Just a little prick now ...

When you become a nurse (or nurse student)  you have to understand that a significant percentage of your job will be causing someone else pain. I don’t mean it in a bad way, but let’s be honest, the job of a nurse vastly involves needles (and being a student means no experience, thus extra pain). You are going to feel just a little prick now... 

So, to make you empathize with all the suffering you will be causing your lovely patients, they make you taste some your own medicine (literally) before they let you into the program. I have never been poked and pricked so many times in my life. TB tests, blood draws, immunizations etc... My arm was so sore after the last immunization, I couldn’t move it for 2 days. A week after and I’m still in a lot of pain, not to mention the hard lump under the skin. Now, the big questions is where to get the next shots on my body. I’m not a big person so I don’t have a lot of muscle or fat. I can’t have it on my left arm as it’s all hard and lumpy and hurts a lot. I can’t get the them on my right arm because I can’t afford to not move it for a while so I need to decide where else on my body I should get the next three shots needed. I though about my buttocks. You know, the old fashion way of getting injections, but then I thought, I drive about 50 km everyday and I simply can’t have that much pain on my butt (not that driving is not a pain in the but, I just cant’t add anymore to that poor sufferer). Hips, I’m thinking next. That might work. One on each side. But wait a minute! Where do I get the third one? That is a problem. What is left? Thighs. OK, not a good idea. I need to be able to walk and if I have even a little limp I will end up with my back thrown off. Oh well, we’ll see. On shot at a time.

Surprise, Surprise!

Well, I recently found out that once you are accepted into the nursing program there is a humongous list of requisites that need to be taken care of before you start. Now, you would think they would tell you that once you receive your acceptance letter. No. They don’t! There is a very brief list on the website along the information on how to apply. Among the list is CPR/care provider course, mask fitting, police clearance and immunizations up to date. It turns out that the mask fitting which I though I would just go and get fitted, actually requires you to register for a session. I already missed all the sessions available for 2012 and the first one available in 2013 is on the day of my orientation. On top of that, you need to take 4 brief online courses, a TB test which comprises of 4 trips to the doctor over a 2 week period, blood tests and several immunization shots (more trips to the doctor). Some immunizations requiring more that just one shot with a wait period of a month between. So, now I’m panicking that I won’t have it all done in time.

How did I find out about this, you might be asking. Coincidence. When I was taking my CPR course, my CPR partner happened to be starting the same nursing program as me and she has a friend already in the program who told her. Do you want to know what else I found out? That the program I’m registered in is an accelerated nursing program and it runs for 16 consecutive months with only 1 week off between semesters (in spite of the website saying it is a 2 year program). I nearly had a heart attack when I heard. Good thing we were right at a CPR course. I was so pale that I might have been the opportunity for some of the students to do some live practice.

Those last couple of weeks have been full of stress for me. I still haven’t written my final Biology exam, I have to fit in all those doctor appointments & endless needles and come up with a plan to survive the Summer going to school full-time with five kids at home. Not to mention that my girls do competitive dance and this year is a National Year meaning they have their finals in Virginia Beach in the middle of July. How are we going to manage when my husband can’t take time off work? I don't know. I’m trying not to think about all the plans I had made for the Summer which included a trip to Virginia Beach and several camping trips with my family. Those lazy Summer days camping by the beach is what really keeps my sanity throughout the winter.

Looking on the bright side, I would be a nurse in less than a year and a half. That's very exciting, but scary. Can they actually teach me everything I need to know to be a RPN in only 16 months? Can I take in that much information without a break or without breaking? But there is hope for my dilemma... If, and only if, I got accepted into Midwifery and switched programs, I could have the Summer off. Wouldn’t that be sweet!?  I would find out probably around May, shortly after I had started my second nursing semester. Just in time to ask for my tuition money back. For now I’m just hoping to get an interview at McMaster for the MEP, and trying really hard not to think about the endless possibilities of ifs.