Get your schedules down!

This may seem like an easy enough task. You would be so very wrong.
Most nursing students must juggle homework, class schedule, some type of employment, and pretending to have a social life. Not to mention any religious practices that they may practice. Best example of this actually happened today. I have Wednesdays off from school and pick up my clinical shift bright and early on Thursdays. Well, today I woke up convinced that not only was it Thursday but if I didn't get my ass out the door in the next 2 min I would be late. So I scrambled out the door with everything in hand and speed my way to the hospital, ran up five flights of stairs (because the elevator would have been to slow) and knocked on the conference room door because I forgot the passcode only to have my professor show me the room full of the Wednesday shift people...

Luckily I have an extremely understanding professor who took pity on my and told me to go home and relax and get ready for my job interview later that day.
Moral of the story? Always check your calendar (that you MUST keep up to date) and make sure you've got the right schedule in you head before you barge out the door half prepared for the day and praying you won't be in trouble.
Breath!
It's amazing how calming just breathing can be.
Good luck out there guys! And learn from my mistakes!
Clara

It Has Begun

Well. Here I go toward my first clinical assignment in the CDU (clinical decision unit). Extremely nervous but completely ready for the road ahead!
I'll let you know as the year goes by any and all tips that I can give so you don't make any mistake that I make (because I'm sure there's going to be quite a few..)
The biggest thing that I can say right now is to NEVER be afraid to go to your instructors and ask them to make sure you understand something. Never go up to a patient and guess that you're doing something the right way, do it right or not at all these are real people not the mannequins in lab.

Figure 1, Get It!

Figure 1 is an app that you can get that is what people are jokingly referring to as the "Instagram for doctors". But it's not just for doctors! As part of setting up you're account they ask what part you play in the medical field, for example being an RN. Once you finish your profile you get to see pictures that anyone and everyone around the world are posting. They branch from simple examples of diseases or rashes to asking for advice or second opinions from those of the same profession. Be prepared though, you better have a strong stomach before mindlessly scrolling through the pictures, however, it is a great learning tool and can also be a great assistance to you as you further your education.
Side-effects may include: causing your neighbor nausea, weird fascination with things you didn't know existed, and actually learning something.
Good luck future nurses, we can do this!
P.S. here's the link to the online version (I wouldn't recommend looking at it in public)

Selling Textbooks!

Please check out these books and see if you need any of them!
http://www.ebay.com/usr/wonder_teen
Especially if you are going to Franciscan you will need these books (most especially Nursing majors).
Hope this helps you save a little cash on books next year!
Clara

Some Great Free Apps

 Epocartes

This awesome little app is free on iTunes and allows you to look up any and all drugs that you may need to you. Especially helpful for when writing out your care plans!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/epocrates/id281935788?mt=8

NCLEX RN Mastery

This is a great app to help prepare you for you NCLEX! You can take practice exams and get the scores immediately. Also it's FREE, what more could you ask for!?https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nclex-rn-mastery/id625614526?mt=8

Delmar Nurse's Drug Handbook

very similar to Epocates, this app was made by Cengage Learning which is the same company that made the CD that I found extremely helpful for my lab practices Freshman year. I haven't tried it yet but if any of you have please let me know what you think of it.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/delmar-nurses-drug-handbook/id395956414?mt=8

Nursing Care Plans 2015

Yet another awesome free app on iTunes to help you out with those oh so lovely care plans ;)

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nursing-care-plans-2015/id667987012?mt=8

SafeDosePro

This app, if you're like me and deserving on being a L&D nurse, is going to come in REAL handy! Sadly because it's free it's not going to have all the medications available, but if you're lucky and have money this would be an incredibly handy app
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/safedosepro/id436443689?mt=8

Nursing Manual 

It's like a portable Nursing clinical book! Loads of helpful charts and step by step instructions!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nursing-manual/id652576650?mt=8

Omni: Your personalized, all-in-one clinical resource

Because you can never have to many clinical aids!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/omnio-your-personalized-all/id293170168?mt=8

Great website!

http://www.easyauscultation.com
You can practice taking blood pressure, giving diagnoses, and even listen to different types of breathing and heart rates!

Some helpful diagrams!

 1)kidney
2)adrenal gland
3)ureter
4)blader
5)scrotum
6)penis
(between colon and 4= rectovesical pouch)

Ear Diagram

 1a)malleus (hammer)
1b)incus (anvil)
1c)stapes (stapes)
2) semicircular canals
3) cochlea
4)auditory nerve
5)Eustachian tube
6)middle ear
7)pinna
8)tympanic membrane
9)external auditory meatus
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
15)temporal bone

1)Kidney
2) Uterin Horn
3) Uterus
4) bladder
5) ureter
6)Ovary
7)Adrenal Glands
(Between 3 & 4= vesicogenital pouch)
(between Colon and 3= rectogenital pouch)