Donna's Blog

January 22, 2010

I saw death today. Not that I haven’t seen death before. Both my grandmothers died within the last couple of years and by Filipino tradition, their bodies were on display in their living rooms for a week for friends and family to mourn and send their condolences. But today’s death was different. This little, old lady wasn’t all made up. She wasn’t in her best Sunday dress. She wasn’t lying with her fingers interlaced and nicely placed on her abdomen. She was in bed, in her pajamas, in a semi-side-lying position, mouth slightly ajar, jaw slightly to one side. She looked…. Peaceful. Like she died in her sleep without any pain. As a nurse, I’ll likely experience more deaths – some not as pleasant as others. But the experiences I’ve had so far are starting to bring me to terms with my own death. It doesn’t have to be scary. Of course, I would like it to be a long time from now, but as my client during this month’s class told me, “You just have to go with the flow.”

My client has been reminding me to make the most out of my life. Use my time wisely, he says. Make sure to appreciate the people in your life. Take care of each other. Be good to each other. Stay flexible. One day you’re going to look in the mirror and see something different, something you don’t expect. But don’t fret about it. Don’t worry about the things that you can’t change. Don’t spend your life worrying because you’ll just make yourself worse. This is all stuff I know. Stuff I’ve read. But to hear it from someone… someone who was a complete stranger to me, who I’ve only worked with for three days now… someone who knows nothing about my life or about me… someone who’s on the last legs of his own life and is OK with it… made it all hit home. Death doesn’t have to be scary. I have time, right now. I have a life, right now. I have opportunities, right now. I have loved ones, and family, and friends that I can appreciate and love, right now! And I’m making something of my life. I’m pursuing my dreams. I’m doing what makes me happy. And sadly, that’s a lot more than most people can say about their lives right now. If you’re one of those people, my heart goes out to you. I beg of you. Use your time wisely. Make the most out of your life. And don’t forget to appreciate the people in your life.

January 17, 2010

I have a confession to make. Shh….. Please don’t tell anyone. I think I’m one of those people that actually LIKES school. Ugh! I know! Tell me about it! I used to be like everyone else. School was just another one of those things you HAD to do. I generally hated every moment that I was sitting in a classroom. But things are different now.

For two weeks, I was home, relaxing and enjoying having a life again. Break was great! I saw friends, got to cook gourmet meals again, and even read a book for fun. But by the end of it, I was ready to go back. I’ve never been so enthusiastic about going back to school. Does that make me a nerd? Perhaps. But the way I like to think of it is that I finally found something I’m passionate to learn. And there’s nothing more reassuring than enjoying what you’re presently doing.

And then the term started and I hit the ground running. Feels like there’s always something due, so there’s definitely no shortage of something to do. I’m in a fast-paced three and a half week class – one that’s normally seven weeks long! So the stress levels are a little high, but nothing compared to last semester. The exciting thing is that I now have the skills to administer an IV push medication and insert a urinary catheter, but I’m lacking volunteers willing to let me practice the latter. I’ll just have to keep practicing on the mannequins in lab, I guess, but if you need a catheter inserted…. I’m just saying.

December 15, 2009

I can’t believe it! The semester is actually almost over! Just three more days until two whole weeks of non-stress! I’ve forgotten what that’s like. The life of a nursing student… That almost seems like an oxymoron. Nursing student? Life? This semester has been challenging, to say the least. And it would be easy to lose yourself in school, but the one thing that has kept me sane and got me through it all was remembering to take time for myself to relax every now and then. A lesson I’ll definitely be taking with me when I get back into the real world.

So this term in a nutshell? I’ve learned how to talk to clients in Therapeutic Communication. I’ve taught a group of people all about blood pressure, the value of good nutrition and exercise, and proper hydration in Family Health. I even gave flu shots to a number of people. And I’ve touched the lives of a group of kids battling mental illness in Psych Mental Health. It’s been a very trying, emotional, and rewarding semester. And I’m looking forward to the break and moving on to the next class.

And best of all? I’m 1/3 nurse now! 6 months down… 12 more to go!!!

November 3, 2009

Next stop… Fall semester. And what a crazy semester it’s been so far! I’m taking three classes at once – Psych Mental Health, Therapeutic Communication, and Family Health Promotion. The last two… not too bad. Fun, comparatively easy, and I’m learning new skills. I’ve learned how to give injections! And have even given flu shots to the public. Granted, my first client bolted from the chair when he saw me fumbling with the needle. I can’t say that I blame him. I would too. My instructor, bless her heart, chased him down, got him back, and gave the injection for me. But I gave my first shot to a fellow classmate and after that, no more interesting stories. Just lots of shots successfully administered. I can only look back at the incident and laugh.

And then there’s Psych Mental Health. This class is what they call “front-loaded.” The first half of the semester is spent primarily in lecture, which means we have seven weeks to cram a ton of information into our heads. I thought I was going to end up with a mental heath problem myself. Four weeks with back-to-back tests does not produce a sane nurse. But I’m proud to say that I made it through and I’m on to my psych clinical working with kids. My clinical days can be very mentally exhausting, but extremely rewarding in retrospect.

Nursing school, so far, is proving to be very challenging, but I wouldn’t trade any of it for anything right now. I’m enjoying myself and learning a ton! I just need to get through this semester, though. December’s looking oh so good!

October 1, 2009

Before I can get started with what’s been going on this term, let me back up a little and tell you all about my crazy summer term.

My nursing school career started on Monday, June 22. I felt like a little schoolgirl going to her first day of first grade. Being the nerd that I am, my binder with its eight impeccably organized, typewritten tabs was ready and waiting for the beginning of the school year. But that had to wait. Orientation was first. I was nervous, anxious, excited, and scared. Who are these people I’m going to meet? Will they like me? Will I like them? Are there any that are just as nerdy as I am? Turns out, everyone in my cohort is fantastic! We come from all different walks of life with tons of stories from all over the world.

But back to business. Nursing school started with an introductory “welcome to nursing” kind of class. NURS103 was a lightening fast 3-week class all about the history of nursing, the various nursing degrees available, nursing organizations, and the nursing code of ethics. Then it was onto our first skills class. NURS106. This was a fun, hands-on, let’s take vital signs and administer drugs kind of class. But it wasn’t easy. At least, not for me. NURS106 humbled me. You have to understand that I’m the kind of person that’s used to getting straight A’s. I think my whole cohort is. We competed hard to get into nursing school, and it’s hard to get rid of those competitive attitudes.

I nearly failed my first nursing exam. Nearly FAILED! What?! That’s not me! How could this happen? But it did and it gave me the motivation I needed to do better on the next exam. And I learned something valuable about my cohort. You see, when we first met for orientation, they told us that we would bond as a cohort before the end of summer term. Bond? With a bunch of people I’ve never met before? They were right. After that first test, I learned that my cohort was there for me. I received so much support from so many people. It was amazing. Linfield stressed that once you’re in, you’re in. Nursing school is no longer a competition. And while it’s hard to remember, it’s nice knowing that we’ve got each other’s backs.

September 8, 2009

I’ll never forget that day. I received the news early in the morning that my grandmother, my last living grandparent, had just died. I was devastated. I spent much of my day crying and frantically trying to find a flight to the Philippines. I’d had a rough day. I distinctly remember driving home from work and saying out loud, “I really need some good news today.” Somebody hear me, please…

When I got home, I ran through my normal routine, throwing my keys in a dish by the door, dropping my bags on the couch, and kicking off my shoes. Then I checked the mail. And there it was. A large white envelope from Linfield College. At first I thought it was junk mail from the Oregon 150 people, but I looked at the logo closer and realized what it was. My heart was pounding as I tore into the envelope. “Please let this be the good news I so desperately need today.”

My heart skipped a beat. I screamed for joy. And tears came uncontrollably streaming down my face as I read the very first word. “Congratulations!” (I think that’s as far as I got.) But no one was around to celebrate with me, and no one was answering his or her phone! I looked out the front window and saw my neighbor coming home. I ran out to her, screaming my good news… And that’s how I got to where I am today.

I’m Donna, and I’m a Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing student in the accelerated BSN program. Expected graduation date: December 2010! I’m Filipina with an electrical engineering degree and an MBA. But that’s a long story. All I can say is that I’m thrilled to be where I am in life right now. Getting accepted into nursing school was the start of a new chapter in my life. Through this blog, I intend to share my story — the good and the bad, the funny and the sad. I’ve got a pretty quick journey ahead of me (15 months from the date of this entry), but I hope you’ll join me in my adventure as a nursing student on the fast track to graduation. It promises to be quite a trip!