Year 2

Hello Readers,

After a much needed 3 weeks off from school, fall semester has begun and it is a whirlwind of classes, NCLEX prep and clinical. This is the last semester before I can sit for my nursing boards and hopefully become an RN! It is exciting and a check point I have been looking forward to, but tensions are high as we all prepare for the big test. This semester I am taking complex care along with completing 150 hours with a nurse preceptor. I will spend 150 hours with a nurse, one on one and begin taking patients (one at a time) until I am comfortable enough to take on a real RN patient assignment. She will be keeping a close eye on me as I learn what it takes to be an RN in a hospital. I have been placed with a nurse in the ICU at Norwood Hospital and I am very excited and anxious to begin my hours and be one step closer to an RN.

I am also enrolled in Community Health Care and will be spending clinical time with Natick Visiting Nurses, Rosie's Place and the Natick school systems. It is enlightening to learn about the kinds of job for RNs and NPs and I am looking forward to finding out if community health care may be a niche for me.

Between school, clinical and work this semester will definitely have me stretched pretty thin, but the motivation to plow through is stronger than ever. We are using a program called ATI to predict the probability of passing the NCLEX (the nursing boards) on our first try. We took one test in the beginning of the semester and we will take one at the end when we have all studied up and utilized a focused review. We will then have Christmas break to prepare and hopefully all be able to to take the test and pass with flying colors come January. Hoping 2015 will bring 60 new nurses from the Regis College Accelerated Masters Program! Until then...back to work.