Sarah's blog
Class of 2011, Nursing Major, from Wrightstown, WI

Hi Everyone!

Things are really crazy around here right now as the end of the year begins to
wind down for us at St. Norbert! I had my last exam this past week until
finals week, which is only two weeks away: YIKES! But not only are students
in a frenzy at this crazy time, professors to seem to be caught in a whirlwind
of activity as they try and figure out how they are going to cram in this last
minute material before final exam week. This semester I have four finals that
I have to take during final exam week, and of the four only one of them is a
"cummulative" exam meaning that it covers material from the entire semester;
all the others are just normal exams in classes that will have about three
weeks of material on them, so that is going to be nice. But it still is crazy
because I have an exam Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I guess it's
kind of nice because that way all day on Friday I can move my stuff out of my
room and back home for the summer!

I was actually just sitting down looking at my schedule for this summer and
have officially come to the conclusion that I am going to have no life for the
summer. I am taking two summer classes: microbiology which begins on May 20th
and goes till June 26th, and then statistics online which begins on June 21st
and goes till August 1st. So those two classes right there are going to take
up alot of my time. And then, I am also working two jobs: The Brillion
Community Center where I lifeguard and teach swimming lessons, and also the
Cerebal Palsy Center where I work in the aquatics department as well. Also, I
will be coaching soccer to five year old girls on Monday and Wednesday nights,
as well as playing soccer myself on Sunday nights. So yeah, take a look at my
calendar and I have something going on everyday of the week throughout the
entire summer! And then next year for school I have to move in already on
August 12th for the residential position that I got!!! Wow, my summer is going
to fly by, but that's okay, I like to be kept busy.

Other than that, not too much is going on right now. Just trying to keep up
with classes and not fall behind, but I am finding that very difficult to do
because with the weather being as nice as it is, all I want to do is be
outside playing sports and hanging out with friends, but then I have homework
to do also, so it's been difficult keeping a balance between a social life and
school lately, but somehow I am managing. Hope you are enjoying your last few
weeks in high school (and to those seniors, hang in there, you're almost
done!). Enjoy the warm weather, and good luck on your exams that you may have
coming up!!!

Sarah

Hi Everyone!!!

How was everyone’s spring break? I know that mine was AMAZING! I flew down to St. Augustine, Fl, to take care of my godson while my aunt and uncle were both out of town on business for work. The weather was perfect the entire week while I was there; sunshine everyday and the temperatures were mainly in the 80’s (with the exception of one day) the whole week. The one day that it didn’t hit 80 (it hit 72 I believe) people were actually wearing sweatshirts and jeans and complaining about how cold outside it was! And then you have me who was wearing a tank top and a pair of shorts; moral of the story = people down there don’t know what true “cold” weather is! But for the most part all I did while I was there was, actually, nothing and it was GREAT! I would take Brayden (that is my godson’s name) down to the beach and then I would just lay out in the sun while he went and played in the sand and in the ocean. For those of you who aren’t familiar with geography, St. Augustine is on the Atlantic side, so the water was still somewhat chilly! But it was still nice to lay around and do nothing.

The week before break was absolutely terrible! I had three huge exams that I had to take within the course of four days. The first one was a nursing exam on that Monday, which I did fine on and am happy about that. Then on Thursday I had two exams. My first one was in macroeconomics, which I did really good on, and then my second one was in anatomy and physiology which covered the entire muscular and nervous system. It definitely was a hard exam, however I did very well on it and can’t complain too much. After I was done with class on Thursday, I packed up my stuff and left for Florida at six on Friday morning!!!

As soon as I got back from Florida it was once again time to hit the books and begin to crack down. The Florida sunshine was gone and along with it so was the relaxation time :( Last week (the week that we came back from Spring break) we had a huge nursing lab practical that we had to pass in order to be released out on to clinical. And if you don’t pass it the second time, you do have the opportunity to take it a second time, however you have to pay 100 dollars, so I think everyone would have to agree that you are just better off to pass it the first time. What happened was we were given two different case scenarios of two possible patients that we would have to take care of, and then we had to develop a plan of care that we would perform for those patients if we were to actually have to care for them. You then have to go to Bellin and you have exactly 35 minutes to complete your scenario, and while you are working through your scenario you have an instructor who is observing you, making notes, and grading your performance. It’s nerve racking, yes, but the instructors are very welcoming and understanding, and they do help you through it somewhat, so it’s not all that bad. I passed with a deduction of one point!!! So I was pretty excited about that. Now this week we have orientation at our clinical cites (mine is Grancare Nursing Home in Green Bay) and then we begin our clinicals next week Thursday and have one every Thursday for the following three weeks. So I can’t wait for all of that to start!

Then tonight we had our first RA training for Spring Workshop, so that was pretty exciting and full of funny times! But that is for next time as it is going on 12:30 at night and I need to get some sleep before my 8:00 class in the morning! So hope you are all enjoying this little bit of a heatwave (yay for the 40’s!!!!) and I will talk to you all soon!

Have a fantabulous week!
Sarah

Hey Everyone!

Well, I can honestly say we have finally broken the freezing mark here in
Wisconsin for the first time since probably October! This week it has gotten
up to forty degrees, and let me tell you it feels amazing! Plus, all the
fluffy white stuff is finally starting to melt, making a huge mess of
everything, but nevertheless it is a sure sign that Spring is on the way and
Winter is out the door!

Classes right now are absolutely crazy! There is no other way to put it. Next
week we have our Spring Break, so what does it seem like all the professors
do? They have this little "mini convention" and decide let's all give exams
this week and torture the students! Well, I'm sure that it doesn't happen
this way, it just seems like it does sadly. I had a huge nursing midterm
right off the bat on Monday morning at eight, so that was a great way to start
the week. I think that I spent six and a half hours on Sunday reading over
things in my textbook and then reading through all of my notes. The exam
actually wasn't as bad as I thought that it was going to be, and I ended up
getting an AB which actually is really good! Then yesterday (Tuesday) we had
our last nursing lab! At the end of the lab we were given two different case
scenarios of two different patients that we have to prepare a care plan for.
Then the week that I come back from Spring Break (on March 27th) I have to go
to Bellin and we have our Lab Exam where we have to perform one of the
scenarios in front of an instructor. We have to actually care for a "dummy" as
if it were a real person. Upon passing the lab exam, we are cleared to go out
for our clinical, which then begins the first week of April. The first
clinical that we are doing it for four weeks and they are at local nursing
homes. My clinical night is on Thursday's from 4-9 at night. I am actually
really excited:)

So Monday and Tuesday were filled nights! But then it only will get better as
the week goes on. Tomorrow (Thursday) I have two huge exams which, lucky me,
just happen to be back to back! My first exam is at 10 and is in my
macroeconomics class. I know, macro you are thinking "that's hard?" But a
class like that for me is hard because I do not have a business oriented mind;
I am more of the math/science person, not business! Then, right after my
macro class I have a HUGE anatomy and physiology exam which constitutes the
entire muscular and nervous system! The muscular and nervous system are very
similar in how they function, so if you understand one you pretty much will
understand the other one, however there is a bunch of terminology that we have
to know which makes it more difficult. Plus, we have to know all the muscles
of the body, their location, their function, and what they were named for.
That makes things a little bit more challenging.

After Thursday I am done and outta here (and I literally mean outta here). I
am skipping my classes on Friday (which I don't recommend any of you do at all
in college because you actually do miss a lot) and flying out to Florida at 6
on Friday morning. The only reason I am skipping is because all of my exams
are done by Thursday, and if I would have waited to fly out either Friday
night or Saturday morning, the cost of my ticket would have went up an
additional 100 dollars or some crazy amount like that. So yeah, I said the
heck with that, talked to all of my professors, and am leaving early on Friday
instead of waiting to fly out later or the next day.

Other than that, things on this end are going pretty good! Just a few more
days, and then it's pure bliss for me in the sunshine of Florida! Hope you
guys are all enjoying the warmer weather (if you live in Wisconsin) and you
have a wonderful rest of the week!

Talk to You Later,
Sarah

Hi Everyone!!!

Things for me have finally settled down a little bit, so that is a great
feeling! I ended up rockin' my exams that I had that one week, so I am still
pretty excited about that! And today I just found out at 9 this morning that
I will be an RA next year in Burke Hall! So girls out there, if you plan on
living in Burke Hall for next year I will probably get to see you!

Another exciting thing that happened today was we got our nursing scrubs and
lab coats for our clinicals which begin in April, so that is SUPER exciting!
I know, probably sounds a tad bit weird to get excited about that, but it
really is exciting. We have also started our nursing labs which are every
Tuesday from 3:30-5:00 at Bellin, and today was actually our third one. So
far, we have learned how to successfully wash our hands the "proper" way, give
a bedbath, and just take care of personal hygiene in general. Then today we
learned how to make beds correctly with a patient out of the bed and also in
the bed.

This past weekend was quite eventful for me also. I ended up going to
Michigan on Sunday and I actually had to leave at 3 in the morning for a
family emergency. Everything is going good, so there are no worries there!
But the only thing that stinks is I am still trying to catch up on my sleep
that I didn't get and I have a ton of homework to get done this week for some
crazy odd reason, so that kind of bites; it's just one of those perfect timing
things. It's almost like professors just know when students are getting run
down because they always seem to pile homework on, but oh well, that's college
for you and it's something that oddly enough you get used to very, very fast.

What else is new? Let's see...oh yeah, I am going to Florida over Spring
Break! That is going to be super fun and I can't wait to get out of Green Bay
for a while!!! I am flying out on March 15th, which is actually a Friday and
I am supposed to have classes, but I am skipping because my flight is leaving
at 6 in the morning from Green Bay and if I would've waited until after class
that day to fly out would've costed about an additional 100 dollars, and I
thought that would just be pointless, so instead I said the heck with it, I am
skipping classes that day and flying out at 6 in the morning. I will be
flying into Jacksonville and then my aunt and uncle are going to be picking me
up and I will be staying with them for a week. They live in St. Augustine,
which is about an hour south of Jacksonville. I am soooo excited I just can't
wait. If you live in Wisconsin, I am sure that you are super sick of snow
also, and I know that I have reached the point where I am just despising it!
But yeah, just think in three weeks I will be on a beach, out in the hot sun,
and just relaxing! But let me tell you, it is going to be a well deserved
break!

Other than that, not too much is new with me. I am just really excited about
getting my RA job for next year. And my best friend, Alicia (who is actually
my RA this year) is also going to be an RA again next year in Burke Hall, so
we are going to have some good times! I'm telling you, Burke is the best so
if you are looking for somewhere to live, and you are not sure where you
should go, check out Burke because it's pretty much amazing! But I have to
get running and get some of my homework done before it gets any later! I'll
talk to you soon and think SPRING!

Have a great week!
Sarah

Hello from the frozen tundra!

Well, the weather did begin to improve from our ice age conditions, however
now this weekend the temperatures have once again took a plummiting fall and
it's freezing outside! I am sitting on my couch at home watching the weather
report and we are having wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour currently, and
it's worse than that out by my house because I literally live in the middle of
an open field. So therefore when the wind blows, it blows big time! And
drifting snow; well let's just say we have some drifts in my front yard that
are taller than me! But it makes it a ton of fun to take my snowmobile out
in!

School, well what can I say, it's school! Last week was a pretty exciting
week for me. I had my first nursing and macroeconomic exams and did very well
on them both, so I am off to another great semester! And that lab practical
that I was talking about, the one with the 206 bones that I had to know, well
I ended up only getting two of the bones wrong, so I am still pretty excited
about that! Also this past week we had another lab practical, although this
time it was on histology. Yeah, lame, I know. We had to look under
microscops and identify which tissue was being presented to us, and then we
also had to identify different structures within each tissue. If any of you
have ever had to use a microscope for any extended time, you know the massive
headache which can result and how crosseyed you eventually will go once you
look through the binoculars long enough. Well, let's just say that there was
much exchanging of tylenol after that exam got done in the hall right outside
JMS room 327! The exam itself was not all that difficult, but I better not
jinx myself and I am not near any wood to knock on it, so therefore I am
thinking I should just shut my mouth.

Let's see, what else did I do that was absolutely amazing last week? Ummm,
let's see, oh yeah, I got to dissect a dead person. Okay, that sounds really
bad and makes me sound like Jeffery Dahmer, so let me explain. St. Norbert is
one of the few colleges in the state (besides Madison I believe) which has a
cadaver lab available to students to use. This semester I have my anatomy and
physiology class, as you well know, and we began our cadaver dissections this
past week. It was amazing! I know most of you are probably thinking yeah,
that is just disgusting; however anybody who is a science finatic like I am
knows what I am talking about. The whole cat dissection thing that I did in
high school does not even compare to this. Although i will prewarn any of you
who have to partake in a cadaver dissetion, the smell is...well let's just say
very, very stong. I recommend vicks vapor rub because it seems to dround out
he smell quite well applied just beneath the nose. And well, if that doesn't
do the trick, then just breath through your mouth, but make sure to chew gum
otherwise it feels as though you are injesting fermaldehyde, and that is not a
pleasant feeling, believe me I know.

This upcoming week is going to just be madness, there is no other word to
describe it. On Tuesday we have our very first nursing lab, and I can't wait.
Although along with this very first nursing lab we also have a gynormous lab
manual which we have to complete, and just for the record I have yet to start
it! Then also on Tuesday I have to give my presentation for my Lifespan Human
Development Class on the "optimization of moral development according to
Kohlbert or Gillian." Now doesn't that just sound intriguing? Yeah, didn't
think so. Then also on Tuesday night I have my interview for my RA position
for next year, so I will have to let you know how that goes. Wednesday, thank
goodness, is going to be an easy going day. Thursday, however, does not look
too promising. I have two exams, anatomy and physiology and then lifespan
human development, back to back each of which is two hours. That is going to
plain downright suck! But you just gotta love the college life. I have
already decided, now on Saturday night at 11 at night, that Thursday night I
refuse to open a textbook and study!

Alright, well it's getting late, I'm getting tired, and my mom is yelling at
me to turn the TV down because she can "supposedly" hear it upstairs (although
I hardly doubt that because you could run a vacuum in her room and she would
sleep through it). So therefore, I'm thinking that I should get my butt to
bed so I can wake up and do homework all day long tomorrow! What a way to
spend a Sunday! Okay, well I will talk to you all soon!

Have A Great Week:)
Sarah