Always Looking Forward

Summer Time for an Unemployed RN

I’m three months into being a resident of Philadelphia and while I have enjoyed exploring a new city and state, I can’t say that I love it here.  There is nothing here that has really pulled me in and made me excited to live here.  I never thought I would say this, but I really do miss Baltimore.  

The adventures of cohabitating continue without incident aside from my near fall into the toilet the other night from a toilet seat that was left up.  I suppose I can’t win them all. :)

On a more positive note, living in Philly has given me the opportunities to explore parts of the east coast that I may not have had an opportunity to otherwise.  Being unemployed has allowed me freedoms to accompany TWC on his business road trips all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Boston, and Maryland.  While some of these have been really cool, I have visited quite a few podunk towns that I never wish to visit again.  

Today, I’m in Bethesda, MD enjoying the amenities of the Marriott.  I spent yesterday acquiring an uneven sunburn by the pool and relaxing in the hot tub.  Sometimes I wish I lived in a hotel where I could lay poolside daily while someone cleans up the mess I made in the room.  I would have to do something about the crappy pillows, but other than that it would be great! 

Tonight the Summer Concert Series continues with My Morning Jacket in Columbia, MD.  Last week was Death Cab for Cutie.  Next month is Widespread Panic, Wilco and Ben Harper.  I am going to more concerts this year than I have ever been to in my entire life.  

Upcoming Adventures: 

• Chicago wedding in the Sears Tower
• Phillies Game: Dollar Hot Dog Night!
• Chicago Half Marathon
• Eagles Game
• LA Trip Oct 11th - 18th
• Penn State v Nebraska at State College

Job Search Updates

I think I have applied for every job that I am qualified for in Philly and New Jersey.  I have had no calls for interviews, no emails.  It’s getting more and more frustrating.  I have some opportunities at Hopkins and if these work out, I will most likely be returning to Baltimore.  

Keeping my fingers crossed for something to come along soon! 

MRI of an artichoke

wildfood:

via Inside Insides

Not really wild, but super cool…

From the City of Brotherly Love

It’s been about one and a half weeks from the time I was transplanted from Baltimore to Philadelphia and while I can say it has been great thus far, transitions are always tough. 

The first couple days were filled with boxes and messes from those emptied boxes. And when I decided I’d had enough of the messes, I made lots of trips to the trash can.  It’s amazing the amount of crap one person can accumulate in two short years and when you merge two peoples crap together…well, that’s an agglomeration of crap. Lucky for me, I have quite a few closets and a very large basement!

Now that boxes have been emptied, there has been much more time for exploring my new city.  TWC and I have been partaking in gluttonous adventures in the city and partaking in local festivities.  Last weekend was the annual Manayunk Bike Race (better known in the cycling world as the Philadelphia Pro Cycle Tour).  The entire neighborhood comes out early and partakes in watching the cyclists climb up the Manayunk Wall (that’s a 17% grade!) and public intoxication (more of the latter than the former if I had to guess).  TWC and I walked most of the course in the Manayunk area, stopping for brunch and morning cocktails along the way.  The weekend ended with a home cooked meal, 4 hours of quality TV programming courtesy of HBO.

Today begins my intensive study for my licensing exam. With good intentions for a productive day, I began with a morning run, followed by a cheesesteak from Geno’s, a cupcake in Love Park, a walk to  Rittenhouse Square and Starbucks to do some studying and/or blogging.  Maybe my intensive studying will begin tomorrow.

On the Job Front

I still don’t have one.  I knew that finding a job  wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but I didn’t anticipate that it was going to be as hard as it’s been.  This morning, I browsed the open positions for recent graduates and I think I found 2…maybe 3.  What’s up with that? I thought there was supposed to be a nursing shortage.  It makes me frustrated, sad, angry, worried,  (add any word associated with unemployment here).  Every time I see someone wearing scrubs I want to stop them in the middle of the street and ask them if they can get me a job.  I don’t because that seems desperate…oh wait..I am!

Stay tuned for more adventures in cohabitation and my transition from being a student to the real world.

    from Philadelphia!

60 days

Hello friends! It’s been awhile since my last post in November, but I’m back (maybe this time with more frequency…not making any promises). I was reading my old tumblr posts and got inspired to write a little update especially for those of you who I don’t talk to as much as I wish I did.

Spring Semester Part 1 

Two weeks ago I finished my nursing coursework! Hooray! I can’t even begin to tell you how great it is to be finished.  Being in class 3 days per week in addition to 2 - 8 hour clinical days was a lot to handle.  Yes, I know…this add up to about 40 hours per week, which most people do for 52 weeks out of the year, but when you include study time and clinical preparation, it feels overwhelming.  There were literally days when I looked at my TO DO lists and just thought “THERE IS NO WAY I CAN DO ALL THIS WORK”. But I did! And now it’s done and it’s on to Spring Semester Part 2.

Spring Semester Part 2

The second (and last) part of nursing school is a seven week clinical where I am working with a nurse at Emergency Department at York Hospital in York, PA.  It’s a bit of a haul (and $$$ in gas) to get there, and my shift time is not ideal (3pm-3am), but I know it will be a very valuable experience in my transition to become a REAL nurse. 

Corey, my preceptor at York Hospital, is great and has taught me many things in the 20 hours I have been there.  Most importantly, and key for my final evaluation, is that I now know who Joe Paterno is. I made quite a scene in the ED when I was unable to correctly identify who this JoePa guy is.  In Corey’s words “Forget about everything I taught you today,  assessments, meds, drawing blood…the most important lesson for today is knowing Joe Paterno.” 

All is good in the land of nursing school and in 6 weeks, I will be done!

And in only 60 days, I will be have my BSN and a new place to call home :)

Highlights of Spring Semester (not school related)

• New Orleans visit with 3 old friends and 7 new friends.
• National Half Marathon in DC. (Most fun race weekend I’ve had)
• Annabel Lee Tavern…Duck Fat Fries (Post Race Dinner)…yummy!
• Blue Moon Cafe…hashbrowns, lump crab meat, and eggs over easy sprinkled with Old Bay (Sweet Baby Jesus)… maybe the best breakfast ever!

Coming soon:

• Maybe a trip to Chicago to see the Dodgers take on the Cubs at Wrigley Field
• 2nd visit to Omaha/Council Bluffs, IA
• TWC and Mom and Dad to Baltimore for graduation
• Graduation Day (May 26th)
• Moving Day (May 28th)
• July 12th…MY 30th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

I have more free time these days and I am looking forward to checking off all of the places on my Baltimore Bucket List!

Looking forward to living in the non school world…at least until I decide to go back :)

Will post again soon!

Hugs to everyone!

7 more days!

Fall semester was certainly a rough one with lots of exams, papers and group projects.  There were certainly weeks when I thought there was no way I was going to manage it all, and the weeks seemed to be going by at a snails pace. But here I am with only 7 days left.

In seven days, I will be 3/4 nurse! In those seven days all I have to do is show up to one class, give a presentation, take two final exams and complete one 12 hour clinical shift!

I completed 2 nursing core classes (Adult Health and Pediatric Nursing) and two other classes that I didn’t find particularly valuable to my future career.  Research and Nursing Informatics were quite a bore.  I am sure they will be valuable to our future nurse researchers or nurse informaticians, but I don’t really have any interest in these fields.  If I was interested in research, I would have probably stayed a Marine Biologist.  At 9pm tonight, I will be done with my informatics presentation and I can say goodbye to that class!

Despite all my complaining, I did find great value in the core nursing classes. Adult Health and Pediatric Nursing took me to the hospital to learn quite a bit about how to care for patients who are terminal, attempting to work out ethical dilemmas, and just how crazy being a nurse can be! As a student I am only assigned two patients at any given time. Definitely doable, but I have no idea how some nurses manage 5-7 patients.  Makes me realize how important time management is! I have some memorable moments which include exploding ostomy bag (gross!), crazy, angry, non compliant diabetic patient, sweet kid with a necrotic foot (he drove me crazy and broke my heart all at the same time), and let’s not forget the day I was on lockdown at the JHH.

I am so happy to be done with this semester and am looking forward to my extended winter vacation! I won’t be back to Baltimore until January 24th and then will have 7 weeks of classes and 7 weeks of working without pay on a unit somewhere in Baltimore (I’m hoping for a Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit)!

Highlights of Fall Semester (mostly unrelated to school)

• Visiting TWC in Omaha/Council Bluffs, IA
• Running the Baltimore Half Marathon
• NYC visit
• Having mom and dad in Baltimore
• New friends coming on the New Orleans Service Trip
• Getting to go inside of Charm City Cakes and meeting Geoff (if you watch Ace of Cakes you know who I’m talking about!)

Coming soon:

• Bringing TWC to Los Angeles!
• Extended stay in Chicago.
• Big Creole Charity Gala with the Charm City Cakes folks on January 29th!

176 days until graduation!!!!!!

In exactly one month, I’ll be flying home to Los Angeles!