Heather Anderson

ok... so it's summer, passed my last semester's classes with B's and am very proud of that. I'm back at the ferry four days a week and have started an internship with The Miriam Hospital in Providence. I work, basically as a nurse, in the inpatient operating room. I plan to stay on with the hospital until I graduate and hope that they will hire me as an RN once I graduate. I absolutley love my co-workers and the atmosphere of an operating room... it's absolutley invigorating to have such responsibility and a closeness with the surgeons. I've begun to learn the ins and out's of the OR and everything that goes on before, during and after major surgery. I've seen so much in such a short amount of time, but their is still so much to learn.
Today, I learned more in the 8 hours I was at work than I have in the past few weeks. Bob an RNFA (RN first assist) allowed me to scrub in on all of our surgeries today. On the schedule was a repair of an artificial hip, a total hip replacement and a hip fracture repair. Orthopedic land can be very messy and I'm beginning to fall in love with it. The drills, screws, plates, bone and everything is else is so cool! Dr. Fergenson was amazing with me all day, I litterally helped him suture and held retractors for him. I love it so much and it's making me not look forward to the start of school and clinical in specialties I have no interest in... I know it'll go by fast at least!

wtf i need to kill my roommate so badly wtf.... i'm going to shoot her, she's a fat slob and i can't deal with her anymore. all i wanted to do was watch my shows from tuesday night, but nooooooo she decided to not pay the bill so no tv for me before i have to start studying for my two exams this week.... wtf... i def thought i deserved to catch up on my shows after having a good day with ati and all.... god dammit
that's all.... i can't wait to move in with three guys next year... i can't deal with living with girls anymore

Sunday afternoon Mark comes home... it's been a very long two months and I can not wait to see him! It doesn't feel real that he's going to be home in 48 hours or so.
This semester is going by so quickly already, I think we are heading into our 6th week, which is practically half-way... it's nuts and it's hard, although I do love clinical especially this past Tuesday when I got to stand in the OR on an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm repair! I think I found my nursing nitch :)

Ok, that's all... sooo tired and as usual a lot of work to do.

So we've had a just over a week of school and I can't even describe the continuining sense of overwhelmingness (if that's even a word). Two classes and 15 credits is somehow not right, but welcome to Med/Surg... the world that we as students have to start putting it all together, where we are the nurses, it sounds so scary... I"m sure by the end of the semester, we'll all be pros in the hospital, but until then their is so much to do... prepping for hours before clinical just for one patient.... taking care of a postop pt is such a huge responsibility! I am definatley looking forward to my OR day in a few weeks, I just wish Mark was going to be home in time for that. Speaking of which... 25 more days and he'll be home! I can't wait... I miss him so much, luckily I've been busy at the gym practically every day and when I'm not sweating buckets running (my new hobby) I'm reading the millions of books that we have for class. I just pray that I get through this semester, after this, it's home free... we'll have the basic knowledge and some confidence as far as taking responsibility for our pt. I'm definatley glad I'm not graduating... I don't think I would have been ready for the "real world" at 22, nor do I think my pt would have respected me.
Ok that's all... the story of my life, gym and school and in a few weeks Mark :)... some days I feel there isn't enough time for sleeping or eating...blahh

Ok, so Friday I headed up to MMA to spend some quality time with Mark before he left Saturday morning for his sea term. It was so nice to spend time together, I just love being around him, even if it only means snuggling up in bed and watching some movies.
Saturday morning we ate breakfast early then headed to the ship to say our goodbyes :(
I knew that I would be upset, but didn't think I would break down sobbing, which I did. I just have to keep telling myself that it's only 6 weeks, which we have gone this long without seeing each other, but never this long without being able to talk every night.... luckily some of his ports are in florida, so he may be able to call, also he has his computer and can e-mail me! I'm happy for him, because it's going to be so much fun! Luckily for me classes start in a week, so I can get back into my routine and established before he comes home.
I figure the first time is the worst, I begin to get used to his extensive traveling, after all, that is what he'll be doing when he graduates from school!

Ok, so in two weeks, I'll be heading back to school to start what is considered to be one of the most difficult semesters in the CON's program. I"m loooking forward to the challenge, and the fact that I'll again be with an awesome group of girls for clinical. Love you fine ladies!

Grades came in a week or so ago... did really well, which is great. I no longer fear checking grades and I finally am happy to see my progress.

Christmas came and went... Mark and I spent the Sat. before Christmas in Boston, spent time with my Aunt and each other which was nice.
Christmas was spent with the fam, and away from Mark (I hope one day we can spend the holidays together)... He did however get to see his brother who was up from North Carolina, so that was a treat for him. After Christmas, Mark was up for about a week, so we could just hang out, spend much needed quality time together and yet another New Year's together!
This year we headed up to Providence again, but this time to Dave and Buster's, free drinks from management, good food, but otherwise kind of boring. Luckily I'm just happy being with Mark... I told him next year he gets to plan the festivities!
Now Mark is off at MMA, on the TS Enterprise, impatiently awaiting their departure for Sea Term, which will take him and about 500 students to Miami, Barbados, St Thomas and all along the Eastern Seaboard... I'm am totally jelous and not looking forward to the actual departure on Saturday morning, but am definatley excited to see him before he leaves!

It's going to be a long two months while he's gone, but I"m sure I'll be extremely busy with classwork. It's going to be a long, trying and interesting semester!

ok so the end of the semester came to a close for me on Monday afternoon when I handed in my pathophysiology final! I was lucky I got out early, but picked up hours at work, so here I am sitting on campus at 8am friday morning!
I am so happy with myself for this semester, I managed to pull off an 84 on my patho final, brining my final grade to a C+, which is fine, because I know a lot of people that weren't even passing the class heading into the final! I checked my nursing final grade this morning, because they were finally posted, and somehow pulled off a 91 on the exam, which means that I should end up with a solid A/A- because all exams except for one were A's!
I'm stuck at work on campus until 11, then get to head back to my house in Narragansett and get ready for Mark to come!!!!!! I haven't seen him in over a month and I can't wait! We are heading up to Boston to see my Aunt, stay over and then spend the day in the city tomorrow. We have tickets for the Body World exhibit at the museum of science and I'm so stoked to check it out!
Sunday is home with the fam and Monday is at my grandmother's house for Christmas, I'm so excited to see everyone and brag about how well I did this semester, it definatley boosts my confidence for next semester with Med/Surg and Pharmacology!
Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, Mark will be back up so we can finally go shopping for his Christmas gift! We will be spending New Year's at Dave and Busters which should be fun!

I can't wait until noon today!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy crap... tomorrow is thursday, the first day of finals. My body needs to shape up and get into fight mode for finals, it absolutely does not feel like the end of the semester. Only three finals and a week and a half stand in my way before I get to see Mark. It's been a month since we've seen each other and I"m going nuts without him, I honestly don't know what I"m going to do when he's away on sea term for two months straight to Miami, St. Martin, and Barbados. I guess I'll figure it out when I get there! I can't wait for our little trip to Boston next week!

Ok, so I didn't bomb my patho exam which is good because it seems like a lot of people didn't do well... as long as I stay above 73 I really don't care, the teacher is rediculous!
Yesterday was my first day of clinical in the hosptial, and it was so nice to finally see a little bit of action, some blod/staples/4+ pitting edema and some other things! My pt was awesome and great to work with because she was so enthusiastic about her therapy and stuff, she really wants to get better from her surgery so she can be discharged Tuesday on schedule!
I spent the afternoon at the wound care center, and that was really neat to see these pt that had these massive, sometimes necrotic wounds that take months to heal. I got to see the before picutres and how they are healing now.... really neat stuff! all in all yesterday was a long but good day, kind of the first day of actual nursing and I really think I'm going to like it! School first, pass NCLEX, work then maybe go back for my Master's! (right now the thought of going back to school is daunting... finish first and make as much money as possible, then see how I feel!)
On another note... birthday next week, really weird because it doesn't seem like it at all... I can't believe I'm going to be 22... wow this year has flown by so fast, mainly because of Mark, work and school, the nursing girls and everything else! Crazy how time flies as we get older! Life is just beginning I told my pt and I'm very much looking forward to what's in store!

Ok, so I think that it might have been forever ago since I've updated! So here goes....

My nursing clases are going great... like mostly A's great and we are finally getting into the hospital setting for clinical starting next week! We've been doing community settings and bouncing from adult day cares, to assisted living facilities, to Alzheimer's units.... very tiring! Last week, we had to take our dosage calculations test, easy but stressful... it's not cool to think about taking an exam that will either make or break you, I will only think about that when I sit for my NCLEX!
The nursing girls have and are awesome and I don't know what I've been doing all these years without them! Nursing Brothel '08 and beyond :)
Mark gets to come down this weekend, which is fantastic, because we haven't seen each other in two weeks, which is when I went to visit him at his school! I love being able to cook for him and be all house wifish when he's around :)

Ok so it's short but it's here! Good for now!