Smorey takes on the midwest!

Here is Smorey on our visit to Milwaukee at the condo we rented out from Connie (sister) and Kyle (brother-in-law)'s Real Estate Agent! It was so awesome and nice of them!

Coffee is a necessity for a well stoked kitchen. This one was so cute and little, just like Smorey.

After a long walk around the Milwaukee waterfront Connie (and Kid Sisco) and Smorey needed a break! We hung out while the boys went to get the car. Our boys (Kyle and Grant) are the best!

And were back!

Whew its been a busy summer!

I will try to update all that we've been up to

Here we are in Philadelphia with Grant's mom Rita!

Here's smorey riding the bus touring the city.


Check it out, its Rocky Balboa!

We then checked out Gettysburg, here we have Smorey, Abe, Rita and Tricia.

Such a fun, educational and historical visit!

Hellooo from West Virginia!

Sorry I have not been writing much. We are no longer learning hands on nursing skills in the skills lab, so I have so many less opportunities to take photos of smorey in action!

So he may appear in other areas of my life on this blog from now-on.

Here he is on a walk with Grant and I in Spruce Knob Lake region in West Virginia on our Memorial Weekend camping trip!

See, this is basically the only scenery I see on mondays on tuesdays. Boooring

We however did get to hang out with 'Baby Think It Overs' one day in OB lecture to learn about infant size and stuff, but Smorey totally missed it!

Here he is posing on a rock with a beautiful view near Spruce Knob, WV

Aaand here he is saving Grant from falling off the cliff!

What a guy

Until next time!

Semester 2!!

This Monday we started our second semester.

We survived the first semester, however we were warned that the second semester would be even harder based on the many directions we will be pulled.

Here are a list of my classes.

-Advanced Nursing Management: Adult Acute and Complex Illnesses

-Nursing Care of Older Adults

-Psychiatric Mental Health Problems

-Nursing Care of Mothers, Newborns and Families

-Nursing Care of Children and Families

I think its going to be exciting, but challenging- once done I should have the knowledge to be able to care for just about anybody in almost any situation!

As a college student this looks like a laaaame summer.
But thinking of it like a job where I don't get summers off, Mondays and Wednesdays look a little lame, but the rest of it doesn't look so bad!

T-Rex was pissed Smorey was in the shot and not him

Together they are lamenting the trips to the park that will be missed because I will be at the hospital so much. :(

Here we go!

Finals!

Yesterday was my pharmacology final. Me n Smorey felt a little overwhelmed right before.

But now I'm done, and I don't think I failed!

We are free until Summer semester starts next Monday.

However these 5 days off are going to be glorious-sleeping in, brews at Sharp Edge, gardening, yoga, Mogwai concert, Iron and Wine concert, white water rafting and staying at a B&B in Ohiopyle, and maybe even a little viewing of the Royal Wedding.

Yesssssss

Sunshine and 5ks

This week was our last week of clinicals for the semester!!!

I had meant to take some photos outside Magee hospital to immortalize the scene of my first clinical but the day ended so suddenly that I was sitting out in the sun with a rootbeer float before I knew what happened.

So here is Smorey relaxing against Laura's bag in the sun with us

Also last weekend was the 2nd annual Jared R Beiswinger Memorial 5k run, organized by the lovely Ally Castles, (one of my Feelgood friends)

I didn't run it, as I swore off 5k runs last year after running the Swedish Summerun on the hilly streets of Seattle without training for it. But I got my alloted half hour of exercise by participating in the 3k walk and cheered on my FeelGood friends who participated.

Here is me n Caitlin, who ran it. Her and Aiden ran super fast!

This upcoming week we are learning about the global aspects of nursing (yay!), taking a practice NCLEX pharmacology test (BLAAAGHH), and having a final clinical evaluation test on our crash test dummies, but then the rest of the week I am free! (to study for finals, and play in the hopeful sun and warmth)

Trach care exam this week!

passed with flying colors

Hmm I think Smorey needs a different size....

Hannah smiling after Pharmacology-3 hours is a long time to talk about drugs!

The end of the semester is looming!!!!

Cat post

This post is dedicated to our adorable cat.

(and to Leah <-- dog lover, thinks my love for cats is ridiculous :) )

A couple weeks ago Hannah's cat Atticus Finch came to play with his little doppleganger T-Rex

They were so intrigued by eachother that it was almost impossible to get a clear photo of them together. Two energetic tabbies + lazer pointer = a good time

T-Rex gives Smorey some love

Not a huge fan of a Smorey hat

However we spoil him with toys so he lets us torture him occasionally.

This the ever growing cat tree Grant has been building for him.

He loves it

Here is a video of T-Rex living up to his name. He bites EVERYTHING

Spring!!!

Its spring! Hoooraay!!!!

Even though we've turned the corner on the season we still have 5 more Mondays this semester.......

However some of today was pretty great.

We had a representative come from CORE, which is the organ donation coordinators that work in Western Pennsylvania.
It was a really great and informative talk. Nurses have a big part in the organ donation process and patient and family emotional concerns are of highest importance.
Did you know you could help up to like 15 different people by donating different parts of your body after death?? Thats incredible, and such a great legacy to leave behind.

Me and Smorey are organ donors....are you?

Then we had a "Head to Toe" Competency exam in lab. We all assessed our 'patients' fantastically like the brilliant student nurses that we are now.

Here is Smorey checking over my assessment sheet while chillen' on my sweet turquoise blood pressure cuff

And back to school!

Monday back from Spring Break started off at 8am with an exam in Nursing Management of Adults with Acute/Chronic Health problems (we call it 1282 for short)

And then a little excitement in lab, with breast and testicular exam day

Once again yay for models!

Here is Smorey and Ryah practicing

We promise we act professional when we have real patients :)

Spring Break!

This past week was Spring Break!

Grant, Smorey, Laura and I traveled to Seattle for some adventures.

and oh the adventures we had!

Here we are warming up and enjoying some decadent hot chocolate at The Chocolate Box after getting soaked in an unusual-for-Seattle downpour

Here is Smorey and I chillen with the Fremont Troll

Happy hour with Liza at the Pike Brewing Co!

Jammin with Jimmy Hendrix in Capitol Hill

At West African Dance class! Getting nearly eaten by SarahLee (my dance teacher)

Karim (drum teacher) takin a bit outta crime

"You better go home and practice your drumming Smorey!"

Friday night chillen out at Kings Hardware in Ballard with a Rainier tallboy

Saturday night we went to Jason and Bridget's wedding. Were not quite as cute as Smorey, but I'd say Grant comes in a close second in his tux

And now back to Pittsburgh for some more school...sighhh

Tests and Celebration

Friday was filled with tests, but not so bad tests actually.

We had a practice simulation morning with a mannequin with a complicated health history, heart rate, blood pressure, the ability to talk etc. where we got to practice being real nurses. So cool!

And then we had a practice NCLEX test (nursing boards). Not nearly as fun but still useful and relatively painless.

And then at 2:30 we finally made it to spring break!

We celebrated with margaritas!

After seeing patients need blood transfusions, donating blood has been on my mind.

And today with free Pirates tickets on the line, Smorey and Grant and I decided to give blood today!

Success!

Yesterday I went to a Nursing PhD info session. It was really interesting to hear about (did you know the Pitt nursing PhD program has been around since the 1950's?!?!) however I'm not ready to commit another 4-6 years to school right now. Maybe later though...

I also went to a Midwifery/womens health issues/research interest group. We are going to start meeting every couple weeks for discussions. I'm pumped about this since my labor and delivery rotation this summer will only be HALF a semester...

Also had a FeelGood4Life meeting last night at the Burgatory. It was delicious. And Smorey got to meet his food counterpart-the Smore shake, deeelish

Oh and if you are thirsty for more of my random musings about nursing school, I wrote a blog post for FeelGood a few weeks ago.....
However beware, FeelGood makes me really gooey for humanity, but I just can't help it sometimes.
http://www.feelgoodworld.org/cheeseworld/first-day-jitters

Today I had clinical-filled with providing a million medications for my patient (19 to be exact yeesh)

and

Tomorrow!!!

HESI -Practice test for the NCLEX

and WISER! Practice test for emergency medical situations on simulated talking, bleeding, breathing manniquins, oh yeah!

Warning! Enemas! (on mannequins)

Today we practiced giving enemas! To our manniquins.

Apparently 3o years ago in nursing school, students had to practice giving enemas on one another....so glad I'm in school now rather than then.

Here is smorey assisting Beth in giving the enema.
Don't forget the lube!

Again warning, you're about to veiw a mannequin's netherregions!

(the yellow spot is left over iodine from yesterdays foley catheter exam :) )

Good form.

We learned a valuable lesson today though.

What goes in must come out! Even if its a dummy

We had 5 students practice enema-ing the manniquin, however he has no reflex to send fluid back out (thank goodness) so his internal container filled up and started leaking out. Beth was quick to save the day and plugged him up. (I'm sorry Beth I can't get myself to put that photo up, its too graphic for non medical people :)

Drink up your fluids people! Stay healthy so you don't need to take a lot of medicines! Don't get constipated and need to have an enema! (they are important for colonoscopies etc, but still, don't make yourself need these more than necessary)

Oh Pharmacology

Another late night studying for a Pharmacology test....

"if you get chest pain climbing the broken escalators in Victoria that is probably just stable angina, and it should go away, but if you get angina while just sitting contemplating life, you should probably pop your prescribed sublingual Nitroglycerine tablet under your tongue, and call 911 if it doesn't go away in 5 minutes"

Laura contemplating life. Sans chest pain.

We use our computers to study because kids in the class share their study guides with eachother, so we have lots of material to reference. This group is the best.

CAT!

This weekend we got a cat!

We got him from Animal Friends , one of the most beautiful animal shelters I've ever been to!

He is an 8 month, 6lb tabby cat.

Due to a busy Saturday (helping a neighbor move) we didn't get there until 4:30 (they close at 5). We figured we would just take a look and then come back the next day. However this cat was just sitting there waiting for us.

He passed all the tests:

Adorable kitten

Tabby

Let us hold him

Killed a stinkbug

He also hasn't destroyed Smorey yet.

His name is Cross but we're working on a new name...any ideas?

This is about 3 hours after he met us

And I am well on my way to becoming a crazy cat lady....

Oh yeah this was a post about nursing school huh?....

Spring Break is in 5 days woooooo!!!!

Thursday Clinical

Todays overarching theme....