just finished my first semester of college :3

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Claire Keane
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@poseidonskidddd
just finished my first semester of college :3
The first women to serve in the U.S. Navy were nurses, beginning with the “Sacred Twenty” appointed after Congress established the Navy Nurse Corps on May 13, 1908. Today, women serve in every rank from seaman recruit to admiral and in every job from aviator to diver. #WomensHistoryMonth
Tips : Studying
1. Make your own notes
If you find yourself struggling on a topic, you will find making your own notes is the best way to break down info in a format you can work with. Making your own individual notes is largely dependent on what kind of learner you are. Some people learn the best by making brain maps, some use flash cards, mnemonics, diagrams, color coding, etc. You do you boo.
Personally, I was the type that always had to hand write my notes. I couldn’t ever type it in the computer. I hated color coding. And I never found flash cards or mnemonics helpful despite people swearing by them. And that’s okay.
2. Organization is key
Always and forever. Dedicate a notebook, folder/binder for each class.
For every class that you take - also dedicate a separate folder in your computer files for it. I kept all my college files in a secured folder called - College (aptly named lol). And then I had 2 major categories. (CLASS and CLINICAL ROTATION). Save every document pertaining to that class/clinical rotation in their own folder. Trust me, when you need to go back to it, you will know where it is.
Speaking of computer files:
A. Always have a back up of all your files in a usb (on the the go) and an external hard drive (for home). Keep in routinely updated as you go on.
B. ALWAYS title your file to its contents. You will hate yourself if every document you saved is untitled or a jumble of letters like - ksnxjaika - because you were a lazy dumbass who just wanted it done. Then you will be stuck opening every single one until you give up and do it again. Not fun. Title your files!
Keep your handy pencil case at hand with at least - Pens (Black, Blue, Red), that extra pen you don’t mind losing because a friend borrowed it and never gave it back, a mech pencil with extra compatible lead, white out, eraser, highlighter, sticky notes. Everything else is you need is at your discretion. Personally I love stationary and buy so much cute things because they’re so cute to look at. But, if the aesthetic is actually distracting you (as I legitimately found myself playing and admiring the cute things I got) then keep them out. Keep them at home. Use them for your planner not when you’re in class or something.
3. Planning - Planners are your best friends
Look, once you get thrown into the depths of nursing, planning needs to be a thing you just have to have. You don’t have to be anal and keep planning for every minute detail but I believe having a general game plan per day helps.
Planning is also largely up to you. My best friend lived on a daily to do list where she just wrote everything that needed to get done that day. That’s fine. I had a small blank note book that I transformed into a practical bullet journal of sorts. Broke down a whole week on 2 pages and updated it daily with my own to do list/ appointments/ case projects/ etc. No it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing as you see online. That’s fine too. It doesn’t have to be pretty as long as it is useful to you. And if you find making it pretty makes you happy, then go for it.
4. Make a conducive environment for studying
- Some people prefer getting cozy in a cafe. Some in the library. And some like me, need a quiet place for myself. I have my study corner in my room for that. I can work in a cafe but the noise gets to me. Plus I always end up people watching because I’m socially awkward like that so isn’t the best place for me to study. But hey find your happy place. Ps. DO NOT study in a messy room. You will find yourself distracted. I used to find myself procrastinating by telling myself - Omg my room is so messy. Gotta clean first right?? *Spends 2 hours cleaning a corner of the room*
- Room temperature if you can get it. Overly hot temp and cold temp is distracting and most likely make you fall asleep.
- Brightly lit room. Take advantage if natural sun light if you can. I used to study in front of the window so I got light and a nice breeze and when it was nice out.
- Music : Study music that has no lyrics/words. Not overly loud it drowns your thoughts. Or; if you’re like me, keep everything quiet. Noise distracts me. I was always sensitive to it so I invested money on some good old fashioned, hardy ear plugs.
- Hydration: Keep yourself from getting dehydrated. Drink water. Caffeine sounds great but limit it before you find yourself craving it daily that your day is complete shit without it. You can survive nursing school without becoming addicted. Yes. You can. One cup a day. You got this. I came from a region that is known for their coffee. I used to visit my grandmother, help her harvest coffee beans, dry them under the sun, grind them in our own personal heavy duty grinder, and pack them for her and all her 9 children and their families.My family are renowned coffee snobs. It’s hard to avoid coffee but limit yourself lest you find yourself having palpitations in the middle of class like I did.
- Food: Have a snack. I don’t mean like a large meal that would spike your blood sugar and make you want to have a siesta. NO. I mean a light snack that keeps you from grumbling. A healthy one. My grandma used to boil purple yam for me to snack on all the time. I’d have it peeled and ready for me with some water. I kept it away from my sight though before I’d be tempted to snack and study non stop. Also avoid snacks with some a good aroma that it makes your mouth water at the scent of it. If you want that snack, keep it in another room or place you won’t smell it. Lol.
5. Social Media is your ultimate distractor : Limit it
It’s usually your biggest distraction right? Before a study session, I used to place my phone on air plane mode, on silent, no vibrations and keep it hidden across the room. Out of sight, out of hearing, out of mind.
I had breaks every 15 mins for at least 5 mins. You’re studying to learn, not competing for a neural overload. I only checked my phone every 30 minutes. The rest I spent stetching, admiring outside, etc.
Exams: oh man. EXAMS. NCLEX. THE BIG ONE. Not only did I do all mentioned above but I personally deactivated by Fb account, logged off every social media account, and deleted said app. Yes. I was tempted to do App blocks but I was determined to keep myself in the zone. Everyone knew I was studying and could reach me via phone. Ill get the message eventually. But social media I blocked completely. This could be extreme for you so by all means app blocks work just as fine.
And those are some of my tips. I’ll come back when I remember other things. I hope this helps some of you. :D
Next semester I’ll be starting a CNA class, any tips??
what’s in my pencil case?
*Note that the color changes each session/semester because I color code the classes. This session they are blue, green, red, and orange.
Lihit Lab Pencilcase
Paper Mate Flair Pens - 4 colors + black
Muji Gel Pens [0.5mm] - 4 colors + black
Zebramildliners - 4 colors
Pentel R.S.V.P Fine - black
Pencils - Paper Mate Sharp write HB #2 - Mirado Black Warrior HB #2
Pentel Hi-Polymer Eraser
2GB USB
Tombow Mono Correction Tape
Small Post It
Pencil Sharpener
10 things I’ve learnt during my nursing degree
1) Talking about bodily fluids, bloody wounds and ‘how cool that procedure was’ is totally fine….but only with nursing students or medical peeps, big apologies to all my friends and family that I have put off eating over the last 3 years.
2) If in doubt, ask! Your mentor would much rather you ask ‘what they meant?/where that is?/how you do it?’ then ask you to do something and wonder why 20 minutes later you have achieved sweet nothing and have been nervously panicking away in the store cupboards. Also some situations will be time sensitive, and not all staff will recognise your ‘student’ status so if you get asked to grab something ASAP and you have no idea what that is - TELL THEM and let someone else go!
3) Before uni, you have many expectations of how much you will learn and what an amaze-balls nurse you will be with your vast amounts of learnt knowledge and skills. The truth is, 3 years in you’ve forgotten half the stuff you learnt in year 1, you’re cacking your pants at the thought of qualifying and kicking yourself for all those study naps you felt worthy of. Which leads me to….
4) “IT’S OKAY NOT TO KNOW EVERYTHING” I 100% guarantee every student has that ‘I’m going to be an awful nurse’ moment, heck knows I still do, and some shifts have left me in tears. But just remember, even as a newly qualified nurse, you are not suddenly left on your own, there are always people around to answer your questions and guide you.
5) Keep yourself healthy. Physically and Mentally. You cannot help others, if you cannot help yourself. This doesn’t mean coping alone if you are struggling, but it does mean recognising when you need some help. Reach out to loved-ones. This applies when you’re not on placement too, uni is stressful, money is stressful, personal life can be stressful, recognise this, adopt a healthy balance between work/social life. Eat well, be active, and laugh often.
6) Be prepared for shifts!! My essentials for a shift on placement;
- Pens x2 (I like the pens with 4 colour options to choose from, some ward paperwork requires using red ink for charting certain observations) - Pen light (For neuro obs) - Fob watch (You will quickly learn that nurses document everything, including the time, and the day you forget your fob watch you will realise what a godsend they are - plus they look pretty cool and come in funky colours/patterns) -Calculator; Drug calculations, fluid calculations, input/output, weight, etcetc numbers are everywhere in nursing and I’m yet to find a nurse who does not have or use a calculator during shifts. - Lip balm, because ward air conditioning sucks the life out of you and who wants chapped dry lips? -Hand moisturiser, hand-washing is essential, but without a good moisturiser you will fall victim to dry cracked and sore hands due to the billionth time you’ve washed /alcohol gelled them. -small notebook, endlessly useful, it’s okay to ask questions but sometimes it’s good to jot things down you don’t understand, and spend time researching yourself to see if you can answer the question first. Also any important info you need to pass on, door codes or general information you can keep close to hand - Just remember that any private/confidential data such as patient names etc needs to be disposed of in hospital confidential bins and shouldn’t be taken home or left around! -Water Bottle; Dehydration is a bitch, so drink when you can (and if you see a toilet and have a spare minute don’t hang around) - Dextrose/glucose tablets, this isn’t for everyone, but if you’re a bit funny like me and tend to drop your blood sugars at funny hours of the morning on a night-shift or when you’ve not eaten in a while the sugar boost can be useful, whether its a placebo effect or reality, when I’m getting a bit dizzy/nauseous I take one and find it helps (Just don’t overdo it)! - Food; Goes without saying really, prepare food the night/day before shifts, it may be the last thing on your mind when you’ve gotten back late and you’re tired but you will feel worse when you leave in the morning and realise you either a) have to spend money on buying lunch b)you have to go hungry on a 12.5 hour shift. Think nutritious, slow energy releasing and filling foods!
7) Sometimes you faint. In my case a few times, and its equally embarrassing every time it happens. The wards are use to it, they’ve seen it, you may get nurses that roll their eyes, but the majority will firstly check you’re okay, and secondly probably laugh at you- roll with it. But if you do feel faint, do not try and push through, tell someone, take yourself out the room or sit down out the way and wait till you feel better! Everyone will appreciate it much more if you take responsibility and sit out as opposed to dropping something/someone or knocking stuff over and falling on a patient!
8) You can learn a lot from people if you are respectful, kind and enthusiastic. This includes doctors, nurses, physios, healthcare assistants, ward clerks and sometimes cleaners. As a student you will do multiple placements in different places, and every placement is a fresh start, new ward, new team , new paperwork and you’ll have no clue where anything is. You are neither above or below someone, and although hierarchical thinking is still present (often with the older generations) there are things to learn everywhere and everyone deserve respect. Bare in mind some of the staff you encounter may be a lower band than you, but may well have worked on the same ward for 20+ years!
9) Nursing is a profession where you will constantly be learning and developing, it will push you to your limits; You will meet staff and patients and families that inspire you and intensify your love of caring, and unfortunately you’ll meet others that will make you feel small, and useless and the worst nurse in the world. It happens, and it will always be a possibility in a profession that evokes such emotions from people. All I can say is remember how it feels! Remember how that backhanded comment from a nurse shattered your confidence, or how being called “The student” 8 weeks into placement made you feel worthless, or how embarrassed you were when you asked a question and it was ignored (Or even worse, you were mocked). Some nurse dislike students, some don’t have the desire to teach and would rather just do it themselves and leave you following behind… but its always the good mentors and nurses that you will remember, the ones who go out of their way to teach you, get to know you and would rather let you go and watch something new or interesting, as opposed to making you do the odd jobs because its to busy and you are needed in the staffing numbers. Strive to be those nurses, be passionate, be interested, be helpful, and remember it is better to help someone progress than let them fall through the cracks.
10) There will be good days, there will be bad days, and some days you will have no clue what is going on or how you will ever qualify and pass your degree. Everyday is different, but nursing is a privilege like no other. You will be there during someones best and worst moments, you will hold many hands, and give many hugs, and cry many tears. Love is everywhere, but so is sadness, anger, fear and desperation. Not everyone will survive, and sometimes miracles do happen. Hold on to the things that keep your passion alive.
you can do this!
05.01.18 ♡ i drew the human heart and labeled it for my A&P lab class now i’m off the checking off my assignments on @emmastudies printables.
[01.16.19] lazy weekend vibes, planning & rewriting some microbiology notes
Cherry blossoms on the UW Quad | Seattle, WA | March 2017
Too some pictures of the cherry blossom at University of Washington! Spring is here!
I’m back. I guess.
10.2.16
12.31.16
Are you thinking of me too?
Are you lying awake at night? Do I crawl from the back of your mind? Do you find me in the melodies you hear? Am I present in your mind? Because you’re all that’s on mine.
I am. You do. I do. You are. I know.
Why do I still care?