Saturday, October 8, 2011
September block /upcoming October block
Well, it has been so nutty here, that I never posted anything after the September Block. It was pretty nerve-racking, I had to do my first assessment checkoff on another student in front of my teacher. I had to do a head to toe assessment (the whole thing) in front of her. It was on the 2nd day of block, so it was good to get it overwith and move on with my life. The one coming up is the official one. I did survive 2 tests since I have blogged. I got a B on the first pathophysiology test, and a B on my first assessment class test, but they gave points back in both, so I ended up with A's! I also have an A in my Developmental Peds class. The hotel was ok last time, I did end up checking in after midnight due to not getting to leave the office until 6:30 pm bc they didn't have coverage for me, so I got the last room, and it was in between 2 rooms they were doing construction on, so it was...lets just say, not a good study environment...I won't be staying there this coming block, thank God, but I will have to for November. I am going to be sharing a room this time with a girl that lives close to me here now and is enrolled part-time. She doesn't have to go for the whole thing, so I just learned that we aren't getting to ride together, but at least I can share the hotel fees! I did see Montgomery Gentry doing a street concert while recording a new music video right off of Broadway, and I saw Lo Bosworth from the Hills in the lobby at Embassy Suites. That was pretty cool. She is even more beautiful in person than she is in real life! I have found that I cannot sit 8 hours in class, then go sit in a hotel room alone and study. I make it about an hour, and get stir crazy. I have been just getting in the car and driving, and so far, I have found a boutique mall with Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton, Betsy Johnson, Kate Spade, etc... YOWZERS! (Window shopping only) I have, however decided that if I finish this program, I want a real Louis Vuitton purse, (or Chanel) and a trip to Italy. Heck, we can get the purse in Italy! I did find another really cool place too called The Gulch that has some snotty hoity-toity restaurants where they laugh at you if you don't have reservations or aren't wearing designer duds, and some neat little boutiques. (Urban outfitters anyone?) My goal for downtime each trip is to do something really cool each time. Next time I may try to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame. I need to go for now, though, I will try to post more later.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Followers
Hey everyone who might be following this blog. If you click subscribe, it will let you know when I add a posting. It also lets me know who is actually interested in reading it...
Also, feel free to comment :)
Also, feel free to comment :)
Friday, August 26, 2011
Do I have a target on my forehead?
I forgot a big part of the story. For those of you who know me well, I have an unlucky streak. Basically, if it can happen it will happen to me...I kept getting locked out of the hotel room, ever since I first came on Monday. They kept giving me new cards until finally, wed night, I came home, and couldn't get in. I got new keys, still wouldn't let me in. Tried a 2nd, then a 3rd. Still nothing. They sent engineering, His universal key wouldn't work. He goes, "I don't know why they keep putting people in this room, this keeps happening." GREAT. If it can happen, it will. To me.
Of course, the hotel staff is unaware there is a problem with this room, convienently. After an hour of sitting in the lobby, and them breaking the lock somehow to get me back in, and after the host saying, "Hmm. All your stuff is in there isn't it?", No, I just brought what I am wearing, this sundress, and my handbag. Idiot. So they fix it, or so they think. Then, the next day, I go to class, I tell the front desk I am leaving as instructed, so they can fix the lock while I am gone. I come back tired, on edge, stressed out with the load of stuff I am facing with school, and ready to just lay down. Plus I walked a mile back from the school to the hotel. Literally. Guess what? Three key trials again. This time, I am in tears. After finally getting a manager, they moved me. When I say they moved me, I mean 5 people came from the woodwork and packed my suitcase, bras, panties, toothbrush, everything, and moved me to the 7th floor. I now have a room with a view on the renovated floor, they comped one night stay, and when asked if they could do anything else, I requested, and they gave me reservations for next block even though it was sold out due to parent's weekend...I am ready to be home!
Thirty-one with a backpack.
Well,
I have done the unthinkable. I have gone back to school. Some things that come to mind: "What was I thinking? Am I crazy? Is this the best time in our lives to do this? What about all the debt with student loans? Can I work full time and go to school? Will I have any sanity?" Well, I try to remind myself of some Good Ole' Jimmy Buffet lines. "Wrinkles only go where the smiles have been...There's a little bit of Fruitcake left in everyone of us, and if we weren't all crazy, wed all go insane"...*chuckle...
This has been a week. As I sit here in the hotel room, all alone, missing Martin and my 3 four-legged babies so much that it hurts, I think about this journey I have placed myself. Yes, I am crazy. Yes, I can do this. Yes, I have a biology degree, and 2 nursing degrees, and 6 years of experience to help me. Yes, I have a good support system. and Yes, the loans will be ok, because I will hopefully make lots more money, and finally, yes, I will have more wrinkles, but thats ok, because I have had tons of smiles.
I have met some very, very, cool ladies this week. I have made two wonderful friends from St. Louis, and one from Spartanburg. I also have met people that work here at Vandy, and many that work all over the country. It is so cool to be able to swap similar stories with people from all over the country with the same type of PICU drama.
I have done a lot of soul searching this week, and I know, I KNOW that this is where I am supposed to be, where God wants me. Too many things have fallen into place ( well, apparently at Vandy, things don't fall into place, we work for it here, per a staff member here at Vandy -lol its a long story) and I know the work is going to be hard, and I have definitely already cried some, but I think I can do this.
So here is where the journey started: I applied to USC, MUSC, Clemson, and Vanderbilt. Vandy was a last minute "I'll never get in, but what the heck, why not try" kind of school. I got instant rejections from MUSC and USC, MUSC being the second time. Vandy was interested in me from the start. I inquired about the school, and they asked me to apply. They seemed interested. I sent in all of my stuff, and had my letters written from the PICU docs and Dr. Troup, and just waited. A week later, I got a call from the admissions counselor wanting to talk to me. She said She wanted to change my app. She thought I was better suited for Peds Acute Care Nurse Practitioner instead of Peds Primary Care, because of my experience in the PICU and Transport Team, by what I do in the OR with Dr. Troup. I wrote the program directors of both, and both agreed that I was better suited for Acute Care. She told me that there weren't as many spots, but that I could try for it. I agreed, retook the GRE, and changed my app to suit Acute Care, and waited. They said 30 days. at day 37, I called. The same admissions counselor answered, and she said, "Nikki, the letters went out yesterday" with no emotion in her voice. I was like, "I HAVE TO KNOW! You don't understand!" I heard her walk away from her desk, and she whispered "You're in". I lost all control. I couldn't breathe. I had to hang up on her. Who do I call? What do I do? Martin is working, Dad is working, Dr. Troup is in a meeting. I called mom. (Who else?) She couldn't even understand me. I couldn't breathe much less speak. All I could get out is "I'm ok just stay on the phone." When I finally got it out, I am hysterically crying/laughing/screaming at this point, She said everything I needed to here. You know, if you ever doubt yourself, or need a reminder that you are a useful human being, Call your mom. I finally got calmed down, and tried to go to Martin. He was on a call. Three times, I missed him. Finally I gave up, and got to the hospital as fast as I could to tell Dr. Troup. En route, I got ahold of Dr. Seigler, my PICU intensivist and got to tell him. He was in the same meeting as Dr. Troup, and he was able to not reveal the secret. When I finally got to the hospital, I tried to get Dr. Troup's attention at the meeting, and finally texted him to come outside. The whole crying/screaming/laughing happened again as he hugged me and celebrated with me in the hall. Then I finally got to go tell Daddy. I went by his work. It is such a neat thing to go and share something that cool with your dad. You know, its like "I DID IT!!!!! You did good! Because of you, I AM HERE!!" FINALLY, I got to go tell Martin. I went to his work, he was finally there, and when he came outside I started crying again, and I said, "I got in I got in." He teared up with me and he said "I KNEW IT!!! I figured thats what it was!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Here I am. I flew in on Monday and got here pretty late due to a flight delay. I checked in to the hotel, and woke up at 6am to find my way to campus and eat breakfast. We had a breakfast social in the lobby and I met Jeff from Chattanooga, and asked him if he knew Macy from Teen Mom. He laughed a lot about that. Poor thing, we have hauled him around with all of us ladies, so he wouldn't be cooped up in the hotel room. I told my little group that I don't meet a stranger, bc of working at Disney, and sometimes it can be dangerous. They all thought that was funny too. The first 2 days were pretty boring, because we just had to learn about the housekeeping stuff. Wed afternoon we got to finally meet our program director and learn that there are 25 of us. THERE ARE 25 of us THATS IT! Thursday we met our pathophysiology teacher and all of the other classes. I learned that this is going to be tough... I believe he said something about "like drinking water from a firehose..." If that explains anything...Wed night, we had to go to this BBQ at the home of the dean, and we left there, and I recruited 5 people to go and give them a tour of downtown Music Row. We started at Hard Rock, went to Margaritaville, and walked all up and down Broadway. It was fun. We laughed at all of the Teeshirt shops and the Opry store, and tried on many pairs of boots downtown too. Now it is Friday, I am reeeeeally homesick, and We got out of class at 2:30. There was a flight out of southwest at 5. I was like could I make it??? I had to walk the mile back to the hotel, pack, and turn in the rental car....probably not...I called Martin and daddy, and they convinced me to stay here and relax for the flight tomorrow. I heated up my supper from Cheesecake Factory, and here I am. Apparently The Marshall Tucker Band is going to be at the BBQ festival at 9pm tonight, but I don't want to go alone...Well, that about sums up my first week here at Vandy. I wanted to create a new blog to communicate everything with close friends and family members. I am worried about going back to work Monday. I have like 113 emails to respond to...Oh well..."Come Monday, it'll be alright. Come Monday, I'll be holding you tight"...
Peace Y'all.
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