Shifting My Paradigm.

I am a nursing student at California Baptist University. This blog chronicles my journey through the Nursing program.

[nurses-rock-blog]

Keep moving forward!

If you have ever seen Meet the Robinsons, then you know what I'm talking about. Constant momentum, using mistakes to learn rather than mope over them, keeping in a forward motion is crucial right now.

"Keep moving forward!" That statement has started to become my mantra. As it gets closer and closer to finals week I start to panic more and more, AND procrastinate more and more, which is not good. The only way I'm going to keep my head above water is to keep moving forward. And stop procrastinating.

As I keep moving forward right through the end of this semester and into the summer, I have few goals that I hope to accomplish in the short FOUR WHOLE MONTHS we get of summer vacation. (Can you tell how excited I am for my four-month summer vacation?)

Side note:Summer is my favorite season, mostly because I love warm weather. Most people think that California summers mean perfect weather, and perfect beach days, like this:

  Actually, California summers are more like this: 

BLAZING SUN AND HEAT EVERYWHERE

Luckily, just like my collection of succulents (gardening-nerd, right here!), I L-O-V-E the heat. 

End side note.

Moving forward into the most glorious season of the year, my goal is to review my fundamentals and physical assessment so that I don't forget all of the things I have spent so much time learning this semester. We'll see how this goes, since realistically, I am quite lazy. I have high hopes for myself though. 

Another thing that will help me stay on-top of things for next semester is the job I'll have over the summer. Working in an OB/GYN office, staying in the medical field, will help me keep my terminologies and patient-education skills sharp. hopefully.

Prayers are appreciated. Because four months is just enough time to not get anything done.

[nurses-rock-blog]

Escaping Fire

I watched the program on CNN titled Escape Fire. It was about America's healthcare system and all of its many problems. One of the people in the program described our health-care system as a disease-care system because, if we are completely honest, we want people to get chronic diseases so we can keep them coming back for more visits and therefore more money. 

I think this is a great description of our healthcare system. People's diseases are only managed, there is no real health-care happening. Only sick-care. Prevention needs to be happening more if we want to have a productive and healthy population. There needs to be more education about how to stay healthy. 

Nutrition. Exercise. Stress management. Adequate sleep.

These are all things that are vitally important to maintain a healthy body and attitude. Focusing on education the future of America will help our future adults be in better shape than their parents are.

As a future nurse, I think it will be important for me to asses my patients' knowledge of nutrition, exercise, etc. so that I can help them and educate them. I am a patient advocate, so I need to advocate for my patient's health knowledge.

[nurses-rock-blog]

So Far, So Good.

Up to this point, nursing school has been a success for me. I really feel like I am where I am supposed to be. The concepts, the skills, the information all just seem to click with me. I know that it's just the beginning, and there are still many more semesters, many more tests, and many, many more weeks of lecture to come. But I know I can do this. 

Jeremiah 29:11 God knows His plan for me already, and I don't think He would make me feel this inspired and driven towards a goal if it wasn't what He wanted me to do, if He didn't want me to succeed. 

With all the chaos that is happening right now with Christopher Dorner, I cant help but think of all the nurses who are taking care of the people that Dorner has shot. Their knowledge of their profession and their actions are crucial to those peoples' lives. Nursing is a profession that touches everyone's lives. I truly don't know how God is going to use my future as a nurse. I pray that He will use me to save lives and change lives.

[nurses-rock-blog]

Planning makes perfect, not practice, though practice does help.

So far so good! Or at least that's what I keep telling myself. Even though the work load is already piling up, I know I am going to be able to succeed. I know I am going to be successful because I know how to manage my time. When there is a very large amount of information to understand and memorize in a week it is insanely important to know how to manage your time.

One of my professions said nursing school is like trying to drink out of a fire hose... ALL OF THE INFORMATION COMING OUT AT YOU FASTER THAN YOU CAN HANDLE. That's why it is important to be able to manage you time. :)

Image from Simpleprogrammer.com

There are a few things that I think contribute to managing time wisely;

Staying organized

Having priorities

Knowing your limits

Staying organized is super important because if you are constantly looking for notes or trying to figure out what is due when, you start to get a bad habit of wasting time! And time is precious! Seriously though, it is.

Having priorities is also something that needs to resonate. I know what is the most important task or goal and I have check list of assignments that I use to keep me on track.

There are things other than assignments that need to be a priority too! Even though it seems like school should be the only thing you spend time on, you still need to give yourself some time to chill out and get a handle on my life and my sanity. Relationships are a priority too! I can't just forget about my family, my boyfriend, or my friends. It's important to continue to have fun and hang out with people so you don't start drowning in school and stress.

Knowing your limits is ridiculously important! There have been so many times already (I'm only in my second week!) when I find myself rereading a page several times just because I can't seem to concentrate at all. That's when I know I have reached my limit and it's time to take a break. Know what your limits are and don't be afraid to take a breather to be able to re-focus. In the end you will be using your time much more wisely and efficiently.