Monday, January 30, 2012

The Reality of Term II

It has finally sank in with me that it really is Term II of my sophomore year here at EC, and now that it has hit me, I realize just how much I really am learning and how busy I am. For example, lets review my last week here on campus...busiest week I have had so far at EC!

In my nursing class we are getting closer and closer to attending clinicals, so this past week we practiced some essential skills including bathing, dressing, feeding, etc. We also had 2 quizzes and a skills test, which I did great on! Skills tests are where you put what you learn into effect and practice on your peers. My skills test involved range of motion on my patient, feeding, brushing dentures, putting on stockings, and other skills I will soon be practicing in clinical. It is exciting to realize that in just one more week I will be in the hospital with real patients!

In health assessment, we had a quiz as well and then practiced up on our assessment skills. It seemed to go really well, and I will soon be able to practice these techniques in real life in clinical. This week we did head, nose and throat, where we got to see all of our peers tonsils, look up their noses, and check out their pupils. This week we will be continuing down the body and practicing more skills.

Lab for A&P was REALLY EXCITING! We first began by dissecting and understanding the hearts of deers, some with attached lungs and trachea. It was so much easier to understand how the heart works when there is a real model to use. Despite the horrific and sickening smell, I was able to get a better understanding of how a human heart works. We also dissected our cats again to identify major veins and arteries in the body. By using a cat as an example, it is easy to apply the knowledge gained in lab onto a person, and I now have a clearer comprehension of veins and arteries.

Tap auditions were this past Friday, and tech week has officially begun and is filled with lots of dance, costumes, and routines to memorize. My family will be coming this weekend, and with 9 different numbers in just this one show, they will be seeing A LOT of me! Pictures will be coming next week, costumes and all!

To relax this weekend, I went to the hockey game with my friend, and that proved to be a good game to go to...lots of fighting! It was close, but I am pretty sure EC lost. But either way, I had a good time just relaxing and unwinding before this week began. With tech for tap every night for 3 hours, two quizzes, a paper, classes, tap show Friday and Saturday, and Relay for Life, it is going to be another busy but exciting week! Pictures soon to come of all the excitement on the EC campus!

Kaylynn and I at the hockey game!


Monday, January 23, 2012

Busy, Busy Term II!

Term II is busier then ever, but it is also more exciting then any other term so far!
As a nursing major, I have officially began my first clinical class and it is flying by fast. Last week we learned vital signs, and had to complete a full set between 3-5minutes! I successfully accomplished this after practicing vitals on my roommates (one of the "perks" of rooming with a nursing major)! We also learned all about mobility and positioning patients, which we will be tested on this upcoming week! It is exciting to be practicing and learning all of these techniques, because in just a few weeks, I will be in clinical with real patients and will get to use all of my skills!
I am even wearing my purple and white scrubs, just one step closer to being an actual nurse!

As for anatomy and physiology, this week we are learning about the heart! In lab on wednesday, we will be looking at real hearts of deer, cow, and bear. It will be really exciting to be able to understand how the heart works by recognizing the important parts of the heart on real models. Elmira is lucky when it comes to labs because we are able to have many resources to use to understand the various parts of the body!

For my Women in Society class, we have been focusing recently on personal activism projects that highlight issues related to women. For my project, I am going to design a blog that will be highly weekly issues regarding current events that involve women in society. Once the blog is up and running and is made aware to the current campus via facebook and flyers, I will be able to post the link here so prospective students can see some of the projects students are working on and fully understand what we learn about in Women in Society! It is always helpful to see an example of what we discuss in this class to fully understand it, and with my personal activism project, I will be able to provide this!

This term is proving to be exciting and extremely busy, but by managing my time, I am able to really focus and get all of my work completed! This coming weekend, Tap Ensemble begins auditions and tech week for our upcoming show! It should be just as much fun as last year, and with new songs and dances, will provide the audience with a show they won't forget! There will be lots of pictures to come!

Back to studying, as this week is proving to be filled with the most work so far!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Back Into the Swing of Things: Term II

Term II is in full swing and thus has begun my busiest term EVER!
Let me explain about all of the exciting things going on!

Nursing is slowly taking over my life, but luckily for me, I am finally beginning actual nursing activities. This week I learned how to take vital signs...and I am actually mastering these skills quickly. Nursing is exciting and I have officially put on my purple scrubs and began my clinical class. Soon I will be working with patients and beginning long-term care! I am eagerly awaiting meeting my patients and actually starting to begin one-on-one care! As nursing progresses, I will keep you posted about all of the exciting things I am learning.

In Health Assessment, we are learning to take health histories of patients, an important skill to master to be an excellent nurse. Health Assessment teaches nurses all of the essential skills necessary to assess a patient. I am looking forward to having a vast amount of nursing skills to use on my patients.

Anatomy part II is living up to its expectations of hard work and lots of studying. However, this term we are learning a lot of new things. We have started with information about blood and blood types, and even was able to do a lab about identifying blood type. All of the information I am learning in A&P is proving to be important to the understanding and treatment of patients, especially in emergency situations.

On a more exciting and less academic note, I am excited to be reunited with all of my friends and enjoy the social aspect of being back at school. This past weekend, we all went bowling and out to dinner to relieve stress. It is nice to take a break from schoolwork and just have a good time. I also have been busy this past weekend with dance and costumes for our upcoming tap show! My family and friends are driving from NH to see me perform, and I am looking forward to a fun-filled weekend!


Time for homework and nursing vital sign practice!


My best friend Megan and I, at the bowling alley!


My roommate Taryn and me at the bowling alley!