Nursing School is like running a 10K

You're really excited when you start
and have a lot of energy.

But you do get tired.

Sometimes you just need to tell yourself you can do it,
take a deep breath, and keep going.

Some parts are easy; some parts are hard.

You do get hungry.

And sometimes,

you just need to take a bathroom break.

I'm Overwhelmed

I keep hearing all this talk from my instructors about what is expected of us in our final semester and it makes me think to myself "I can’t do this shit. I am never going to be able to do that."


I realize as we go on I should get more competent and confident but I feel like a complete moron and wonder if I am going to make it.


I just have to keep telling myself “Deep breaths. Remain calm. You can do this.”

I need a J.O.B.

We are pretty broke and it sucks. After I quit my job we continued to live like we never lost my income. (Keep in mind, when I quit, there went half our annual income). Now, it is catching up with us. We are barely making it. My husband’s check hits the bank and at the same time, bills are paid and we are left with nothing to last us half a month.


I am pretty scared about how I am going to be able to pay for not only next semesters tuition, but also how I am going to pay for books, supplies I will need, gas to get to my clinical site every week, and anything else that comes up.

I have been trying to get that CNA job I should have gotten a long time ago. I really hate the thought of having to work while I am also working my ass off in NS but I think it might become a very real possibility that I won’t have a choice.

In my area, none of the hospitals will hire a CNA/PCT without at least 6 months experience. I have been applying to some Nursing Homes and Dementia facilities in my area hoping that one of them will hire me PRN, with no experience. Maybe after I work there for several months I can move on to a hospital.

I just hope I can manage adding yet another thing to the growing hectic family schedule and I really hope that it won’t hurt my studies too much.

Let's talk about shoes, bay-bee

It's getting closer to the time where we will actually be going to a real hospital with real patients.

This means it is also time for me to get my scrubs and shoes. I have the scrubs down but am wondering about shoes. I'm not a big fan of clogs, at all, and I'm not too sure about anything made completely of rubber. I realize they would be super easy to clean but I'm just not completely sold on them.

Comfort is not my forte when it comes to shoes. I wear shoes that look good, not shoes that necessarily feel good. I have been known to go all day long with blisters the size of quarters, just because my shoes were that.freakin.awesome. I need to get over the fashion factor and find a pair that will actually make my feet not hate me after being on the floor for hours and hours.

So this is where you come in, dear readers. Help me find an amazingly awesome pair of shoes and then every time I walk around in them I promise I will think of you.

White. All white. And comfy.

Oh and for anyone who reads that is a runner, I also need suggestions on a good, decently priced, pair of running shoes. My current ones are in desperate need of retirement.

March is over? WTH?

March just flew on by didn’t it? I can’t believe it has been so long since I have posted anything on here. I’m pretty sure this is the perfect time to bust out the bullets.

• Spring Break came and went with me leaving the couch a maximum of three times. I cracked open a total of “0” books and watched possibly hundreds of trashy shows on TV. It was fantastic.

• I walked away from my first two nursing classes with A’s but did pretty bad on the final exams. 80 in one, 88 in another. While these are decent grades, they aren’t up to my standards and I was kicking myself for a while about them. I studied for those things like I have never studied before. The kicker is that it was 50% comprehension, and 50% application. I still didn’t make a decent grade and am scared about the next exams which I have heard are so much harder.

• We are now into the fun stuff in my skills class. Starting IV’s, and drawing blood. I never knew I would get so excited seeing that bright red flash when sticking a sharp object into a vein but man, that gives me a rush. (And HOLY CRAP! That 16g needle is evil!)

• A few of my classmates and I have grouped together quite nicely. I know NS isn’t about making friends but I am sure thankful for the ones I have made so far. They know what no one else around me can understand. That NS is an all consuming beast. That dreaming about NG tubes and enemas isn’t that abnormal, and that sometimes you just need to have a margarita (or two) and forget about school.

• Along with learning how to start IV’s, change a dressing, administer meds, I have also learned that NS is exactly like high school with all the childish drama attached. I hated high school. I really hope I can keep my low profile and get through it just like I did when I was a teenager.

• I have started running again and I feel great about it (other than my calves cramping like a SOB after I run). My NS buddies and I go to the gym after class most days, blow off steam, and completely kick each other’s asses into shape. I love it.

That pretty much sums up the last month. Just over one more month to go and first semester is over and I will be moving on to real people, in a real hospital setting. (YIKES!)