Monday, April 30, 2012

Term III...SNOW?!?

Yes, it is in fact true...term III started with SNOW...and then rain, and now finally we have a little sun. After a nice and well deserved break after finals, school is definitely back in the swing...just 6 weeks until summer! But anyways, on the positive side, this questionable weather did not inhibit the student body from jumping into term III head first. 
 
Spring sports including men's and women's lacrosse and women's softball has been playing anyways, and intramural sports are off to a good start too! I am playing on an intramural softball team, and we have some games this week. Term III means no Wednesday classes, so I am hoping for some sun so all of the students can enjoy swimming in the fountain, some can jam, and music on the campus lawn. Everyone is taking new and exciting classes, including Fermenting Through the Ages, make your own beer, and nursing students like myself are in clinical again...this time MedSurg! So far I have met and seen many new things on site, as well as practiced and learned new techniques including IV administration and higher level patient assessment. Soon we will all be giving meds to our patients post surgery, and that will be a huge step for us as growing students. With only 6 short weeks, the time flies by and students are constantly busy trying to get everything done. All of the term III study abroad trips have left, and I reminisce that this time last year I was studying abroad in Ireland learning about a new culture and making lasting memories. This term, I have friends in Alaska, the Bahamas, India, France, England/Ireland, and Poland/Prague. With so many choices, I am wishing I was traveling too but I am enjoying my time on campus anyways.

As the term progresses, May Day's is quickly approaching...this years theme is Aztec, which should provide a unique decor for the dance and bbq/carnival the following day. Since I have never been to May Day's before, I am looking forward to enjoying this day and making a new on-campus memory with all of my friends. It provides a good opportunity to just relax and have fun outside so lets all hope for NO more snow! With that said, I am off to bed as I have clinical tomorrow and a new patient to care for. Next week I will post pictures of things going on around campus!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

Guess what time it is?! THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!
Just like the winter term, student association sponsors the final countdown on the Sunday night of finals week! All the students on campus head to the dining hall where we all get served breakfast by our professors, and they give us motivation to really focus in on our finals and do well! Finals week is always busy and stressful, so seeing our professors in a laid-back setting serving us food really makes it less worrisome. I have finals on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and I plan on driving back to NH on Wednesday after Anatomy and Physiology! I am excited for this second spring break, as EC does it differently by having two breaks; February and April!

Classes have officially come to an end! Today was my last day of clinical, and for me it was bittersweet. I have really gotten to know the residents on the long-term care ward, and I truly enjoyed my time there. By having this as my first clinical, I was able to gain skills that will be essential to success in my future as a nurse. It is sad to know that I will never see my patients again, however I am proud of myself for making it through clinical and doing so well, and I feel as though my clinical group had a very positive impact on the patients we worked with. Next term I am starting medsurg, which is suppose to be a very exciting clinical. I am looking forward to coming back to school after break to learn even more!

This week I presented my women in society blog to my class as my final project. The presentation went great and it appeared that the blog was a great success both in and out of class. I hope that you were all able to check it out. The other projects were especially well done too! I like to hear what other people decided to do for their projects, as Elmira College is filled with people with creative and unique ideas. I will definitely miss this class as I have learned a lot about people in the world as well as about myself. I am actually considering continuing to write the blog I used for my project, as I feel it is important to stay involved in issues involving women in today's world.

Break is just a few short days away, and campus is crazy with students working extra to finish up papers and projects. The studying has begun and the library is filling up fast! This upcoming week the library has extended hours which is always nice...that means late night study groups with the other nursing majors! It should be a busy week! I will post about the start of the new term when we arrive back from break! In the meantime, it is study time for me, as I will be in the library for all of the extended hours next week! Enjoy Easter!