Almost there...

With finals over and done with, I am finally working on my preceptorship which involves completing 160 hours, preferably before graduation on May 15th. I am happy to report that I am almost half way done (I hope to finish next Saturday). I have tested my limits and have worked 6 straight days of 12 or 13 hour shifts at the hospital. Never in my life have I ever worked so hard. Two and a half years of nursing school do not quite compare to the past 6 days. My feet began to ache and throb and as the days went on the pain gradually ascended upwards to my hips. I woke up yesterday feeling great, NO PAIN, of course standing for long periods of time your feet will hurt no matter what, but its all part of the job. I get home after a long, exhausting day, pop an Ibuprofen 800 and sleep like a baby. I guess that's what it takes to get rid of 15 years worth of insomnia.

I've always known I wanted to be nurse, and now my dream is finally coming true. My Grams finally got her nurse. It makes me sad she cant be here but I know she is here with me in spirit and is very proud of me. I've encountered a lot of set backs but with strong will and the support and encouragement of my family I overcame them. Work is great (it's actually an internship (NON PAID OF COURSE) LOL)! I get along with the nurses and they are all willing to help me. It is actually quite different from my first year of clinicals where we were taught that nurses eat their young, and they weren't kidding. That all seems to have changed now and I'm beginning to feel like a "REAL" nurse. I know once I take state boards and actually have a job I'm going to feel like the bottom of the food chain but I am OK with that, it's all part of the process. I'm precepting on a medical/surgical floor and have been exposed to so much already. I've seen and learned many things that you don't learn in nursing school. A lot of our patients have cancer and it brings back so many memories of my Grams when she got ill. Ill just take this as a sign and accept it as where I am supposed to be... taking care of patients with cancer. Who knows where I'll end up though, the job market seems pretty bad... EVEN FOR NURSES.

This is our graduating class, and of course that's me... way in the back under the arrow. I think with as much tuition as we pay the school would be able to afford a better quality camera or hire a photographer... unless of course the camera belongs to one of our instructors, then s/he should get a raise so that they can afford a better camera. It was the day of one of our exit exams, Some of my friends and I missed a couple takes because we were doing some last minute studying. Thank God we made it!

I'm scheduled to work this weekend but since it is my birthday on Saturday I was able to rearrange my schedule to work Friday and Monday. Before I started my hours I had so many plans for my birthday, most of which involved a lot of alcohol and of course to out due last year's birthday (Which was THE BOMB, if I say so myself). For now, with trying to complete so many hours in a limited amount of time and feeilng quite exhausted, a nice relaxing evening at home sounds good to me, but I'm sure alcohol will still be involved =). Not exactly ready to hit 29 but ready or not, here it comes.