The Finish Line

"Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals, and charge after them in an unstoppable manner."  -Les Brown



So I have reached the finish line of my first semester as a nursing student... I must say that this has been a wild experience, in every best way possible. This semester has gone by extremely fast and it's hard to believe that I am almost done with this semester! 

Even though this semester has probably been the most stressful time of my life, it has also been one of the most memorable and life changing experiences in my life. The friends that I have made, the interesting things I got to learn, and the confidence and growth I got to experience will never be forgotten. 

I feel as though so much of my life has changed already and I am always learning new things. I'm constantly around positive and loving classmates who I adore and am so thankful for. We were all placed in this life event together for a reason and it warms my heart to see everybody being there for each other. I'm living in a really fun, exciting, and learning-filled time in my life and this is just the beginning. I'm looking forward to the journey that lies ahead and I'm going to continue to just breath and take it day by day. 

The Good & Bad of Nursing Communication

"Constant attention by a good nurse may be just as important as a major operation by a surgeon."  ~Dag Hammarskjold

Communication in nursing one go the many important aspects. Communication is such an important skill to have not only with your co-workers, but especially with your patients.

Communication builds a therapeutic relationship with your patients. It allows you to engage with your patients and show them that you care and that you are there to help them. When the patient can see that you are communicating with them, they feel a sense of caring and empathy. When a nurse performs bad communication skills with a patient, the patient feels as if they do not know what is going on. They can sometimes feel that they are not important enough to be informed about their health. The patient has every right to know what is going on and must be able to have the nurse communicate with them and be able to work as a team for the best possible outcome. The patient will be more willing to listen and cooperate with you when communication flows and you are both able to work together to set goals.

Communication is also a major part of working in health care. As a nurse, communication is key. You need to be able to work with the physicians, other nurses, and any other co-worker. In health care, everyone works together as a team. You need to be able to share report with an oncoming nurse, communicate with physicians about your patient, and work with respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and many others. Overall, you are an advocate for your patient and without good communication skills, you put your patient at risk for not receiving the best care possible.

Sayin' Goodbye to Social Life

 "Sleep + social life = bad grades. Good grades + sleep = no social life. Good grades + social life = no sleep."-Unknown 

The number one thing that come to mind when I think of nursing school is no social life...

Now that I have been in nursing school for almost a month, I find that to be completely true.

   

I have been in college now for 3 years and I have been working at a part time job for the past year and half. Between working and going to school, I have slowly watched my social life disappear. I'm at the point where work is my only social time... I now feel like I have to quit my job and focus 110% on the nursing program. I don't want to have any distractions. Although I feel EXTREMELY overwhelmed going into the nursing program, I wouldn't trade it for anything! I keep hearing people say that you have no life during the nursing program, but there is a great life waiting for you after!

     

I'm so excited for this chapter in my life and it's so comforting knowing that we're all in this together. We are constantly supporting each other and experiencing similar changes that the nursing program is bringing into our lives. I think saying goodbye to our social lives is a pretty common situation that we all encountered in these past few weeks!