Unofficially...

I couldn't wait another second... As soon as I woke up this morning I was down on the computer on Pearson Vue's website. The moment of truth had arrived. To view my unofficial results all I had to do was put in my credit card number. Before I pressed the "next" button my heart almost beat out of my chest!! And there it was "PASS." I couldn't believe it!!!!!!! A moment of shock. It was over, I never have to take that test again... And then the tears came. Now if only DOPL could catch up.

So as of now, I am officially an unofficial RN!!!!!!! There is no better feeling in the world!!!!!!!

Study, Study, then Study some more...

I was getting down to the wire. My N-CLEX date has finally arrived. Hopefully in a few days it will be EXCELLENT news... but now it's just a waiting game.
Ryan has been so sweet the last couple days. He had someone do the cleaning for us Tuesday and Wednesday so I could use that extra 3 hours to study with. Yesterday he said, "Do you want me to go to the store and get stuff to cook you dinner with?" So I had a yummy pasta dish for dinner that is one of my favorites. Then when I got out to my car he had text me and told me to call when I was finished with the test. When I got home he was cooking one of my absolute favorite breakfasts (that I normally only get 2 or 3 times a year), Eggs Benedict. It was perfection!!!
Last night it was so hard for me to stop studying and go to bed. I'm so nervous about letting eveyone down. He said, "Doesn't my confidence in you make you feel okay?" It really meant a lot to know that he truly believed I could pass. I sure hope it's good news...

What a difference 1 night makes...

I started orienting as an RN on the Infant Medical Surgical Unit at Primary Children's Hospital this week. My first shift was not what I expected. I really wanted to do as much as I could because I felt I would learn more that way. I ended up with 3 respiratory patients so you know what that means... Score, Suction, Score at least 13 times!!! Then a respiratory score every 2 hours, checking IV lines every 2 hours, Meds, Fluid Bolus, Fever... It was busy. I had tried to chart everything on everyone but by the end of the night I needed a little help to finish on time. Thanks Joelle for being so great and FUN to work with!! Near the end of the shift I said, "No wonder why nurses never take breaks!" It was a very BUSY night but it went VERY fast.

Needless to say I was a little scared to see what the next shift would bring...MUCH BETTER!! I actually felt like maybe I could do it. It was a more manageable assignment for someone just starting out. Only 2 patients and only one was a respiratory kiddo. That was nicer. I was able to chart everything on both patients, felt like I had more time to actually think about what we were doing and why, and had more opportunity to spend more time with the patients and work on assessment skills. I did pretty much everything a real nurse would do- including all the "paper work," with some assistance. I still need to get out of Nursing School mode of care plans and just think about what is going on. But, I feel pretty good. I can do it!!