Oh heeeey!
hello internet!
I've missed this little bloggy space! I'm doubting that anyone will come read this, considering I haven't even logged on since August. But anyway, I'll give you a little update.
LIFE IS GRAND!
Nursing school is incredible. I'm working harder than I've ever worked. My brain feels stretched and challenged and full. Let me give you one piece of advice: never think that nurses are stupid. I can only speak for those with a BSN (the degree I'm working towards), but holy cow, come sit in my pathophysiology class for one second and you'll see. Wow. I really hate that I grew up in a culture thinking that nurses were "lesser" somehow (not by fault of my family, but just society in general- "you should be a doctor, you should be a lawyer, etc… no acknowledgment of what academic prowess it takes to be a nurse). The depth of knowledge gained in nursing school is pretty incredible, and trust me, if you ever end up in the hospital, the NURSE is your soldier on the front lines of whatever you're dealing with. Good doctors and NP's/PA's love the nurses on their team, because without them, nothing gets accomplished. I am SO PROUD of my new career and feel that this is exactly what I was meant to do. I absolutely love being a part of the medical community and nursing specifically. There are many paths for being in health care (I considered PA school for many years) but nursing, and this specific route of education, is a perfect fit for me.
Going through an accelerated program with 3 kids and a husband who is also a student is definitely challenging, but nothing to cry over. There were weeks that I didn't get much sleep and had a ton of work, but overall a good balance was achieved. I treat school like a job: drop the kids off in the morning, go to class/lab/clinical, use my lunch or other down time to study or work on whatever is due, pick up the kids, forget about school until they go to bed, and then do whatever leftover studying is necessary. It is hard but good- I love to work, so for me it's not too bad. Especially when my husband also has to sit there and study… every night is a study date on the couch! I don't watch TV anymore so I might as well spend my time learning. I know, big nerd alert here!
The kids are doing great in school this year! All the teachers are fantastic, and each child is excelling and having fun. It's just life as usual, and not as traumatic as I thought it would be with them having to go to a couple hours of after-school care. They thrive in the environment. When we get home, we all just play outside or have some quality time together. They are AWESOME kids and I'm so glad to be their mama! They are the best cheerleaders too, and I've practiced a LOT of physical assessment skills on them ;). I told them not to worry though… I won't practice giving shots on them!
I miss running a lot and seeing my friends… definitely can't see friends as often, but they've all been very understanding. I've been able to squeeze in a run about 2 times a week, 3 if I'm lucky. But I feel out of shape from sitting in a lecture hall all day, and then exhausted from being on my feet for 8-12 hour clinical shifts, because I'm out of shape! ha! endless cycle… and next semester will be double the work, so I'm preparing for the worst. This too shall pass… sigh…
Of course not everything is totally perfect around here- the house is dusty, we eat trader joe's pizza a lot, laundry is done less frequently, etc, etc… but it's okay. We've had some highs and lows (lost a dear friend to cancer) this semester, and through it all, we've been sustained. We are very thankful. Now it's Christmas break and time to take some deep breaths. I hope you all are well and living life to the fullest- after all, we only have ONE!
I've missed this little bloggy space! I'm doubting that anyone will come read this, considering I haven't even logged on since August. But anyway, I'll give you a little update.
LIFE IS GRAND!
Nursing school is incredible. I'm working harder than I've ever worked. My brain feels stretched and challenged and full. Let me give you one piece of advice: never think that nurses are stupid. I can only speak for those with a BSN (the degree I'm working towards), but holy cow, come sit in my pathophysiology class for one second and you'll see. Wow. I really hate that I grew up in a culture thinking that nurses were "lesser" somehow (not by fault of my family, but just society in general- "you should be a doctor, you should be a lawyer, etc… no acknowledgment of what academic prowess it takes to be a nurse). The depth of knowledge gained in nursing school is pretty incredible, and trust me, if you ever end up in the hospital, the NURSE is your soldier on the front lines of whatever you're dealing with. Good doctors and NP's/PA's love the nurses on their team, because without them, nothing gets accomplished. I am SO PROUD of my new career and feel that this is exactly what I was meant to do. I absolutely love being a part of the medical community and nursing specifically. There are many paths for being in health care (I considered PA school for many years) but nursing, and this specific route of education, is a perfect fit for me.
Going through an accelerated program with 3 kids and a husband who is also a student is definitely challenging, but nothing to cry over. There were weeks that I didn't get much sleep and had a ton of work, but overall a good balance was achieved. I treat school like a job: drop the kids off in the morning, go to class/lab/clinical, use my lunch or other down time to study or work on whatever is due, pick up the kids, forget about school until they go to bed, and then do whatever leftover studying is necessary. It is hard but good- I love to work, so for me it's not too bad. Especially when my husband also has to sit there and study… every night is a study date on the couch! I don't watch TV anymore so I might as well spend my time learning. I know, big nerd alert here!
The kids are doing great in school this year! All the teachers are fantastic, and each child is excelling and having fun. It's just life as usual, and not as traumatic as I thought it would be with them having to go to a couple hours of after-school care. They thrive in the environment. When we get home, we all just play outside or have some quality time together. They are AWESOME kids and I'm so glad to be their mama! They are the best cheerleaders too, and I've practiced a LOT of physical assessment skills on them ;). I told them not to worry though… I won't practice giving shots on them!
I miss running a lot and seeing my friends… definitely can't see friends as often, but they've all been very understanding. I've been able to squeeze in a run about 2 times a week, 3 if I'm lucky. But I feel out of shape from sitting in a lecture hall all day, and then exhausted from being on my feet for 8-12 hour clinical shifts, because I'm out of shape! ha! endless cycle… and next semester will be double the work, so I'm preparing for the worst. This too shall pass… sigh…
Of course not everything is totally perfect around here- the house is dusty, we eat trader joe's pizza a lot, laundry is done less frequently, etc, etc… but it's okay. We've had some highs and lows (lost a dear friend to cancer) this semester, and through it all, we've been sustained. We are very thankful. Now it's Christmas break and time to take some deep breaths. I hope you all are well and living life to the fullest- after all, we only have ONE!
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| the President giving a speech for the graduate school commencement |
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| Duke Chapel |
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| Duke provides beer/wine during orientation. Good move, Duke. |
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| after the professional schools' convocation |
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| random pic of the kids breaking rules on an early fall day (it's SO cold here now!!) |
Glad to see life is good for you guys! Hang in there! Hopefully you can get back into running after nursing school! At least you are fitting in a little bit of time for yourself!
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