The Last Semester of Nursing School

Believe it or not, four years of nursing school is almost over!  I am starting my eighth and final semester.

Last Semester
I had a rough time last semester.  I was almost failing my research course and I didn't realize it until after the midterm because the first paper wasn't marked until after the midterm.  When I found out, I was shocked and horrified.  Apparently I didn't understand the requirements of the first paper and had done it wrong.
I should have learned from my mistake in Pathophysiology (where I got zero on a paper for using the wrong kind of article), but apparently old habits die hard.

Well, I worked VERY hard after that rude awakening.  I worried to no end and studied as hard as I could.  My teacher received regular visits from me so I could make sure I was doing the final paper properly, and I did all the practice tests that I could get my hands on.

My hard work eventually paid off and I finished the course with a tidy B-.  Somehow my obsessive studying passed over to the other course as well and I got an A+ in the other course.  That's my first A+ in the nursing program.  I was so delighted.

Getting Fat
The downside of obsessive studying is that I probably sat and studied for hours at a time without moving much.  I may or may not have also soothed my worried with delicious snacks.  I managed to gain five pounds.  Oops.  So much for exercising and being healthy.

So of course the New Year is busy with trying to remedy a new problem, and I have been watching my Netflix shows while pedaling away on a stationary bike  :)  It is surprisingly satisfying to finish both exercising and catching up on shows at the same time.  I also enjoy writing the time I spent on exercising each day on the calendar.

The Preceptorship
So the final semester has finally begun.  My classmates and I have been assigned to different hospital wards and we each have a preceptor nurse.  We will be working with these nurses based on their normal nurse schedules and gradually learn to take on their full workload.  The goal is to practice being a real nurse with a real nurse schedule.

I did a shorter version of a preceptorship a few semesters back on an orthopedic (bone) ward.  This time I will be on a Medicine ward.

Other than working a normal nurse's schedule, we are going to be studying for the Registered Nurse licensing exam in June.

Positive Start
I am pretty excited about this semester.  My instructor seems pretty nice and I am looking forward to meeting my preceptor.  I will be working in a hospital that I have never worked in before, so I'm excited about that too.

I hope you will all have a lovely weekend.

Take care!