Week 2...check.

September Madness

Pediatrics clinical. Virtual clinical group. Health Services clinical. 4 hour class. Adult primary clinical. Sleep. Eat. Wake up. Do it again.

The chaos has ensued, people, and your girl Rachel is still standing...well, sitting, but it's better than being found laying supine (if you don't know that, look it up in your nursing book people!) in a puddle of her own slobber after a long night of writing these case studies. Ok ok, dramatic moment over. For now. But really, things have been absolutely insane. It hasn't changed my love for nursing though, but wow, this is different.

It's funny, I feel like in the last 2 weeks I went from nursing school to medical school. The information we are learning is definitely still nursing: the patient-centered care, the patient education, the patient counseling. All of the things I love so much about nursing are still there, but now instead of learning how to administer meds, we are learning how to prescribe them! Watch out world, Rachel Frank will be writing your prescriptions. Everyone take cover.

Last week was my first full week of my preceptorships and class. What really is taking up most of my time, however, are the case study assignments that we have each week. Each week, depending on the topic covered in class, we have to complete a case study assignment. The cases will consist of a patient who is coming to the office for a particular reason, and then various questions are asked. This week, I wrote up my case study for a well child visit! It was really hard work, but felt so good to hand in. I will let you know if I still feel good once I get my grade ;-) No, but I really do see despite the hard work how they will be worth it in the end. They force you to put your mind into what you learn in class. I find myself shutting my eyes, and imagining I have this patient in front of me. I can tell you from being in clinical and doing physicals on patients, it is much harder than it seems! My mind tends to go blank when I am staring into the eyes of a living, breathing person that is looking to me for guidance, advice and knowledge. And even though I'm just getting started, I find myself being super overwhelmed by the idea of being someone's provider. What a huge responsibility, honor and priviledge!

On that note I got my first offical email from an FNP student asking me a nursing question to have posted on the blog!! Thank you to this person for being the first (and hopefully not the last) questioner!

Anonymous writes:

Hi Rachel,

I stumbled upon your Regis 3rd year nursing student blog.
I am in the same position you are - in an accelerated FNP program and starting my first FNP clinical at a family practice next week! I am quite scared though. I'm frantically trying to read everything I can to be prepared. My preceptor is a MD so even more pressure. Do you have any advice on how to survive the first few weeks?

Also did you work as a RN at all during school? I feel that I won't really have the time to and that I'd be better off focusing on learning the FNP role...

Thanks for any advice you may have!
So, first off, thank you for writing and I wish you good luck beginning this exciting journey! Good luck at your first clinical. My best advice for you on surviving the beginning of this chaotic time is the following:

-Take deep breaths: remember that you do not, and are NOT expected to know everything! This is something I have to remind myself very often, because I always want to feel like I am on top of my game. But, the truth is, everyone has to start somewhere! Even that cool MD you are precepting with! There was one day lonnngg ago when that MD was petrified like us, overwhelmed, scrambling to figure out which end is up!

-Have faith: I find myself reminding myself to have faith... that I don't need to know everything now, and more, that I don't need to understand how you will know everything you need to know to be an FNP in 9 short months. I just have to have faith it can be done, because, well, it has before! If anyone else can do it, so can we!

-Be confident: remember that you have already come this far! You are an RN! And THAT is a huge accomplishment! Remember all those nights of studying when you didn't know how you would pass that test? Or wake up that early? Well, you did. And here you are, going even further. That is what will happen here too. One day, you will look back and laugh at the chaos. Be confident, and remember the times in the past when you felt this way too. How did you get through it? Use those skills here.

-Take care of yourself: no, you won't get the sleep you need. You won't eat as healthy as you hope. You won't see your friends/family as much as you'd like. BUT, make sure you give yourself time here and there to have fun and be well. Go eat at a restaurant. Have a beer (assuming you're of age!). Go sing karoke! Take a long hot shower even when reading is waiting.

To answer your second question, truth be told, I applied to probably 80 RN jobs and was not too successful in that endeavour. However, I must say, I am thankful now it didn't. I am just so busy running around and trying to stay on top of my work that it really was a blessing in disguise. I really do wish I could get some nursing experience. However, nurse practitioner practice is completely different than registered nursing. I think that there is definite value in working as an RN. However, if you don't have the chance to, I strongly believe it is okay! Just focus on working hard and really making the most of your clinicals. That is where the most learning happens I've found.

Well, that's it for this week! See you next week (if I survive... muahahahaha) :)

Rachel

Strike a pose!