Ya Sure, You Betcha, Y'all

Since I have some free time I met BB at his place of employment today and we went out to lunch. While eating we had a discussion about the Mayo Clinic. A few years ago we were up there and were so impressed with the staff because they really seemed to enjoy their jobs. BB asked me after I have my RN if I would ever want to work up there. Naturally, my reply in proper Minnesotan was, "Ya Sure, You Betcha!"

Later I remarked that maybe the only reason why he suggested it was to see how weird my Illinoisan with slight Southern influenced accent would sound after living there a while.

Jumping through Hoops

I think that nursing schools weed out some students just through their admissions process.

If you want to get into a nursing school these are the steps you might have to go through before you can step through the door:

Fill out an application
Get 3 (but I got 4) letters of recommendation
Go to the Post office and get a cashiers check for application fee
Get all of your schools to send transcripts (I'm surprised they didn't want one from my mothers obstetrician saying what an exceptional fetus I was)
Write an essay
Take an entrance test
Wait while the Student Affairs Committee decides if they want you in the school
Get sick to your stomach when you see the letter in the mail
Jump up and down when you read that you have been accepted
Freak out when you realize what you have just done
Go back to the Post Office to get a cashiers check for the admissions fee
Undergo a background check (This wasn't so bad, the background check to get my temp job was much more intense)
Take all your prerequisite courses
Get a physical with bloodwork and pee in a cup
Make sure our immunizations are up to date (I've had 4 in the last month - my body is SO not happy with me)
Get a TB Test
Pay tuition
Get stethoscope and shoes
Follow up with getting more things faxed from your doctor
All the while keeping my fingers crossed that everything that you mail gets to the school on time.

It has been like a part time job getting some of this done.

Now keep in mind that this was only one school and that in the beginning I applied to three schools. Luckily the one I wanted the most accepted me and I could jettison the other two schools requirements.

As of today I believe that I have everything in and I am ready to go.

I don't know what is worse

The fact that I had the time to find this clip or that I felt the need to share it.

Doobie-Fibrillation

A few years ago my father had open heart surgery. One of the complications from the procedure is that he has gone into into (afib) atrial fibrillation.

To correct the arrhythmia, he is sedated and then shocked with a defibrillator, which is called cardioversion. Since he recently slipped back into afib, he is scheduled for another cardioversion.

While talking with BB about it I theorized that we could have done it at home. I quipped, "Here dad, smoke this joint* and then hold these two electrical wires**." BB called it "Doobie-fibrillation".

Oh we laughed about that... and then I called my dad and told him our idea. He said it sounded like something the Mythbusters would have concocted.


* & ** in NO way am I advocating illegal drug use or electrocution. It's a joke people.

Breakfast, Beer and Baths

BB and I took a long weekend and went to Asheville, NC. The whole idea was to get away and just relax, so no - we did not go to the Biltmore.

We stayed at an awesome B&B called the Lion and the Rose. The breakfast they serve is outstanding. It filled us up so much we didn't need to eat lunch the entire time we were there!

The highlight of the trip was a visit to Shoji, a Japanese themed outdoor hot tub retreat. We did the 2 hour spa vacation. We first showered at the main building and then put on Yukata's (robes) and were lead down a path to our private hot tub. After soaking for a few minutes I found that I enjoyed just laying on the deck in the sun. The real procedure is to soak for 10-15 minutes and then either get into the plunge pool at the top of the hill or take a cold shower localed just outside our tub. Next time we are going to get massages. I figure they will have to pour us into the car when we are done.

Besides breakfast and a bath, we also enjoyed some beer. Asheville has a number of microbreweries in the area and we made an effort to sample various brews while in the area. They were all good, but since I seem to have forgotten which ones we drank, I guess I need to go back and do more research.

We Are Slow, But We Get It Done

It is finished. 6 months, countless hours, a LOT of spackle, a few minor injuries and we can finally say the office has been redecorated. Between school, working and normal activities it has taken us a really long time to get this done. I can't even begin describe the amount of prep work that went into getting the room ready to paint and put the floor down. Here are some before and after pictures.








There was also a mysterious stain on the wall. I'm please to say that it has been eradicated and no longer graces our home.

I Am NOT a Morning Person

Day #2 of my vacation was as productive as the first. It's amazing the number of things you can get done when you don't work. This just seems like a long weekend rather than extended time off.
BB has been making fun of me ever morning. Normally, he has to drag me out of bed. Not the last two days... I've gotten up before him and even gotten the coffee and have been (gasp) in a good mood. There is something seriously disturbing about these events.

Felis Catus Helpus

BB has planted a garden this year and today we needed to blanch and freeze some green beans. Rochester made a point to inspect our work and help us.

So Why Do You Want To Be A Nurse?

That seems like a simple question, but for me it is a complicated answer. There are so many factors that went into the decision to go to nursing school that it is hard to distill them into a single answer.

Last night BB (AKA Big Brain, my husband) and I were talking about this very question and my difficulty in answering it without sounding like either an idealistic freak or a complete moron.

Information necessary to understand the rest of this story: For years I have wanted a dog. I understand the implications of ownership and the financial demands that accompany the decision. Therefore, it has just been too much of a responsibility for me to undertake. I decided that after I passed the NCLEX (nursing school boards) test that my reward would be to get a dog.

I have loved Basset Hounds forever and ever. There's something in those ears and stumpy legs that just melt my heart. I even love their stubborn personality. For years I figured I would eventually get a Basset. Whatever I get, the dog will have a job. I intend to train it to become a therapy dog. These are animals that go into nursing homes and hospitals to visit people. So keeping that in mind I knew that the Basset would be fine, but then I started to think about the Welsh Pembroke Corgi. They were originally bred as cattle dogs, so they have the stubby legs I love so much, a silkier coat than the Basset and they need a sense of purpose. Plus, they are SO darn cute!
Back to the original story:

BB made the insightful suggestion of saying "I'm going to nursing school in order to get a dog." I thought that was perfect. So now my answer is going to be "I'm going to nursing school in order to support my future dog." It is a short, true answer to the question. It sure beats the 5 minute lecture I could give on all the reasons.

Until Next Time

Today was the last day of work for me. I have been temping at a big pharmaceutical company for the past year. While the work was at times a bit like the movie Groundhog Day, the people I worked for and along side with were remarkable.

I believe that everyone who comes into my life does so for a reason. I think that I will take away more from this experience than I could ever hope to give.

It was a bittersweet day. I'm so excited for the break and for what I am about to start, but sad that I will not see my coworkers on a regular basis.

Sturgeons General

Yes, I know it should be Surgeons General, but based on some news reports it sounds like the people who have held this position fought an upstream battle.

Former G. W. Bush appointed Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona is accusing the Bush administration for interfering on issues like stem cell research and emergency contraception because it didn't fit their political agenda. Excuse me while I try to appear shocked by this news.

Nope... can't do it.

I found it interesting that he and two other past Surgeons General testified to political interference while holding the post. Dr. C. Everett Koop said that the Reagan administration discouraged him from talking about AIDS and Dr. David Satcher said the Clinton administration asked him to delay releasing a report favorable to needle exchange programs. In both cases the men released the information.

Will anything change? No way, it's Washington. Was it nice to hear someone admit that there was political interference concerning public health all in the name of defending a particular groups dogma? Yes.

Will it ever end?

I was SO hopeful that I had everything I needed into the school regarding my health forms. Alas, this is not the case, I still have to chase down some loose ends. I think I will be writing a post about the process of getting into nursing school. I think they weed people out just through the admissions process. I'm beginning to wonder if their motto is "If you can survive getting in, then you will survive getting out."

The Check My Subconscious Didn’t Want to Write

This week is the deadline for tuition payment for the first semester of school. I went there to pay the balance of what my loans didn’t cover. While I was writing the check I had trouble remembering the date, wrote the amount on the Pay To: line and desperately wanted to write on the memo line: OHMYGODWHATAMIDOING. Instead I voided the check and wrote the correct one. I don’t think it was the act of paying for school that gave me the trouble nor was it the amount of money. I think it was because according to the check book log, I write about 2 checks a year (thanks to BB, who does the bill paying and credit cards) and have lost this life skill.

Anonymity

In order to keep within HIPAA regulations and to preserve some semblance of discretion, I will be referring to my classmates, clients, family and friends by nicknames. This isn’t a far stretch considering that from the moment I started taking my pre-requisite courses at the beginning of the year I privately gave my classmates nicknames (always ending in “Nurse”) when talking to my husband. I realized after about 4 months it would be better to use their real names so when he meets them I don’t have to whisper their secret identity to him.

So, on this blog everyone will have a secret identity. So stay tuned to the adventures of Student Nurse Cathy X. Is and her classmates Real-Estate Nurse (sells real estate), Security Nurse (lots of security related jobs that if I talked about he would have to shoot me), Cake Nurse (she makes wedding cakes on the side) and Grey Nurse (she loves Grey’s Anatomy).

Oh and the husband will be called BB = Big Brain. This comes from a conversation with a coworker who was meeting men that were blessed with brawn, but not brains. I told her she needed to get a guy with a “Big Brain”.

Communication

I know that I have a difficult time keeping in touch with friends and relatives when I get going on something. I am the antithesis of “The Great Communicator”. So this blog is my attempt to touch base with people and let them know some of the more entertaining stories of my nursing school experience. Plus, it’s a good way for people to know that I am still alive.