt, no food or transportation. They were also “hoarders”. They had an over abundance of things in their home and it caused a safety hazard. They cooked on a hotplate in their bathroom because their kitchen was too full of boxes to access. Sorting through these conditions, transitioning them into clean affordable housing, and getting their health and finances on track was a huge undertaking. It involved finding appropriate agencies like DSHS and adult protective services to help this couple. It also straddled a fine line between making sure they were well taken care of while respecting their wishes and helping them make informed, final decisions for themselves. It was a difficult line to walk as the elderly woman only had a fifth grade education and didn’t understand all of the legal and financial implications of a foreclosure, lease agreements, and her medical procedures.

Being able to grow as a student and as a nurse involves being able to take in feedback both negative and positive and use it in a constructive way. For instance, in my N100 class I received a poor grade on my first paper. Instead of brooding over the negative feedback or complaining about my grade as is the easier response. I used it as a means to improve. I met with Marca Davis and asked questions. I learned how to understand the rubric, and improved significantly on my subsequent papers. Positive feedback is also an important tool for growth. Many may see receiving something positive as accomplishing your end destination. However, I see it as a chance to examine what made you successful and why you achieved what you did. When I coordinated the Child Safety Drive in Lake Stevens, we distributed 1,500 kits the first year. After which I analyzed what made us so successful and focused my efforts better the following year to distribute 2,000 kits.

I have learned how important it is to use any feedback you receive as a means to improve, and the importance of having solid critical thinking skills combined with an accurate perception of nursing, I hope I will have the chance to receive the education necessary to accomplish my goals. I am driven to become a nursing professional and hope that I can have that opportunity here at Peninsula College.

My old lady…

Opps!  The post I made about “my old lady” I meant to post to a personal blog… I moved it over.  But thank you for your comments.  I started it as a online diary of sorts and for support this last year.  I was in an abusive relationship, left and started over I guess you could say.  It helped me to see it for what it was re-reading all of my posts and thoughts.  It gave me the courage to leave when I needed to.  Now I am happy, and met someone great and a lot of little things about respect just never occured to me.  So being treated wonderfully all the time, well it is a breath of fresh air and makes my head spin once in a while.

You can now find me on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1135321922&v=feed&story_fbid=61850466452

I guess I finally caught up with the rest of the ‘modern’ world… lol

Review Flannery O Connor

Flannery O Connor was a notable American Author whose works centered mainly around her faith and the southern bible belt in which she lived.  She engages readers in her stories threw her ironic, and nearly sadistic humor.  Her characters are repulsive at times offensive, yet she uses them to examine the catholic doctrine.  Two examples of this are in her short stories, “Good Country People” and “Revelations.”  In both stories, the characters struggle blind against their inadequacies, until their own folly teaches them a lesson in a painful way.

In “Good Country People,” O’ Connor focuses on the story of Joy Hopewell, who lost her leg in a childhood accident. Having neither joy nor hope, she changed her name to Hulga. By changing her name after her accident she is reflecting her vision of herself, ugly, just like her artificial leg.  Instead of putting stock in her looks or faith she focuses on her greatest achievement, her education. Having earned a PhD in Philosophy, she uses her degree to look down on the people around her.  To Hulga, religion is a weakness and therefore she shows an open contempt for faith in God.  The ‘salt of the earth’ people or ‘good country people’ are as simple and stupid in her mind.

On closer inspection, Hulga’s artificial leg is intrinsic to understanding her relationship with faith.  After the loss of her leg, Hulga renounces her belief and claims to believe in nothing.  However, her prosthetic leg is actually the source of her pride and faith.  She wraps her entire being up in her leg.  She refuses to be without it or allow others to touch it.  It seems to define her, her perception of herself, and her faith.

When Manly Pointer, a scheming bible salesman comes into the picture, Hulga is confident she can outsmart him as he is just a salt of the earth, simple person.  However the tables are turned and her hidden vulnerability allows him to take advantage of her. She is used and manipulated by Manly, who truly believes in nothing.   After Manly steals Hulga’s leg she is left alone and with out her faith and pride.  With out even a leg to stand on.  O’Connor left Hulga sitting in the hayloft of the barn trying to decide what she can place her faith in as can no longer trust her intellect or her leg. Both of these objects were proved fallible.   The main theme seems to be summarized best in the authors own words when she states, “that man has fallen and that he is only perfectible by God’s grace, not my his own unaided efforts.” (398) By loosing her faith in the fallible, the reader is lead to believe that Hulga is able to regain a faith in God.

O’ Connor further explores the idea of class struggles and faith in her short story “Revelations.”  The character Mrs. Tupin receives a revelation, causing her to re-evaluate her faith and view of the world around her.  The self important woman portrayed believes she is above others because of her Protestant faith and her higher class in society.  She lives as a good christian woman by pretending to be nice and accepting of those around her despite her frequent thoughts of coloreds and white-trash burning in hell in a gas oven and smiles at the thought that people like her will be in heaven.

A primary figure in her revelation is a girl named Mary Grace.  She seems to be inserted into the story to be an instrument of God’s revelation.  She is able to see through Ms. Tupins fasad and view her true character even before being addressed directly by the older woman.  When Mrs. Tubin thanks Jesus for being better that those around her, Mary strikes her in the head with a book.  This could be interpreted as foreshadowing of her being struck down by the hand of God for her lack of humility.

Once Mary was sedated her eyes,” seemed a much lighter blue than before, as if a door that had been tightly closed behind them was now open to admit light and air.” (500) This imbued the character with a etherial feel.  It made Mrs. Tupin consider Mary “knew her in some intense and personal way, beyond time and place and condition.” (500) This set the stage for the revelation delivered by Mary in the form of, “Go back to hell where you came from you old wart hog.” (500)

Mrs. Tupin stews about this comment all day, growing angrier and finally shouts at God asking “Who do you think you are?”(508)  She is given a vision of all the people she hates parading in front of her to heaven, clean and free from the sins she judged in them, just as people like her were free of their virtues; everyone was equal in the eyes of God.

The stories of Flannery O’Connor stem from her view of the world as a catholic. She explains her writing by stating, “I am no disbeliever in spiritual purpose and no vague believer. I see from the standpoint of Christian Orthodoxy.  This means that for me the meaning of life is centered in our redemption by christ and what I see in the world I see in its relation to that.  I don’t think that is a position that can be taken halfway or one that is easy in these times to make transparent in fiction.” (303)

She develops characters that seem repulsive and uses an era of American History to help make the readers distain for the characters almost inevitable.  Using terms like nigger and white trash frequently through out her stories, readers can see a clear class system and a blatant disregard for others O’Connor develops.  She seems to shock characters like Ms. Tupin and Hulga into seeing their sins, and giving them clarity in ways that seem almost cruel.

• ***posting citations on Wed or Thurs, if you want them sooner please email me.

Preparing for the Nursing Program

This past year has ushered in many changes in my life. It starting when I realized I needed to make some serious changes in my life for the sake of my daughter and myself; I made the decision to return to college, left a bad marital situation, became a single mother, and have built up a wonderful network of support for myself. Despite the common belief that the life of a single mother on a limited budget is fraught with stress, I have a very few stressors in my life.

Money is something I have to be very conscientious of. I am able to pay all of my bills, including daycare with the assistance of DSHS and a work study position. Another current stressor for me is not having family support in my area. My family is spread across the country and I was not raised in the immediate area, so in an emergency I can’t call on family for help. Lastly, reaching a balance between college, and raising my family is a balance I need to achieve. I can’t focus too much on one, or the other will be neglected.

These stressors do have quite an impact on my ability to be successful in nursing school. For instance, if I am unable to downsize my monthly expenses then I would have to work while in nursing school. For me, this is not something I want to do as I already have many commitments and my time is stretched fairly thin. I want to maximize the time I have for studying and for my family. Those really need to be my two biggest priorities.

Currently, my life is like a fine balancing act between my present and my future. I am driven to become a nurse, be able to support my family, and be part of a profession I can be proud of. Yet, I strive to balance that determination against being a supportive and available mother. Being able to find a balance between family and college is imperative for my success as a nursing student. If I were accepted into the nursing program my time would have to be very well managed and divided in order to be my best as a student and raise my daughter in her preschool years.

Being alone on the Olympic Peninsula brings up its’ own set of challenges. In order to be successful in school I need a strong support system. Things such as child care emergencies, vehicle break downs and emotional setbacks happen and I need to be prepared for them. Without help there may be times I won’t be able to make it to school or may not have child care for my toddler.

In contrasting my schedule now with my schedule if I were accepted into nursing school shows many similarities. I already spend from 8:00am until 12:00pm every weekday on the college campus. However, I currently hold a work study position in addition to my in-person class. Once I return home each day, I have two online classes and study time for each of my three classes to budget for. Overall my time away from home would be similar, and my study time would most likely increase. However, I think my overall stress level would go down. I have a great plan to address my needs as a nursing student.

In order to address my stressors and create a positive support system, I have found another college student who is also a single parent to share a house with. Next quarter we are moving into a house in Port Angeles with our two two-year olds. We are splitting our basic expenses like rent and utilities so my over all expenses will drop nearly five hundred per month. Thus, I won’t have to work during nursing school with my current financial aid and the Forks Community Hospital Scholarship. This will give me more study time, and time with my family. We have also arranged for our children to attend the same day care so that days I have clinicals they can take the kids in and pick them up. Working together, we can take turns watching our children and studying enabling both of us to find a balance between our family and our education. Having that extra support system will make up for not having family in the area in case of an emergency also. If there is an emergency, I have a partner to help me figure out a solution.

Even though becoming a nursing student will add a new element of challenge to my life, I feel that I am prepared to meet all of the stressors it may bring head on. I have tried to look objectively at the obstacles facing myself and my family, and feel I have a good idea of what to expect. My changes now of moving in with a roommate will enable me to save money, focus on school and my family, and have a strong support system in place for fall quarter if I am accepted into the nursing program. By making a plan now for how to address these obstacles, I know I can make whatever adjustments I need to be successful as a nursing student.

I have readers and subcribers….

Congratulations to me for 22,000 hits!!!! Woo Hoo

Thank you to all my readers and to those who have subscribes to my blog.  My new years resolution was to devote a little time each week to posting more information about nursing and writing more worth while articles for people interested in the nursing profession.  I am lucky enough to be enrolled in a course at Peninsula College called nursing 100 that will give me a lot of valuable information and help me to get a better understanding of the education that still lays ahead of me.  Thank everyone for reading!

-Corinne