Lessons Learned

Fun things one learns in the first month of nursing school.

• How to wash your hands (there really is a right way to do it!)
• How to put on sterile gloves (and keep them sterile ~ it's harder than you think!)
• How to move someone who can't move themselves (easier than you think)
• How to make beds with and without people in them (Stephen, I can do those military corners now!)
• How to brush someone else's teeth (or dentures)
• How to feed an adult (just like feeding a little one! Open wide!)
• How to give bed baths

Now we get to learn "real" nursing skills like taking vital signs. Looking forward to learning how to use the stethoscope that my fellow childbirth instructors at Boulder Community Hospital got me! We are also moving away from generalities and getting into specifics of care which I'm liking better.
The nursing program I'm taking at Southwestern Community College is a 2 year "ladder" program. That means that in the first year I will get my LPN (licensed practical nurse) and the second year I will get my RN (registered nurse). A number of individuals in my class are only doing the LPN portion, but if I want to work in OB, I need the RN, so I'll stick it out for two years. All the courses will transfer if I decide to go on to a BSN (bachelor of science in nursing) which is still an RN but would make me more eligible for advanced positions.
Thankfully, there are only 2 or 3 tests next week instead of the 4 we had this week. Nice to have a bit of a break before the first week of October. It's a doozy with 5 tests if I counted correctly! Lots of memorization and more math :( Study study study!