kapachino

Tag: nursing

  • bad and good

    The bad:

    >The aforementioned friendship troubles. No updates there yet.
    >The relay team that I’m supposed to be in charge of is falling apart.
    >Finding time to fit in class, work, clinical, studying, soccer games, book club, applying for jobs, running, and relationships.

    The good:

    >I love David, and he loves me. Our one-year anniversary is on Sunday.
    >Being a nurse is great, and so is my clinical in the surgical ICU.
    >Things to look forward to: anniversary, birthday, Over the Rhine concert, Valentine’s Day.
    >Cleo is the best dog ever, and I am her favorite person of all.

    Just a quick update because I don’t have much time this week.

  • trying to respond

    I am such an avoider of conflict. It’s really not that great of a characteristic. I am having a very hard time dealing with this situation with my friend. The conflict was thrust upon me, and now I have to respond. The last time we spoke I wasn’t prepared, and things were left in a bad place. Since I didn’t know when I would see her again, I ended up leaving her a letter to read. It was honest and at the same time caring, but I’m worried that she will just see it as judgment and intolerance and miss the love. I’m doing what I can, but it’s hard.

    In other news, I have my first clinical tomorrow. A 12 1/2 hour shift in the surgical ICU. It’s going to be a long day. I hope I like it.

    And finally, for a break from this melancholy, check out my good friend Carmen’s video blog, One Leg Duck. This week I am a featured character, filmed on our recent trip to New Mexico. It’s a silly short little thing.

  • Making The Grade (Or Not)

    I took the final in my pediatric nursing class this morning. This is a class that I disliked the entire way through, and which had a reputation for being very difficult. I got a low B on the first test, freaked out, and then worked really hard the rest of the semester and pulled off low A’s on the next two tests and a perfect score on a group presentation. The way things stood, if I got a 91 on the final this morning, I would get an A in the class.

    Well, the grades were just posted, and I got a 90.

    Talk about frustrating to a perfectionist like me.

    As soon as I found out my grade I went and vented to my roommate, Amanda. One of the things I said to her was, “I worked so hard in this class and made A’s on everything except the first test. But my classmate made C’s on most of her exams, got a B on the final, and ended up with a B in the class also. Our grades are the same. Why did I even try so hard?”

    She responded, “But that’s not why you worked hard. You did it so you could learn, and look back and say that you did your best.”

    Feeling dejected and guilty, I hung my head and said, “You’re right.”

    After a moment’s pause she said, “But that’s not what you want to hear right now. So if you want, we can go toilet paper your professor’s house.”

    That’s what friends are for.

  • VIP Baby and Money Woes

    Something kind of cool happened today. I was working in the newborn nursery, and there were a whole lot of babies in there. I didn’t have much to do right away, so I chose a baby that wasn’t getting any direct attention at the moment and I picked her up to calm her down because she was crying a little bit. Eventually the nurse and I began to assess her, and that’s when we realized that she was a VIP baby. She was adorable, and I took care of her all morning.

    (If you haven’t figured it out yet, you need to click the link to see whose baby it was I took care of. I just feel weird about writing the name here. Apparently there was a guy hanging around outside the nursery last night, and when a nurse finally asked him what he was doing there he replied, “I hear you have a VIP here.” She replied, “All of my patients are VIPs.” Some people are creepy.)

    In other news, I am really stressed about money right now, and I don’t like it one bit. Remember how I mentioned that I was trying to make extra money by filling out internet surveys? Well, it doesn’t work. I have tried, and it’s not worth it. This article explains why not. So I’m looking for other ways to earn money, but right now the only solution I can find is to work as much as possible and then just borrow money if I have to.

    My situation is actually to the point where I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to pay my bills next month. Just one month more is all I need to make it, and then I’ll get another loan installment. I’d really like to make it without borrowing money, but things just aren’t lining up right now. I paid the hefty registration fee for our Texas Independence Relay team out of my own money, and I still haven’t been reimbursed from four people for that. I went way over on my cell phone minutes last month (aka the most stressful month of my life) and my bill is three times its normal amount. I checked the mail today to find a notice from a collection agency regarding a movie I rented and never returned, then spent the afternoon on the phone trying to figure that out, and then just kind of broke down. My wonderful boyfriend tells me that I have nothing to worry about as long as he’s working, but I just can’t help but get emotional and stress about it. I don’t mean to whine. It’s just constantly on my mind and I had to get it out.

    Luke 6:20 – “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” Right now I’m hoping Jesus meant this literally.

  • I’m OK, You’re OK!

    I apologize for my last post, which I admit was utterly depressing. I really have been going through something lately, and I think I can honestly say that last week was one of the worst weeks of my life. That post basically summarized how I felt up to that point.

    But! I have wonderful people in my life who have been there for me, and I have received many words of encouragement and much support. I do believe that I am loved by a mighty God through whom all things are possible. I now have complete hope and confidence in my situation, and although it remains difficult, I know I can make it through to the other side. Not only that, but I know that the other side holds a better life for me and those involved in this ordeal.

    So, let me talk about some random, completely unrelated things to distract me and to make this a happier place to be. First of all, I went to see the movie The Jane Austen Book Club with my roommates, and I loved it. I’ve only read two of Jane Austen’s books, and now I’d really like to read the rest. A long time ago my grandmother gave me the complete set, so I have them all. But that’s beside the point; the movie was really cute and funny, so if you like that kind of thing you should see it.

    Secondly, I have now witnessed a C-section and a vaginal birth. Both were fascinating, but I have to say that when I have kids I really don’t want a C-section if I can help it. Also regarding school, I have the rest of this week off, which is quite nice, but then next week I have a test in both classes so I need to hit the books.

    On Saturday I ran the Race For The Cure. I think I did pretty well, considering the pack of people I was hindered by. Not that I was trying to win any awards or anything, I was just hoping to have a decent personal time. Also on Saturday I went to see the David Crowder Band in concert. It was pretty good, but not one of the best concerts I’ve seen. The place was pretty big, and we weren’t very close. Also, I was extremely exhausted and I think I actually dozed off during one of the songs. Oops. However, the opening band, The Myriad, was really good, and the whole experience was worth it just to see the people around us dancing and getting into the music. Sometimes Christian rock concerts are just hilarious.

    In conclusion, I hope everyone has a great week. I know mine will be better than the last. To quote Mandy Moore, “I’m looking forward to looking back on these days.”