"See you in September"

It is too hard to believe...beyond hard to believe! It feels like just 3 short months ago I heard the fond goodbyes. "Great semester, guys." "Enjoy a well deserved break." And here we are...in September.

That seems to be the way it goes! One minute you are getting adjusted to first year life, the next you are a third year nursing student. That long, long tunnel that has guided you for so long suddenly has a light at the end of it. And while a lot of work is ahead to reach that light, to see it is a big relief! Through the exams, the clinicals, the early mornings, late night studying, the coffee, the coffee, the coffee...here I am: 9 months away from being a Family Nurse Practitioner. Wow.

Tomorrow is my first day of my preceptorship at Regis Community Health Services, the health services center on campus. Previously, the center was only used to work with Regis students. Now, however, the center has expanded to be able to care for not only the fabulous Regis student body, but also their families, faculty and staff. It is such an exciting change and I am honored to be able to take part in it! 

Over the next 9 months, I hope to be able to accomplish a couple of things through this blog. First and foremost, to give you readers a look into the life of the third year graduate nursing student: the highs, the lows, the challenges, the thrills- all of it! Secondly, I hope to create a comfortable, safe place where you can ask any questions you would like about the program, life as a nursing student, being a nurse, anything! You can submit any and all nursing related questions to me at rfran430@regiscollege.edu: I will answer as many as I can on this very blog! And lastly, I hope to be able to offer reflection and open up to the greater Regis community in an effort to let anyone interested in getting to know me...well, get to know me! Regis has truly become my second home, and I am ecstatic to be able to share all of the reasons I love it with anyone interested to know.

With that said, I won't bore you with the tedious details of my life. But, I will give you the quick and dirty version of who I am and how this blog came about!

-Name: Rachel Frank
-Age: 26 (as of TODAY- yikes!)
-Hometown: Framingham (hoooray!)
-Current Town: Watertown (MA's hidden secret- best food ever)
-Favorite breed of dog: English Bulldog- I have the cutest dog on planet Earth. You can see for yourself in the picture below
-Favorite Nursing Class: Advanced Health Assessment
-NP track: Family
-Dream: to work at a health services (like the one I am precepting at) or community health center with a focus on primary care and/or adolescent health
-Why the blog: My dear friend and mentor Jenene Romanucci in the graduate admissions office (if you haven't met her, Claudia and all the other fabulous staff go do so immediately without hesitation) approached me and asked if I wanted to compose a 3rd year blog. With lots of soul searching, gut-wrenching hesitation I said yes... umm, JUST KIDDING! Of course I would do it! :)

Okay. I will stop blabbing and reserve my tappety-tapping of computer keys for more interesting entries as the year progresses. So until the next time, reader, good luck with the start of school, your job, your marriage...whatever this upcoming fall has in store for you! Thank you for coming along for the ride with me!

Sincerely,

Rachel Frank

 

SEE?! I told you! She will be my executive blog assistant, so you will see her again. Don't worry.