Hi my name is Emily and I'll be your student nurse...

So the "big" day has approached quickly, about 14 hours away to exact....

I have been praying for months for a calm and confident spirit as I walk in my first day and I have also prayed over my patient (asking that it not be too complicating a case or a mean spirited patient!).

Saturday I went to the hospital with my clinical partner Tyler to gather our patient information so we could start writing our patient profiles. All dressed in "professional dress" and wearing our pressed lab coats we hopped on the elevator and road to the second floor (we're on the orthopedic floor). It was scary and yet exciting. I totally felt like I was part of Grey's Anatomy, ha, although I'm sure I looked like a first-timer as I stumbled to choose which way to get around the nurses station. Right or left seems simple until you have to make the choice ha! Anyways what should have taken an hour took us about two and a half. Navigating the computer system was quite challenging, especially when you get locked out twice! (That would be my luck right?!)

As scary as it is to think that I will be caring for someone tomorrow it was so neat to be sitting at a desk reading about the patient I have prayed for for so many months! The problems and interventions we read about and practice in lab were right in front of my face. And while I sympathize with the patient who has to endure the hardships, it's neat to see my knowledge be applied.

Anyways, on my way out of the hospital I stepped into the crosswalk and low and behold there was a shiny penny laying in the street! For those who don't know my story behind pennies I will share it some other time but all I could do was smile. Tyler thought I was crazy for picking it up, I mean to him it was just a penny, but I neatly tucked it in my lab coat pocket and said "Thank you God." I'm sure tomorrow I will be a little nerved but I know that when I walk into that hospital God is with me. I am going to be His hands and feet tomorrow and that excites me!

Spring fever runs rampant

A fever is indicative of something gone wrong in the body, most likely an infection. 

Spring fever not only is the result of over-loaded, cooped up, poor, do the same-old same-old with the same crowd college students but it is also INFECTIOUS.

This morning I woke up to this...

After digging the "fun bus" out from underneath it's "blanket" I realized I am in much need of some sunshine and family.

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my snow day (and got a kick out of watching those who haven't grown up around snow frolic around in the white powder) but I have lost all motivation to accomplish anything. I feel (actually know) I am not the only one. Put us in a room and we accomplish a whole lot of nothing together! Ha. 

Praise the Lord break is but a few days away! A little bit of r&r does the soul good.

Failure...

One of the first things you learn in nursing school is how to take vital signs. Then you move onto assessing patients, and eventually get to the "good stuff," like urinary catheters and injections. That's where I'm at right now and while I love practicing my skills in the lab I have this weight on my shoulders about actually having to preform the skills on a real patient. 

Sure it's one thing to joke about sticking the NG tube in a brain but what if it actually happens? Someone's life is going to be in my hands and that is a lot of pressure. 

My mom told me once that ever since I was young if I thought I was going to fail at something I wouldn't give it a shot. Avoidance worked as a child but now I'm afraid I can't run. This is real life and a calling I believe the Lord has given me (and we all know what happened to Jonah when he ran, I'd like to keep my feet on land thank you very much!).  

I know I'm a student so mistakes are bound to happen, it's part of the learning process. But a mistake in a hospital can be deadly, this isn't putting the wrong mix-in in the ice cream (not to knock Cold Stone workers). I just get very scared and want to run when I have to embark on unfamiliar terrain. I still have a few weeks till I will actually have my first eight hour shift at the hospital but as each week passes I get a little more anxious. In know at the end of the semester I will look back and say "silly me" for being so scared but until then I pray every morning for confidence, a calm spirit, and that my first patient will be a good learning experience. 

Things I've Learned Lately...

A few years back I read a book by Danae Jacobson called Things I've Learned Lately. It's a compilation of the things the Lord was teaching her. Here are the things the Lord has been teaching me...

The Lord's timing is hardly ever ours but have no fear, it will work itself out.

Relationships take WORK. (can I get an amen!!!)

The other person is the most important person in a relationship.

Men and women do not speak the same language,

part of life is figuring out how to communicate.

Time, forgiveness, and clinging to the Lord are the only things that can truly heal a broken heart. (friends with ice cream help!)

Bad days are a fact of life, but thanking the Lord in the midst and realizing it could always be WORSE are key.

It's important to remember I would rather have the person in my life 

than to focus on the things drive me crazy about them.

Taking a moment out of your busy day to listen to a friend in need is more important than studying for a test.

Playing a game with someone reveals their true character.

Everyone runs to get out of the rain but sometimes we need Jesus to bring the rain.

Crying lets you express your emotions 

(so don't hold back - let the flood gates open!)

Words are great venues for expression,

however, sometimes your presence and a simple hug speak louder.

Growing up is not what I thought it would be as a kid.

(It's a lot harder)

Time is irreversible so enjoy the little things.

(And don't forget to tell people you love them because you may never get that chance again)

I am not always right.

The human body is far more complex for evolution.

Treating nursing as a ministry is the only way to ensure that patients receive adequate care.

Life is unpredictable so sometimes plans have to be thrown out 

and learning to be flexible and to roll with the punches is the only way to survive. 

Holding hands during the dinner prayer bonds people.

Giving is really better than receiving.

Finding God in the little day to day things helps life's craziness not seem so bad.

Sometimes bursting out in song and dance are necessary.

Prayer truly is our most powerful tool.

Those are just a few of the things the Lord has been teaching me, what has He been teaching you?

"You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart." 1 Peter 1:22 NLT