Term II...70 Degrees and Sun!

Could this really be Term II...70 degrees and sun for the past TWO DAYS?! Why yes, it is in fact the middle of Term II, and more importantly, the middle of MARCH! But I am not complaining, and neither is the rest of the student body. The past two days have been filled with sunbathers, homework outside on blankets, and yes, even some classes held outside! I have taken a slight break from my busy schedule to enjoy the lovely weather we are having here in Elmira and ate dinner outside sitting on the campus center walls yesterday. An absolute treat after a pathetic winter. But, shortly after I was back to work because Term II is still going, and is busier than ever!

In nursing, we are at clinic and giving meds this week. After practicing injections, pills, ointments and various other medication administration, the time has come to put what we have learned to work. I am anxiously awaiting my first injection and I am excited to further my understanding of the process of giving meds. This is the first step to mastering nursing, so this week will prove to be exciting. I have been working with the same patient now for a few days and I very much enjoy being around her. This past weekend I went to the hospital and played Bingo with the residents, which they enjoyed very much! I also had a good time, as my partner and I won twice! We are busy working on care plans and getting ready for the final stretch. I am enjoying nursing very much, and am definitely happy I picked nursing as my major at EC.

Anatomy is continuing on...just got our test results back, and I am pleased to say that sacrificing my Saturday to study was well worth it. This week we are doing digestive physiology, a unit that I am enjoying thus far. Next week we will be continuing on, and I am sure that unit will be just as interesting.

My other classes are busy as well, and my Women Studies class is still as intriguing as ever. Like last week, I will post the link so that incoming students can see what current students are learning about and working on. Interested in my Women Studies project, check it out at http://womenreppinwomen.tumblr.com/. A blog focusing on issues involving women, and what women are doing about them! Each week I post, and I will be posting next within a few days! I am looking forward to seeing my final product, and hopefully this blog can raise awareness for women all around.

It sounds like a lot of schoolwork and studying this past week, but I was able to find some fun in my busy life. Orchesis is having its Term II show which I will be in next week, so this week, although it makes me life more busy, we have tech week which is lots and lots of dancing. Good thing I like to dance! This past weekend I enjoyed some typical college fun... okay, maybe not so typical, but still fun! Refer to the picture below for how college students like to spend their free time. Anyways, now it is back to real work! Next week will be Orchesis, so I will have pictures soon!

Second Half of Term II...Bring It!

The second half of Term II is rapidly taking off, and classes are busier than ever! But, many exciting things are happening too! Scheduling for Term III is already approaching, and with that begins the room selection process for next year, and the anxiously awaited lotto numbers to pick with. My roommate and I plan on staying together in a double, and are hoping for good lotto numbers as we would like to live in Meier Hall, the newest dorm on campus (resembles Hogwarts I think!). Once we get our numbers we will be able to better choose. Also exciting is that Elmira just announced that they have found a new interim president for the upcoming academic year. Although I have not personally met him, everyone seems to have excellent things to say about him. As much as the student body will be sad to see Dr. Meier go, I am sure all of the students are eagerly looking forward to meeting and getting to know our potential new president. With all that said, Term II is taking off so here's what is going on in class.

A&P is continuing to be a challenge, and this week we are doing a urine test. Should be exciting after watching our classmates drink various liquids and assessing the time it takes for them to urinate. Typical nursing stuff I guess. We are doing the digestive, lymphatic, and finishing the respiratory system for our test MONDAY! Should probably get studying...

This week in nursing we are taking our meds skill test which is essential to pass because as nurses, we will be giving meds to patients and need to be fully prepared to not make any mistakes, potentially costing us a life or a job. So this week my focus is on meds, meds, and meds.

My other classes are going smoothy and are busy. I would like to bring up my women's studies class and my project that I am currently working on, as I am excited to get the word out. For my project, I have decided to create a blog, as previously mentioned. This blog will highlight issues, events, and topics key to feminism and women. I have done three postings so far and will continue to post each week. The blog includes stories about my life, class discussions, and current issues relevant to feminism. I hope that you can all check it out and see some a project for an actual class, as maybe you are interested in taking a women's studies class for fun, or even might want to major in it. The link is below, and each week I will post the link again!

http://womenreppinwomen.tumblr.com/ <---- CHECK IT OUT! THIS IS MY PROJECT!

Anyways, back to studying, homework, and unfortunately laundry.
Term II is finishing up, and I need to keep my head in the game to finish strong.

Midterm Week....LET'S GO!

Midterm week is finally here! AHHH...No, just kidding, I am not screaming...yet.
But in all seriousness, midterm week is a busy one, especially if you are a nursing major.
But on the plus side, last week was really exciting! Clinical was so exciting and meeting my patient was so nice! It is great to finally be working with patients and practicing all of the skills I had worked on in the past weeks. I got to take vitals and help my patient prepare for his day. I also got to work as a team with my peers to get patients ready quicker and solve problems that arise while we are working. Clinical this week will be exciting too as I will have a new patient and get to practice other skills specific to this new patient. As time goes on, I am sure I will be able to work extremely efficiently and will get to know my patients even better.

Anatomy is busier than ever this week, with a lab practical on Wednesday and a huge midterm on Friday. So, let the flashcard studying commence. In my other classes I am busy studying for those midterms as well, and I have finally gotten my project blog for Women in Society up and running. After I add a few more posts, I will be sure to post it so prospective students can see exactly what we are discussing and learning about in this class.

On a positive note, break is right around the corner and I can that all of the students, including myself, are extremely excited about it. This weekend provided some fun for everyone because it was Athletic Alumni Weekend and all of the alumni came back to spend time with friends and play in sport games. I had a friend come and visit and we went ice skating with nursing club...and shockingly, I did not fall! I was rather impressed with myself considering I may not be the most graceful human ever...

Anyways, Valentine's Day is tomorrow so campus should be buzzing with cute couples and miserable singles, so it should provide for an interesting day. I have clinical, so I will be busy all day! But I already received some beautiful roses, gifts from my roommate, and packages in the mail, so this week might not be to stressful after all! Off to study!

Tapping Away the Term!

This weekend was the Elmira College Tap Ensemble Show and it was, without any question, the best show to date! We had the biggest turnout we have ever had, and the support from our peers and families was amazing! All of the tappers tapped their hearts out, and as I look at the date today, I realize just how quickly this term and this year are flying by! However, I have made some amazing memories so far, and I am sure the fun will continue and the memories will grow! My mom and her friend drove from NH to come see the show, and I got to spend some time with them which is always nice! After two tap shows this weekend, I participated in Relay for Life here on campus. Relay for Life is a nightlong event where students walk and raise money for cancer. This year, Relay has a new meaning to me because for the first time in my entire life, cancer really effects someone that is really important to me. I am really happy that after two tap shows, Tap Ensemble did a wonderful job walking and supporting each other as a team, and I could not be any luckier to be a part of such a caring and fun group of people. Needless to say, I Relay this year for the four people in my life who will never give up fighting.

Some of EC Tap in our new jackets! (Purple, of course!)

Kaylynn and me in one of my costume ideas to the dance I choreographed!

One of my best friends ever, Steph, walking at Relay!

Tap Costume!

EC Tap Relay Team!

After this weekend, classes started right back up and the studying commenced. This week is exciting because as a nursing major, I will begin my first clinical experience in the hospital with patients! I am a little nervous, but tomorrow is the big day, so I am going to do my best and get acclimated to my home for the next 50years...the hospital! In Anatomy, we are busy getting ready for a lab practical and midterm next week...not excited about it, but it will be good to finish these units and move on. Next week will be busy, but in the end, completely worth it! I have been busy working on my new blog for Women in Society, and as soon as it is up and running, I will post the link for all to see. It is always helpful to see a real class project to understand what a class is really like! I am enjoying learning new things that do not exactly have to do with nursing because I feel like it allows me to further see the world in a way other than through a nursing mind. This term will continue to be busy, but next week I will give a full update on all of the things I have been able to learn in the hospital! Now...time for Encore!

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!

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!

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!