Warning – Several of these posts did not get up on the site, so it may be flooded as I put them up now.
August 27 & 28
The first two days of classes are like they always are in college – full of information. Go over the syllabi, meet professors, find out what is expected of you. I am still a bit nervous about how classes are going to go. I don’t totally understand what they want from us as nursing students as it is distinctly different than what a “normal” college student faces. We have one class that is an 8 credit class and encompasses lecture, lab and clinical. Our main focus in this first semester is health promotion. Their belief is that you cannot know sick if you don’t know what well is to try and get your client (I’m not sure what happened to the word patient) back to optimum health.
All our exams will be based on the NCLEX type questions. The NCLEX, for those who don’t know, is the national board test that must be taken after graduation. The NCLEX questions are not your typical read and regurgitate questions. They are all about application and a good part of the time the question may have 4 answers that could all be right, but one is the *best* answer for what you would do for your client. I understand the concept and there are many books that the recommend out there, but I’m not totally sure how they are going to give exams like this in our first semester from what I am seeing. I’m sure that will become clear more as the semester goes forward.
My first nursing class, one of the instructors came over to introduce herself to me. I knew this instructor because her mother had been at the nursing home where I took my CNA class a year ago. Her mother passed away while we were there. When she introduced herself, I told her that I remembered her from being there. She went on to tell me about her mother’s death. I said, “I remember. It was while we were there. I wanted to send you a sympathy card, but was having a hard time doing it because I had just lost my Mom.” She and I went on to laugh about her mother. Her mother would tell anyone who would listen about her daughter who was a nursing professor at UK. She said that she had come across some of her mother’s things last week and how hard that was. I told her I understood and told her that I had a part of my mom with me that day. I had taken the pin that Mom received when she graduated nursing school. I had it in my pocket. I wanted to take Mom with me for my first day of nursing school. I so wish she could see what I’m doing now and I wish I could talk to her about it. Anyway, the professor got very excited and wanted to see it. I showed her and the next thing I knew I had the Dean of the College of Nursing there asking me about my mom, the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Nursing looking at the pin and everyone understanding how I was feeling. It was a wonderful few moments that I will take through nursing school. And it made me feel like Mom was there with me.
I’m now ready to “get on with it”. I’m still excited. My classmates seem to be smart and mature and I’m excited to get to know them. I had some serious concerns after orientation that I might have issues being so much older than the other students. I was also worried that the maturity level wouldn’t be there and that would frustrate me. This doesn’t look like it will be the case. I feel that I finally found where I am supposed to be.
