I survived first quarter!

First quarter is officially over!! YAY. I survived. I will give you a rundown of what has been going on in classes.

A LOT of studying happened. With classes underway I was writing papers, studying for my hesi exams for my health assessment class, practicing my head to toe examination in my health assessment and finishing up my group presentation for health assessment. Since I had made several close friends I was able to form study groups which really helped me a lot!!!

The dreaded hesi wasn't to bad for me. The first time I took it I received an 88% and the second time I received  a 92%. Some of my classmates were not as luck as me and did not score very well. There is really no way to be 100% prepared for the tests. Luckily, our teacher handed out several packets of information in hopes to help us. The first test I reviewed all of the information that I had learned from class and then I studied the packet of questions that our teach had given us. The second test I asked other cohorts how to study. Most of their advice was to study the handout that had subjects that were asked on previous hesi's. I did this and also reviewed all the information that we had learned, I really focused on test and abnormals. That definitely helped me out. I felt more prepared and knew the answers. Although every one is different. Some of the other students I studied with did not feel prepared and did not do well.

All in all I had a good quarter. I stayed on top of my work and tried to do it a head of time. I studied my little but off.  I ended the quarter with an A in Topics of Professional Nursing and B in Health Assessment ( just one tenth of a point away from an A, sooo close).

Now I am on my two week break from school!! I really needed it.

                                          This is after our first hesi!

Picked up my 2nd quarter books!! Im excited for my next quarter.

Half way through first quarter

So I am finally half way through my first quarter! I really cannot believe how fast time is flying by. I am still getting use to classes and I am still trying to learn every ones name. I definitely feel more comfortable with my teachers and my classmates. This upcoming week is nurses week and there will be a lot of events going on at school with the students nurses association (SNA). I plan on joining in on a few activities to get service credits and social credits for my first quarter of participating in the SNA. All of my classes seem to be going really well!! I have been able to maintain an good GPA so far. I have a few papers and a project coming up in the next couple of weeks and I also have my first hesi midterm the first week of June.  I am not stressing to much on the next couple of weeks.  

For anyone who is interested in my study schedule or any tips that have worked for me so far...

- When you get your syllabus write all of the reading assignments, hw assignments , tests and quizzes down on a calendar. If you are working while you are in school, write it down onto the calendar . Plan your study time and plan your free time to relax!!!!

-Make sure you excel on the easy points. Doing your lab homework, being prepared for quizzes, do the hesi quiz questions. This may make or break your grade at the end of the semester!!!!

-If your have a project or a paper, do it weeks in advance. That way you do not have to cram it into one week. Usually projects tend to end up on the busiest weeks and you will feel stressed out.

- Study every single day. This has helped me tremendously!!! I usually have several chapters to read each week. I will read one chapter a day. When I am reading I make sure that I am understanding what I am reading. I then do the lab work book that goes with the chapters that I read. The lab book has quizzes and I try to answer them with out looking up the answer and then review which ones I missed an why I missed them. I then talk to my boyfriend, my parents, fellow classmates and my sister about what I learned from reading. THIS WAS KEY FOR ME.  I also made note cards for important lab values, bolded words/ concepts, and abnormal findings ( which I can review for my hesi midterm & final / nclex)

-Making friends to study with. I am not a study group kind of person, but I have found it helpful to get to class early and quiz other classmates on the information. Also, It helps when I am not understanding the information. I am able to ask for help.

-DO NOT procrastinate on anything. Get it done

-Do not miss class. Classes are usually once a week for three hours for the first semester. You WILL be lost. And DSN has a policy where you can only miss two days for school for the quarter/ class or you will fail.

- Take a break and have some time for yourself. What ever helps you relax, make sure you add it to your schedule or you will feel overwhelmed. Trust me, an hour break will do wonders!!!



The Student Nurse (TSN)

First quart - week 1&2

Alrighty! It has been two weeks since the beginning of school and I am just now starting to get in the swing of things. For the April 2014 start date there are two cohorts. They are split into two groups A and B. I am in group B, so I will tell you a about what has been going on for the group B classes. Both groups are taking the same classes with the same teachers, they are different days and times. I am pretty lucky that I have most of my classes in the middle of the day.

Monday: Health Assessment lecture. So far I am really liking this class. It is about basic health assessment, the same one that the nurse gives you when you go to the doctors office. We are currently learning about vital signs, how to document a health assessment, an over view of the physical examination and important instruments that you will need during the health assessment.

Tuesdays: Health Assessment lab. I really enjoy this class because it reminds of when I took my cna course. We are learning how to take basic vital signs. Next week we will be having a blood pressure check off. At the end of the course we have a health assessment check off.

Wednesday: Topics of Professional Nursing. In this class we discuss articles about the nursing profession. We also have to write several papers on different topics of nursing. I think this class will help you get ready for the Nursing research class which is in the second quarter.

My cohort is just beginning to feel familiar. Im starting to remember names and make friends! This is great because several of us ride the light rail together!! I am so glad that I was able to find someone to ride the light rail with, it makes the process so much easier.

I have decided that I want to join two of the school organizations, Student Nurse Association and Global Health Perspective. They have just set up meetings to attend through out the semester, I will give an update on how they are going later in a later post.

 So far I have been studying every free chance that I get. I basically go to school monday- wednesday and study before and after classes. Thursday-Sunday I work and study before and after work.

This is what we get in our nursing kit! I was so excited to finally get mine. Even-though we are given a stethoscope, I ordered one that is better in quality. 

The Student Nurse (TSN)

The weeks coming up to the first Quarter

It has been a while since my last post! So I will fill you in with all of the details from the week before. I have about one week before my first quarter of classes start!

I have finally received my  class schedule! I am so excited to start this new adventure. Luckily my class times are in the middle of the day. I have classes Monday - Wednesday, one class per day. I had already taken pathophysiology, which means that I do not have to take it this semester. YAY! It definitely frees up my schedule and makes this transition a lot smoother. I have thought a lot about whether I wanted to drive and park my car downtown or if I wanted to take the light rail and walk to school. I have officially decided that I will be taking the light rail, which is definitely new. I rarely take the light rail, so I did a test run on the way to my orientation. It was so easy and the walk was not bad at all! During orientation the staff mentioned that a new (FREE) bus stop was going to be put in near the school which will take you back and forth from the light rail. It should be up and running this summer. This is exciting news because I was dreading the winter time and walking in the snow.

I had my orientation yesterday! It was interesting to see all the other new students and hear about their backgrounds. I was lucky and sat next to a few girls who were in my cohort and in my lab group! When we checked in at orientation we were given two pairs of scrubs! SOO EXITED, this is starting to feel so real! We also were given a flash drive and a packet of paper with a lot of information. As orientation proceeded we were introduced to all of the faculty and the different departments in the school. We received a tutorial now how to use our email, jupiter grades ( which will be turning into blackboard soon), and the school website. Next, we were given more information about our schedules. The BSN completion program was split into two cohorts, Group A and Group B. Each cohort had a different schedule of classes. I was assigned to Group B! So Group B will be my school family through out the next 21 months. The groups were broken down into 4 smaller groups for labs, I was assigned to the 4th Group.  After we talked about our class schedules we got a tour to the lab! We met our teacher for our health assessment class. She gave us home work that is due on our first day of lecture and the first day of lab. After we talked with our health assesment teacher we were given a DSN t-shirt and backpack which had all of our books in them!
I have one more week before I start my classes. I am so excited to start this new academic adventure!!

TSN (The Student Nurse)

Help me pay for nursing school!

Hi Friends and Family!

As you may know, or not know, I have just been excepted into a Bachelors Nursing program at Denver School of Nursing. I hope this isn't too presumptuous, but I could really use some financial help. Although I have loans to cover my tuition, any sort of donation would be of great help!!! The money that I raise will go toward my past school loans and my current loans for the nursing degree.

  Please take a look at my page!

http://www.gofundme.com/7a46a0

Acceptance

Even though I have already signed for enrollment, it was great to get my acceptance letter in the mail. It made this experience more official! I am proud to have it hanging on my fridge!!!

Also, I am excited to be starting a new job. Currently I work as a personal care worker, but I have just accepted a cna position at a retirement community near my house. It is not my first job as a cna, but I am excited to start this new position. I begin my new hire orientation on March 17th, which is the same day that I will be getting my first quarter schedule for school! I can't wait!!! After orientation I have two weeks of training. I am so lucky that they will be working around my new student orientation for nursing school, which is March 27th. I have a busy month coming up!!

The Process

After graduation I took some class to get my gpa higher. And then the process began. I searched and searched for schools to apply. Unfortunately I was not qualified to apply to many of them due to mediocre gpa. This process was hard. I wanted to go to nursing school so bad, but I had kicked myself in the butt by not getting good grades. FINALLY I found a school, who had just received proper accreditation, that I could apply to. Just in time too! I had a week to turn in an application for a July start date. I quickly filled out my application along with all the necessary items that needed to be included and sent it in. Now the waiting begins...

Two weeks after turning in my application I was contacted by the Denver School of Nursing. (This was quicker that usual!) They stated that I had made it through the first part of the admissions process and asked if I was interested in moving to an April start date since there were available spots.  I couldn't believe it!! Not only did I make it past the first part of the admissions process, but now I was moving up to an earlier start date. Of course I said yes to an earlier start date!! 

A week later I was contacted by an admissions representative where I selected a date for an interview and a school tour! I couldn't be more happier. Let me tell you those THREE weeks were the longest weeks of my life. Finally the day came, I had my interview and tour. It was AWESOME!!!! I picked a date to take my entrance exam ( two days after my interview) and was given a book to study from.  The last part of my interview was the school tour!!!  

My next step in the process was taking an entrance exam, the dreaded HESI test. Luckily I had been studying for the test for a month. I WAS READY.

I used this book to help me study! It was a lot of help. It had several other entrance exam tests to study from.

Morning of the test:
I left early because I had to drive in Denver rush hour traffic. Once I got to school I waited in the lobby while other students arrived to take the test. After 20 minutes of waiting in the lobby the proctor came to take us to the computer lab. After almost 3 hours of test taking, I finished my test. I PASSED!!!! I had to get a 75% or higher on the english portion and math portion. I kicked butt with an 84% in both categories and passed with flying colors. After I printed out my test results I went back to my admissions rep to sign a document for enrollment. THIS WAS SOO EXCITING. My highlight of the day was sizing for my scrubs!!

I cant believe that I am FINALLY accepted in to a nursing school. It is so surreal. My next step is to have a meeting with financial aid to iron out all of the kinks. In a few weeks I will have more exciting news about school that I can't wait to share.


TSN ( The Student Nurse)