Comments on: Revisiting My Hospital Stay

By: Laney

Laney — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:59:04 +0000

Even though nursing school is sometimes hellacious and there is nothing else like it, it is truly an amazing experience. You’ll be great!

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:39:25 +0000

Thanks for stopping to comment! This is exactly what I feel – I am excited about it and I plan to try to keep that attitude.

By: It’s a Merry Christmas Change of Shift! // Emergiblog

It’s a Merry Christmas Change of Shift! // Emergiblog — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 00:21:22 +0000

[...] from the other side of the gurney. Kim at Prosaic Paradise describes her experience as a patient in Revisiting My Hospital Stay. She starts her nursing education soon – welcome to the profession, [...]

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:58:28 +0000

I just want you to know that I really enjoyed nursing school–it was challenging for a multitude of reasons, but conquering those challenges was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I was older as well and older is a definite plus when it comes to nursing school. Twenty years later, I still remember nursing school with fondness and I still love being a nurse. Attitude is everything–so go with that feeling of excitement and enjoy the experience.

By: Kim

Kim — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:56:24 +0000

Hey! Thanks for stopping by. I definitely want to remember what it’s like to be on the receiving end of the care when I start clinicals eventually. I hope everyone in your family is on the mend though!

By: Stimey

Stimey — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:58:12 +0000

My sister is a doctor who is still a resident and she and two other members of her family have been in the hospital recently. Every time she’s said that being a patient makes her a better doctor because she learns how it feels.

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:16:36 +0000

Remind me of this late next year please!!

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:15:52 +0000

Thank you for your comment.

I know it won’t be easy. I am not really sure what else I can do to prepare myself except try to meditate and go in with as much energy and optimism as I can muster.

By: Genie

Genie — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:39:05 +0000

I got an email back from my delivery nurse Miranda today thanking me for her gift and note. She said that meeting families like ours and working with them was the best thing ever and she loved her job. So maybe think about how rewarding the end result will be, and hopefully the school part will be equally rewarding.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:52:44 +0000

It’s true, not everyone likes nursing school. It is also true, with maturity and some critical thinking skills one will do better, and the experience seem less odious, than without. That said, it still will not be easy. I believe I’ve mentioned to you that I started my BSN program after four years as a USN Hospital Corpsman. It’s true I, personally, learned very little about *hands-on* nursing that I didn’t already know.

What I did learn, what is actually the more difficult thing to learn, is how to THINK like a nurse. How to gather the data, assess it, and come up with the plan to correct the problems. Then do it again to assess how successful you were implementing the plan. Most people do not see this; it is all thought process and therefor invisible. Often, truly, invisible even to the practitioner after they’ve learned it.

I’m not sure I’d care to *repeat* nursing school; I regret not one second of completing it. I most assuredly do not want to repeat Board of Nursing licensing examinations, nor my CNOR certification examinations. Those are some tough, tough tests. The thing is this… those occasions are not the last time you will ‘take’ that test. You’ll take it every single time you care for every single patient you will meet.