NursingZen

1.  Plan ahead for sleep management. (How will you fall asleep when anxiety keeps you up till 2 a.m. and you have to leave the house for clinical at  6 a.m.?)

2.  Plan ahead for mental health. (Even if you’re skeptical, try to talk to a Student Health counselor at least once as soon as you start hating on your classmates, MEPN, and/or the world.)

3. Buy compression socks (15 mmHg).

4. Don’t follow the rules. (See my update to Things I wish I knew…).

5. Be flexible. When things get hard, just remind yourself, “What did you expect?” A classmate said this all the time.

… I start posting fun pictures! Recently, my partner put on his headphones and started DJing again after a 2-year hiatus (note the little guy, the #1 dancer at this small daytime party). Slowly but surely I’ll be dancing it up this summer at the many outdoor dance parties in the area.

I’m republishing something a very cool older Filipino male nurse said to me when I was taking pre-requisites for MEPN:

“You can do anything, and everything is worth trying because you never know what you will think or how you will do. Don’t listen to what others say. Don’t let their anxiety or even pragmatism scare you.”

What’s one of the things I love most about SF? The dozens of outdoor festivals and parades that happen throughout the year. Bay to Breakers is a recent one… I missed Carnaval …

I have one half day of community clinical left. One half.

I finished my last paper last night.

I have an interview this week.

I just turned a year older.

I am so excited for the next phase in my life that I can barely contain myself.

It’s taking everything I have to not insert a flurry of exclamation points throughout this entry.

Just when I had made peace with not working for a while and passing the summer like a kid again,  I got a call for an interview. It’s not the most ideal place, but I just want a chance to be seen and heard. This past week a few friends who were despairing as much as I have landed jobs. Whatever happens, I’m thrilled to start being a nurse (after the NCLEX).

Next week will be a flurry of activities, from graduation to bachelorette party to BBQs. Who says going back to school is no fun?

Projects I have on my list this summer of 2008, almost like when I was 15: reading, writing, sewing, making jewelry, biking, rock climbing, and road trips.

Thank you to you nursing students and nurses who have taken the time to write to me and cheer me up. Yes, I’ll be continuing this blog as a new nurse. I think the stories and experiences will only get more intense!