Last quarter ended on an awkward note, as I stayed after my final to speak to my A&P instructor about his inappropriate comments throughout the quarter - see my last post for more info. So imagine my unpleasant shock when, the Friday before classes were due to begin on Monday, I got a letter telling my I hadn't paid my spring quarter tuition and was therefore DROPPED FROM ALL MY CLASSES. WTF. That's a horrible way to let me know that. Wouldn't logic tell you that if someone owes you money, you should give them notice of that BEFORE it becomes a problem?
Nope. That was the first I'd heard of it, because up until now my financial aid has covered all of my tuition with no problems.
So now I was faced with the possibility that once I paid the extra money financial aid didn't cover, I might have to try to get into whatever A&P 2 class is available. Which includes the one taught by my last instructor. And both he and I would probably rather eat some glass than have that happen. Awesome.
Long story short, it all worked out and I'm deleriously happy to be enrolled in my (female) teacher's A&P 2 class. Today was the first lecture, and she's organized, clear, and seems to be an excellent instructor. And hasn't mentioned her genitals once!
I love her. I'm so, so, so relieved to be taking her class! This is going to be a good quarter.
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Studying: it works!
I think I mentioned recently that after finding out that my employment at Father Sainty's is no longer such a gigantic helping factor in getting me into nursing school, I decided I needed to pull my grades up. I was getting a B in Anatomy and Physiology and an A- in Bio. That B in A&P was sort of tenouous, though, since I'd gotten a B- on my most recent exam.
I studied like crazy for my most recent exam on bones, and got a 90% on it! If I continue to study this hard and do that well on my remaining exams this quarter, I should be able to get my grade up to an A-, I think. So that's my plan.
Too bad I don't love muscles the way I love bones. I even had dreams regarding specific bones (I was in a butterfly garden but the butterflies were sphenoid bones that were flying around, and I was delighted!).
So while it may be tempting to put work first, I need to remember to put school first. That means if I have to sleep less to study more, that's what will happen. If it means showing up at work exhausted rather than after napping, then that's the deal. If it means eating dinner in the cafeteria instead of cooking and packing my meals, that's okay too.
After this quarter I only have to do A&P II and microbiology. I think I can technically apply to nursing school even with one class left to finish up, so maybe I can apply for admittance next Winter quarter and take microbiology in the fall before it begins?
Either way, I plan to stop working at the GreatRep once I'm in nursing school. That 10-hour workday is just too much time lost. If I can take out loans, i'll do that to compensate for the lost income. I know how incredibly lucky I am to be going to school for free right now, and I know that won't continue forever.
More and more the idea of goign for my LPN and working in a skilled nursing facility or inpatient rehab sounds appealing to me. If I'm going to work and go to school, part of me thinks that work should be the best-paying I'm able to get.
Either way, I'm back on board with school!
And here's a visual for anyone wondering about my dreams: they're a cross between this
and this
I studied like crazy for my most recent exam on bones, and got a 90% on it! If I continue to study this hard and do that well on my remaining exams this quarter, I should be able to get my grade up to an A-, I think. So that's my plan.
Too bad I don't love muscles the way I love bones. I even had dreams regarding specific bones (I was in a butterfly garden but the butterflies were sphenoid bones that were flying around, and I was delighted!).
So while it may be tempting to put work first, I need to remember to put school first. That means if I have to sleep less to study more, that's what will happen. If it means showing up at work exhausted rather than after napping, then that's the deal. If it means eating dinner in the cafeteria instead of cooking and packing my meals, that's okay too.
After this quarter I only have to do A&P II and microbiology. I think I can technically apply to nursing school even with one class left to finish up, so maybe I can apply for admittance next Winter quarter and take microbiology in the fall before it begins?
Either way, I plan to stop working at the GreatRep once I'm in nursing school. That 10-hour workday is just too much time lost. If I can take out loans, i'll do that to compensate for the lost income. I know how incredibly lucky I am to be going to school for free right now, and I know that won't continue forever.
More and more the idea of goign for my LPN and working in a skilled nursing facility or inpatient rehab sounds appealing to me. If I'm going to work and go to school, part of me thinks that work should be the best-paying I'm able to get.
Either way, I'm back on board with school!
And here's a visual for anyone wondering about my dreams: they're a cross between this
and this
Monday, January 2, 2012
Ahhh, Winter Break.
Tomorrow I'll be back on campus, doing Anatomy & Physiology I, and also doing Bio 100 online. Winter break has been so, so nice. Just working gave me time to catch up on things like cooking, making gifts for my family members, going and helping out my Grandma with cleaning her apartment, etc. I'm almost sad to go back to school even though I know I need to. I expect this quarter to be really hard, because I'm doing 10 credits and working full-time (75% at the hospital 25% at the dementia facility).
I'm hoping to have at least one classmate from my chem class in my A&P class to study with, since most of us were on the prenursing track. But all the ones I talked to at the end of last quarter were going into a different A&P class, dang it. We'll see. It's just nice to have a familiar face around.
Yesterday we closed our store for New Year's day and I went and helped Mr. Polly clean the heck out of it, as well as rearrange some things he'd been wanting to change for a long time. The co-owner of the store is still out of town (taking care of his aging father) until the beginning of March so that means Mr. Polly has free reign to go nuts and put things where he wants them. He was so happy about moving some shelves and file cabinets! And I scrubbed the bathroom within an inch of it's life. I still want to repaint in there - it has rainbows and unicorns, courtesy of the previous owners. That could be okay I guess but it's so "LOOK WE'RE QUIRKY AND FUNNY" and also the bathroom is tiny and dark so I want to paint it off-white and put more lighting in there. I'd rather have a clean-looking bathroom than an "adorable" one any day.
Besides, everyone knows that acorns are the new unicorns.
Happy new year!
I'm hoping to have at least one classmate from my chem class in my A&P class to study with, since most of us were on the prenursing track. But all the ones I talked to at the end of last quarter were going into a different A&P class, dang it. We'll see. It's just nice to have a familiar face around.
Yesterday we closed our store for New Year's day and I went and helped Mr. Polly clean the heck out of it, as well as rearrange some things he'd been wanting to change for a long time. The co-owner of the store is still out of town (taking care of his aging father) until the beginning of March so that means Mr. Polly has free reign to go nuts and put things where he wants them. He was so happy about moving some shelves and file cabinets! And I scrubbed the bathroom within an inch of it's life. I still want to repaint in there - it has rainbows and unicorns, courtesy of the previous owners. That could be okay I guess but it's so "LOOK WE'RE QUIRKY AND FUNNY" and also the bathroom is tiny and dark so I want to paint it off-white and put more lighting in there. I'd rather have a clean-looking bathroom than an "adorable" one any day.
Besides, everyone knows that acorns are the new unicorns.
Happy new year!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Yeah Buddies!
I got my first Chem exam back, and scored an A-. I'm thrilled by this! The first two chapters, what the test was on, involved me relearning all the algebra I'd forgotten since high school. Plus all the regular chemistry topics we were all learning in the class.
Now that we're past that part, the following chapter on naming compounds, Lewis diagrams, and predicting molecular geometry are way, way easier.
Plus my lab partner is really nice; she's a CNA also, and works at a skilled nursing facility. We were swapping stories about the weird residents and the most horrifying post mortem cares we've done, and it's great because we're both 'returning students' (she's in her thirties) so we're both actually motivated to do well in the class because we've got other stuff to do besides goof off.
Work today was sucky.
One of the CNA's that's been at the GreatRep for a few years was fired this week for getting into altercation with a resident. WTF? I haven't heard any details, so I don't know if she just snapped, but the resident she was yelling at is very compliant and nonverbal, and never combative. Not like it's ever okay to really yell at someone you're supposed to be caring for, but if that person had, say, slapped you across the face with their wet brief and then spat on you, one might understand raising your voice a smidgen more than your heart tells you is right. But I can't imagine that anything like that had happened, given who was involved in this. Bizarre.
And yes, the brief-slapping thing is real and did really happen. Not to me, thank goodness. But the resident who did it is alive and kicking. And told me last week that she would like to "shoot [me] with a gun and make a beautiful mess out of [me]". I just sighed and rolled my eyes. That's her horrible, horrible baseline.
I cheer myself up by talking to the adorable little lady who asks for cocoa by calling it "kokomoko". So cute!
Now that we're past that part, the following chapter on naming compounds, Lewis diagrams, and predicting molecular geometry are way, way easier.
Plus my lab partner is really nice; she's a CNA also, and works at a skilled nursing facility. We were swapping stories about the weird residents and the most horrifying post mortem cares we've done, and it's great because we're both 'returning students' (she's in her thirties) so we're both actually motivated to do well in the class because we've got other stuff to do besides goof off.
Work today was sucky.
One of the CNA's that's been at the GreatRep for a few years was fired this week for getting into altercation with a resident. WTF? I haven't heard any details, so I don't know if she just snapped, but the resident she was yelling at is very compliant and nonverbal, and never combative. Not like it's ever okay to really yell at someone you're supposed to be caring for, but if that person had, say, slapped you across the face with their wet brief and then spat on you, one might understand raising your voice a smidgen more than your heart tells you is right. But I can't imagine that anything like that had happened, given who was involved in this. Bizarre.
And yes, the brief-slapping thing is real and did really happen. Not to me, thank goodness. But the resident who did it is alive and kicking. And told me last week that she would like to "shoot [me] with a gun and make a beautiful mess out of [me]". I just sighed and rolled my eyes. That's her horrible, horrible baseline.
I cheer myself up by talking to the adorable little lady who asks for cocoa by calling it "kokomoko". So cute!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Floundering
I had my face-to-face interview over at Father Sainty's yesterday morning, and it went really well. The unit manager was the one who interviewed me, and she told me that I did really well and (with the prioritization scenario) answered it "just right". I should find out at the end of this week or the beginning of next week whether or not I'll be offered the job. I'm thinking I will be, which is wonderful - I can work 24 hours a week instead of 36 and make around the same amount of money. I'm going to need that extra time for homework if this week has been any indication ...
Going back to school hasn't been as smooth sailing as my professional life has been. First I found out that my financial aid wouldn't cover my Bio class (deadline was 0800 to register for it, but I'd been waitlisted and so I went and got the instructor's signature at the first class session at 1100. Too late). I freaked out until I realized I don't even need that Bio class. WHEW! The prerequisite for me to take Anatomy and Physiology I next quarter is Chem 121, which I'm in right now. Thank goodness it's my only class, because I'm woefully behind in the math.
We did an 8 problem assessment quiz in class to see how well prepared we were and I didn't even know how to do any of the 8 problems. Algebra was in high school, which was a long time ago. Instead of bursting into tears and running out of the room, I stuck around for the lecture, and then did the in-class group exercise (conversions using the dimensional analysis method and significant figures). Since this was new to all of us, I did fine with that. I just don't know how to write things in scientific notation, but my textbook should be able to tell me that, as soon as I go buy it. I stayed after and spoke to the instructor, who told me that if I'm willing to work hard and use the extra online resources, I can learn the amount of math I need in order to complete this course.
So I'm doing that. And trying not to freak out too badly.
But if I struggle this hard with every class, I can't imagine taking more than one per quarter, which means I'll be at the community college for a looooooong time.
Sigh.
Going back to school hasn't been as smooth sailing as my professional life has been. First I found out that my financial aid wouldn't cover my Bio class (deadline was 0800 to register for it, but I'd been waitlisted and so I went and got the instructor's signature at the first class session at 1100. Too late). I freaked out until I realized I don't even need that Bio class. WHEW! The prerequisite for me to take Anatomy and Physiology I next quarter is Chem 121, which I'm in right now. Thank goodness it's my only class, because I'm woefully behind in the math.
We did an 8 problem assessment quiz in class to see how well prepared we were and I didn't even know how to do any of the 8 problems. Algebra was in high school, which was a long time ago. Instead of bursting into tears and running out of the room, I stuck around for the lecture, and then did the in-class group exercise (conversions using the dimensional analysis method and significant figures). Since this was new to all of us, I did fine with that. I just don't know how to write things in scientific notation, but my textbook should be able to tell me that, as soon as I go buy it. I stayed after and spoke to the instructor, who told me that if I'm willing to work hard and use the extra online resources, I can learn the amount of math I need in order to complete this course.
So I'm doing that. And trying not to freak out too badly.
But if I struggle this hard with every class, I can't imagine taking more than one per quarter, which means I'll be at the community college for a looooooong time.
Sigh.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Day 9 - things that make me go gray
9 - What's something that you worry about for the future?
This is embarrassing, but the idea of global warming makes me so scared I want to go hide in my bathtub with a blanket over me, as if it were a tornado. I know I already do pretty well on not making a gigantic carbon footprint (I'm vegan, drive a low-emissions car and don't travel much, live in a small apartment, walk to most of my errands because I live downtown, and will be taking the bus to and from school once I start classes, and buy most of my clothing secondhand). But it's never enough. If I think about it in depth, I get an overwhelming terrified feeling and get dizzy. That's dumb, I know.
The other thing I worry about often is whether I'll be bitter and burned out by the time I finally finish my prereqs and get to apply to nursing schools. My financial aid/tuition waiver has been reduced from up to 18 credits a quarter to down to 10. So I can take 2 classes a quarter for the next 3 quarters. Upside, this will make working full-time totally possible. Downside, I won't finish all the needed courses in three quarters. So I'll be working and going to school ... indefinitely. I like my job still, but I have days when I think "I'm so glad this isn't what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I couldn't spend every day forever in here". Or days when I just want to hide from the sundowning residents that are yelling at me when I tell them they can't go home, because home isn't there anymore. I want to keep my drive and keep my enthusiasm. I worry that I'll get worn out before I even get a chance to finish my schooling.
But whatever, right? I mean, worrying about it isn't going to prevent it, and I'm doing the best I can right now. So I'll keep finding those funny moments every day, and concentrate on keeping my GPA as high as I can make it, and suck it up. I can do this.
This is embarrassing, but the idea of global warming makes me so scared I want to go hide in my bathtub with a blanket over me, as if it were a tornado. I know I already do pretty well on not making a gigantic carbon footprint (I'm vegan, drive a low-emissions car and don't travel much, live in a small apartment, walk to most of my errands because I live downtown, and will be taking the bus to and from school once I start classes, and buy most of my clothing secondhand). But it's never enough. If I think about it in depth, I get an overwhelming terrified feeling and get dizzy. That's dumb, I know.
The other thing I worry about often is whether I'll be bitter and burned out by the time I finally finish my prereqs and get to apply to nursing schools. My financial aid/tuition waiver has been reduced from up to 18 credits a quarter to down to 10. So I can take 2 classes a quarter for the next 3 quarters. Upside, this will make working full-time totally possible. Downside, I won't finish all the needed courses in three quarters. So I'll be working and going to school ... indefinitely. I like my job still, but I have days when I think "I'm so glad this isn't what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I couldn't spend every day forever in here". Or days when I just want to hide from the sundowning residents that are yelling at me when I tell them they can't go home, because home isn't there anymore. I want to keep my drive and keep my enthusiasm. I worry that I'll get worn out before I even get a chance to finish my schooling.
But whatever, right? I mean, worrying about it isn't going to prevent it, and I'm doing the best I can right now. So I'll keep finding those funny moments every day, and concentrate on keeping my GPA as high as I can make it, and suck it up. I can do this.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Goodbye, days off
I had a meeting at the college with my new advisor to put together an educational plan. This was necessary because some genius thought I could finish all my prereqs in 2 quarters instead of 3, and even if I did max out my aid and do 18 credits per quarter, I still wouldn't finish them all. Sheesh. So I had to submit a plan showing that it is indeed going to take me 3 quarters.
My schedule for fall quarter is to take chem, bio, and first aid. 12 credits total. And work full time. School Mon-Thurs, one evening shift after school (1400-2200). And then three 10 hour days Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays over at the Great Rep. Wash and repeat for the next three months.
I can do this. I will do this.
Winter quarter will be much the same.
Spring quarter, I really need to try to work less because I'm taking 15 credits, and my advisor recommended against me taking two of the classes I plan on taking simultaneously. She's concerned about the workload causing me to get bad grades. But I don't have a choice, I don't have unlimited time on this tuition waiver and who knows if I'll ever get a chance like that again. So I figure some time before spring quarter we'll have to figure out another source of income so I can cut back and work part time.
I know I can make it work. I worked 2-3 jobs simultaneously for almost a year in order to keep us afloat long enough to buy our comic book store. I had to schedule my sleep in blocks between jobs. And I did it. I've been through school before, and I'm comfortable enough at the GreatRep that it doesn't take a lot of mental energy now for me to make it through my shifts there. I'm tough. I'm not afraid to work hard. I'm just afraid of failure.
Pardon me while I go get my teddy bear...
My schedule for fall quarter is to take chem, bio, and first aid. 12 credits total. And work full time. School Mon-Thurs, one evening shift after school (1400-2200). And then three 10 hour days Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays over at the Great Rep. Wash and repeat for the next three months.
I can do this. I will do this.
Winter quarter will be much the same.
Spring quarter, I really need to try to work less because I'm taking 15 credits, and my advisor recommended against me taking two of the classes I plan on taking simultaneously. She's concerned about the workload causing me to get bad grades. But I don't have a choice, I don't have unlimited time on this tuition waiver and who knows if I'll ever get a chance like that again. So I figure some time before spring quarter we'll have to figure out another source of income so I can cut back and work part time.
I know I can make it work. I worked 2-3 jobs simultaneously for almost a year in order to keep us afloat long enough to buy our comic book store. I had to schedule my sleep in blocks between jobs. And I did it. I've been through school before, and I'm comfortable enough at the GreatRep that it doesn't take a lot of mental energy now for me to make it through my shifts there. I'm tough. I'm not afraid to work hard. I'm just afraid of failure.
Pardon me while I go get my teddy bear...
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Ha HA! Triumph!
I'm so on top of this whole going-back-to-school thing, I'm giving my nightmares bad dreams; no more anxiety dreams here! I'm kicking ass, taking names, and chewing bubblegum all at the same time.
This whole being poor thing? Not so bad when it comes to financial aid. I am getting a FULL TUITION WAIVER at the community college for the next 3 quarters! Plus $250 for books each quarter. Yessssss!
This means that I'm planning to take 10 credits per quarter and haven't figured out how much work that means I'll do. If I can afford to cut back to working 3 10-hour shifts, I'll do that. If not, I'm gonna have to keep working full time, since my awesome financial aid does nothing to help me pay rent or get food to eat.
Nonetheless, I'm very, very excited. It's looking like I have about a year's worth of prereqs to do before I can apply to the Accelerated BSN program at my state's university. So I'm going to need to get myself some very good grades in chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and the like.
I can't wait to get back to school. I frickin' love science. And science classes. I'm so excited!
This whole being poor thing? Not so bad when it comes to financial aid. I am getting a FULL TUITION WAIVER at the community college for the next 3 quarters! Plus $250 for books each quarter. Yessssss!
This means that I'm planning to take 10 credits per quarter and haven't figured out how much work that means I'll do. If I can afford to cut back to working 3 10-hour shifts, I'll do that. If not, I'm gonna have to keep working full time, since my awesome financial aid does nothing to help me pay rent or get food to eat.
Nonetheless, I'm very, very excited. It's looking like I have about a year's worth of prereqs to do before I can apply to the Accelerated BSN program at my state's university. So I'm going to need to get myself some very good grades in chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and the like.
I can't wait to get back to school. I frickin' love science. And science classes. I'm so excited!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Dreaming about pills
I think my subconscious is getting anxious about going back to school in the fall. Or maybe just about my upcoming meeting with the advising person who'll look over my past transcripts and tell me which classes I need to take, which should then give me a rough estimate of how long I'll be at community college before I can apply to nursing school.
Last night my anxiety dreams were:
1. I'm enrolled at a med aide course at the community college, complete with practice med carts. I'm aware that I'm not supposed to pop the pills for all of the patients ahead of time, but since I don't know these patients I'm afraid I'll run out of time and do it anyway. The entire bottom drawer of my cart is filled with painstakingly organized little med cups with the correct dosages of pills for my med pass. And then I run it down a couple of stairs and when I open it I've got a huge mess of pills all out of the cups and it's going to take me HOURS to sort them all out so that I get the right ones to the right people.
2. One of our family friends that's just finished her freshman year in college is complaining of butt pain, so I offer to take a look at it and discover a huge stage 3 pressure sore on her butt cheek. I decide to measure it by pouring water in it to check the fluid volume of it and she screams in pain. ACK!
Yeah, not very realistic, are they? Anyway, at least it was easy to realize they were just dreams when I woke up.
My meeting with advising is next week, so I need to go tally up which subjects I have credits in from my first go-round at school. In real life, I'm very excited to go back to school, and have gotten some hopeful news about financial aid. If I can afford to, I'll go to school full-time and cut back on my work schedule. That way I can get my prereqs done more quickly and start applying to nursing schools.
If not, then I'll keep working full-time and go to school as much as I'm able to. Either way, it'll be me taking steps in the right direction!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Day 22: How Have You Changed in the Past 2 Years?
Two years ago this time, I was working as a nanny for two different families; one part-time, one full-time. I commuted almost an hour each way to and from work. I lived in a large rental house, and was trying to get pregnant via sperm donor. My life was very different from what it is now.
Looking back, some things were easier; I made a lot more money back then, so that was much less of a concern. My jobs were really not physically demanding the way working as a nursing assistant is. I had more free time, and I used it to go take water-aerobics at the community center and to cook stuff from my farm-subscription box. Have you heard of those? It's called Community Supported Agriculture. You subscribe to a local farm and get a box of produce every week that's grown in your area. I used to go pick mine up at the community center but some places will bring them to your doorstep. It's pretty cool.
I'm a little wary to write much about my life as a nanny, because I still care about the families I worked for and would never want to say something online that they could find and be hurt by. But in retrospect, I took on a lot of emotional stress from that job, mainly because of a particular issue with one of the children, that I found really hard to deal with as someone that loved that little guy. And what happened to him was the reason I lost my second job with the second family, which was really sad to me, because I loved (still love) those kiddos too.
About two years ago, Mr. Polly and I uprooted ourselves and made big changes in our lives. We were living in a condo and about to close on it, and I assumed I'd stay a nanny for many years to come. Mr. P was teaching Special Ed. When we got the opportunity to move back to our college town and buy the comic book store, we pulled out of the condo right before closing (so sorry real estate agent! Truly!) and moved into a little apartment in a big historic house. I worked harder than I've ever worked, normally about 50-65 hours a week at 2 or 3 jobs at a time to keep us afloat while we tried (slowly) to close the deal on the store. I found out I'm stronger than I knew I was. I found out I'm great at interviewing for jobs, because I was offered most of the ones I applied for. I found out that change doesn't have to be that scary. And I found out that I want to be a nurse. I started out as an in-home caregiver as a supplement to my job at a daycare. And ended up as a CNA at a dementia facility, which I love.
I feel like I'm in the right place, professionally and in my life. My director of nursing pulled me aside last week to ask me if I'm interested in being trained and promoted to be a med tech (I am!!) if a slot becomes avaliable. And last night I started training a new employee for the first time, which means I'm eligible for the Mentor Program at work. I'm registered for fall quarter to start doing my nursing school prerequisites. I love living in the town we live in now. And I'm happy with Mr. Polly. We're not trying to have a baby anymore, but we'll probably start again within a year. And I think I'm under a lot less stress now than I was the first time around, which should hopefully be a good factor in making it happen.
So yep, the last 2 years have been good and hard and I think I'm better for them.
Looking back, some things were easier; I made a lot more money back then, so that was much less of a concern. My jobs were really not physically demanding the way working as a nursing assistant is. I had more free time, and I used it to go take water-aerobics at the community center and to cook stuff from my farm-subscription box. Have you heard of those? It's called Community Supported Agriculture. You subscribe to a local farm and get a box of produce every week that's grown in your area. I used to go pick mine up at the community center but some places will bring them to your doorstep. It's pretty cool.
I'm a little wary to write much about my life as a nanny, because I still care about the families I worked for and would never want to say something online that they could find and be hurt by. But in retrospect, I took on a lot of emotional stress from that job, mainly because of a particular issue with one of the children, that I found really hard to deal with as someone that loved that little guy. And what happened to him was the reason I lost my second job with the second family, which was really sad to me, because I loved (still love) those kiddos too.
About two years ago, Mr. Polly and I uprooted ourselves and made big changes in our lives. We were living in a condo and about to close on it, and I assumed I'd stay a nanny for many years to come. Mr. P was teaching Special Ed. When we got the opportunity to move back to our college town and buy the comic book store, we pulled out of the condo right before closing (so sorry real estate agent! Truly!) and moved into a little apartment in a big historic house. I worked harder than I've ever worked, normally about 50-65 hours a week at 2 or 3 jobs at a time to keep us afloat while we tried (slowly) to close the deal on the store. I found out I'm stronger than I knew I was. I found out I'm great at interviewing for jobs, because I was offered most of the ones I applied for. I found out that change doesn't have to be that scary. And I found out that I want to be a nurse. I started out as an in-home caregiver as a supplement to my job at a daycare. And ended up as a CNA at a dementia facility, which I love.
I feel like I'm in the right place, professionally and in my life. My director of nursing pulled me aside last week to ask me if I'm interested in being trained and promoted to be a med tech (I am!!) if a slot becomes avaliable. And last night I started training a new employee for the first time, which means I'm eligible for the Mentor Program at work. I'm registered for fall quarter to start doing my nursing school prerequisites. I love living in the town we live in now. And I'm happy with Mr. Polly. We're not trying to have a baby anymore, but we'll probably start again within a year. And I think I'm under a lot less stress now than I was the first time around, which should hopefully be a good factor in making it happen.
So yep, the last 2 years have been good and hard and I think I'm better for them.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Day 20: Importance of Education
When I was in High School, a friend of mine told me that her older sister (who was already in college) had said the point of HS is to learn how to learn, so you'll be ready for college. And to learn how to do homework. I think it's also about learning to get along at least a little bit with a lot of people you wouldn't really choose to be in a group with, but have to. That's how work is, right?
Then at my college, some of the professors said that their goal was to teach us how to think critically and how to go about the process of finding information so that we'd be lifelong learners. I think they accomplished that for the most part. I'm not talking about just googling some new thing I heard at work during a shift, but being able to put together several new ideas into a bigger concept and then read up on that concept.
I'm grateful to have had the education I've had because it's allowed me to do that kind of thing. And to understand how to navigate systems and bureaucracies; when I used to volunteer at a low-income housing complex, they had a Moms group that met weekly and the number one thing those women needed help with was understanding how, when, and who to fill out forms with and for to get the services they needed. They weren't illiterate or stupid, but it takes time to learn that kind of stuff. Without knowing how, I wouldn't have been able to register to go to school this fall.
So yep, even though it probably looks on paper as though I never use my education, I feel as though I do, very often. Whew!
Also on this topic, I'm going to brag: NewNurse asked me today if I intend to go on to more schooling because I have a lot of potential (!!!) and she thinks I'd be an excellent administrator of a nursing home someday if I wanted to. Nice!
Then at my college, some of the professors said that their goal was to teach us how to think critically and how to go about the process of finding information so that we'd be lifelong learners. I think they accomplished that for the most part. I'm not talking about just googling some new thing I heard at work during a shift, but being able to put together several new ideas into a bigger concept and then read up on that concept.
I'm grateful to have had the education I've had because it's allowed me to do that kind of thing. And to understand how to navigate systems and bureaucracies; when I used to volunteer at a low-income housing complex, they had a Moms group that met weekly and the number one thing those women needed help with was understanding how, when, and who to fill out forms with and for to get the services they needed. They weren't illiterate or stupid, but it takes time to learn that kind of stuff. Without knowing how, I wouldn't have been able to register to go to school this fall.
So yep, even though it probably looks on paper as though I never use my education, I feel as though I do, very often. Whew!
Also on this topic, I'm going to brag: NewNurse asked me today if I intend to go on to more schooling because I have a lot of potential (!!!) and she thinks I'd be an excellent administrator of a nursing home someday if I wanted to. Nice!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Day 17: Highs and Lows of the Past Year
Low is easy: when I was working noc shift at the Crapdorable place and day shifts in home care. I often only got to sleep in 2-3 hour stretches as a time. I was exhausted. And the physical labor of the crapdorable place was overwhelming, as was the sadness at the neglect the residents endured. There was a woman there who was so covered in boils and pressure sores that there was only one position she could be in (in her bed) and often the boils would pop and leak fluid as I tried to change her brief without hurting her. And I don't care what anyone says, there is absolutely no reason for 94 year olds to be sleeping on a mattress on the floor. God, I hated that place.
High is pretty easy too: once we bought the store and had it running smoothly, and I cut down to one job (that I usually enjoy) and began having free time again. I love being able to leave work and know the residents will be well taken care of while I'm gone. And I love having free time to spend with Mr. Polly again! As soon as I finish my CNA course I'm going to prioritize spending time with friends as well, since it's been a while since I've done that as much as I'd like to. Oh and COOKING! I can't wait to start cooking again!
Getting registered for fall quarter has been a big high as well - I'm so excited to start taking concrete steps toward nursing school!!!
High is pretty easy too: once we bought the store and had it running smoothly, and I cut down to one job (that I usually enjoy) and began having free time again. I love being able to leave work and know the residents will be well taken care of while I'm gone. And I love having free time to spend with Mr. Polly again! As soon as I finish my CNA course I'm going to prioritize spending time with friends as well, since it's been a while since I've done that as much as I'd like to. Oh and COOKING! I can't wait to start cooking again!
Getting registered for fall quarter has been a big high as well - I'm so excited to start taking concrete steps toward nursing school!!!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Day 12: Bullet Your Whole Day
I'll leave some things out because really, you don't need to know every detail.
10:30am: woken up by Mr. Polly
10:30-1pm: breakfast, studying, dressed, tidied up, etc.
2pm-10pm: CNA class. Highlights included one girl bizarrely trying to cheat on a practice test and getting kicked out of the course. Lots of skills practicing, including peri-care on a mannequin, and brushing dentures. After doing foot care on a classmate, without thinking I grabbed him and sat him up on the edge of the bed, forgetting he's young and able-bodied. Oops. At least I didn't call him Pops. I also let him put his own shoes on. Sang along to Rihanna on the way home instead of listening to an educational podcast. Because I'm a rebel.
10:40pm: got home, danced around the kitchen and put an artichoke on the stovetop to steam. Pestered Mr. Polly while he tried to watch Breaking Bad on DVD. Left him alone finally so I could play games on facebook and update my blog. Will eat an artichoke, watch Smallville (we're on season 3 or 4 now!) and then get ready for bed. Will probably consider reading Jane Eyre before sleep, then get too tired and settle for an article in Good Housekeeping instead. Sorry, Bronte. Better luck next time.
PS I'm reading (or not reading) this edition:
It's illustrated by Dame Darcy, who does one of my favorite comics ever, Meat Cake
PPS If the comics references (Smallville, Dame Darcy, other stuff I'm sure I've said in other posts) didn't tip you off, here's the secret: the Small Business my husband and I co-own with a business partner is ... A COMIC BOOK STORE! Yep, really. Nope, I won't say which one on here. But if you're going to be in the PacNW and want to come see it, email me and I'll fill you in.
10:30am: woken up by Mr. Polly
10:30-1pm: breakfast, studying, dressed, tidied up, etc.
2pm-10pm: CNA class. Highlights included one girl bizarrely trying to cheat on a practice test and getting kicked out of the course. Lots of skills practicing, including peri-care on a mannequin, and brushing dentures. After doing foot care on a classmate, without thinking I grabbed him and sat him up on the edge of the bed, forgetting he's young and able-bodied. Oops. At least I didn't call him Pops. I also let him put his own shoes on. Sang along to Rihanna on the way home instead of listening to an educational podcast. Because I'm a rebel.
10:40pm: got home, danced around the kitchen and put an artichoke on the stovetop to steam. Pestered Mr. Polly while he tried to watch Breaking Bad on DVD. Left him alone finally so I could play games on facebook and update my blog. Will eat an artichoke, watch Smallville (we're on season 3 or 4 now!) and then get ready for bed. Will probably consider reading Jane Eyre before sleep, then get too tired and settle for an article in Good Housekeeping instead. Sorry, Bronte. Better luck next time.
PS I'm reading (or not reading) this edition:
It's illustrated by Dame Darcy, who does one of my favorite comics ever, Meat Cake
PPS If the comics references (Smallville, Dame Darcy, other stuff I'm sure I've said in other posts) didn't tip you off, here's the secret: the Small Business my husband and I co-own with a business partner is ... A COMIC BOOK STORE! Yep, really. Nope, I won't say which one on here. But if you're going to be in the PacNW and want to come see it, email me and I'll fill you in.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
P-P-Pollyface has a P-P-P-Plan
The other day I got to play that dancing game for the kinect at a friend's house, and it is SO FUN. But now I think everything in a Lady Gaga way, which is why the title of this entry is full of P-P-P's like P-P-P-Pokerface. I also have been saying scu-ruh-huh-huh-hubs instead of scrubs.
Anway, the point is I have a Plan. Remember how I said I needed to get my butt into school to be a nurse so that I don't have to work this hard for this little money for the rest of my life? Well, I'm registered.
First I'm going to finally go get my CNA Certification, which will get me a (tiny) raise at my current job, and make me qualified to work in a Skilled Nursing Facility if I decide to leave my current job for a different place. I'll also be qualified to work in a hospital but that's more of a pipe dream; most CNA's would like to work in one, but pretty much every CNA works in long term care instead.
Secondly, I did my admission to our local Community College for fall quarter of 2011 to start doing my prereqs. Yeah buddy! I'll keep working while I'm in school, of course, so I'll probably just do one class per quarter. We'll see. I need to get good grades in them so I can be admitted to that baccelaureate program I want to get into to convert my BA into a BSN. So if I want to be a Straight-A Polly, I should probably make sure I'm also Has Time To Sleep Polly.
Look at me, I'm bettering myself! Not buttering myself. Maybe if I buttered myself, I could join the Haus Of Gaga. But buttering myself wouldn't be vegan. Or pleasant.
Anway, the point is I have a Plan. Remember how I said I needed to get my butt into school to be a nurse so that I don't have to work this hard for this little money for the rest of my life? Well, I'm registered.
First I'm going to finally go get my CNA Certification, which will get me a (tiny) raise at my current job, and make me qualified to work in a Skilled Nursing Facility if I decide to leave my current job for a different place. I'll also be qualified to work in a hospital but that's more of a pipe dream; most CNA's would like to work in one, but pretty much every CNA works in long term care instead.
Secondly, I did my admission to our local Community College for fall quarter of 2011 to start doing my prereqs. Yeah buddy! I'll keep working while I'm in school, of course, so I'll probably just do one class per quarter. We'll see. I need to get good grades in them so I can be admitted to that baccelaureate program I want to get into to convert my BA into a BSN. So if I want to be a Straight-A Polly, I should probably make sure I'm also Has Time To Sleep Polly.
Look at me, I'm bettering myself! Not buttering myself. Maybe if I buttered myself, I could join the Haus Of Gaga. But buttering myself wouldn't be vegan. Or pleasant.
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