It's official! Not PRE-nursing anymore!!!

Yesterday at approximately 5:40pm, I received The Email! My acceptance into Sac State's clinical nursing program!!!! I bought this uber-cool T-shirt the day I dropped off my application and finally got to wear it today! I know, that makes me a complete dork, but dorkiness is what has propelled me this far so I'm just going to go with it.

The program had 323 applicants for I think 60 spots...either 60 or 40, but I'm pretty sure it's 60. Unlike the lottery programs, this one was based on merit so I really feel like I have accomplished something pretty monumental here. And you would agree if you could see my transcript from College Episode 1...not pretty. Now that I'm focusing on a subject that actually fascinates me, I've soared through with straight As and loved (almost) every minute of it. I guess age does has some benefits after all.

Anyway, school starts the end of January and I have an orientation the week before. Luckily, they are supplying us with an orientation website in a week or so so we can get started on all the stuff we need to do (and get...yay...authorized shopping!) in the meantime. So...once I know some scoop from that end I will update you with all the wonderful minutiae that a nursing student must endure. Stay tuned!

Two more days!

Last Wednesday the admissions person at Sac State sent an email to all the applicants letting us know that they would be emailing admissions decisions after 5:30 on Wednesday, Dec. 3rd. Of course, I didn't get the email which caused for a very tense Thanksgiving holiday, but I'm hoping it was just due to a glitch in my email address and not some subliminal message on their part. I have since updated my email address with the school and am now just waiting. I am beyond nervous, to say the least!

I've been technically waiting since October 15th, but it's these last few days that are driving me crazy, and I'm trying to get myself prepared for all possibilities. I haven't even really delved too deeply into the "if I get in" scenario beyond knowing that it will be intense. I guess I don't want to be too let down if things don't go according to plan. Actually, I haven't thought too much about the "don't get in" plan either...guess I don't want to jinx it. I guess my Plan B would be to apply for next semester, volunteer in the meantime and take my other corequisites (pharmacology, government and U.S. history) while trying to earn a bit of money and also work on my bestseller. Soooo...I guess that's Plan B. What's Plan A? Jump around the house like a lunatic, jump around some more, cry, open champagne, call everyone, update this blog and jump around some more. The bummer is that my honey won't be home...I'm going to be all alone :-(.

Think positive thoughts (if anyone's out there!)

And, on another note...my cat Oliver has decided that he is my Christmas present...

No news is still news.

Since I do have officially two followers (and I know my friends are eagerly checking for updates...right????) I thought I'd pop in to let ya'll know I don't really have any news...yes, the news today is that I have no news. Wow..that's really lame. Anyway, I am still waiting to hear from Sac State and three ADN programs. I was hoping Sac State would notify me mid-month, but now it seems like all the info on tier website says it will be late November. It is making me crazy!!!!! I must have checked me email five times today while I was at school. How, exactly, do you spell "obsessed?"

And, the really icky thing is that my back-up plan (the Accelerated Second Bachelor's program) requires me to take the GRE prior to Dec. 1st and the latest date I could snag was November 26th..which means I may have to take it even if I don't know if I need to yet. Can you say blech? I mean, have you seen some of those vocabulary words? What the heck does encomium or recidivism mean? I guess I need to find out. Oh brother.

As for my current classes, I killed, and I mean KILLED, my last chemistry exam. Anthropology is fine...a piece of cake...and I currently have a 92% in stats. I am stressed about hanging on to that A...for some reason math always freaks me out and stats is so weird that who knows what could happen. For example, here is a typical question...tell me if this makes your brain bleed:

"Marc Taylor plans to place 200 bets of $1 each on the number 7 at roulette. A win pays off with odds of 35:1 and, on any one spin, there is a probablity of 1/38 that 7 will be the winning number. Among the 200 bets, what is the mininum number of wins needed for Marc to make a profit?"

Oy vey. The sad thing is I could probably figure this out...I. Just. Don't. Want. To. Soooooo ready for this semester to be over!

Thanks for checking in folks...I'll touch base when I actually have some news that's actually newsy type news.

Rejection #1

Well, I got my first rejection out of the way. I heard from the Sutter program that they will not be requiring my presence next semester. It was my 2nd choice, so I was somewhat bummed, but Sac State is far and away my first choice. I should hear from them in as little as two weeks!!! I could just throw up thinking about it.

In other news, I have turned a corner in chemistry. I scored a 98% on the last exam and realized right after I left the classroom that I got one of them wrong...so in my heart I got a 100! So, if any of my pals have wondered what I've been up to lately...it's obvious! Studying chemistry!

It seems like I had something else to say about nursing school admissions and whatnot, but I can't think of it right now. Guess my brain is full of things like aldehydes and amino acids.

Peace!

The no envelope blues

Well, I heard from another pre-nursing student that the acceptance packets for my 2nd-choice school went out and she received hers two days ago. Since I have not received anything I can only assume I'm in the "thanks but no thanks" category.

Bummer.

Chemistry Haiku

You know you're a nerd when...you write Chemistry Haiku.

Butyric acid
you smell so bad, I can see
why no one likes you

And So We Wait...

So basically pretty much all of my applications are in. I need to try to squeeze in an advising appointment next Friday at one school due to having to wait for some information from my previous college that only recently arrived. At this point, the waiting begins.

I occupy myself with going over my chances to getting in to the various programs I've applied to...here is a quick run-down:

First Choice: Sac State! They receive about 300-400 applicants for 60 slots. Going by probablity alone (loving my Stats class!) then I have about a 0.15 probabity (or 3/20) of getting in. If I go off "odds", then my odds are 3:17. However, Sac State goes off a point system...for the past 7 semesters the highest cut-off point was 74 points. I have at least 89, at most 93. So....maybe it looks good. I will know for sure mid-November or so.

Second Choice: Sutter's program through SCC. Not sure how many applicants they get, but it's at least as many as Sac State and probably more since it's faster and cheaper. No way to know what my chances are...slim to none?

Third Choice: SCC's regular program. When I dropped off my app there were 440 people already on the list. They admit between 40 and 60, and is purely the luck of the draw. So, not really counting on it.

Fourth Choice: American River...this is the app I haven't submitted yet. They get over 800 applications...so another crap shoot.

Keep your fingers crossed for Sac State! If I don't get in for the Spring, then I am taking the GRE December 1st for the Accelerated Second Bachelor's program that starts in the summer with 15 crazy units.

First round of exams OVER!

Here's the breakdown for how my first round of exams went...the first tests are always the most stressful since you don't really know what to expect. So, in that regard I am very happy that they are over and done with!

First of all, a shout-out to Paige who calmed me down before my Anthropology test. I've gotten so accustomed to taking science exams with ONE CORRECT answer, that I was a little freaked out by the open-ended nature of this exam. I ended up scoring a perfect 100% on that one! Whew!

Stats is also going very well. The highet grade for the multiple-choice portion was 41...which several people earned. The highest grade for the free-response part where you draw charts, do all kinds of statistical analysis stuff was 76...again, several people got 76. But how many people do you think got 41 AND 76? At least one!!! :-)

And lastly, chemistry. I have just one thing to say to Robert Burns Woodward, the "Father of Organic Chemistry": You can stick it where the sun don't shine.

The first exam did not go as well as planned...I do not want to be one of those students who blames the professor when they don't do well, so I will try to keep my belly-aching to a minimum. With that said, the general class consensus is that how the prof told us to prepare for the exam did not actually help. I spent hours and hours doing homework questions and felt rather unprepared for the test. The good news is, that 85% is the cutoff for an A...so I am still in the running. Whew!

In other news, hubby got a conditional offer from a fire department near Fresno. Can you say "commute" and "not-moving-to-Fresno" and "have-a-nice-drive-honey"?

Peace all!

Anxiety Level 4

With the application deadlines approaching, I have noticed my anxiety level slowly inching up day by day by day. It didn't help matters at all to find out yesterday that the university does not yet have all my transcripts. So, I've been sending rush orders (when oh when will I ever learn) and just hoping things arrive as they should.

Plus, today is a double-whammy test day...O-Chem (did not do as well as I'd hoped...boo) and Stats. My English class is coming to a close in the next couple of weeks or so and I will be SO GLAD to have those tasks out of my hair!

You know that feeling when you feel like you're either on the verge of crying or throwing up? That's kinda how I feel today...the three coffees I've had so far probably haven't helped. I think I will breathe a BIIIG sigh of relief once all my apps are in and I can just RELAX. Of course, then the waiting will drive me crazy, but it will be a different kind of crazy altogether.

Peace out!

My Essay, CPR and My First Nursing Gadget!

So, I thought I would show you guys my essay that I wrote for one of the programs I am applying to. Let me know if, in the words of Meredith Grey, you would "Pick me...choose me!"

*****
When I graduated from college in 1994, I wanted a career that was fun. With this goal in mind, I pursued a career in advertising. Now that I am older, my priorities have shifted and I now aspire to have a career that is a direct extension of my values. It is of great importance to me that what I choose to spend my time and energy doing is of value to someone besides just me. I want my existence on this earth to matter to someone. I want to know that someone's day was better because I was there. I think we all have a responsibility to each do our part to make the world a better place. Spending the past fifteen years writing advertisements has, in hindsight, not afforded me the personal growth and enrichment that I find so valuable. It is my desire to now devote my energy to a more meaningful career, and there is nothing more meaningful for me than caring for others.

To me, nursing is an irresistible collage of compassion and science. It blends the fascinating complexity of the human body with our most fundamental need to care for one another. Being a nurse will grant me a front row seat at some of the most monumental moments in life. It will allow me to witness both birth and death, courage and recovery, joy and sorrow. I cannot envision an honor more great, a purpose more noble or an adventure more compelling than being a nurse.
*****

On another note, got my Healthcare Provider CPR card today. Whoo-weee! Though it would stink if someone actually collapsed in front of me, it would be pretty cool to try my new skills. The class was supposed to go from 8-12, but thankfully I got out around 11:30-ish. I had a test at 1:00 in Anthropology so I was able to grab a quick bite at the crepe place next door to the college beforehand. As for the test...I think I killed it. Stay tuned to find out!

Annnnd, I am happy to report that I am now the proud owner of a red Littmann Master Classic II Stethoscope! My husband got it for me through his job, so I am excited! I hear these are fabulous 'scopes, and I've already been listening to the heart and lungs of anyone who will hold still. Of course, I have no idea what I'm doing, but it feels very "nurse-y" and I like it!

Application Craziness

As part of my journey to becoming an RN one must test one's patience and good nature by undergoing the application process. Here is what mine entails:
1) Ordering transcripts for RUSH delivery because I can't do anything in advance, that would make too much sense!
2) Ordering catalog descriptions for all pre-reqs and co-reqs that I took out of state
3) Taking the TEAS exam (scored in the 99th percentile!)
4) Taking a test to prove my reading proficiency (killed it!)
5) Getting CPR certified...not just the regular CPR, but one for healthcare professionals (doing that tomorrow)
6) Meeting with counselors at two different colleges
7) Traisping all over campus getting my out-of-state pre-reqs signed off by the dean of each department
9) Re-taking the TEAS exam (first time was a charm...why mess with a good thing?)
10) Writing an essay about why I want to be an RN (daaaamn good essay!)
10) Studying for and taking the GRE (December 1st...gulp)

Most of this has been accomplished in the past couple of weeks, so yeah...I've been pretty busy.

On top of that I am taking four classes this semester...my final pre-reqs for my top-pick BSN school: A survey course of o-chem and bio chem, Stats, English Composition, and Cultural Anthropology. The good news is, my English class is half a semester, so I'm almost finished! I just have one more big paper to write, and then my final assignment is to re-write my first essay...cake! October 15th is also the deadline for the rest of my apps, so come October 16th, I will be feeling a lot less stress! I have decided that taking my A&P II class over the summer was actually a really good thing...now all my other classes seem so sloooooow. I needed a break!

So here is the application plan...I have to keep it somewhat anonymous so that I don't eventually break any HIPAA rules later on when I start working with patients.
Top pick: State school by my house...they have a regular BSN and an Accelerated Second Bachelor's...Either one would be great, but I'm kind of scared of the accelerated part, so I'm hoping for the two-year BSN.
Second pick: Local ADN program that works in conjunction with an awesome local hospital.
Third pick: ADN programs at various CCs in the area.

Decision dates are around the end of November...so we's gots some waitin' to do ya'll.

Peace!

So what is 2,4 Dimethylhexane anyway?

With opening lines like that I plan to be ASTOUNDING at cocktail parties. So obviously this semester I am taking Organic Chemistry, but before you start freaking out let me clarify that this is a survey course of O-Chem and Biochem...so it's not as horrific as straight O-Chem. I've heard it's actually not that bad...AND, we get to make soap! Cool!

The other classes I am taking are: Introductory Statistics, Cultural Anthropology and English Composition. So, yeah...I'm pretty busy. I am also getting ready to start filling out my school applications...think positive thoughts for Sac State! I am totally nervous about Sac State...mainly because I do not get any of the extra points for things like knowing Mandarin or living in abject poverty. I may get two points since my parents didn't graduate from college...but I'm so old...does that even count anymore?

Plus, since I went to college in Kansas, will they accept all my transfers? Totally stressed!!!!! On top of that I have to take the TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) on the 11th, and the GRE on the 21st or so. Am I ready for the GRE? NO! I have taken the TEAS once before, but I think I can do better score-wise. I got a 94.1 and I'm aiming for a 96%.

I am sooo ready for winter vacation! Tom and I are thinking of going to Oregon for a few days skiing at Mt. Ashland, a few days at the beach and a few days in the town of Ashland. Since I'll be starting at Sac State in January (positive thinking!), then this will be our last vacay for awhile.

Not sure if I updated ya'll on my A&P class from this summer. Totally rocked it. Another A ;-) Though that class was horrendously compacted and the lectures were insanely long there is one good thing about it...now even my two hour lectures seem amazingly short! Yay for that!

On the Fitness Front...

Ok, so don't tell my hubby but for his B-Day I got him this cool thing by Nike that you put in your shoe and it logs your running mileage...somehow it communicates all this to your iPod so you can analyze your running program on your iPod. It's way cool. So, in conjunction with that I signed the two of us up for a 5K on September 14th...that's not very far from now considering that I get winded if I jog for more than 2 minutes straight.

So...to gear up for our big run I am running with the help of a Podcast called "Couch to 5K", which basically turns even the laziest person ever (me) into a runner in 9 weeks. Since I am also trying to talk my friend Cheri into doing a duathlon on August 24th, I am compressing my 9 week running plan down to 7 or so. And yes, I know that the whole idea is to gradually ease into running, but hey...I can bench press 40 pounds and do 3.5 "real" push-ups, so it's not like I'm starting at groun zero here. :-)

Oh, I also got him a wobble-board, which is kind of one of those things that I think he'll like but that I KNOW I'll like. If I were cool enough to do links I'd do them here so you could check it out, but alas...I am not that cool.

Call me Super Nerd

I will be the first to admit that I am having The Most Un-Summer Summer Ever. I am taking the second component to Anatomy & Physiology and it is surprising how things like this just take over your life. One minute I'm chatty and interesting at parties and the next I'm only able to discuss lymph nodes and afterload. Riveting.

At this point I am halfway through the class...we have our third exam next Thursday, then there's only one more "regular" exam...the last one is take-home, I'm thinking because it's given just a couple of days after text #4 and there's no way to assimilate all the information in that short of time. Plus, the final is optional, so as long as I do well on my next two tests, then I can kind of skate for the final week or so of class. So, that means only 2.5 more weeks of super-intense A&P. Yippeeeee!

So right now we're studying the circulatory system, having finished up on the heart last week. I have to say that this stuff is much more interesting than I thought it would be...just the regulation of blood pressure alone is really really interesting. So, the good news is that even though I'm borING I am not at all borED. For this chapter, the main challenge is memorizing most of the arteries and veins of the body and being able to recite a pathway, say from the ascending aorta to the anterior tibial artery. I'm doing pretty good on all the extremities, it's the trunk that is the most confusing...there are a lot of vessels in that area! I'm almost got the arteries down, though...and will start memorizing the veins probably tomorrow. Again, I am just riveting at parties.

What else is new? My hubby is interviewing with a fire department in the armpit of California, and knowing our luck this will be the one that he lands. Plus, only 5 guys showed up to the initial cattle-call interview and they're hiring 3 or so. So, compared to odds of about 100 to 1, this is pretty good. The only thing I can think of to keep myself sane is that I'll be so busy with nursing school that I won't notice what an armpit I'm living in...is this the case? Anyone? I don't even want to THINK about what would happen if I didn't get into a program...that would be really not good with a capital R-N-G.

Ok, off to read all my other favorite blogs...wasting time when I should be studying is one of my guilty pleasures!

I can bench press 40 pounds!

Ok, when you look at it written out like that it doesn't sound like much. But I was totally stoked anyway. That means I can probably lift the bar now...no weights on it, just the bar. How cool is that? Ok, it's not totally cool. Totally cool would be racking up some weight, but I'll settle for graduating the to the bar...at least for now!

First day, first impressions

So I went to my first day of summer school yesterday at the Sutter Center for Health Professionals...an extension campus that is muuuuuuch nicer than the digs at American River College. For those of you who can't keep up with my ridiculous course schedule, I am taking the second segment of Anatomy & Physiology after having killed the first segment last semester. However, this course is compressed into only 8 weeks, so I'm expecting it to be a different kind of hell entirely. After one day (and 5 hours of sitting in the same spot), these are my first impressions:

- My instructor is young and kinda cute. I doubt I'll want to crawl under the table when he talks about penises and vaginas in the upcoming chapter on the reproductive system, the way I would have in Dr. K's class (instructor from last semester)
- He seems very organized...but his lecture style and slides/outlines are COMPLETELY different from what I'm used to. It took me 2-3 hours last night to type up my notes from class because I had to look for information in at least 4 different places. Yuck.
- Facilities are very nice. There's a little break room with a vending machine that spews out really bad coffee (but hey, it's coffee!), a microwave and a really nice outdoor area for lounging.
- All the models are brand new
- No wet lab...meaning no dissecting!!!!!! Yippeeeeeee :-)
- The schedule is hellish. I have a test in less than two weeks. Good lord.
- The last exam is take home!
- The final is optional since he drops your lowest test score...so yay...hopefully I'll be able to ditch the final!
- Quizzes every day using those new-fangled "clicker" things.
- The chairs are kinda weird, and aren't deep enough to allow me to sit cross-legged...a major bummer
- Did I mention no dissecting??????

So...that's it! I'll try to update this blog at least once a week while I'm in school because I am simply not going to have time to stay in touch with my peeps "one-on-one" the way I normally do. Consider this your link to Mo for the next 8 weeks!

How many 5 year olds could YOU beat in a fight?

20

According to this snazzy web page, I could take on 20 five year olds in a fight. I guess this site was spawned perhaps by that plot of grade school children to kill their teacher? Or maybe it was there before and I just happened across it. Great great fun. I sooo love "the internets".

Item #1 on my List of Things I Never Dreamed I'd Say: "This cat's skin does NOT want to come off!"

Yes, you read that right. I have skinned a cat. That is not a typo...SKINNED A FREAKIN' CAT! And yes, that sound you heard is me throwing up in my mouth.

My Anatomy & Physiology class requires the dissection of a cat. Don't ask me why as I am not going to vet school, nor do I plan to become a surgeon or a doctor. Needless to say, this experience puts the "un" in unpleasant. We got a very large black boy kitty who we promptly named Mr. Bigglesworth. How big is he? He's so big that his tail hangs off the end of the dissection tray dripping cat juice all over the floor and onto our clothes. UNpleasant!

Day 1 of the cat dissection involved removing the skin, and let me tell ya...our cat was one tough cookie. Not only is he huge, but he has very strong and tough fascia. For those of you who don't know what fascia is, it's that stuff that makes the tearing noise when you pull the skin off something (the sound you just heard was you throwing up in your mouth.) His skin was firmly adhered to his musculature via the fascia from hell and it was n-a-s-t-y trying to get it off. Mostly I just held Mr. B while my lab partners tugged (literally TUGGED) at his skin. It was all I could do, though I did help a little...I think I used the scissors some and maybe the probe. It's all a formaldehyde-induced blur.

Day 2 of the dissection involved isolating muscles. All I have to say about that is: dark meat turkey. 'Nuff said. Drumstick anyone?

So...while I'm saddened and disgusted that we have to do this useless task, I am proud of myself that I have done as much as I've managed so far. Thank god for awesome lab partners who aren't as squeamish as little ol' me. If I was on my own I would be so totally screwed.

On a brighter note...I got a 96 on my practical and a 95 on my written test. Toot toot with the self-blowing horn!

Peace!
Not-so-mighty Mo

Algebra miracles and sore buns

You might want to sit down for this. OK, are you ready? Here goes...yours truly, a self-proclaimed number phobe, got a 96% on an Algebra test.

(brief pause while you sit in shocked silence).


Yes, it is an Algebra Miracle...and just in time for Spring Break! I am off school this week and am spending today preparing my taxes and the rest of the week working on the yard and studying bones for my A&P test.

Speaking of school, I am having some school anxiety...I just want to get into a nursing program already, and the more I think about it the more I want to get a second bachelor's since I know I'm going to want an advanced degree at some point. So, my plan, at least for now, is to apply to the ADN programs that start in January and commence with school this fall as though I won't get in (which I very well may not, the programs are totally impacted), and then apply to a BSN program (Sac State has one, and so does Samuel Merritt if I want to cough up oodles of dollars). In fact, some BSN programs are accelerated and I could maybe even finish another Bachelor's in the amount of time it would take me to get an Associate's Degree (or close to it.) Anyone have any thoughts on this?

In order to apply to one of the accelerated BSN programs I need four additional courses...Organic Chemistry, Pathophysiology, Pharmacology and Statistics. Think that's even possible in one semester? Oh god...it sounds insane...probably because it is insane .

Anyway, that's the school thing...now on to the sore buns.

I am seriously needing to do something about the enormity of my butt, so I started doing my Bar Method DVDs recently as well as Callanetics. Stay tuned for updates...I will probably measure the mass in a couple of weeks. My first impressions are "ouch"... which is a good thing when it comes to exercise, right?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

"But who will take care of you when you're old?"

People often throw this one out there when they talk to someone who doesn't plan to have kids, as if having a child is any guarantee that you'll have a dedicated caregiver in your old age. If you don't believe me, just ask Terry Caffey, who is the lone survivor of a brutal attack that killed his wife and two children. His daughter and his daughter's boyfriend are the main suspects. Terry, who was shot in the head (quite possibly by the same person who was supposed to care for him in his old age) will be lucky if he even lives that long. You can read the horrible events here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080302/ap_on_re_us/texas_deaths

Of course, I'm not saying all children end up murdering their parents, but the shocking number of people who are killed by their parents or their children is proof enough that not everyone is cut out for this, and further proof that stock answers and generalizations do not apply to all.