Upgrading update: 4 more weeks, the urinary system and application progress

It has been busy around my parts. The upgrading program has been a blessing and sometimes a curse. A blessing in that I can upgrade the courses that are needed and hopefully get a seat in the nursing program of my choice. It is a slight curse only due to the work load and sheer volume sometimes. I am still managing everything like a champ but this week I had a mini breakdown.


I was at my wits end with the constant studying. I felt that nothing was penetrating my brain and that made me panic. But, I think I was just extremely tired. Staying on top of everything all the time in all areas of my life was getting to me. In any case, I was able to get back track. Sleep really is a great thing. Has a lot of resortative properties.


I have four more weeks until this section of the program is complete. I will leave it with a bitter sweet feeling. I have met some really lovely people in the program who are truly good folk. I have one specific teacher who I absolutely respect and think the world of. She is really supportive and wants us to succeed. Overall, four weeks to go and I am geared and pumped up.


I have a really great average right now (95%) so I want to end the semester with excellent marks. In order to do this, I have started to prep for last tests already. The last BIO test will be in four weeks but I am already starting my studying this coming weekend. The units we are learning now are all very heavy and take a lot of work to master. It is just a matter of staying on top of the heap.


The urinary system is a beast! I thought the respiratory system was a lot to know but I think nephrons actually beat it for me. It is a complete and total monster but somehow I completed my test on that section. Marks are not posted as of yet but I asked my teacher and she said that I did really well so that is comforting. I think.


Last but not least, is my application process update. I applied to three schools in total. One school due, really to the small campus size and familiarity to it. I know the nursing program there is a good one. I know it is a lovely campus and the school is highly regarded. My only vice with this is the location. For me, it is about an hours drive. Not too bad in reality and something I can totally work with if need be.


My other choice is a school I didn't know existed, literally, until a few months ago. I mean, I assume I heard about that school somewhere along my academic life but never really paid too much attention. I end up finding out that this school has an excellent program, small campus (which is pretty important to me outside of how stupidly early the library usually closes) and is pretty close to my home. The one other great thing about this school is that it has a RPN to BScN bridging program also. That is a premium as there are very little schools in the GTA that offer this bridge and transitioning phase. Plus, sometimes already being in a school can award you insider information and perks that those applying from the outside don't get.


The last choice is actually at the school I am currently taking my upgrading classes. I used to really like this school as I used to take little side courses there off and on during the years. And, I also attained my PSW certification from this school. But, it has changed and not necessarily for the good. I think it is just the people and there are certain things I don't think I want to deal with. It is a good school. Good location. Good reputation and program. Amazing and big changes are to be had at this school in the next few years but I don't know if I want to stay there.


In terms of these schools, I have received conditional offers from two of the three and one is from my first choice school. The other is from my 2nd choice school. I am really excited about these offers but have not yet accepted. I have until the beginning of May to make my choice. I am waiting to do a school visit at an Open House early next month. I would like to see how I feel at this school (1st choice) as I know I enjoy my second choice school. Oh, on another note my 2nd choice school acceptance is for September 2016 but the 1st choice is for January 2017 start. This  happened because by the time I applied to schools, my 1st choice had closed the registration for September entry.


That's it for me on this now. I will check in again in a few weeks with more updates and news. A lot emotions have been flooding me the last few weeks and I would like to talk about that on this platform soon. Overall though, this has been a good experience.

Updating my updates

Last time I left off, I said I was going to upgrade some of my courses. Well, I am in the process of doing exactly that and it has been a busy time. Currently, I am upgrading my chemistry and math classes. I also threw biology in for good order sake. Although I have a pretty good mark in Bio, I am actually looking for excellent this time around.


How am I doing so far? Actually, not too bad. The material is the same but different, if that makes sense. Certain things I have already learned but there are other aspects that is absolutely foreign and new to me. This is actually really exciting and fun. I still dread math like the plague but I am getting through it and the same for chemistry. Biology is enjoyable and challenging at the same time.


The biggest hurtle to get over while taking these courses is getting the work done while working two jobs. I have to admit that I think this upgrading is easier than pre-health. To me, pre-health was faster, tougher and had way more volume of information presented. But, then again, pre-health was also for university bound students so, that is to be expected. These academic upgrading classes actually surprise me in some ways. Some things are much easier than my last go around but that is fine with me. I welcome the slightly slower pace. Slower pace, however, does not mean less work. 


Initially, the assignments were very easy to do and spaced out nicely. At this point, about 6 weeks in, not so much. There is a barrage of assignments, discussions, exams and tests thrown at us all at once but it is manageable. My best advise is to stay on top of things. As they come in, complete. I have been on top of everything aside from this week whereI have slacked due to some life issues. My goal is to complete two major assignments this evening so that I can get on top of the other things awaiting my attention.


Overall, I am truly enjoying this period of upgrading. The information is interesting. I am managing my time with work, school and life (no real life) much better than last year. How am I doing academically thus far? I have high A's in all courses and plan on keeping it that way.


As a side note, I started to follow the study note advise of Rachelp. Here is the link. I highly recommend this format for studying vast amounts of information. By employing this technique, I was able to pull off two A+'s on my last bio and chem tests.


I will update in the next few weeks as I have been incredibly busy. This semester finishes the end of March and the last semester (I am taking one course) is in April so hopefully I will have good news to report. As a side note, I have applied to the schools I would like to get in and mid marks will be submitted to them next week. Until next time, stay well.

How to make the return to post-secondary school comfortable as a mature student

This is a long one so please sit back and enjoy the tips.

My journey to nursing school is still in motion and has not been a smooth ride. Many hurtles have been jumped over and I am still getting over many humps. When I initially started on my journey, it was not smooth. I had been out of secondary school for a long time. My days of writing university papers and taking tests were a thing of the past. As an adult, I was dealing with work-place bureaucracy and politics. Trying to break through that ever-heightening glass ceiling. Travel. Bills. Being an adult. So, when I chose to return to school, I had to mentally prepare myself for change.

Change came in the form of receiving less income. Revised, less or no health care benefits. Long hours tackling homework and assignments. Carrying a very heavy backpack. Loud younger people. Long hours glued to a desk. Initially, I felt out of my element. I couldn’t get a firm grasp on my life. I was all over the place in a huge sea and sinking fast. May sound dramatic, but as an adult out of school 10+ years, it was a reality. After getting help from the school advisors (employ their skills as this service is already factored in the tuition you paid), I felt a bit better. I remember taking a Friday night off (something I never did again) and relaxing. The next day, after work, I sought out ways that could help my journey. I needed help. If you need some assistance as a mature student returning to school, here are a few things I did that greatly helped me.

Firstly, invest in and USE got a good planner. You don’t need to go all Erin Condrin (although she had amazing planners) but something with enough space so you can write out what you need to do daily, is ideal. Also ensure your planner has a month at a view section with enough space for writing in per month. This is where you will record your tests, exams, quizzes, due dates for all assignments - per month. Take a look at this page at least daily to ensure you are know exactly what is coming up when.

Creating a daily or weekly schedule. This may sound weird but having a schedule that is created once a week or daily with homework assignments and to-do’s is a good thing to have. (At the end of this, I will have a link that explains exactly how this is created)

Invest in a desk calendar. I bought a $5.00 desk calendar and mounted on my wall in front of my desk. This was a nice visual remider of what I needed to do while studying. It kept me organized and I never forgot an assigment. HIGHLY Recommended.

Get the proper calculator that your professors advises (wait until your first math class before you actually make the investment and heed the advise of your professor). Also, take the time and get to know how your calculator actually works. Sounds easy but trust me; you do not want to be trying to figure out what key is needed to change a formula to scientific notation during the middle of a lesson. Save time and jump on youtube to get a tutorial.

A set of good tools - pens, pencils, sharpies and high lighters. Don’t cheap out here because you will be doing a lot of writing and test taking. Get the best that you can afford so you don’t have to deal with broken lead or crappy pens or color running out in the middle of a rock-star study session.

A desk. I was gifted a used desk but it was just all wrong for my purposes. I needed something that was long enough where I could spread out my laptop, multiple books and papers while doing homework. Even online assignments require a good amount of desk space. The ability to stretch out and not be limited by surface space will be a life saver.

Creating study guides. This was something that I had never heard of before but found out about on a YouTube channel and loved. This can be a long process but the material will be cemented in your brain after reading direct from the book, creating study notes and re-reading on your down time. This is key. I have included a link on how to create these guides below.

Audio recording notes. At my school, recording lecture was not really prohibited unless you had a learning disability. So, I had to be creative. Before school started, I had invested in a small recorder (but a cell phone is more than fine) and needed to use it. I ended up recording the systems of the body and how they worked (i.e., the circulation of blood in and out of the heart) and lessons from chemistry on my recorder. Chemical reactions and chirality, to name a few, did not come easy or natural to me so I recorded myself reading my lectures notes. On my way to and from school, I listened to my recorded notes.

A good backpack or rolling bag. I initially was using my younger sister’s old bag and it was not good for me. I needed something with more support so I invested. Backpacks can be very expensive so wait for holiday sales. I got my Swissmar backpack for 60% less the price which is amazing and saved my back.

Comfy clothing. You will notice almost immediately how uncomfortable your clothing will be after spending hours in a library. One of my best investments was treating myself to some soft and comfy sweat clothing. I really enjoy the styles that Roots supplies but I can’t always afford them. The goal is not fashion (ok, it is but not imperative) but feeling relaxed during hours of study is. Heed my advice on this one.

Here are some really helpful websites that I look to for help and resources on my journey to becoming a nurse. I think they will help any student, mature or not. Enjoy.

Straight A Nursing Student

How to Get an A in Math

Khan Academy for Math

Khan Academy for Chemistry

Crash Course that helps with A&P

How to create study guides.

Sharpie Retractable Highlighters - the best! 

Digital voice recorder

Varying desk options

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upgrading here I come

So, the last time we left off, I was lamenting my lack of success on first try entry to nursing school. My marks were simply not up to snuff. It is interesting because in my pre-health program, after first semester mid-terms, a significant amount of people dropped out. I remember looking around my class and realizing that a good chunk of people were not present. We were told by our professor that about 30% of students, indeed, dropped out after mid-term. We were advised that from here on out, things would get quicker and harder. And, she did not lie.

After a challenging first semester, we began second semester at a full on sprinting pace. We were told that we were the “survivors” as again, a good percentage of my classmates did not make the cut or chose to bow out. I thought semester one was tough, but semester two nearly ended me. At some points, I didn’t think I could do it. It was too much. Assignments due at the same time. Multiple tests, at least two on the same day, per week. Papers. Quizzes. Exams. On top of this, I worked at my both jobs. It was the longest four months of my life.

In May, I was finally released out of that torture after our final exams. At this point, I was physically and mentally exhausted. We were told numerous times that the program is set up to almost break us as the schooling and career of most health care workers is extremely challenging. They were preparing us. Upon getting my final marks, my heart both plummeted and rejoiced. My hard work had paid off but some marks were a bit off. I had applied for nursing schools in February so at this point, applicants had to wait until the summer to hear a yay or nay from admissions offices.

I waited and waited and then the responses started to come in. Although my marks were good enough, they were not enough to eliminate others who had worked harder and achieved A’s instead of B+’s (like myself). Saddened but not defeated, I immediately signed up for a class and started this past September. Unfortunately, this class finished too late and was not able to be accepted in time for January intake. So, here I was. No nursing school and no real full time job.

Fortunately, my work places kept me on and I still juggle them both at this current point. But what about my dream of nursing school? I actually took a few days to be angry about the whole situation. Then I got back on the horse and looked into my options. I could not afford (nor did I have the time) of repeating pre-health again. Another option was a PSW to RPN bridging program at a very good school in Toronto. My issue is that it is in Toronto. Traveling to this school in the dead of winter is not ideal. After flip-flopping and wondering what to do, I registered for adult school to upgrade my marks. I was elated to get into a class but it was not meant to be as the days and hours conflicted with my part time job. At this point, I was desperate and was angry a lot of the time. Nothing was working for me. Then I was advised to try another academic upgrading program. I wasted no time and signed up. In the course of a few hours, I had gone to orientation, completed 4 online and a paper test.

A few days later, I got a call from the school that I was accepted to the program. My weakest link is math and this will take the longest but I will also upgrade chemistry with this program also. My biology mark is amazing but I would like to increase my human anatomy mark. Why not go for all A’s at this point, right? So, here you have it. At this point, I am on the path of upgrading, 2^nd time around. Not ideal but nursing school entrance marks are brutally hard to get into. A word of advise. Strive for A’s and nothing else if your goal is nursing.