Bomb Drop :(

So just when you think something else in school can't go wrong it does. This has been one of the hardest emotional weeks of nursing school that I have had.

Clinical on Tuesday went great. We again got a lot accomplished. Lecture on Wednesday was same as usually.

Thursday on my way to clinical something deep in my gut was telling me something was wrong. It is so strange because at that time I wasn't consciously aware of it, but I look back on some of the abnormal things I did in the morning on the way to clinical and it is easy to see that deep down I knew something wasn't right. (For instance I checked my phone twice while on the way to clinical to see if anyone, specifically my professor, had called me...and I never do that while driving to clinical.)

Then once I got to clinical things were happening that were making me more consciously aware that something was wrong. First I was the first one to get there, there is always someone there before me. Second, one of the residents told me on my way in that she was surprised to see the students that day. Third, 10 seconds after I walked into the conference room the associate dean of the kirkof college of nursing walked in after me (this doesn't ever happen). When that happens you just know something isn't right.

A few more of the nursing student came and then the associate dean dropped the bomb. Our clinical instructors husband had died the previous night. He was killed in a car accident. Silence. Followed by more silence. Then sobs of sorrow.

You have to understand that our clinical group spends most of the day together coming up with ideas and plans to implement and provide education and assessment to the community at Mount Mercy Senior Apartment. The professor is included in this time. And she was awesome. She talked about her family a lot and was full of energy and spunk. It was so hard for us to imagine what she was going through. She was left behind with 3 young kids (the oldest 11 and the youngest 5). After we found the strength to stand we decided to go as a group and pick out some flowers because she had told us she loved to garden. If you find a chance to pray for her and her family please do.

I have include a link a news website if you would like to know more information. Just click on the title of this blog post.

A few little bumps in the road.

So a week or two has passed and I am starting to get into all the work associated with being in a capstone class (final nursing class). Things have been moving along pretty well with a couple bumps here and there. Our lecture classes have been interesting. In our semester class, as a group of nursing student who have been together through thick and thin and done assessments on half naked partners over the past two years, the professors of this class decide to give us an assigned seating chart. Who does that....oh yeah, elementary school teachers....NOT college professors. So to say the least this has been one bump I have had to overcome. I enjoy the people I sit by, but I'm a creature of habit and enjoyed my other seat just as much as well as the people I sat by then.

One thing that I think I am going to like this semester is that there are only 4 professors who team teach the course as opposed to 6 to 8 in previous semesters. I'm still a little stuck on the content of the class though, because it so far has not been your ordinary nursing content that you would think a nursing student should learn, however I am enjoying the community nursing aspect of the course.

My clinical rotation at Mount Mercy Senior Apartments has been going extremely well. Our group gets along very well with each other. And the professor rocks! We have been keeping very busy doing a couple client visits a week, promoting exercise and walks to the residents and doing wellness clinics. I have had the chance to meet some pretty cool people that live there and they seem pretty receptive to the nursing students. We are also preparing to do a health presentation to a large group of the residents on a specific health concern of that community and then do a professional presentation to other nursing students and professors.

Also I shouldn't forget to mention the massive paper we have to write this semester. I'll probably be complaining about it in later posts....just a heads up, but we have to write about an objective of the Health People 2020 initiative, which I will talk more about later. Anyway keep checking in, I'm going to try to be better at posting at least once a week this semester! Thanks for reading!

Graduated...wait, wait....what?

I had a much needed break from nursing school and all things nursing these past two weeks, which is the reason that I haven't posted anything for while. Well I guess I shouldn't say a break from all things nursing because during the middle of the break I graduated! Grand Valley does not have a graduation commencement ceremony after the spring/summer semester so we could choose to walk early, which I did! But I haven't really technically graduated yet because I still have to finish the spring/summer semester. Then the nursing college has it own special pinning ceremony for the graduates. Commencement was interesting, it was rather long considering they had to go through about 1,200 students, however they read through the names pretty quick. The nursing students were the last to get their diploma 'holders' but I got to spend my 5 seconds on stage shaking hands.

Today we started our last and final semester. Hip-Hip-Hooray! I start with having 6 weeks of my community health rotation which is at Mount Mercy Apartments which serves an older population community. We are there on Tuesdays and Thursdays and have classes at Grand Valley on Wednesdays. The clinical professor seems really nice and invested in the place. I was sort of worried that it was going to be like my pysch rotation, but I'm pretty sure it is going to be okay and that I'll survive. Today we did the usual introductions, went over the course syllabus, and had a tour of the building. Then we started the first assignment called the Windshield assignment where we had to drive out around the community and observe the population and the resources they can use.

So close, but still so far.

So this week was pretty average so I'm trying hard to think of something fun to write about. Hmm, lets see...well I guess that I can tell you that on monday and tuesday we talked about chronic renal failure which is a pretty interesting topic since when people have this there is so much else that happens to there other body systems. Wednesday was the last day that we had in the progressive care/burn unit at Spectrum. We brought in a bunch of goodies for the nurses and techs because they we all so awesome! The patient that I had needed to have a dressing change and my nurse let me do it all by myself (with her supervision of course). I'm not sure if I mentioned this in a previous post or not but next semester I have my community health rotation at Mount Mercy senior apartment center and then I have my leadership rotation in the PICU (pediatric intensive care) which I am really excited about. But not too much more is going on besides that. The semester is wrapping up. I have one group debate project in my death and dying class and then an online final and that class will be done, and for my regular nurisng course we have one week left of lecture material and then the exam. Oh, I graduate on April 30! This is exciting, however, it is sort of bitter-sweet because on one hand I get to graduate and then on the other I still have to finish the spring/summer semester of school. Being done is so close, but the same time is still a couple of months away and I hear that this last semester is one of the hardest.

Relay for Life!

So for the majority of this post I am going to write about Relay for Life because that was the main event this week, however I'll quick fill you in on the first part of the week. Monday was seminar and theory class. In seminar we had a chiropractor and a massage therapist come talk to us. In theory class on both Monday and Tuesday we talked about brain injuries and CVA's. This past Wednesday and Thursday were are last two normal days at clinical in on the progressive care and burn unit. I had a great patient, one that I had couple of weeks ago, but a sad story. This coming week on Wednesday will be our last day there. Oh, and on Tuesday we had a blood drive and a bone marrow registry donor sign up - both of which I did! This was the 19th time I have given blood with MI Blood!

So Relay for Life was Friday from 6pm to Saturday morning at 6am. Thank you so very much to all the people that helped me reach my fund raising goal for this event. I was able to meet and surpass my goal. Relay for Life is an event were a number of people gather donations in support of finding a cure for cancer and remembering those who have died from cancer, are battling cancer, or are survivors of cancer. Throughout the whole time from 6 to 6 people are walking around the track also showing support. This event was super cool because its a bunch of college aged people all gathering together in support of Relay for life, to remember, to celebrate, and to fight back. I met a number of cool nursing friends from different classes, so that was cool! I got at the event at 6pm to see the openining ceremony which was about celebrating the survivors. They had the cancer survivors walk around the track with a caregiver and everyone else stood around the track and clapped and hooted and hollered as they walked past. It was so touching to see how much this simple act of supporting the survivors was affecting them in that moment!

Later in the night they also had a luminaria ceremony where the track is lined with white backs that students and participants have decorated with the names of people, in honor of or in memory of, that have faced cancer. They put a little light in the bag and turn off all the lights so it is pitch dark, except for the lighted bags. Then everyone walks around the track in complete silence. There were so many people and the track was so full it was hard to even walk, but this was such a deep and moving part of relay.

They also had other stuff going on through the night. Big inflatable games and obstacle courses, fear factor, minute to win it, cardboard box car competition (which the GV student nurses won!), and the Mr. Relay competition! I have added some pictures from Relay for Life this year and I hope that you enjoy looking at them! As a team Grand Valley State University raised more than $80,000 for Relay for Life!!!

Please and Thank you!

An update on the past week- here we go!

Monday we had our second exam. I didn't get to study for it as much as I would have liked to because I got mandated at work so I had to stay and work the night shift (16 hours in a row is not fun at all). So I go in to take the test, I'm feeling pretty good, and the first two pages I feel like I am guessing answers from thin air. Lets just say the test was pretty challenging but I must have had God on my side helping me get through it because I did okay, not as well as I would have liked, but decent.

Tuesday we didn't have seminar so I was able to sleep in, which was much needed after such a challenging test and a long weekend of studying. We did have theory though, and I can't really remember what we talked about...oh wait it was chronic disease related to the liver and the pancreas. (seriously it took me a good five minutes to remember that!)

Wednesday and Thursday we had clinical. Just a reminder, I am on the Progressive care/ burn unit. Interesting two days. Wednesday I got to watch a burn dressing change which was very intense but very cool at the same time. The patient that I had these two days was interesting as well mostly because he was very demanding. Please, please remember that when you get older a please or a thank you will go a long way. I mean you should do it now, but if you're ever in the hospital and the nurse hears those words they will love you!

This coming week is going to be fun. I'm giving blood on Tuesday and also signing up for the bone marrow donor registry and Friday is our Relay for Life event!

A Busy Week...but a good one.

This week has been quite jammed packed with events, but it has really been a great week. On Monday I had a scheduled LEI (longitudinal elderly initiative) visit. When I got to his house (which is a long 45 minute drive) he had forgotten that we were meeting today. Fortunately he was not busy and still let me visit. Then for seminar we went to Gilda's Club. Let me just say that this is one awesome place. You walk in and right away you get this home and peaceful feeling. Gilda's Club is like this house that has been transformed into a beautiful place were people with cancer, those who have had cancer, or those who have loved one with cancer can come for classes, programming, and support groups. The had three people come in and tell us their cancer journey and how Gilda's Club has had an impact on their lives. It was extremely emotional and cool to see how such a simple place had such a huge impact. After Gilda's club we went to back to class and had a lecture on chronic blood disorders. This is a picture of the Gilda's Club in Grand Rapids:

Tuesday we had a lecture on the child with cancer which was very informative but also cram packed and fast. I like learning a lot of information but I find it hard to learn when you have to focus so hard on being able to fill the blanks in on your notes before the professor turns the powerpoint slide, that you can't really listen to what they are saying. Then after that class, for my death and dying class we went and visited Faith Hospice at Trillum Woods. (Yeah this week was filled with field trips!). This place was also very cool. We heard from three of the staff - a chaplain, a nurse, and a social worker. It was encouraging to hear how they find so much passion in their job and how they don't find it depressing at all. I mean you think that being with people who die isn't very much fun, but they each explained that they get so much joy from being a part of helping people LIVE they way they want for the last months and days of their life.

Wednesday and Thursday I had clinical at the hospital. It was interesting that after all the talk in class lately I had a patient that had just been diagnosed with cancer. Anyway my patient was quite the character. My patient was really fun to work with and had a lot of life stories to tell. I got to do my first PICC line dressing change. A PICC line is sort of like and IV on steroids. Its put into a vein that is larger and closer to the heart. This allows for quick effects of medication and also you don't have to poke them every day to get blood, you can just hook up the tube to the lumen and blood will flow out which it nice for the nurse and the patient.

This week I also registered for my last semester of classes until I graduate! That was a good feeling, and I also found out that for my leadership (which is a clinical rotation in which you follow around a certain nurse for a large amount of hours is a specific area) I will be in the PICU which is the pediatric intensive care unit, which I am very excited about!