Nursewatches.com Blog Review

Hey friends,

So I am very excited about the watches Christine and I were able to review from nursewatches.com. The watch itself is a clip-on silicone fob. It was created with the intend to keep bare below the elbows. You can read more about that here. 

Christine and I each got to try out a different fob, thank you Leslie! My first remark as I got the package was that they were so cute and I loved the way the silicone felt. My second was that it had more weight to it then I thought and was worried how it would pull on my V neck scrubs. After trying it, I can say that the weight is not a concern. 

Christine's Polka Dot Teal with white dial

Why do I love these watches? I love that they were created for the nurse in mind. They allow you to be bare below the elbow (infection control) while keeping the time in a convenient spot for you. Just simply look down to keep track of time. No more hassle of turning your wrist or taking your watch off to scrub your hands. You can also easily pop the clock out of the fob for cleaning as well. 

Christine loves them because they are useful. She loves that there are so many different design options to choose from to really express yourself. It is just another way to dress up your scrubs. Another key feature for her is that she does not have to wear a watch on her wrist and worry about fluids or bacteria covering it. 

The watches feature a second hand and military time (WooHOO!). The font size is also easy to see. They come with a limited 2-year warranty and a spare battery. 

Megan's round Royal Tapestry with luminescent dial

The only thing I cannot attest to is how it is during a night shift, but they do make a dial that features the technology to make it glow at night. The white dial also has the luminescent part at the ends of the clock hands. (Sorry I do not know what it is called that makes it glow.)

I really suggest checking them out here and ordering yourself one for clinicals! You can use coupon code MNMS10 until September 30th, 2015 for 10% off any purchase. Let me know which pattern or style you get.

Typical Clinical Day

Hey friends,

I wanted to share with you what my typical clinical day looks like. This post will be followed by what I bring with me to clinical.  A lot of readers have shown interest in more clinical type posts so I hope these two will help address this.

For clinical, my group is assigned a home unit and 3 floats to different floors depending on what class it is for. For example, my critical care rotation's home unit was a trauma floor. I then had floats to the OR, Trauma bay, and ER. We typically go 12 times for eight hour shifts. We are not assigned a nurse to follow, but rather our nurse is based on a patient. As we move up in years we increase the patient load. Majority of our clinical patient assignments are chosen the night before. Going the night before allows us to write down important information and research about the admitting diagnosis. 

Here is my clinical day:

6:45 arrive at unit. look in computer for any new orders, medications, or treatment changes. find out who my nurse is for the day and the aides.
7:00-7:30 listen to report with nurse. most of the time it is bedside reports.
7:30 grab vitals and complete a head to toe assessment. Administer any medications at this time with my nurse.
8:00 round on other patients with my nurse.
8:30/9 chart.
9:30 check in with patient after breakfast. offer a bed bath or change of sheets. administer any medications, if nothing, then I follow my nurse and help her chart on other patients. 
11:30 lunch.
12:00 return  to floor. take vitals. administer any medications. 
12:00-2:00 help my nurse with any new admits, other patients, charting, anything really.
2:00 off the floor for post conference.
3:30 end of post conference. 

Not everything is exact. I make sure I really focus on my patient and do everything for him/her. I also ask my nurse if I can chart and administer medications (after I have been checked off for that skill). If everything is done for my patient, then I will help with the others. 

In the beginning of clinicals, I spent a lot of time just completing head to toes and figuring out how to chart. Thus, my day looked very different. I was not really able to round on my nurse's other patients and instead used that time to complete my head to toe. Then we sat down and charted together. Following that I would do a bed bath, change sheets, talk with my patient, and complete any skills I needed to be checked off. By that time it would be lunch. 

Clinical are nerve racking in the beginning, but also a lot of fun. I hope you really do play the "student card" and get to try as much skills as possible (safely, of course). 

I wish you all the best with clinicals,

How to read your textbook effectively

Hey friends,

So one of the very BIG struggles of nursing school is all the required readings. I am not sure why professors think we can read two 50 page chapters in a night. And you never remember what you read if you successfully get through all the pages. By now I am sure you have realized that textbooks are full of fluff and distractions. Here are my steps for reading a textbook:

• Read all chapter introductions and summaries.
• Read any part of the text that is in a different format (bold, colored, large, italicized).
• Read the heading of each paragraph and the first and last sentence.
• Read all diagrams and charts.
• At the end of the chapter, if you do not understand a concept, then go back and read that paragraph completely.

This technique allows you to read your textbook for content only. It will take some adjusting while you read, but many nursing students and successful nurses recommend this way of reading.

If you absolutely must read the entire book, then have some sort of incentives for yourself to make sure you get it done. As with your note taking, make sure to read what you read the next day! 

Hope this helps and would love to hear if the technique works for you!

Back to Nursing School: Note Taking

Hey friends,

In this post I am going to be sharing how I take notes during class. As I have previously mentioned, I typically do not bring my computer with me. I have found that although I can type everything fast, I am unable to retain that information as well compared to hand written notes. 

I did start out with typing my notes in oneNote. I liked that I could put a star or question mark next to items that were important or I did not understand too well. However, I would spend a lot of time making sure it was all uniformed or inserting screenshots of the slides into my notes. 

I will say that if you must type your notes out, then I suggest using oneNote. It allows you organize all your notes into folders, pages, and subpages. It is essentially a virtual binder. There is also an option for voice and video recording. Another great thing is that it automatically saves, so you never have to worry about losing your work. 

Because my professors put their powerpoints on canvas before class, I will usually print out the powerpoint and bring it with me. My first set of notes in class are typically messy. I follow along with the powerpoint and write down information that my professor says that is not on the slide. Typically this is on a separate sheet of paper as you will see why later. I do not worry about making it look pretty or organization because I am going to transfer my notes later.

source

I also voice record all my lectures using the app Evernote in addition to writing down information. Sometimes I will zone out in class and miss something or maybe the teacher is talking to fast. Either way I never have to worry about missing information because I have it recorded. Evernote also lets me organize my recordings into folders and syncs across all my devices. Althought I use Evernote for only recordings, you can also type and draw with the application. Learn more about it here. 

Following the lecture, I take my clean copy of the powerpoint slides and highlight, star, underline, and add any additional information as I listen to the recording. I make this copy easy to read and organized. I will be using it to study from. This is also a good time to add more detail from the textbook. 

By this time I have had been exposed to the lecture twice. As I study for exams I will focus on the powerpoint slides. I do not worry about re-listening to my lectures.  Occasionally I will play them back as I am exercising or during a long car ride. 

And that is how I take notes in class. Everyone is a little bit different, but maybe you will add some of what I do into your routine. Good luck!

Top 5 Must Have Study Habits

Hey friends,

It is no surprise that the secret to nursing school success is how you study. Here are some must have study habits. 

ONE// Put away all electronics! Get rid of the distractions. Do not even have it near you because you will be tempted to scroll through twitter or check out your instagram feed.

TWO// Use a variety of study methods. Re-write your notes. Teach some one about a disease process. Create mnemonics for assessments or signs and symptoms. 

THREE// Get a supplemental book. I will say it over and over again, but textbooks really do make things complicated. I suggest the Incredibly Made Easy series for an additional resource.

FOUR// Review your lecture notes within 24 hours. This really helps solidify the information in your brain. It also allows ample amount of time to ask your professors for additional help. 

FIVE// Set a timer while you study. Focus for 50-60 minutes and then take a 5-10 minute break before beginning again. 

Good luck with your studies! As always I am here if you need me,

1st Semester of Nursing School

Hey friends,

So for the first installation of this NEW blog series I am going to be talking about your first semester of nursing school!

Why is the first semester of nursing school so hard? This is the question that is on everyone's mind. I know I asked all the sophomores this same question when I was accepted into the nursing program. 

It is very exciting to be starting nursing school, but it also comes with a lot of stress. Due to the fact that you have worked so hard to be here you probably feel like every situation is life or death. I started out this way my first semester. Until my mentor pointed out to me that there is life outside of nursing school. That simple conversation with her showed me that I should not worry about the grade, but rather learning the information to be a successful nurse! My advice is to have fun throughout nursing school. Once you have the letters RN behind your name no one will know that you were a B average student. 

The first semester of nursing school is accompanied by a lot of firsts. The first time you are exposed to NCLEX style questions, possibly the first patient interaction you have had, or maybe even the first C in your life. Adjusting to these changes is what makes the first semester of nursing school challenging. But it can be done!

The exam questions require a higher level of thinking than your other classes. I suggest getting a study aide in the courses that you are struggling in. Textbooks can be bogged down with information overload. I found it easier to learn the material while reading my study aide books. I suggest using the Made Incredibly Easy series. The aides really help narrow down the information for you and some books even have practice questions! 

If you are in a financial position where you are not able to buy additional books, then I suggest looking through youTube. There are a lot of helpful resources on there. (hmm, maybe I should do a post on this.)

First semester nursing students also struggle with time management. The amount of time that nursing school consumes is tremendous. Adjusting to creating a schedule for studying, eating, socializing, or even using the restroom is difficult. Start early by buying yourself a planner and marking all important dates from your syllabus. Schedule set times in the day where you can gather yourself in a quiet space to study. You also do need sleep to function, so go ahead and schedule that too.

The first semester of nursing school is where you get a lot of your introduction type classes. My first nursing class was all about assessments of each system. It seems so silly now, but I really struggled in it. Having a firm foundation in the basics will benefit your nursing career.

I wish I was able to tell you how your first semester is going to go, but I cannot. Everyone experiences things differently. My first exam I failed. No it was not a D or F, but in nursing school a 71% is just the same. I felt like a moron and even began to question my major. The only comfort was that I was not the only one who struggled. I took it as a chance to grow and eventually learned how to study better. I ended the class with a B+. (2 points away from an A. I am still a little bitter about it. 

First semester of nursing school is challenging because it really is a whole new world. My biggest advice is to be organized and do not be too hard on yourself.

Back to (Nursing) School Series

Hey friends,

I am going to start a back to Nursing School blog series! I hope to have a couple of posts in the series ranging from topics such as studying, test taking tricks, and clinicals. Since I am also returning to school for my senior year I will not be posting every day. So until I have schedule for posts made follow our social media to be notified of new posts! Links to social media can be found in the sidebar. 

Stay tuned! 

Nursing Giveaway!

Hey guys,

I just wanted to say thanks for following along with my journey so far. I am extremely humbled by the amazing support and kind words you have given me. With that being said, I wanted to show y'all how much I truly appreciate you by doing a little giveaway. 

I know summer is quickly coming to an end, which means less free time, but I absolutely love reading. I like to dabble in books written by nurses from time to time and thought this one was really good. 

For that reasons I want to give away a copy to one of my readers! 
The book is called A Nurse's Story by Tilda Shalof. Goodreads gives the following description: 

"Shalof, a veteran ICU nurse, reveals what it is really like to work behind the closed hospital curtains. The drama, the sardonic humour, the grinding workload, the cheerful camaraderie, the big issues and the small, all are brought vividly to life in this remarkable book."

You can read all about Tilda here. She is most noted for writing about her experiences as an ICU nurse for the past twenty-four years. 

If you would like to win a copy of A Nurse's Story then all you have to do is enter here or use the gadget(US residents only please).

Good Luck! Giveaway is open till 8/26/2015 at 12:00 AM Eastern Time.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MC2 Scrub Review

Hey friends,

So I was super thrilled that I was able to try out a new scrub line, MC2, from Med Couture. I was even more ecstatic that I was able to include a friend. So a huge thank you to Med Couture Scrubs! 

• What style top/bottom did you pick out?

I chose Med Couture’s MC2 Lexi top in a petal for your thoughts. I also am wearing the MC2 Skyler pant in black.

• Three adjectives to describe the scrubs. 

Functional, flattering, and movable. 

• What is your favorite part of the set?

As Christine mentioned, I too love how flattering the top of the MC2 scrubs are. I love the cut of the Lexi top and the cute print. It really is a flattering V cut, but does not reveal too much. There are also two pockets in the front to stuff all my needed pens and papers in. 

Unlike Christine's pants, mine have cargo side pockets on each pant leg. One also has a pen pocket! Like the top, the pant also has nice detail to them. The stitching is simple, but enough to make me feel like I am not in boring scrubs. My pants also have a drawstring tie to them which is comfortable.

• What do you dislike or wish was different?

Trying to find something to dislike is hard on this set. I think ultimately I wish that it was not 100% cotton. I tend to choose to wear my polyester material scrubs because of how soft and breathable they are! 

• Anything else you want to include?

I really am in love with how stylish and cute the MC2 scrubs are. This is my first time trying the Med Couture line and I am amazed. I love the added detail found in the stitching and all the pockets that my pants have. 

Trying out these scrubs was such a blast! I really got a lot of comments on how cute the print of my top was. I was more excited about all my pockets. 

I hope that you will take a peak at their scrubs here. 

Well guys what are your thoughts on our scrubs? Leave a comment down below.

Med Couture Scrub Review

Source

Hey friends,

Christine and I were given the opportunity to try out some scrubs from Med Couture's new line MC2. I asked Christine a few questions about the scrubs and these are her answers. 

1. What style top/bottom did you pick out?
   I chose Med Couture’s MC2 Lexi top in Steel and the MC2 Skyler pant in black.
   
2. Three adjectives to describe the scrubs.
   Cute, flattering, breathable.
   
3. What is your favorite part of the set?
   I thoroughly enjoy how flattering the top is. The sport neckline cut of the Lexi top and blue contrast stitching provide subtly detail and style without being too flashy. I also love the extra pen pocket to ensure I don’t lose ALL of my pens!
   
   What I love about the Skyler pant is the flare leg with hem vents to allow for less constricted movement. I am not a fan of pants that feel too tight around the ankle so if you’re like me, then the Skyler pant is perfect for you! I like the drawstring front as well because while it’s still comfortable, it gives me a little more security knowing I won’t have my pants sliding down throughout the day.
   
4. What do you dislike or wish was different?
   The only thing I would add to the pants is a side utility pocket, because I love pockets and wind up carrying a lot of supplies and papers. Med Couture’s MC2 Layla pant provides that extra pocket, though not all colors appeared to have the flare leg with hem vents based on the pictures off their website.
   
5. Anything else you want to include?
   I adore the MC2 line by Med Couture and cannot wait to try them out in a full clinical rotation!

Be sure to check out the scrubs here and come back tomorrow to see which set Megan tried and what she thinks about them. 

Tips for starting clinicals

Hello friends,

[This has been a very busy, stressful day so sorry for posting this later than what my schedule has been. On that note, I will be decreasing the number of postings I make during the week because of classes. I am thinking between two to three times a week. Thank you for being understanding and supportive.]

So you are about to start clinicals! Yay. That is so exciting. Here are some things you may want to know:

• Remember that you are not alone. There are plenty of staff at the hospital and classmates that are a resource for you. Be sure to ask someone for help. Classmates are also good for tag teaming a bed bath!

• Research your patient and know pathophysiology behind the disease. It is critical that you know what your patient has and what medications they are on. This can help you realize any abnormalities or explain why some things are out of the ordinary (such as blue urine). No matter what unit you are on you should always focus on patient-centered care.

• Get rest the night before. Arriving to a clinical site and being tired is just unprofessional. It can also show that you do not care. Present yourself properly. 

• Make use of your resources. If you have a pocket clinical guide, then bring it with you. Refer to it for your assessment or how to chart. There is also no shame in looking up medications in a drug book. A lot of hospitals have a drug data base on the computers.
  
• Be confident. Having confidence and displaying that can sometimes make your patients more comfortable with you providing them care. 

I hope y'all have amazing clinical rotations. Let me know if you want some more helpful hints.

My First Clinical Day

Hi friends,

I am going to dig deep in the memory vault for this post and talk to you about my very first clinical day. **Please note that any personal information has been changed in this post to protect the privacy of my patients.**

The way my school sets up our clinicals is as followed: you are assigned a group with approximately nine other students, one clinical instructor, and one hospital which you will attend for 8 hours one day a week for 12 weeks. Your assigned clinical day is either a tuesday or a thursday. 

Prior to your day, you will go to the hospital to "pick out" a patient to take care of. The student will need to go into the patients room and introduce themselves as a student nurse and ask if it would be alright if they provided them care alongside their nurse tomorrow. The introduction was the scary part for me because my hospital was predominately Spanish speaking and I am very much White. I had no problem knocking on my patients door and introducing myself, but if they did not understand English I would have a minor freak out. Luckily majority of my patients had English speaking family in the room or I unwillingly just butchered Spanish. 

Following permission from the patient, the student would access the medical record and gather all pertinent information to provide care for them. My school has us write up all medical diagnosis with potential risk factors, any surgical history, pathophysiology on the admitting diagnosis, all medications and interventions, and what our 3 main assessments are for that day. Following the day of care we also write 3 care plans. 

From what I can recall, my very first patient was very kind. They had a great sense of humor and was willing to let me give them a bed bath (a bit awkward when it came to washing the private areas. My patient did not want me to and I of course respected their wishes). The write up for my patient was also not too bad which allowed me to get adequate sleep the night before. 

I think the most difficult part from my first day was keeping up with my nurse and charting an assessment. My nurse was very willing to let me do stuff, but he often would leave without me. I had wanted to see his other patients and experience what it was like, but just gave up and focused my attention solely on mine. 

Charting an assessment for the first time was confusing. I fumbled to complete my head to toe knowing that I had missed parts of my neruo and psychosocial. After re-entering my patients room for what felt like a million times, I sat down to chart. I felt like I did not know correct vocabulary to describe things. I had also noticed that other nurses were charting regular sounds when I had irregular ones. My instructor advised me to chart what I heard and never concern myself with what others are doing. 

The rest of the day went smoothly. My patient was post-op day three and going to be discharged the next day. He/She focused her/his day on gathering belongings and calling family to pick them up. I was fortunate to get a patient who was entirely independent. 

I left my first clinical feeling very confident. My patient and I had gotten along well. Although I stumbled through my assessment, I knew I would get the hang of it eventually. 

What was your first clinical day like? Or what are you most nervous for?

Nursing School Books

Hey friends,

So as I have previously mentioned, I love all things school supplies and organization. This also leads to a fascination of what books other schools use. Now my school's book package for your first year in the program is majority of the books we will use throughout our time, with the exception of specialties such as peds, ob, and mental health. The package is approximately $1000 for about nine or so books, but it also comes with the E edition. Trust me when I say I do not understand why they cost so much!!! 

When it comes to buying books for my classes, apart from the package, I choose to rent them. I do not think I will revisit them in the future and I have a comprehensive review book for the NCLEX if I need information. I also have additional ATI study materials for each class. By renting my books for the semester, I have saved a lot of money and suggest doing it for the non-essentials. 

I also prefer actual textbooks to etextbooks. I have found that a lot of my etextbooks change the formatting and actually makes them harder to read. I also love the physical action of highlighting. I know that a lot of people will opt to use etextbooks because of the accessibility of them. Plus they do not weigh you down when carrying them.

Some the actual physical books that I do have and revisit are the following:

Source

Fundamentals of Nursing, 8th Edition

By Patricia A. Potter, RN, MSN, PhD, FAAN, Anne Griffin Perry, RN, EdD, FAAN, Patricia Stockert, RN, BSN, MS, PhD and Amy Hall, RN, BSN, MS, PhD, CNE

Source

Medical-Surgical Nursing, 8th Edition

By Sharon L. Lewis, RN, PhD, FAAN, Shannon Ruff Dirksen, RN, PhD, Margaret M. Heitkemper, RN, PhD, FAAN, Linda Bucher, RN, PhD, CEN and Ian Camera, RN, MSN, ND

Source

Pocket Companion for Physical Examination and Health Assessment, 6th Edition

By Carolyn Jarvis, PhD, APN, CNP

Source

Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, 9th Edition

By Betty J. Ackley, MSN, EdS, RN and Gail B. Ladwig, MSN, RN

Source

Saunders Nursing Drug Handbook 2014


By Barbara B. Hodgson, RN, OCN and Robert J. Kizior, BS, RPh

I also have a public health nursing book, a manual to laboratory tests, and a nursing drug calculations book. 

What books do you have for nursing school?

HIPAA: The Ins and the Outs

Hello friends,

I hope all of y'alls day was lovely. I know I had a nice relaxing day after a busy night of work previously. 

What is HIPAA?

So hipaa stands for health insurance and portability  and accountability act. It is a law designed to ultimately protect patient's privacy.

What does hipaa include?

Per hipaa guidelines, every patient is entitled to privacy and confidentiality. This means that all their medical information is protected and kept private.

What are patient identifiers?

Patient identifiers is what allows a by-stander to know who you are talking about. This include names, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, medical record numbers, images, etc.

How does this affect nursing students?

Hipaa violations are very serious and you should always be aware of your surroundings when talking. I have had a previous clinical instructor be in an elevator with other nursing students and overheard them talking. Of course the students did not know she was an instructor for another school. The school was notified. 

So now what?

Take the necessary steps to ensure that you always maintain patient privacy. I know you will be excited about watching a cool procedure and want to post it on your facebook, but stop! You will have an opportunity to share with your clinical group without violating patient privacy. The rest of the world does not need to know. 

Brittney Wilson, The Nerdy Nurse, further mentions 18 patient identifiers off limits here. She also mentions that yes you can blog about your patient experiences as long as nothing can be identified. A key to avoiding releasing information is by focusing on the educational learning experience of the story and not the actual details. 

At my nursing school, I have had a scare with hipaa. The previous year I had tweeted that I held a baby for 30 minutes at clinical and it was great. Of course I was excited about having a great clinical day and wanted to share. I thought I had removed all identifying information from my tweet and never once said the hospital I was at, but my Dean did not agree. Luckily nothing serious happened and I do not understand how that even violated hipaa. But what I did learn was to always triple check before posting anything that does not benefit my work. Rule of thumb is to wait at least 24 hours to post anything and check with professors if you are unsure.

Hope that helps!

Being REAL

Hey guys,

Thank you for continuing to read the blog and support my journey. Lately, I feel like I have just been throwing a ton of products on the blog. I want you to know that this blog was not created for only that. Yes, I want to be able to share with you reviews of scrubs and accessories to help you create your stylish nursing attire. (All my reviews are honest.) But I want this blog to be a resource for help and support throughout nursing school. 

As I will continue to say, I am here for any questions you may have about my nursing journey or concerns about your own. 

So let me be real with you. I know I begin school again in less than a month and can honestly say that I am worried. I have been extremely busy lately getting all my school paperwork in order and getting school supplies. What if I do not have the time management skills to do all the things that I have planned for my senior year? Will I fail? Lots of questions are running through my mind.

I am nervous that I really have not learned enough to become a nurse. It is my senior year and soon enough I will be on my own.  I have asked other students around me and they have agreed as well. Brittany Wilson, aka The Nerdy Nurse, stated that she did not feel like she knew enough to be a nurse until 6 months after she was. She further goes on to say that you will have what you need and you will be fine. 

With her words in mind, I am ready to embrace my senior year. I will not let these feelings of doubt hinder me in school. Nor will I let them stop me from being a Mighty Nurse. All I can do is prepare for it all now. Foundation is key! Plus now I have all of your love and support. And that truly is something magical. 

When do you guys start school? Are you nervous as well? Let me know down below.

P.S. Who would like to see another giveaway?! I think the first one was fun and went successfully.

Get to know us

Hey guys, since Christine is going to be posting more regularly I thought it would be a good idea to sort of introduce ourselves.Unfortunately since I got a new phone I do not have any silly clinical pictures of us, but be on the look out for them soon.

1. Introduce yourself
   Megan: So since this is my blog, I cannot remember what I have or have not shared already. I am about to be 22 years old and a senior in nursing school. I would not consider myself “outgoing”, but I am not terribly shy either. I am addicted to gum (Orbit sweet mint) and elephants! I have no idea what sort of niche or unit I would like to get into with nursing, but am excited to see where it takes me.

Christine: I briefly introduced myself in my first guest post, but to recap, I’m 21 and entering my senior year of nursing school alongside Megan. Like Megan, I’m not super outgoing, but when we get together, we definitely get a little crazy! I cannot start my day without at least one cup of coffee and I’m sucker for chips with a huge helping of guacamole and cheese piled on top. Like Megan, I do not really know what exactly I want to do with nursing, but I have a few ideas (Post-partum, NICU, or something with Veterans). I’m so excited knowing I have my entire future ahead of me and I cannot wait to see where it leads me!

2. What has been your favorite part about nursing school thus far?
   Megan: My favorite part thus far is probably my clinical rotation for OB. I was an emergency C-section baby, so it was exciting to see what I went through during birth. Also how can you not fall in love with the newborns.

Christine: I think my favorite part of nursing school has been my OB rotation as well, but for a very different reason. Before my rotation, I was convinced I absolutely did not want to work with pregnant women or newborns because they were too emotional and fragile. After watching my first delivery (and almost passing out!) I cried harder than the baby and I realized it was because I was able to share that precious moment with a family. I had a complete change of heart and fell in love with the entire birthing process. I do know, however, that I am not entirely a fan of labor and delivery, but post-partum was what really got me because the babies were so tiny and adorable.

3. What was your least favorite part?
   Megan: My least favorite part has been the lack of organization with my school. Unfortunately my class has been the one to experience new teachers who are still trying to adjust how they will run their class/what they will teach. Eventually it all works out in the end. It also seems like getting our clinical placements is always difficult. However, I know that is not in the control of my professors.

Christine: I think my least favorite part is the lack of communication, within my program, between classmates, clinical groups, constantly changing deadlines and due dates with no word about it, and miscommunication because of lack of communication. It has been incredibly frustrating to try to get work or tasks done when the information is constantly changing with only last minute communication about everything.

4. Would you have changed anything in nursing school?
   Megan: For me, I would have changed how I presented myself on social media. I know it is exciting what you experience in clinicals, but you really have to be careful with what you posts. My professor warned me one time after clinical that I could not tweet “I held a baby for 30 minutes at clinical today and it was amazing”. Take everything as a learning experience, but do not post it.

Christine: I think I would have studied harder and joined a study group my first year. My second semester in med-surg I almost did not pass. I thought I had understood all the material and knew everything we had gone over in lecture. While I did know everything we had gone over, I had failed to successfully apply the knowledge I had, and thus performed poorly on my final exam. Luckily a different test grade had been high enough that my low final grade was not an issue, but if I had joined a study group, talked through the information, quizzed myself and used a study buddy to bounce questions off of, I would have done much better.

5. Where do you see your nursing career headed?
   Megan: I think I will probably just start out on a med/surg floor for experience, but I hope to maybe go into high risk antenatal. Of course I want to also get my masters in nursing. I am unsure if I will try for my NP.

Christine: Eventually I would like wind up in the NICU or, after pursuing a Masters as a clinical nurse specialist, I would like to work somewhere in women’s health or even educating other nurses.

6. How did you handle your first semester?
   Megan: My first semester was a bit easier than for other people because of my CNA class that I took in high school. However, I still struggled learning how to study for nursing exams. Once you realize that they do not test on knowledge then you can adjust your techniques accordingly.

Christine: It was definitely an adjustment period going from memorizing everything from anatomy to actually applying skills and knowledge during a nursing exam. I learned best in clinical where I could be hands-on while applying and developing my assessment and analysis skills.

7. When did you know you wanted to be a nurse?
   Megan: I did not know I wanted to be a nurse until I was a senior in high school. I took a nursing assistant course and just fell in love with patient interaction. But I have always been a caring person and taken care of my family when they were ill.
   Christine: I knew I wanted to be a nurse since before preschool. My grandmother, my uncle, and my God-mother were or are nurses and I loved growing up hearing their stories. I have always felt it was my calling to be a nurse, and luckily, once I got into my first clinical, I knew this is what I was meant to do.

8. How many semesters have you studied so far? Is it hard for you?
   Megan: I am about to start my fifth semester of six. Yes they have been challenging, but lots of studying and hard work has paid off.
   Christine: Going into my 4th year of college, it is my third year in the nursing program (freshmen year was technically prenursing); so, I’m going into my fifth semester of nursing. It was a struggle at the beginning because I had to learn how to adjust to a different style of learning. Now, most things seem to be common sense and come almost naturally.
   
9. How are you finding a balance between life and nursing school?
   Megan: For me, I just plan my days well. Most of my friends are in my nursing class so hanging out with them is usually studying, but we make sure to just hang out every once and awhile.. I also am single so do not have to worry about making time for a boyfriend. As for my family and friends, they are all very supportive and understand that sometimes I do not have time to chit chat with them.
   Christine: At the end of my classes when I have some down time, I like to go to the gym, blast my music, and forget about things for a while. That has been my biggest escape, especially this last year when we got into more advanced subjects and busier clinicals. Organization has been key to allow for the perfect, or at least manageable, balance of a social life in nursing school.
   

Share with us a little about yourself down below.

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