Hi everyone, whoever you may be, and welcome to Check Your Vitals. As you may have already read, I am currently a student in an ABSN program. This blog is designed to keep my family and friends updated with my life, as I anticipate being very, very busy, as well as to provide a chronicle or perhaps set up some "recommended reading" for anyone interested in such a program, so you know what you're getting yourself into from someone who is in it already. That said, my program doesn't actually start until Monday, so this initial post will be an introduction to myself, the program itself, the saga thus far, and any other little tidbits I think of along the way.
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So, me. There are a few things you probably need to know:
* I just received my first bachelor's degree in Sociology, with an option in Criminology. Actually, I haven't received it yet; it was conferred on July 29, but I'm still waiting to get my hands on it. I have experience in medicine as a transcriptionist (typing dictated medical reports), but nothing in a clinical setting. So, I a walking into this without a science degree (although I believe sociology to be a science, it isn't a "hard" science; it is always evolving). For those of you looking into this program, but are worried about not having a medical background--don't; if you do/did well on your prerequisites, you will be fine. This program is designed to accommodate people from all backgrounds, although you may find yourself surrounded by mostly chemistry, biology, nutrition, microbiology, and/or exercise majors.
* I have moved about 1200 miles from my family and boyfriend, so I am all alone in a new town. Yes, I am sad about this, but I take comfort knowing that it is only for a short while. Also, with technology, I am able to keep in touch with my loved ones, which helps greatly. I think this will make the experience much more challenging, although from what I've already heard, I wouldn't have much time for my loved ones anyways. In the end, this may prove to be a blessing in disguise, as I won't be distracted from my studies.
* I was on the waiting list for this program and was just recently offered a position. When I first received the letter back in May that I was on the waiting list, I was very disappointed. I felt like giving up on this program, because it felt like a consolation prize. But, I just prepared myself for just in case I got another letter (which I did, obviously) and kept tabs on when the applications were due for other programs. My suggestion for anyone on a waiting list is to not give up--it is a foot in the door, and when you do get in, you will appreciate it and want it so much more than those who were in the "first cut". I think I let it get to me a little too much that I was a "second choice", but I aim to prove that they didn't make a mistake by putting me on the wait list and then admitting me.
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For now, I think that's all you really need to know about me. On to program information.
The program I am attending is 12 months long. There are five terms in those 12 months, so the way I see it, it's about five semesters of schooling squished into one year. The way the program works, as I understand it, is that your general education from your first (non-nursing) bachelor's degree plus your prerequisites are applied towards a second bachelor's degree, so all you do in the time in the program is upper division nursing courses. So, long story short--you will have no life. I've seen programs range from 12 months to 18 months, although I haven't seen many longer than 18. What I've been told about this program, which I believe would apply to others, is that it is a full-time job, six days per week. Looking ahead at my schedule, it is packed, so even with a portable job like mine (transcription), I'm not anticipating being able to work even very minimal hours. Busy, busy, busy.
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And now, I present to you the beginning of my tale, which I will start when I got the phone call, e-mail, and then letter that offered me a position in the program. I found out around July 21 that I could anticipate moving partway across the country to start school. So, let me break down, bit by bit, the major issues I faced and that inevitably many others will face.
SCHOOL:
So, after I submitted the deposit and slip to the school to say that yes, I was accepting the position, I notice that they wanted proof of my degree by August 1. I understood earlier this year that they needed proof of my degree by the time classes started (August 22), so I was suddenly on a time crunch. This summer semester, I was finishing up the last 4 classes for my degree, and even though they were done in the first block, grades wouldn't be submitted until the end of the entire 10-week session, which would have been July 29. I spoke with graduation and the registrar's office to see if they could expedite anything, but the earliest they figured grades would be in and finalized was August 5, and degrees would start being conferred around the middle of August. Fantastic--my provisional acceptance was looking grim.
The best solution I could come up with was to get a letter from the graduation committee that said that after successful completion of my summer courses I would have a degree as well as a form signed by all three professors for my four classes with final grades that they would be submitting. Luckily, the nursing adviser and the head of the program thought this would be sufficient. And yes, I have amazing professors who were more than willing to work with me during their summer breaks to get this paper signed.
Oh yeah, and remember when my degree was conferred? July 29. So, I hunted down my professors for nothing, essentially, because my nursing program received a letter on August 1 that said I had my degree. Hooray for the registrar's office being on the ball!
The only tidbit I can offer from this part of the story is to check and double check dates to make sure you aren't going to have any issues with a lapse in time.
HOUSING:
Trying to rent an apartment from 1200 miles away is not ideal, especially since I didn't know anybody in the new hometown that could go check places out for me. In any case, when I initially got the call, I figured I only had about one week to get ready to move, to get there for the first of the month (when most apartments come available). Lucky for me, though, I found a great place when I was here for my interview. It was a complex filled with mostly medical personnel. When I called, though, they no longer had the small apartment I wanted and had expressed interest in, but they did have something a little bigger. Fine with me, as long as I'm not paying an arm and a leg, and as long as I have a place to live when I arrived. The promised date on this apartment was August 10. This gave me more time to finalize paperwork and coordinate a big move. Also fine by me. I should have been looking for another place, though, because this apartment was rented out but they had something exactly like it available at "around the same time". When I tried pressing them for something more specific, I couldn't really get a straight answer; I felt awful being so pushy, but I was moving across a few states and really needed to have something when I arrived (so I could move stuff out of my rented trailer and not be charged extra for late fees).
It came down to the day before I was leaving and my apartment still wasn't ready; they found a leaky pipe and couldn't give me an estimated date, and then proceeded to all but call me a liar when I was just repeating back information I had already been given. Not a good experience. Upon arriving the day before orientation, I had no place to live. Thankfully, I was able to find a great place that in the end is much better. I moved in on the day of orientation and am now mostly settled.
Moral of the story: if you can't get a straight answer out of someone, it's probably best to move on and look for something else. Also, don't panic. There will be a place available.
AUTO:
My car is old. It's 13 years old, and I've had it for almost seven years. It died the week before I left, and ended up needing a new alternator. Oh, and I had just replaced the battery (although the issue probably was the alternator all along). And then, it started making this thumping noise that I noticed mostly when I was coming to a stop. You know when you blow a whistle and the little ball rolls around inside? That's kind of what I was hearing; something rolling or bumping about on the left rear side. I am glad that my car was able to make the 1200-mile drive without dying, but then I had to drop a considerable sum of money to fix my springs (essentially the suspension) on both rear tires.
The advice that comes with this story is to get your car tuned up before you start school. And take good care of it. My car runs amazingly and has ever since I got it, and I know it's because I take pretty good care of it. If my car dies during this year, it will make schooling very, very difficult.
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And now that you've read a novel (if you have, in fact, read this far), I will finish with an important caveat. I am sure you've noticed that I have avoided mentioning the name of my school and my new home town. I am choosing not to disclose my location and a lot about myself. This is for protection, not only of myself, but also for patients. Patient privacy is a top priority in the medical field, so I am making every effort to prevent harm. Now, I don't really anticipate speaking much about patients specifically, although I recognize that there might be a significant or challenging case that I would want to share. For this reason, please understand that I cannot disclose anything about where I am or anything more about me.
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Right, so that's all I've got for now. Thanks for tuning in; I will try to make this a daily thing to keep posts much shorter than this one!
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