Reading, Reading, & more Reading

Well. . . .let me just say that there is a lot of reading in nursing school. We are taking 18 credits this semester spread out over 6 classes. Each class requires A LOT of reading. Many people say that it is very easy to get overwhelmed in nursing school, especially in ABSN programs. I have decided to focus on the more important classes that will make me a better nurse and not spend too much time stressing over the other less important classes.

Dimensions of Holistic Nursing and Health Assessments are perhaps the most important courses this semester and I am pretty sure I could spend all day reading for both courses and still not have read enough.

First Day of Nursing School

Well the first day of our Accelerated BSN program was a bit overwhelming. A lot of information is thrown at you and it is hard to determine how to organize it all. I called my friend who is about to graduate medical school and another who just finished a BSN program to get some advice on how to organize myself and my courses.

I have been told to focus on the important classes and not get caught up with others that might not matter as much. This semester that means that I should focus on my Dimensions of Holistic Nursing course and my Health Assesment class.

So far I am impressed with both my professors and my classmates. Since this is a Second Degree BSN program everyone already has a degree in another field other than nursing. We have like six guys in our cohort out of 20 total students.

I have decided to use a folder system to keep myself organized. I purchased a folder for each course where I will keep the syllabus and any handouts given. I also purchased a planner that has an entire month overview and a weekly view where I can plan out my assignments and tests. . . . Hope it works!

Nursing School Orientation

Well orientation is on Saturday. It is up at the college campus from 8am to 2pm. I think there are only going to be about 15 - 20 people in my class because it is an ABSN. We already have some reading assignments given before we even start in our HUGE nursing text!

The School and SIM Lab

I went up to the Methodist College of Nursing campus yesterday and again today to check out the SIM lab. The staff at both are VERY helpful and open to suggestions from students to make the school better. There are about 550 students that attend the various programs at the school.

The Methodist Hospital (where clinical are held) is pretty huge. There is even a gym with a few lap lanes that students can use. The school is on the opposite side of the highway from the hospital and has a few study rooms and a nice library. The school is actually an old hotel that the hospital bought and converted into a school. In fact, there are bath tubs in all of the faculty’s offices.

Why Nursing

Aside from all the reasons mentioned above I really appreciate the opportunity to work three days a week and be considered a full time employee. This will allow me to spend more time with my family and friends and only work the three full days. Nursing also provides the opportunity to move up a career ladder in a very precise way. There is the ability to become a teacher at a college of nursing. In the end I feel that the overall top reason to be a nurse is that the opportunities are completely endless both career and pay wise.

Male In Nursing

Being a male going into nursing is obviously something that must be addressed. In fact just today my brother in law who is a head vet technician was teaching in a children’s Sunday school class and he introduced himself as a head vet tech, the children of course had no idea what that was and he explained that it was like being a head nurse at that point the children laughed their heads off and called him a girl.

MCON Campus

The school itself is a bit run down but appears to have more than adequate space and facilities to house the near 400 students that attend. There is a small library that is open 24 hours a day with several private study rooms. There is a large computer lab and many small and large classrooms. The bookstore has a handful of MCON apparel all in girly colors of course so I am sure that I will not buy one. The building is about 9 floors and houses the on campus housing as well. It has controlled access that only opens the doors with an ID badge. I will update on the facilities once school begins.