Onward

My last post I spoke about being in my CNA class. I've been finished with my CNA class for some time now, CNA clinicals have been completed. I was extremely worried about my CNA state exam, but that too passed without a hitch, and I'm now certified.

I've now also moved on to my four year university, and completed my first semester. I was only able to take two classes due to scheduling conflicts with my CNA course. I was met with somewhat of a surprise at the conclusion of this semester in that despite getting an A in both of the courses I took, my GPA was 3.7756. Come to find out this university uses something called quality points, which since my grade was technically an A- in one of the classes, it directly reflects on my Term and Overall GPA.

Bullocks!

That's going to make it very difficult to graduate with Nursing Honors.

Next semester I'll be taking Health Assessment, Intro to professional nursing, Micro, and a "level 2" class that my university makes you take. It's essentially a research class outside of your chosen major. For example, one of the classes I took last semester was a junior level Environmental Science class.

The thing that sucks about transferring to another school for my junior and senior year is that I don't know anyone here to ask about classes! I've no idea what I'm in for with the two nursing classes.

CNA - You mean I have to touch people?

It's been quite some time since my last post. Not much has happened on the school front, things are mostly stalled while I wait for fall semester to start. I'm taking my CNA class right now, and I'm about 3 weeks away from Clinicals. I was surprised to find out that we have a whopping total of 28 hours of clinicals to complete. For some reason I was under the impression that it was going to be 40+ hours of clinicals.

I really feel like this CNA class is a massive step backwards and I should have done this class FIRST. It really seems like these tests were written for 8th graders, with little to no education and just a dash of common sense. If it wasn't for the fact that my four year university uses the CNA class as a weed out process to make sure anyone entering their nursing program actually understands that you have to TOUCH people, I wouldn't be taking this class at all.

There's only one bit I'm actually looking forward to and thats the interaction with the residents at our facility.

Dollars and cents

I received my financial packet today for my four year university. Between pel grants, state grants, as well as a merit based academic grant from the college my year tuition went from 28,713$ to 10,863$. I'm soooo happy that I was able to significantly reduce the tuition amount. All of that assistance paid for all of one semester and a small part of another.

Scrubs

My scrubs came in today. Lovely white pants (gag) and a wine colored shirt. Thankfully, these are only the colors for my CNA class, and not my nursing school. I still need shoes though!

Immunizations

Between my upcoming CNA class, and my admission to nursing school I have several immunizations that I need to get, and a few more that I need titers for. I've got an appointment scheduled with my FNP for a physical and the shots, I just hope it doesn't take many trips!

On a different note, I went by the Four Year University today to pay my admissions fee and was overjoyed to hear the financial aid person welcome me to the school officially. 

You know.. cause it's never official until they have that first check!! ;)

My Geology class is plodding along, currently holding an A in the class (big surprise, I mean, it's rocks, right?) but it amazes me how many people either blow off the class, or sleep when they do bother to show up.

On being accepted

I received my official welcome packet to my four year university. I'm so very excited to be starting this fall at a new school.

 

On the agenda to take over the next several months is microbiology, intro to professional nursing, health assessment, an environmental science, and two other classes that were not offered at the community college level.

 

I mentioned in a previous post that I'd experienced a timeline jump. Well, after much soul searching and discussing with my wife, we've decided it would be best to keep my original start date of next fall to actually start clinicals. This gives me the opportunity to do all of my prereqs, have a free summer between junior and senior year for a possible internship and allows me to focus solely on core nursing classes.

 

 

Timeline jump!

I can't express how excited and terrified I am right now!

After applying to my four year university the admissions counselor for the nursing program told me that there is a more then good chance that I can start the BSN program this August instead of waiting until next year.

So since that day I have been scrambling to find a CNA program I can complete before the fall that will also leave my days this summer open so I can take Intro to professional nursing, and Health Assessment which they require you to have taken before you enter the program in the fall.

So I am so close to FINALLY starting that I'm anxious, nervous, and scared at the same time.

Burning Ring of Fire

I feel like I am never going to be finished with this two year college. Last semester I was unable to work a 4 hour science elective into my schedule so I could graduate the two year school. So instead of getting to start at my four year university where i'll be taking the nursing program, I get to take one single class.

That one single class, is.... Physical Geology. Yay. Can you tell how excited I am? I don't want to be at this school anymore, I drive 25 minutes to class, sit there for 50 minutes, and then drive 25 minutes home. My teacher that I wanted and signed up for took emergency leave for upper respiratory problems and will not be back this semester, so I'm stuck with an aging retired USGS employee that really has no idea how to teach a class, and completed his masters in geology in 1959.

On a positive note, I finally get to do something Major related this summer as I'll be taking my CNA course with an eye to have that finished before Fall.

Then, then I will finally be able to begin at my four year school. Wait, thats not it though! I get to take two full semesters of pre-req's at this four year school before I can enter into the nursing program. Granted, I could have forgone the two semesters of credits and attempted to work the 19 credits in while I am in nursing school, but I really didn't want to burden myself with unnecessary course load if I could simply wait a bit before starting nursing school.

It seems like my journey is never going to end, much less start, I'm hoping that I'm just feeling burnt out on my two year school because I know I'm so close to the end.