Breadth, Depth and Diversity

Incorporating some planning and paranoia can sometimes be a good plan of action in an accelerated program, as was evidenced today in theory. We read and outlined all the reading for this week ahead of time and in doing so, it seemed that theory wasn't as abstract as it could have been. The roadies have pro-actively sought to eliminate as much stress as is foreseeable by dividing and conquering most of the reading. I know that the pace is slower now than it will be in about 2 months, I can't even anticipate what this diary will look like and in a nutshell, I hope I can come up with some creative acronyms for expletives.

I felt better today due to several factors. A former ABSN new grad, who has yet to take the NCLEX, showed up on campus today with a smile on her face and spring in her step, due to having several interviews lined up and one job offer. She was picking up study materials for the exam and ended up coming in to our N125 lecture to say hello. That 10 minutes of questions/answers was worth the brief interruption, as she was now out of the program and shared honestly her experience of being outside the SMC experience (much like what Comrade X has provided to us in the latter days of the program and continuing to the present day~ THANK YOU). Making the decision to do this program entailed overcoming the hurdle that the financial investment represented. How can I justify spending this amount of money and what return can I expect on this investment? Week 2 has begun and we've already covered approximately a little less than one-third of the material in Term 1. Wow.

We did something a little different today. We took our breaks. Getting outside the building and walking around outside in the sunshine helped break up the day a little, as the days are long and arduous sitting for lectures.

Everyone is getting to know one another better. I feel like I'm sitting amongst the best and brightest minds and encouraged by the breadth and depth of the people in our class. Our instructors are as a diverse as our classmates. Prior to nursing school, (in pre-reqs), there was a good percentage of people in class who either never showed up, did any work, or studied. They ended up dropping when it came time to take exams, or they failed. I can't see anywhere in our class where slacking or being a slacker is an option. This class also feels like a safe place to be yourself. One of the most comforting comments a teacher made today was that we were not competing against one another, the class is not graded on a curve and that working together would be to our advantage. It's the way I've always operated. Seeking out how to help others; moreover, helping them seek out their own success is what good nurses do for their clients.

My adviser happens to be my ethics teacher. We had a discussion today after class about end of life issues. It's funny to contemplate that so much of what we do in nursing involves evaluating professional values, economics and our own personally held beliefs; and that not everything acts in concert 100% of the time. It's a matter of being a nurse who has the courage to have breadth, depth and diversity in thinking as well as compassion.