Finals week coming up

The dreaded finals week is coming. That essentially equals to no sleep, no socializing unless the people your are socializing with are your classmates. In that case, your socializing will be done in the library, my favorite spot on campus. Yes, you will usually find me in there, with my Starbucks iced Carmel coffee, or skinny iced vanilla coffee at hand; my books and notes sprawled in front of me, and my loyal study buddy by my side.

What would i do without my study buddy? She keeps me in check. Actually, we keep each other in check. Once in a while, i have my bad days where I'm in no mood to study. Oh yes, she will give me a long speech, and kindly remind me of the amount of loans i have taken on for this program. And that essentially, will "scare the hell out of me", and there i go running towards the library door with her behind me. I call her my motivation, or more like my reminder. Don't get me wrong, i absolutely love anesthesia. But this program is intense and non stop. You will get exhausted, and having her around has helped.

Did i mention that my dating life went from minimal to nonexistent. She has even suggested that i start dating. But who has the time when you have exams every two weeks, and in between you have papers and projects to do.

Solution? Eharmony

I barely have time to fill that thing out. I barely have time to write on my blog. Blog entries take about 5 minutes for me to complete, max.

That questionnaire, please. Probably take at least 30 minutes. After spending 4 hours straight listening to one of my lectures online, i don't have that kind of patience to sit another 30-45 minutes filling out a questionnaire.

Do you guys have any suggestions?

or maybe, I'll fill it out during our break from school? that's a thought

Anyways, one of my classmates wants to get pregnant. Are you kidding me? This is not the time to have a baby. This program is very demanding, and not the time to think about getting pregnant. I'm not here to judge, but that decision should of been made pre CRNA program. How can one study for exams every 2 weeks with a screaming new born. Oh, but that's not the kicker, her husband lives in another state. So, essentially shes going to be on her own with a new baby, her husband is not done with school. So, whose going to watch the baby i kindly asked. She's going to move her mother in with her, her mom lives in another country.

Complicated, i say.

She asked for my advice, and i was honest enough to tell her it was a bad idea. She's concerned that she's 33. 33 is not old. By the time we graduate, she'll be 35-36. Still relatively young. But she's more like, "your not in my shoes your much younger then me. You wont be in your 30's when you graduate."

I don't know what to say. Pregnancy makes you so tired. I'm concerned she wont have the energy to study. And once the baby is here, she'll loose focus.

Anyways, peace out. I have to study now.

Semester one: almost over

Can someone say the countdown begins.
We have just a couple of weeks left until the semester is over. Where did the time go?
I was feeling so exhausted, and shameful too because i taught i was the only one. Alas, I'm not the only one who feels this way. Asked around, and my classmates are feeling exhausted too.
Summer semesters are tough because we have exams every week. It was like no brake for your brain, the ultimate brain workout. I tell you, in August, I'll be partying like crazy until class resumes in September. That project is going to have to wait.
Until then, i have to put in the work.
Sometimes i get a little down now, mainly because i am broke as hell. But I'm not the only one in that boat. my study buddy is cooking food everyday and bringing it to school to save money. I've been doing that too, but sometimes i just get tired of carrying my lunch box around like I'm in first grade, or something.

Anyways, major drama. One of my classmates informed me that her loan didn't go Thru. I'm so scared for them. Shes doing great in the classes, but last week she was so distracted because of the loan issues. She could barely take notes during class because she just kept thinking about it. I hope everything works out for her. She's a great person.
My suspicions were confirmed this past week. Two of my male classmates are gay. I don't have anything against that. One of them is so clean cut, i mean supper clean. Too clean cut to be a straight man. I mentioned that to my buddies, and some were like no way. Others were unsure. Anyways, they've been hanging together alot. Hey, maybe we have our first budding love story in our class.

We had this pharmacology guest speaker come in this week. The speaker was horrible. Why do they do this to us. Just as i was starting to get use to our professor's style. Bam!!!! curve ball. The guest speaker. Now, what am i suppose to expect for the next exam?

By the way, this been supper hot lately. I'm walking down the street, and I'm sweating like crazy. Men are sweating like crazy, when you stand next to them the smell of their armpits hits you in the face like a ton of bricks. Girls are walking around with their skirts around their necks, and their ass cheeks hanging out.

Oh brother, i miss spring.

My life as a nurse anesthetist student

The first and conceivably the central reason why i am pursuing a career in health care is because i want to make a positive contribution, and the desire to do something that will ameliorate the life of others, and take away pain and suffering felt by patients. I view nursing as a calling and not a vocation. It is the desire to dedicate your life to helping others. I can be the giver of hope to people.
My interest in nursing anesthesia began in nursing school following an experience in clinicals. A fellow student and I were rotated to the OR to observe a routine procedure. We arrived into the OR just as the anesthesia person was setting up for the case. I began observing him attentively from the time he started checking his equipment until he put the patient under anesthesia. I became enthralled by what he was doing. After the procedure was done, my classmate and i began recapping our experience in the OR to our professor. Enthusiastically, I began describing what the anesthesia person had done. My professor mentioned to me that I should look into nursing anesthesia. At that point, I had never heard of nurses doing anesthesia. A short time later, I began doing research.

Social life

At this point, all i can say is my social life is dead. Barely went out this July 4Th weekend. I just needed a little time away from the books. There's nothing wrong with that right?

And everyone was talking about this party next week and that event going on next month. And I'm like, " yup wont be in attendance, will be missing that one too and that one most likely."

Its doesn't really bother me because I'm working towards a goal, and one day i will be harvesting the fruits of my labor. Until then, I'll enjoy socializing with my study buddy.

But man, i wished i partied more before i went into this program. So, all i have to say before you get into this, party hard and party well. Because once you start, the partying is over until you get to your next brake from school.

And got the worse possible news one can image the other day. So, at the end of this semester we have 3 weeks off of school. My plans were made, i had a list of things to do, and places to visit. My friend tells me that we have this project mandated by the school, that we do during our break. Then its not a break then if we have work to do. Just because were at home doing the project, doesn't mean its not work. I don't know what it entails. And for now, i don't care to know. I only heard the part about handing in a 20 page assignment, and my heart shut down. Dint hear anything after that.
So much for going to south beach.

Working while in school

Well, that's not going as i expected at all. This is a pretty heavy course load, more work then expected for the beginning of this program. And i have been warned time and time again, it only gets worse from this point forward. Nonetheless, i was ready for the unavoidable, i quit my job.

Yes, i resigned, it was just too much. I love my job, and it brings money. But i realized that I've come this far into this. This is a commitment to become an anesthesia provider. Ive taken out all this loan, and the benefits out weight the consequences.

I know one fellow student who failed out of this program, and still has to pay back all these loans. Can you image having 60 thousand in loans and now having to pay it back and not having the degree you were working towards. Scary!!!

Spoke to upperclassmen, fellow classmates, and after juggling school and work for a while, it was overwhelming and exhausting. And i came to this final decision.

Yes, i know. Many will say that they know people who worked during this program, but when you start clinicals its pretty much impossible to do. Whats the point of going to work when all I'm thinking about is the next test, or the next paper due.

Anyways, I'll be working per Diem. Therefore, I'll have some sort of income, and not completely broke. I'll have more time for school, as well. And maybe work on my love life too. There's nothing wrong with that right? I'm still single and ready to mingle.

And on that note, peace out, off to the library again.

This was a taugh week

Lots of work was put in this weekend, and this is only the beginning of the program. This is CRNA school after all, this is not a walk in the park.
Had two major exams by week 3 of the program. Barely finished with those two exams, now i have to study for yet another one next week and, in the meantime, i have to get started on this final paper, and start some of the online modules required.

Its always good to communicate with your classmates, because i wasn't the only one feeling tired. So, after the exams about half of the class headed to this cool hot spot near campus, had lots of fun. We drank a little, we're adults after all, and got to know each other.

Class demographics.
The youngest person in our group is 24 and the oldest is close to 40 years old. We have a couple of moms and dads. Everyone seem very pleasant. Not allot of people are working . It seems like most people are working per diem, i don't blame them. To be honest, you have to read everyday to keep up. I resigned last week, its just too much. I'll do the per diem thing too. Don't get me wrong, i know people who worked during this program and passed, and honestly I'm asking myself how did they do it. Its allot of work. And according to our upper class men, it only gets worse. I want to give this my best shot, so i will be poor for the next couple of years.

Anyways, going to meet up with my study buddy.
peace out

Advice from Seniors

Seniors!!!

Man, they are so lucky. Just over two years ago, they were in my shoes, fear of the unknown. They have gone thru this rigorous program, and only 2 more months to go. kudos to them. They are counting down. They are so excited. Wish i was in their shoes right now.
Any how, they had some helpful advice to give:

1) make friends.
Your friend will call you in middle of the night and say: "how do you do this assignment?" And your reply will be: " what assignment?"

Get my drift. You will keep each other on track.

2)Don't worry about money.
This is not the time to go shopping at D&G. Save your money, you never know what situations you'll run into.

3)Check your bulletin board or email.

Whatever way your school keeps in contact with students, make sure your updated. Because you don't wanna go to registration and discover that you still own money from the semester, or you don't have clearance with health services, and therefore you cannot register.

Bummer!!
4)Be proactive in your education.
These professors are here to facilitate your education, and not here to spoon feed you. So, hit the books, and start learning stuff on your own too.

5)Be responsible and own up.
Be careful in clinicals. if you don't know something ask before you do it. Because if you hurt the patient, it is your responsibility. If you kill them, its your responsibility. You should know your drugs before coming to clinicals, its your responsibility.

6)Be flexible.
When clinicals come around, they might send you somewhere you didn't want to go (i.e somewhere pretty far from your home).
Advice, get a car now if you don't have one. Doesn't have to be fancy.

7)Know your basic meds.
You'll look better, and albeit smarter in clinicals.


Once again people, gonna hit the books.

CIAO