Group Project Theater

Every semester we are assigned at least two group projects to submit to our instructors. Last semester and this one seem to have a theme... you have 1 case study and 1 project with a different theme, but that is geared towards the elderly (last semester it was prescription drugs, this semester it is nutrition).

So last night I finished the elderly nutrition project (I already completed the case study) and there was much rejoicing in the house. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE group projects. Our instructors say we do these things in groups "to help us learn to work as a team together" but I think it is so they only have to grade 6-7 projects and not 35.

Here's the type of exchange I wish would take place so that I knew ahead of time who would do their work and who would expect me to do their work for them.

Student Nurse Theater

Me, "OK, so I will do the 15 page patho on Acrocephalosyndactylia, Student Nurse Alpha agrees do the write up on the nursing process and Student Nurse Beta will come up with a teaching plan based on the nursing process. Let's plan to have this done a week ahead of time to give ourselves some breathing room."

Student Nurse Alpha, " OK, I will promise to do my section, but in reality I am going to ignore it for the entire working period and then two days before the final due date post something completely half-assed. Naturally, the whole time I will be claiming some family emergency is occurring so that you don't get too mad at me."

Student Nurse Beta, "Alpha, that's a great plan because I am going to agree to do the teaching plan, but will constantly bitch that you are holding me up. So finally when you get around to doing the work, I am going to claim I had a previous commitment that I claim I told you all about (but that no one remembers) and I expect someone else to do my work for me."

Me," I appreciate you letting me know that I will need to play janitor on this project. Now I can just do all the work up front and not have to get all of it done in 12 hours."

The End

Yesterday's Post was a Reaction to Someone who needed a Cephalic Analectomy

Yes, I mean they have their head up their ass.

There was a post I read on the Allnurses.com forum started by someone who wondered why the nursing students at her school where so negative. This person had yet to start nursing classes, she was just finishing up her pre-req's. She wanted to know why they seemed so negative. Naturally, everything in this person's world was wonderful including her 2.8 children, husband, and pizza delivering job.

I would love to be there the first time she has a non-compliant client. 10 to 1 she will alienate them with her "life is so wonderful" shtick and then wonder why her clinical instructor jumped all over her ass.

The Real Nursing School Experience

This semester is eating me alive. The typical non-clinical day has me reading several hundred pages, reviewing notes, taking practice NCLEX questions and trying to get assignments done all the while attending lectures. Clinical days mean setting the alarm for God's wakeup call, hopping into that fabulous uniform and getting to the hospital before your clinical instructor asks where you are (because being early isn't enough). Then it is full day of either overwhelming client care or an underwhelming experience in which you need to keep yourself busy. Follow all of that up with 3 hours of paperwork so that you can put your feet up and be ready to do it all over the next day.

Yeah - I'd say that describes my week. Now I want to include the following additions:

• The failing grade on any test is 79% and you freak out when you get an 85%
• It is tough watching those you like struggle hard and there's only so much you can do for them
• It's even tougher to watch those that have the intellect of a retarded sheep have their praises sung by your myopic instructor all the while ignoring the true talent in the class.
• You spend all weekend trying to figure out why a certain instructor makes it seem that she hates your guts and then you realize... it's not just you - it is everyone who doesn't fit her "Barbie Perfect" world.

That in a nutshell is what my life is like at the moment. For all the Pollyanna's out there - yes I am being negative. This is an outlet so that I can put on the front and play nice today and not explode into a puddle of whatever is left after you explode.