First Week of Nursing School

In my Butler Student Nursing Association shirt.

In my scrubs that I will
wear for clinicals.

School and my first semester of nursing school started this past Monday and oh my has it been an experience! First off, I can't believe I am FINALLY IN THE NURSING PROGRAM!!!! Sorry, my enthusiasm just spurted out of my fingertips. But seriously, it is such a weird feeling to know that I am really in the program and well on my way to being a nurse. It has been quite time consuming so far and I certainly haven't found myself with spare moments yet. When I'm not in class there are power points to listen to or text books to read and of course if I finish up with those there is all of the extra credit work that I know my grade will need. My first test is this coming Tuesday! (insert panic attack here) Hopefully I'll do alright on that. :)

It is odd not having several classes to balance my time between. I am so used to having several different teachers, several different groups of students, several everything. Now, whether I like it or not, I have the same teachers and the same students (the students for the next two years!). Thankfully though I like my teachers and fellow students. I imagine I'll have a lot more adjusting I'll have to do in the future as the nursing program goes on.

So far I am learning about the basic nursing process, ethics, terminology... all that fun stuff. About mid September I'll start my clinicals (insert another panic attack here), which will be a very interesting (definition of interesting is up to you but I think you know what I mean) experience.

I'm still working at the library but only twelve hours a week thank goodness! I don't know what is going to happen when I am done with nursing school and I have to work as a nurse and leave the librarian profession. Shriveling up and dying seems likely. Don't get me wrong though, I think I'll like nursing. If I didn't think I would, I wouldn't be going to school for it. But I love my work, I love my bosses, and it will be sad to leave. Once a librarian always a librarian I say!

So who else has started school? Is it fun? Challenging? Boring? Comment below and let me know! (notice how that rhymed? Yeah, I'm just clever that way. ;))

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.

Benefits of Working in a Library

     I work in a community college library as a student worker.  Hundreds of books (and I do not exaggerate) have passed through my hands.  While I work with them, whether it be changing their labels or breaking them in, I like to take a peek at them, see what kind of books people are putting out nowadays.  My findings are disappointing, that is to stay the kinds of books that people are writing nowadays are disappointing.  Sometimes I only have to look at the front cover other times I have to look at the inside flap but normally I can figure it out without having to go much deeper.  Personally, my thoughts are if I've seen one synopsis of a romance novel I've seen them all.  I can envision in fifteen years my teen aged kids asking me if they can read those types of books.  Thankfully I'll have had a little experience with knowing what all is in those books and will be able to explain my very definite "No."  
However, when I pick up one of those old books that just smell old and the pages crumble underneath my touch then I know I have picked up a classic.  It is those books I will hand to my children and those books that they will hand to their children.

Lois Johnson, avid writer, tea drinker, and reader but first and foremost, avid Christian.