Guess what guys...

I DID IT! WOOT! I was told it could take as late as May to find out if I made it into the nursing program, but a surprise showed up in my email a bit ago! That's right! I am officially a nursing student! I still have a lot of hoops to jump through between now and this coming fall, but I'm going to sit back and enjoy my accomplishment!

More to come after I've finished partying and celebrating!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

How I survived Anatomy and Physiology

Anatomy and physiology. I searched for months around the internet before going into college for nursing, and the biggest challenge that everyone spoke about? This single class. Yes, they complained about clinicals and the nightmarish pharmacology tests, but this was the single piece of nursing school that stuck out. When I finally went to my first day of A&P I, I honestly half expected a meaner, nastier Trunchbull to be standing at the head of the class. You know, the disgusting principal from Matilda...

I remember having nightmares with her in them. Instead, I was greeted with a wonderful professor who seemed a tad timid, at first, but certainly was passionate about her subject. I'd like to share with you some things that I wish I had known going into this class the first time around:

1. It's only a nightmare if you make it one. This class is really just like any other. You get what you put out. If you don't come to class, or if you decide not to study too much or at all, then you are going to have much to show at the end. It's basic logic. You put in the work, and you get rewarded with a good grade in the end.
2. Use all available resources! By resources, I'm talking about more than you textbook and lab book. I'm talking, using the lab any chance you get. There will be a lot of models to know and not enough time IN CLASS to know them. Therefore, you will need to put in more effort outside of class to really be familiar with them.
3. Find out how you learn best NOW. Everyone has SOMETHING that helps them learn. For some people it can be as simple as reading the textbook and reviewing the notes. For others, it can be flash cards, or a simple game. For me it's music. This semester I used a song to help me learn the bones of the body as well as the muscles. I couldn't use a song to really point out the muscles to me, but it at least gave me a word bank on the test itself. Find your method BEFORE you enter those doors. You want to find a good study plan and stick with it!
4. Study Groups! These can be hit or miss. Some people find they get off topic too much and do more talking than studying, but if you can get your group focused, this can be the absolute BEST way to study! If you don't know something, you have a wealth of knowledge surrounding you, and if they don't know? You have something to find out together, and I guarantee you, by the end of it, you'll know it by heart. It's also nice to have someone there that can quiz you. You can look at terms all you want, but it's wonderful to have someone there who can come up with questions you may not have thought about.
5. Get your sleep! This is one that you should already know, but I will reinforce it because it's important. Cramming for a test the night before, all night, is a sure way to fail. Don't believe me? Ask anyone who's done it. Even if they've never failed, they probably don't have an A or B in the class and, trying to get into nursing school, you can't afford to having anything less. So if you find you forgot about a test until last minute, don't be tempted. Review your notes, let me repeat that, REVIEW your notes, then get a good nights rest! Get up a little earlier if you need to and go over them again and I know you'll do better on the test than if you had given into that temptation.
6. Keep your study sessions SHORT! I watched a study skills lecture online once that put to words something I already knew. When you sit down to study, you're really attentive the first bit, then you start to get that brain fog. EVERYONE knows what I'm talking about, that fog that makes it hard for you to focus and comprehend the information. That, my friends, should be your cue to take a 15 minute break. No more no less, but that break MUST be taken. I like to review my notes before a big exam, but I always make sure that I time it so I have 15 minutes before the exam to take a quick break. The worst thing you can do to yourself is go into the exam with that fog looming over you. I did it once this year, psychology, and failed that exam. I was frustrated that I couldn't comprehend the questions, and stressed because of the timer that wouldn't stop so I could clear my head. Not a good feeling!
7. Finally, Don't freak yourself out! Everyone should have a bit of stress going into an exam. This is normal and actually helps you. Keep your goal in mind and work your butt off for it, but don't over do it. This is easier said than done. The beginning of the semester, I literally cried and started tallying points on my lab reports in chemistry scared I wasn't going to pass. I nearly cried during the first exam. Needlessly. I had myself worked up over nothing. You can do anything you believe you can do. If you freak and constantly tell yourself you're stupid or that there's no way you'll pass a test, then you're right. You are stupid and there is no way you'll pass that test. STOP THAT! Break the cycle and put forth your best effort. Remember, your best effort is whatever you believe it to be. I believe I am capable of A's. Did I come close to straight A's in high school? HA! My first two years of college? HAHA! I got overwhelmed and settled myself in to the fact that I am a C student and can't get straight A's. So what did I get? Mostly C's. Hmmm... My first semester here I had something I wanted more that anything, a nursing acceptance letter. I knew I needed good grades to get in. If I really was a C student, then I should've even bothered trying. No one will take someone who can't get above a C in their generals. I finally had something to work for, and I went into the semester telling myself that I will get there, no matter what. I CAN get the grades needed. I'm a smart person. Before you think it, no, you're not dumb. If you were dumb, then you wouldn't have a high school degree, the college wouldn't have accepted you, and you wouldn't even be trying. If you're dumb then why are you in college? Because you know you can do this, you just need the confidence to accept that thought. You aren't bragging, you aren't showing off, you're accepting yourself for who you are, and you are a very intelligent individual who is capable of getting the grade you go after. You still have to put the work in, of course, but I imagine you'll find test taking and studying a TON easier.

These are my secrets. Nothing special, nothing fancy. Just an order of self confidence and a great support group. You can do this. You can do ANYTHING. This is a challenge, and that's what it's suppose to be. Embrace that and love it! If you go into nursing for the right intentions, then this class should be an amazing journey! Not an insurmountable nightmare. Just take a deep breath and jump in head first. As long as you're prepared mentally and physically, then there's no reason why you'd drown.

Keep working hard and NEVER give up!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

Finals and full schedule

As of today, I have finished 3 out of my 4 finals. I still have to take my anatomy and physiology final tomorrow, then I'll finally be finished with this semester! I was finally able to get my last couple classes. I'm taking medical terminology. My adviser said it would be a huge help in nursing, and every nursing student will testify that you should take every leg up you can get! I'm also taking study skill online. I'll wait and see if it's worth adding to the load, but I'm told it's a fairly easy class, and could potentially help me.

I will go off and do what everyone has been looking for, my guide to anatomy and physiology. I will also be doing one for chemistry, but I feel A&P is more important right now.

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

Paperwork, an end in sight, and a new schedule!

So, my school is officially the absolute worst school ever when it comes to paperwork. Every single thing I've handed them has gotten screwed up one way or another except my nursing application (knock on wood!). The worst of all has been my immunization records. The campus I'm on is a satellite of a larger campus. This site doesn't require immunizations unless the program itself does. Well, the nursing program does and I didn't realize this. I ended up getting a letter in the mail telling me that if I didn't get my records turned in I wouldn't be able to register for classes. Luckily I happened to have the paperwork with me, so I turned them into the school the following day. A week later, I went in and sat down to register for classes. Guess what! The hold was still there. I explained all this to my adviser who said it should've gone through. She opened up my file and gee! They were sitting right on top!

 "Oh! These aren't suppose to be here!"

Great! Well, she took down the list of classes I had ready, which wasn't my whole list, but good enough, then said she'd send them over and register me once the hold was lifted. Another week goes by and the hold never lifts. 1st call I made to her she said something about them never returning her emails. Second call I made to her she said they're faxing them into the computer system. 3rd call I made to her, she said they're going to just override the hold and register me for classes. All well and good, but here I sit with 2 more classes to sign up for and I still have that stupid hold! I finally got the direct number for the health services on the main campus, so hopefully I can get all of this sorted out...UGH!

Anyways, so this semester is slowly coming to an end. All in all I have to say it went pretty well. I'm still not doing the best in psychology, but it really could be a lot worse. I'll do another post on advice for getting through Anatomy and Physiology since it really warrants it, but all of this really just comes down to having a good focus. I really really really want into this nursing program, so I'm more willing to work my butt off to get there. I do have to say, though, it will be a relief to get that acceptance letter and not have the weight of the world on me next semester! I'm literally daydreaming of the day I can post my letter on here for you guys to see! :)

So, my next set of classes? Much of the same. I'm going on to Anatomy and Physiology 2, which I've been told is a bit easier, but we'll see about that. I'll also be going into Organic and Biochemistry, which actually sounds like fun and I'll have my favorite instructor! Ok, so I really do like all of my instructors (except psychology), but my chemistry instructor is awesome because he actually understands how much a person can learn at once, the pointlessness of needless memorization, and how stupid it is to expect a perfect lab report for full points. Yeah, he's the bomb! :P I'll be going onto College Algebra as well, which is the final math class I'll have to take, thankfully!

Those are the classes I have so far. I also want to sign up for medical terminology, which isn't required for my major, but a lot of people have said it's really helpful once you get into the program. In order to get both of my grants, I'll have to add on one more class, so I'll probably do something dumb like study skills online. Or maybe lifetime fitness and wellness. We'll see. I first want to dig my adviser's brain and see what she thinks would be a nice simple online class. I say online because my schedule's full. I can't fit another class anywhere. I do have the option of driving 45 min. and taking an evening course of English Composition 2. I'll have to think on that...

All in all this semester has had it's ups and downs, but I'm already starting to miss it. (Pretty sadistic when final exams are on the horizon!) Oh well.

Stay safe and keep studying!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

**Update: Called the Health Dept. this morning and found out the hold never should've been there in the first place. She removed it and everything is back to normal! :)

The Nurse's Cap

I've been doing quite a bit of research on the nurse's cap. It's not part of the uniform for the actual job, but it still holds a symbol to many nursing students and graduates. Something interesting I found out was that, since some of the first nurses were actually nuns, the nurse's cap actually first served as sort of a habit for them. One thing's for certain, though, you almost can't find a story book, or Halloween costume, or even nurse doll that doesn't don the nurse's cap. I don't know why I care so much about it, but it is a part of the history of nursing, which I will be very much a part of soon, so I guess it will be a part of my life. I was looking at pictures from the pinning ceremony in 2010 and saw that only the older generation were wearing the caps. I guess I may have to make a splash and keep it alive! Besides, they really don't look half bad! ;)

BTW, anyone have any thoughts on the capes? They would be AWESOME to wear in the workplace!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

Application Process

I got my papers in order for the application process and thought I would walk through what goes into it, at least for my school. I'm applying for the Associates RN, so it's a 2 year program that only starts in the fall. On October 1st they start accepting the packets, which include your high school transcripts, your ACT/SAT scores, any other college transcripts, and scores from the entrance exam for the college if needed. From what I've heard from other people, the program is more of a first come first served rather than GPA based, although that's used if it comes down to one person or another. All we need to do is fill out the application, which has nothing more that your name, address, phone number, email, and what program you are applying for, then send that with your transcript packet to the main campus...and wait. I'll be sending mine out tomorrow, so I've got my fingers crossed. They said I should know by about the end of December, early January.

To anyone else out there sending in their applications, GOOD LUCK! See you in nursing school! ;)

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey

Top 5 Ipad apps for Nursing Students!

 So I received my brand new Ipad 2 the other day! Totally excited to see all I can do with this baby through nursing school! I already have utilized it a ton in Anatomy! I grabbed a couple of really cool apps that I think EVERYONE should have through nursing school and the science pre-reqs.

1. Cell and Cell Structure. This app may not be useful for too long, but for $3, it's great for students who may not have had any life science before going into Anatomy and Physiology. It has a couple games you can play to help you reinforce the information as well as amazing videos that give you a realistic inside look of a Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic cell.

2. Drawing Book. This one is almost indispensable. For $2 you now have the ability to draw and save pictures on your Ipad. So far, I have utilized this one for Anatomy by making flash cards by drawing the molecular formulas for the different sugars and proteins for my up coming test. It would be great in class, if you're allowed, to make diagrams or quick notes on it.

3. Netter's Anatomy Atlas for Ipad. This app has the steepest price tag of them all, but anyone going into a medical field will find that this app's usefulness with essentially pay for itself and then some. It's price tag is a whopping $89.99, but it comes with 531 main anatomy plates, 40 bonus plates (If you register the app) and if you find the hidden skulls in the main plates, you unlock 10 more plates. You can also spend an additional $8.99 (why not, right! ;) ) and get 30 more extremely useful plates which include basics like body planes, terms of movement, body cavities, and more. This is the greatest anatomy app I have ever seen, on computer or book or any medium, really. This would be my top priority if I could only get one app.

4. NCLEX-RN Question Bank. Yes, I know. I still have another 3 years before I will be taking the NCLEX, but even before you start to study for that test, why not use it in your nursing courses? This app as a group of categories that you can choose from, like Management and Leadership, Critical Care, Pharmocology, Adult Health, and more. These exams will give you a wonderful chance to apply the skills you just learned to realistic situations you will be thrown into later in your career, or in questions once you DO take the NCLEX.

5. Lab Values Pro. Another $3 app, but it houses quite a bit of information that will come in handy later on in nursing school. It has medical abbreviations and medical prefix/suffix dictionaries, but the one that will come in handy the most is the lab reference values. A great (and cheap) reference for all medical students!

I'm sure there are a ton more useful apps out there, and I'm sure there are more I'll find and use later once I'm in nursing school, but for now, these are the best I've found. If you've found some good ones, let me know! Hoping to get a ton of use out of my Ipad!

~THE Future Nurse Chelsey