Dear Nursing School

19 days!      Throughout the month of April, we have had many big projects as well as our last exam before our final, started our precepting, and prepared and presented our biggest project throughout the program. This semester surely has flown by but by no means was easy. We are still going but won't stop until we're done.       It has been such a great opportunity being on the ICU during my precepting. My preceptor is definitely one of the best on the unit and takes every opportunity and chance she gets to how me new things and get involved and be more hands-on in learning and doing things so that I am able to become a better nurse.       From seeing patients recover and get to go home to seeing patients pass has been both rewarding but sad. It truly takes a special person to work in a critical care setting. Not only are you there for the patient but you are also there for the family and this is an extremely difficult time...

This upcoming week is our final week of clinicals as a group. After this week, we will all be on our own with a preceptor on different units in many different facilities. We started this semester off with our Psych rotation and have been on a cardiac unit for a majority of the semester. Now, with only one week left on the cardiac unit, everything is starting to really hit us that we are almost done even more so than before. This semester so far has been one filled with many experiences and opportunities. Many new things learned and put into practice; making us feel like a real nurse and not just a student. A look back at a few of the things done throughout this semester.... Volunteering at Halifax Urban Ministries homeless shelter. This semester we were required to have 9 hours of community service. One of my classmates and I decided to volunteer at the local homeless shelter. It was honestly a really interesting a neat experience. We got to learn about how they run the shelter ...

        The month of February has definitely been a rough month. From working, school, and the passing of my grandfather; it has been long but also has brought many good things.   This month has been a big focus on transitioning from our clinical rotation in psych back into the hospital. There is a HUGE difference nursing wise from working in a nurse role in a psychiatric facility to working in a hospital setting. It really hits hard when you see individuals hurting so much. No matter the circumstance, it hurts and you have to do your best to help them and empathize with them but in a professional manner. The hospital has also been very eventful for my experience as a student nurse. I did rotations this past week in the emergency department and the intensive care unit. The emergency department was extremely busy and many patients with various illnesses and conditions came in. Great for learning, but very anxiety-producing for patients and their family ...

It's a new year. 2019. It's the year we finish. It's the year that we become who we have always wanted to be. It's the year that we can see all the stress, anxiety, sadness, excitement, joy, tears of joy and tears of fear. It's the year that we can finally say WE DID IT!  It's the year we become RN's! Christmas break was very relaxing and much enjoyed; although, we still had some studying to do. It was also filled with lots of preparation for our final semester of nursing school. Trying to make sure everything was in order and ready to go. New books ordered, bags cleared out and re-filled with what we needed for the upcoming days of lecture and clinicals.  The new year came and I had to just take a step back and really think to myself "how is it that we are already about to start our last semester of nursing school?". If someone had told me 7 years ago that I would be becoming a nurse this year, I wouldn't believe them. In fact, so...

This week marks the start of our last year in nursing school and our first week of third semester. It is crazy to think how fast time has flown by so far while in this program and it has brought many great experiences. I am excited to announce that I have moved in with one of my best friends and am much closer to school so I won't be driving as far back and forth to school and clinical everyday. I am away from family and that can be tough, but I know this will all be worth it in the end. It is still pretty early but I know that this move will be and has already been such a blessing. This family is extremely supportive and encouraging and is definitely making me feel at home while away from home. 8.5 months to go! You could say I'm a little excited and have already begun a countdown till we graduate. We have made it so far in the program and are less than a year away from being graduate nurses! From learning the background & history, fundamentals, and numerous skill...

The summer starts off with campers from all over the U.S. flying and driving to Apopka, FL for an environmental/nature camp. With kids in grades ranging from 3rd - 8th grade. My first year coming to camp was in 2005 and was in the cabin of Telecheekee. I still remember today the first time I went to camp (2004) to pick up my siblings after them being gone for a whole week when I met a few of the counselors and got my new camp name Ocho. I was given the name Ocho because I am the 8th child of 11 in my family and they felt it best fit. After all, Susannah is an uncommon name (just as is Ocho) but not many people get it right or even spell it correctly. Oh well! Throughout the years of going to camp, the name Ocho stuck even while a counselor. This summer, I came back as one of the camp nurses and was given almost like an upgrade to my name and got the title "Nurse Ocho”.    Coming back to camp as one of the nurses has definitely been a big role chan...