Top 10 summer must haves

So in honor of the first day of summer, even though its felt like summer here for nearly a month already, I put together a list of my top 10 must haves for the summer. Not everyone may agree or think some of these things are a necessity so these are just things Im glad to have this summer, hopefully you'll find one or two you like and can add to your summer must haves!!

                               ~10 Summer Must Haves~
1. Summer Attire: It may sound silly but pools & lakes arent very welcoming to jeans and long sleeve shirts. A good swimsuit that will last you a few good summers is always nice however they can be a little pricey, victoria secrets sells some great ones especially if you have a larger chest like myself however just a top can run close to $50 if not more. Target is a great place for swim wear, I love target's swim section they always have great choices and way more wallet friendly. I always like to have a good swim cover up from a tank top or a dress. I have a Victoria Secrets Pink swim dress cover up from 3-4 years ago and I am getting in a Marley Lilly tank top that I think will be perfect for the pool. Where I live you don't wear a long sleeve shirt in the summer, even when it rains it is simply too hot, but for you in areas where it gets a little chilly at night a long sleeve shirt over a swim suit is always a good cover up, Marley Lilly makes an awesome spirit jersey that would be great for year around wear. 

2.Good Music: I don't think summer is complete without music, and for me I keep ALL my music on my iphone. I love being able to take it to my pool, lay out and zone out to some great summer jams or just putting them on in the car just makes it feel more like summer. So here are my favorite summer songs (so far) in no particular order: You should be able to find all these songs on Itunes!
~See you tonight: Scotty McCreery
~Wild in Your Smile: Dustin Lynch
~Cruise: Florida Georgia Line
~Crash My Party: Luke Bryan
~Running Outta Moonlight: Randy Houser
~All Over the Road: Easton Corbin
~Redneck Crazy: Tyler Farr

3. Sun Protection: Now I love to tan and don't really follow the best skin protection routine in the sun (yes I'm in healthcare and I know the risks). But Im not the worst when it comes to tanning, I space my days out so Im out every other day or every 3 days, I do wear some sun screen but its mixed in with my dry tanning oil, I wear sun glasses, and I have a hat I use at the pool. With that being said I tan really easily so I use Hawaiian Tropic dry tanning oil with SPF 8 or 12 and I love it, I also have their after sun lotion which is really nice especially right after a shower. I don't have any special type of sunglasses, I think I got the pair I currently use at Marshalls. The baseball cap came from Marley Lilly, they also have derby hats and beach hats but really any hat is good! I don't have a hat collection like some people.

4. Stay Hydrated: Water bottles are a god send in the summer, especially here where we see 100+ temps all day every day with no humidity. I've had my CamelBak water bottle for maybe two years, I got it to take to the hospital during nursing school. I think they run about $15 at target. You can find a water bottle for any need at walmart, target, sporting stores, ect. I love my CamelBak!

5. Soft Feet & Hands: I hate dry feet and hands, its just my pet peeve and since new grads can't exactly afford pedicures on a regular basis I do them at home. The true blue spa line from Bath and Body Works has some great products such as foot soak crystals and their new avocado butter foot lotion. I soak, exfoliate, then lather on the lotion and my feet always feel smooth, I do this maybe 2-3 times a week. I use the hand scrub from the same line followed by the hand lotion to keep my hands nice and soft. Soft skin any time is a must but even more in the summer! (Bath and Body works is also having their semi annual sale right now!)

6. Soft and Hydrated lips: This goes along with number 5 but I hate the feeling of dry cracked lips, it bugs me. I use a homemade lip scrub, you can buy ones from different companies but those usually run around $15 and up, I make one at home using sugar, honey, and a little coconut oil, works wonders and doesn't cost me anything. I have a billion chapsticks and yes I use them all, I have the nivea lip butter which is really nice for soft lips every day where without feeling sticky or heavy. I also use Hawaiian tropic's SPF chapstick, especially if Im out in the sun.

7. Painted toes (and nails): I really hate unpainted toe nails, I know Im weird, but I think toes just look better with some nail polish on them! Just my personal preference again, I love Essie polishes and right now I'm in love with "Your Hut or Mine" its an older color but a great bright pink for the summer! I also loved refresh mint from China Glaze! I know not everyone is allowed to paint their nails due to work, school, ect (I spent two years there) but I am now taking full advantage and painting my nails too! I love Essie's eternal Optimist, its a lighter pink that is more appropriate for a work place color. 

8. A good book: I had to giggle at this one a little because after nursing school I don't read for fun, its not fun for me anymore. But while I love to just lay by the pool and zone out to my music sometimes I'll lay around and read or at least try. Since I just graduated and Ive had this book laying around for a while I'm finally getting around to reading it, its "Your first year as a nurse" ya never know it may contain some useful information I didn't learn in nursing school, I'll let ya know.

9. A good workout routine: I don't know about you but come summer I am lazy and couldn't be more content to lay in the sun and do nothing. I need to try and get a stable workout routine back in place especially now that I have the time. Spending your down time or less busy time of year getting into good habits like exercise will help you keep them during the winter months. Try Zumba, or water Zumba if its offered in your area, hot yoga, or even just running (its too hot to run outside here).

10. EXCITEMENT!: Its summer go out and do something crazy and fun! Once we all hit the real world where you no longer get a summer vacation you'll wish you were back in college road tripping with your friends to a summer concert series! Take a road trip to a near by lake or beach, find a concert youve been wanting to see load up the car and go, try new recipes youve been thinking about for a while, have a cook out, do something on your bucket list. Just find something so at the end of the summer you wont feel like you wasted 3 months doing nothing.

Those are my top 10 must haves! If you have any summer must haves I'd love to hear them or if you feel I missed anything Id love to hear from you. If your looking for some of the items I mentioned check out the Victoria Secrets and Bath and Body Works semi annual sales going on right now, target is one of my favorite stores for just about anything from swim wear to skin care. Itunes should have all the music I listed, and anything Marley Lilly can be found here: http://www.marleylilly.com/
Thanks y'all!!

Did I pass my NCLEX...........

Well as many of you know the last step in becoming a nurse was taking my NCLEX for a state license. I sat for my exam on Thursday June 13th, 77 questions and 60 minutes later it turned off and I was walking out of the testing center in tears. For those of you who dont know the minimum number of questions is 75 if your doing very well or very poorly they can shut the test off at any given point after 75. Despite everyone being so confident in me and giving me positive support I felt like I failed despite using the pearson trick to try and re-register for the test, my local board of nursing should have released my license number the next day if I passed, at least everyone else in my class who took the test found out the next day, and pearson wouldn't release my unofficial "quick results" that you pay $7.95 to get for two business days. So I pretty much spent Friday and Saturday along with the remainder of Thursday in a complete panic just wanting to know already! I'm pretty sure I drove my friends and family crazy with my constant obsessive checking on the board of nursing website to see if I had a license and continuous complaining but unless your a nurse and have gone through the agony of waiting to hear the results of your boards you have no idea what its like.

So finally pearson released my unofficial results on Saturday evening right before their website went down for maintenance, so at this point I was pretty much ready to throw my hands up in the air and give up. I was still trying the website with no luck on the board of nursing releasing my license number. So finally after the website came back up around 8 or 9 at night I caved and paid them the $8 for an answer, while the page was loading I genuinely thought I was going to throw up with a billion bad scenarios flashing through my head. Finally the page loaded and.............I PASSED. I never never felt more relief in my life! However I still needed that license number to update all my applications with different hospitals, Monday afternoon around 2 I finally had a license number! I am so glad I paid for my results, I wouldn't have made it till Monday afternoon not knowing!

Once I had that license number I was on the phone calling every hospital I had a standing application with to make sure they knew I now had a license number and was legally allowed to work as an RN! I was able to get a hold of one hospital through the phone, two hospitals let me change parts of my application online, and one hospital I still havent heard back from after leaving a message Monday and Tuesday. This hospital is one I would really really really like to work for so its a little frustrating not getting to talk to any body. I have about 6 weeks left in my lease here and I am really hoping I have a job offer before than so I am able to move and have a plan as of right now I'm kinda hanging out in limbo with no job and no place to live starting August 1st.

Like I said in a previous post I used Kaplan NCLEX review and loved it! I owe my passing to that review and highly recommend it! I also got a little congrats on Twitter from the one and only Dustin Lynch after passing so that sure made me feel pretty special! For anyone else taking their NCLEX right around this time or even in the next few months best of luck to y'all! I know its scary and intimidating but be confident in your schooling and knowledge base and remember to read every single question carefully, don't panic if your blowing through questions super quickly (77 in 60 minutes, I was so scared I went too fast), if it shuts off early it probably means your doing really good, it is ok to panic and freak out a little after everyone who has ever taken their NCLEX has been on edge till they knew their results and if they say they weren't they are either lying or didn't really care if they got their license or not.

For any of my fellow Dustin Lynch lovers here is a little motivation for the NCLEX, sure was a nice little pick me up, I prefer him to Ryan Goseling any day. Good Luck on your NCLEX!

Kaplan NCLEX review vs Hurst NCLEX review

Alright guys I hope everyone has been busy these past few weeks, everyone enjoyed their memorial day weekend (safely of course) and that everyone is now out of school for the summer! I have been out of school and officially graduated from college with my BSN (bachelor's of science in nursing) for about three weeks or so and I would love to say I have been deeply enjoying my summer so far but I have yet to actually have a summer break. Starting the monday after graduation I was back on campus for the first of 4 days for the Kaplan NCLEX review course I signed up for back in February. I was there 9-4 M-Th for the review and boy it was a whole lot of info crammed in. It seemed to be a universal week for nursing students as many of the people I follow on twitter were sitting in NCLEX review at the same time. Since then I have pretty much barricaded myself in my apartment and studied like crazy. I will be sitting for my license exam on Thursday June 13th at 2pm and all I have done is study study study, however my motivation is slowly decreasing and my desire to lay by the pool, tan, and shop for a new apartment are itching to come through. I am very ready to actually start having a summer and enjoying the first chance I have had off in over 3 years, I have always worked fulled time, been in school or a combination of both. So I picked the earliest possible test date I was comfortable with, I would also really like to start getting some job offers or at least a chance to interview, I have been turned down for several residency programs and it has really begun to discourage me. I also gave up my birthday to spend time studying (I celebrated my 23rd birthday on May 31) I really wanted to be in Louisville KY seeing Dustin Lynch in concert but license exam comes first =/

As far as studying for the NCLEX I know two major companies that provide a review course and countless books you can buy. I choose between Kaplan and Hurst review and I ended up going with Kaplan for several reasons. I also have the Saunder's NCLEX comprehensive review book but I honestly haven't used it, I bought it more for my HESI Exit exam and used it more for that. Both Kaplan and Hurst offer some great programs for NCLEX and this is just my personal reasons for choosing Kaplan, please if you are preparing for NCLEX look at both programs. I'm just gonna list a brief over view of the programs and the reasons I choose Kaplan.

Hurst NCLEX Review:
They offer a ton of content and when I saw a ton I mean a TON! They almost retake you through nursing school in 4 days with quick to the point overviews of important topics. We had the Hurst videos circulating through my program for several years and if you know someone from the semester ahead of you or a faculty member who had them then you more than likely got a copy of the videos. However I think the videos are some of the older review videos from several years ago, Hurst does keep updated with the latest NCLEX test plan to provide the most current information. I got a copy last fall and tried to use them to study for HESI. Needless to say I couldn't cram all that info into an already fried brain. The women on the videos is hilarious and she keeps you entertained. If you feel you need a content review hurst is the way to go. Watching the videos I had so many "ahah" moments where things just made sense and I felt like "Duh why wasn't it this easy sitting in adult health one and two?!" however they don't offer much strategy I felt and I need strategy. A teacher helping me to pass my HESI told me "your really smart you just forget really simple things like turn your patient, or you can't remember how to look at a question and answer it". I needed a strategy to take the test not a review of everything I learned in nursing school. The videos were helpful and I did have some "ahah" moments where all the pieces fell together but they didn't provide me with enough strategy. I also went off the program people in the semester above me used because all of them passed their NCLEX the first time around (my school has an incredibly high pass rate for the NCLEX I think its like 98 or 99%). No one really used HURST before so I was a little unsure, this semester though quite a few people did sign up to take the review (I wasn't one of them).

Kaplan Review:
I choose Kaplan because everyone from the semester above me took Kaplan and passed the first time, they offered me a strategy or a way to think during the exam, I was going to get a zillion practice questions (Hurst offers practice questions as well), I got NCLEX testing area specific review videos, for example one area is health promotion and maintenance, if your getting lower test scores on that area you can watch the review videos that only deal with health promotion and maintenance. This I really liked because you weren't reviewing cancer, or renal disease, or pregnancy, you were reviewing areas the nclex tests on like activities of daily living, mobility/immobility, nutrition, ect. You can also download a free book from kindle/amazon that goes along with the videos (hurst gives you a physical copy of their book during the review). I liked Kaplan's decision tree process and I really felt their thought process and the way they teach us to approach the exam was really helpful and suited my needs. You also got a book with Medication to know for NCLEX which I was in love with because I am weakest in pharmacology.

Overall the price for either review is around the same and they both offer a money back guarantee that if you fail the test they will refund your money. I really liked Kaplan and I recommend it to others but I also recommend hurst,when I get asked which I prefer I'm honest and tell them Kaplan suited my need for a strategy and a way to approach the exam. I ask others to think about what they need, do they feel comfortable taking exams and can knock any test out of the park (I have huge test anxiety and this is NOT me) but they struggle retaining the content from nursing school. Or are they one of those people who retains the info no problem, can repeat things verbally at the drop of a hat and does great with hands on stuff like clinical (this is me I am great at clinical and verbally explaining something) but when it comes to taking an exam you freeze up and you can't remember if a patient should even be breathing or why they are turning blue. Then I recommend one based on their response. I am really satisfied with Kaplan and I have friends and people on twitter who love Hurst. Please if you have any questions about either review or studying for the NCLEX in general leave a comment below or find me on twitter @Ellie_Mae0103 & ask me!
This is the little book I take every where! I love it and I really hope it helps me improve in pharmacology

*I was not paid my Hurst or Kaplan for my opinion or review of their product, this was my thought/opinion of the different 
 reviews offered for NCLEX.*


***UPDATE: I will NOT send anyone the videos that were shared with me and fellow classmates from an instructor. They are not the recent videos and the information does change especially with recent changes to the NCLEX. If you feel one of the these courses will benefit you in your NCLEX journey I highly recommend signing up for one of them. They do offer a money back guarantee should you fail the test. Please DO NOT ask me to send you the videos, I will not do it. Thank you 

MORE ways to help MOORE Oklahoma

In light of the recent tragedy in Oklahoma I've decided to create a post about the ways we as regular citizens can help those who were affected. Now for me being in health care I would have loved to just jump up and travel to help those with whatever medical help was needed, but that isn't always possible especially for me. So what are some ways I could help without traveling to Oklahoma? Well when I was growing up we lived in an area where wildfires were a huge concern especially this time of year and into the summer, my mom still lives there and wildfires still happen, however last summer wildfires hit closer to my home when a large one hit the mountains around a town about 1 1/2 -2 hours from where I live. At work we brought in water, food, blankets, clothes, ect to send up to the victims. Now I'm still a broke new grad so I couldn't really donate money or go out and buy a bunch of stuff to donate so I cleaned. I will be moving at the end of the summer and needed to thin out my moving load any way so I cleaned my closet and dresser out, over filling two large laundry baskets with clothes and shoes, I also have blankets and bedding that will be going with. I didn't wear the clothes any more and haven't in a while, the bedding has been in my closet for well over a year untouched, and the shoes haven't been worn in longer than I can remember. I will be taking all the stuff to my local red cross later in the week.

So what are some ways you can help? Well here is my list with ideas of what you can do.

~If you can afford it a donation of $10 will help provide food, shelter, ect to the victims. You can donate by texting REDCROSS to 90999 or call 1-800-RED CROSS, you can always donate more if you are able to.

~Donate blood! With major events like this blood and blood products become a valuable resource that is already difficult to get a hold of. With the number of injured increasing and the hospitals in the area stretching their resources they can always use blood! If you are blood type O I highly encourage you to donate blood, its highly valuable and greatly appreciated.

~Donate clothes, bedding, ect. A lot of these families will have lost everything they have that includes things like basic tshirts, jeans, jackets, shoes, socks! clean out your closet (kid's closets too) and donate things that you or your kids no longer wear, fit, or you just don't want. It can be time consuming but in the end you will feel really good and de-cluttered. Bedding you no longer need, blankets, towels, even dog beds will always be used. Remember some of these people lost everything! If you have kids that have old but still good toys those will be welcomed, events like this are very traumatizing for children.

~Donate food and water if you have a large pantry with tons of can food in it you don't really eat, donate it! Canned foods and other nonperishable (nothing that can go bad quickly like fresh or frozen foods) along with bottled water are so valuable during times like this. Gallons of water can go a long way, especially for families. Other things people may not always think of are dog/cat food, laundry detergent, diapers or other supplies for children.

~If you near the area contact the red cross and see what you can do, you can also contact other local organizations and see if they need anything. I don't live close enough to do this but if your near Oklahoma please consider this option. Sometimes its a simple as needing someone to volunteer at the animal shelter to help manage the pets until their owners can come for them or helping to clean up debris from the streets.

Remember that you don't need to do something huge and amazing to make a difference. The smallest action like giving blood can save a life, and any donation (monetary, clothing, food, blood, ect) will be beyond appreciated by the victims and the organization. If you can I encourage you to help!!

Graduation and my amazing grad cap tutorial!

I have noticed I have a very bad habit of going MIA from my blog but I am hoping that will change now because I HAVE GRADUATED from NURSING SCHOOL! I graduated last weekend on May 11th and I could not be more thrilled, needless to say it was one of the proudest days of my life. Graduating from high school is no where near the same as college graduation, your parents, teachers, and guidance counselors have a large part in your high school graduation, you have to come to school and do your homework, your parents made sure of that. In college and especially nursing school its all up to you, no one is responsible for you going to class or doing you assignments. Your teachers don't always care if your in class or sleeping off the hangover from the weekend. Nursing school is a little different, your teachers care but they are not going to hold your hand and walk you through nursing school, its more like the throw you out in the water and hope you learn to swim to shore as they stand watching and waiting with a life vest just in case you start drowning. So knowing that I completed nursing school and college earning my bachelor's degree is a pretty proud feeling. I unfortunately got sick three days before graduation with a not for forgiving cold that left me feverish, congested, and a horse voice, which was only made worse by the temperature and the fact that I was the speaker representing my class at pinning ceremony.

Even with feeling very under the weather is was so nice to enjoy the ceremonies and spend time with my family. I was so proud to sport my NMSU nursing pin at graduation and walk the stage with my amazing cap that I decided to share my cap decorating experience with you guys, hopefully it will give you guys some ideas for decorating your cap! I used pinterest a ton to plan out graduation from the pictures I took for my announcements to the way my cap looked. I created my own graduation board that you can check out for some of the ideas I used (http://pinterest.com/elliemay2/graduation-may-11th-2013/).

I started out by making a template, I just used some large sheets of paper and made an 8X8 square to fit the top of my cap, I also just made a small X cut where the button is on the top of my cap for reference. I used baby, markers, and some left over ribbon I had to make a rough idea template so I knew the direction I wanted to go in. I also made a list of things I would need including: ribbon, paper, ABC stickers, glue on rhinestones, and glitter. Luckily we have a hobby lobby here and they had all the things on my list on sale!

This is the template I made, it wasn't perfect but it gave me a direction to go in. I knew I needed to make the letters smaller on the boarder, I want the RN to be bigger along with the bow and I changed the heart between the 2013 to a lucky elephant. I did my gap in sections so it took me several weeks to complete. I started by putting down my 8X8 square of pearl print paper (found at hobby lobby) and outlined it in 1/2inch maroon ribbon. I used 1 inch bright pink ribbon to make a bow, black glitter paper (hobby lobby) to make an elephant, black stickers for the "Nurse Ellie" accented with clear glued on rhinestones, and the same rhinestones to make the "2013"

 Next I used leopard print paper (hobby lobby) to make the "RN"then I used some black and red glue on Rhinestones to outline the letters, this step took a really long time but I loved the end result.
I knew I wanted to add my quote along the boarder like in my template but I could not figure out how to do it, I tried stickers covered in glitter, printed out and then covered with glitter letters, printed letters using glitter paper, but nothing was working and I wans't getting the result I wanted. Sadly graduation got near before I could figure out what to do.

Eventually I ended up just using the same black stickers I used for the "Nurse Ellie" part an accenting them with rhinestones, I wanted glittery black letters but the rhinestones added just the right touch of sparkle. In the end I really loved my gap and was so proud to wear it, it is now preserved in a shadow box along with my pins and SNA cord that will go on my wall next to my diploma in my new apartment when I move. The quote I used was inspired by the song "Hurricane" by Dustin Lynch, had to have a little country touch in there some where, Im also in love with my mint green shoes I wore!

 I still have to wait for my diploma to come in the mail (mid June or so) but I was notified that my degree has already been awarded, I made strait As this past semester and also made the dean's list. All my paper work has been received by the board of nursing in my state and I am just waiting for my ATT (authorization to test) number so I can schedule a day to take my state board exam (NCLEX). Until then I just finished the Kaplan review course and have nearly 1500 questions in their Qbank to practice with as well as my Saunders NCLEX review book with questions. I will let you know my thoughts on Kaplan as my test day gets closer!

Sunday Funday Routine

I know I haven't gotten a new post up in a very long time but I did not expect my senior precepting placement to over take my life so much! I was placed in a level three neonatal intensive care unit for my senior placement and it is what I wanted to do all along so I was thrilled! It has been a big adjustment trying to learn how to live without having a regular schedule and by regular schedule I mean working M-F and having Saturday Sunday to do errands, clean house, wash clothes and relax. For me sometimes I work Saturday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or any combination of days during the week. For me I used to use Sundays to clean my apartment, wash my laundry, and do my weekly beauty ritual for the week. So now I no longer go off a normal week I just make my Sundays the day before I go back to the hospital.

So here is what I normally do on Sunday, and no I'm not going to walk you through the steps to wash laundry or clean you apartment. I have my weekly beauty routine for my face and body, it helps me relax and center for the week and I just feel better when I start the week off! So I'm going to share what I usually do in my beauty routine and hopefully you will get a few tips or tricks that will help you!

I always redo my nails once a week, since I can't paint my nails because of nursing school I usually just use a strengthening base coat to keep my nails healthy with a light shine. I love OPI's Nail Envy Original, it helps your nails grow and tightens the edges so your nails don't break as easy. I apply two to three coats on Sunday and then a single coat every other day during the week, then I take it off and start over the next week. I also use a 60 second sugar hand scrub from True Blue Spa found at Bath & Body works, it leaves my hands super soft and revives them after a week of hand washing at the hospital.
 I love pedicures but lets be honest nursing school does not allow me to budget those in, so I usually try and do an at home pedicure at least every other week. I have a pumis stone I use to really exfoliate my feet and I use CO Bigelow Mentha Foot Cream also from Bath & Body Works. I use this too after a rough day at the hospital when my feet are hurting. It provides a nice tingle after you rub it in. I recommend this to any one who's feet hurt! I try and paint my toes at least one a month or so as well, right now I am wearing refresh mint from China Glaze (found at Sally's Beauty) and its the perfect shade of mint!
I have a skin condition called keratosis pilaris, it leaves those little red bumps on the back of your arms, legs, back and sometimes face. I only have it on the back of my arms but Ive had it for as long as I can remember and growing up I used to HATE it. I eventually learned that if I exfoliated a lot I was usually able to keep it under control. So I exfoliate with a sugar scrub every other day, I use the Margarita Sugar Scrub by True Blue Spa from Bath & Body Works, it smells so good and it leaves my skin really soft. If I don't exfoliate with that I use a regular body wash and a shower poof to scrub my arms.
For my face I spend a little more time on it because I have some what bad skin and if i skip taking care of it for a day I pay for it. I wash my face daily with my Clarisonic Mia 2 (I got it for Christmas and it is the best thing ever), if you can afford it I highly recommend it, my skin has changed drastically since owning it! I use the neutrogena pore minimizing face wash with my clarisonic. I use the deep pore cleaning head with it because I have fairly large pores. after cleaning my face I will use a Biore Pore Strip to really help pull any of the build up from my week out. I also have this mud musk from Glam Glow (Sephora had a small travel jar at their store), I use it only on my nose to help clear out my pores. I don't use a moisturizer or night cream or anything because I have naturally oily skin and I try to avoid putting anything on my skin.

My whole little routine doesn't take very long, unless I paint my toes, but it helps me recenter before I start a new week. I hope some of this information was helpful, remember I'm not a doctor and any products I recommend here I simply use and love! For medical questions please consult your doctor.

Nurse Residency Programs for new grads: my journey

I am done (in 6 weeks) however I am done with all in classroom time, lectures, labs, and exams. I only have 6 weeks of senior placement/precepting in the hospital, which by the way I will be going to a level 3 NICU, and I will be graduating in May!! I've known since before I started nursing school I wanted to work with children especially babies and toddlers so when I got into nursing school I knew I had to be a NICU nurse no questions. Well its incredibly difficult for new graduates to get hired on a high level NICU or any pediatric unit, however my dreams are bigger than just a unit, I want to work in the NICU at a children's hospital (not exactly the place most new graduates start out). Even for experienced nurses it's not easy getting into a children's hospital but once your there most don't leave.

So how do you beat the odds and give yourself a fighting chance at working in a children's hospital? I started my very first semester in nursing school by discovering nurse residency programs for new graduate nurses. Most children's hospitals offer them as do most hospitals in general (not all though) and the trick to this is research. I know I groaned myself when I wrote that but it is true, I can't tell you how many hours I've spent on my computer researching programs. Twitter has become my best friend in this process and all the programs I've selected to apply to have a twitter page, I even discovered some programs through twitter. I knew from the beginning that these programs only have your nursing school history to go off of and your work experience so I knew I needed to keep working with children as long as possible and make the most out of my 4 semesters in nursing school.

Now the work part wasn't that hard for me, I have been working with children for years and I was currently working with children when I started nursing school. As for making the most of nursing school well keeping my grades up was one thing, don't get me wrong I by no means got strait A's but I never failed a course and I worked hard to keep my grades high which isn't easy when you are involved as much as I was. I ran for vice president of my local Student Nurses Association chapter at my university my second semester in the program, I become the unofficially elected class representative for my class, I am a volunteer teaching assistant for the first semester labs, and I worked for Americorps for the first year of school. The teachers knew me very well and have all been very willing to write me letters of recommendation for these programs. I did some other volunteer work over the past few years that relates to children and health care. I pretty much did everything possible to make me appealing to the hiring department.

So my tips for any student who wants to apply for a nurse residency program regardless if it's an ICU position at a regional medical center or a NICU position at a children's hospital.
~Research, research, research: Find out where appeals to you (both which unit/specialty you enjoy and what region of the country) and research the hospitals that appeal to you, what type of program do they offer if they offer one, do they have an application process or is is a program for all new nurses, what are their requirements to apply, when are their important dates.
~Talk to your instructors early if you need a letter of recommendation. I asked my instructors in late January and provided them with the same list I made for myself so that they were able to see exactly what I was looking at and planning. Pick instructors that will benefit you, I asked my pediatric clinical instructor and then everyone else were instructors who have worked with me in some way and know what I am capable of.
~Start early, I had my lists ready in January and I still missed about 3 deadlines for hospitals I found in late January/early February. I made so many phone calls, sent so many emails, and spent hours online. It takes time to find these programs.

~Create an amazing outstanding resume and cover letter, every hospital is going to ask for these two things and if they are good and sell you well it makes all the difference. Include whatever you think helps you, for me it was all my work with children, my involvement in school, my senior placement, my HESI Exit scores, ect. 

~Create a list with all the information you can gather from each hospital. This keeps you organized with important dates, requirements, contact people, ect. This is especially helpful if you are like me and applying to 12 or more programs. 

Here is an example of what mine looks like: -->

*Children’s Hospital Los Angeles*

-Position is open: March 11^th-14^th online application, packet due March 29^th 4pm in the HR department.

-Contact Person: Nurse recruiter, call (323) 361-2193

-Website: http://www.chla.org

-Requirements: California State License, CPR certification, Application submitted online, Packet to include: Resume, cover letter, current (official or unofficial) transcripts, 2 letters of recommendation, and letter of intent.
(packets received following submission of on application)

A lot of these programs have packets you submit which usually include letters of recommendation usually 2, letters of intent or essays, supplemental information forms, and preference letters. Each hospital is different but all of them have a fairly lengthy application process that takes more than a day to complete, so give yourself enough time to complete everything. Don't rush through your essays or letters of intent (I spent 2 weeks writing one), ask instructors or family to read it and see where you can improve. I always try and submit everything at least 24 hours before the deadline (I'm not a last minute type of person). Remember to be open to new possibilities, I was dead set on staying around the 4 corner states and now I'll have an application going all the way to Tennessee, keep in mind that you will more than likely need to travel for interviews and you need to be willing to just go if your given the opportunity. I hope these tips help someone out there with their search for a job after graduation. 

Here is my list of hospitals I will have applications in at (in no order):

~ Children's Hospital of Los Angeles

~Children's Hospital of Orange County

~Rady Childrens in San Diego

~Phoenix Children's Hospital

~Colorado Children's Hospital

~University of Colorado Hospital 

~University of New Mexico Hospitals

~Dallas Children's Hospital

~Cook Children's Hospital in Ft. Worth

~University of Tennessee Hospitals

~University of Kentucky Hospitals

~St. Jude's Hospital in Tennessee

~I am still debating on a few hospitals in Ohio (it is so cold there in the winter brrr)         

One can never go wrong with cookies and coffee

I know I have gone status MIA for a month if not longer, this was not my intention but senior semester kept me way busier than I expected. It wasn't even being over whelmed with homework but all this random busy work that kept me occupied. But I am 3 class days away from being done with in class work and will only be spending time in the hospital in precepting and working on my evidence based practice project (we won't go into that).

Any way I have been a pretty busy bee today between cleaning, crafting, and group meeting but i did manage to get some time in to make some AMAZING cookies and your getting the recipe. Now I did not come up with these cookies in fact I found them on pinterest (go figures right). I pinned the recipe a really long time ago and never got around to actually making them. But while searching through pinterest and my cookbooks for a yummy new cookie recipe & in a sense re-discovered this recipe in my own board.

There is a story behind my reason for baking I needed to give my instructor something nice for helping me to get the preceptor placement I really wanted and needed! Needless to say I haven't the easiest student in the past 4-6 weeks, mostly because I have been in her office weekly and emailing her daily trying to get my placement. I originally has requested to be in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a hospital about 45 minutes away and I had spoken with her a week before classes started to let me know that my preceptor placement was very important because I was applying to a nurse residency program in a Children's Hospital for after graduation. It ended up becoming this huge bundle of insanity as I was bounced from ER, L&D, Peds, Research/baby friendly initiative before finally receiving the good news they had officially gotten me into the NICU at the hospital I requested. Probably the happiest moment in my life and a huge relief to know I was getting exactly what I wanted and needed.

So after my teacher had been so nice to me and put up with my craziness I needed to do something nice for her. Hence these wonderful amazing soft chewy cookies!!! Everyone ready (drum roll please) Cookies & Cream pudding cookies!!! Simply amazing! I used the recipe posted here:
 http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/05/oreo-pudding-cookies.html

However I didn't have semi-sweet chocolate chips so I used a 4 oz cookie and cream candy bar and omitted the chocolate chips, they still taste amazing! Also I had to bake my cookies for about 10-12 minutes roatating the pan half way through, I think 8 minutes just wasn't long enough for my oven. I started with 8 and after 8 minutes I added 2 minutes till they were ready (I watched them very closely).

So for my teacher I found this adorable purple coffee much at Target on clearance for $0.98 (remember I'm still a broke college nursing student) and I had these little sample coffee packs from starbucks laying around. so I stacked some cookies in a bag, added my coffee, tied it with a bow, and a little homemade thank you note to top it off. One can never go wrong with cookies and coffee!

Valentine's Day with Dustin Lynch

Oh how I wish I actually spent Valentine's Day with Dustin Lynch but I did spend the night at his concert at our local Grahms' Central Station and let me tell you it was amazing!!! I hope many of you know who Dustin Lynch is but a lot don't especially since he is a fairly new artist with two singles currently out: "Cowboy's And Angels" and "She cranks my tractor". He is quickly rising in fame with plenty of girls swooning over this 28 year old heart throb with baby blue eyes, killer smile, deep serenading voice, and talent that a girl can't help but bat her eyes at. Dustin also write majority of his songs which just adds to the sex appeal of this man. If you haven't guessed it yet he is my celebrity crush, haven't had one of those since I was in high school, but goodness this country girl sure does like that country boy.

Any way back to the concert since you guys don't need to listen to me swoon, it was a great concert, not as packed as I was expecting and I actually ended up right at the stage by mid way through. Since he is a newer artist he did a lot of cover songs along with a few of his phone from his upcoming album, releasing this August. I would have appreciated a few more songs from this album especially since most of them aren;t out on the radio yet. I love his fan interaction, he is a great performer and is really about his fans and not just about being on stage. He brought several girls on stage to dance sadly I was not one of them :'( he was very interactive with his band and the audience, he band mates were also very interactive, they actually hung out around the club mingling after the concert. I really like seeing artists who are just getting started perform because you can see their true love for their fans, now artists who have been doing this for a while have a huge love for their fans but I can imagine showing love to a sold out crowd of thousands isn't easy. I also love that he stayed and met all of his fans after the show, signed pictured, and took photos with all of them. Let me tell you when he smiles at you and ask for your name even the smartest girl looses her words. I hope he would come back and perform in this area again sadly I probably won't be around when he does so I hope he continues to stop around the nation and do some great shows. Don't forget to look for his debut album out in August of this year!!!!

As far as what I wore I had this really great dress in my closet that I never wore (never had the proper event). It is this great plaid collared shirt dress, with scrunched sleeves and half button up with a brown braided belt (very country-ish) and since I don't own very many boots my non fuzzy tan American Eagle Ugg look-a-likes worked very well, kept my feet cozy and kept me comfy. Granted I was still like the shortest person there but I ended up in the front so it worked out fine. I got the Lorac Pro Pallet for Christmas so I created a great taupe and bronze smoking eye for the night.

 Now I had class at 8am the following morning, a test at noon, and a project meeting at 2 the following day. I was so exhausted the next day and all I wanted to do was take a nap but oh it was so very worth it.  It was such a great time and I'm really glad I went. Eli Young Band is coming at the end of march and you can bet this nursing student will be there (I am slowly on the road to getting my life back).

                                         

                     All photos were taken by me and are property of myself. Please do not steal =)

2 1/2 weeks in a nut shell

Sorry I have been MIA for a while (close to three weeks I believe), going back to school had kept me busier than I thought it would. Between the start of my senior classes, studying for my HESI retake, getting the SNA mentoring Big Nurse Little Nurse program up and running and just having some what of a life has kept me so busy my blog took some what of a back seat =(

As of February 1st  I have had quite an eventful and joyous 2 weeks so below is a recap of my nursing life since you last heard from me!!!

~ On Jan. 22nd I had my first class of the semester and it was a 4 hour snooze fest!!! Sadly my teacher is also the adviser for SNA so I have to show up.
~ On Jan. 24th I finally filed my degree application to graduate in May!!!! I was so nervous to do this since graduation wasn't a guarantee because I hadn't passed my HESI so it was kinda like I was submitting the application without actually knowing if I would be allowed to graduate.
~ On Jan. 28th my very good friend and recent nursing school graduate sat for his NCLEX and PASSED!!!! He is officially a registered nurse!!! Very proud of him!!!
~ On Jan. 29th I finally sat for my second attempt at HESI and oh boy was I so nervous!!!! After spending every waking hour studying for probably three weeks strait and putting everything school on the back burner (not like me at all) I PASSED with a 920, the minimum we require is a 850 and my previous score was a 793, so I made a 127 point jump in my score. I was so very excited, relieved, and happy!!! I'm pretty sure I floated on cloud nine the rest of the week and every one of my friends/classmates/teachers were so happy to hear I finally passed. I spent the next two or three days on and off of campus continuously seeing all my teachers so they could hear the good news.
~ On Feb 1st I had class and I registered to take the Kaplan NCLEX review to help me pass my NCLEX license exam the first time over the summer. I also finally got to have the Big/Little Reveal Day at our first SNA meeting. The big nurse little nurse program has become like my baby and I am so excited for this semester, we had 25 pairs (pretty good for our first semester) and we are still getting more requests for bigs and littles!!! I finally got to meet my little and she is just the cutest! I already adore her and can't wait to help her out. Me and a few other board members also spent the majority of the week crafting for this event and boy was there lots of glitter and bows!!!
~ Throughout the past two weeks or so (don't remember the exact days) I have baked a TON, mostly for stress relief and a break from HESI practice exams, I also got a tentative idea of where I will be placed for precepting, heard that if all goes well with the hospital I will placed in the NICU at my first choice hospital but I won't officially hear anything for a few more weeks. I also finally got out and spent some time with my very good friend at the movies before my exam, might I say Movie 43 is quite a funny movie.

As far as the next few weeks I need to get caught up at the least in all my homework and reading I put off while I was studying for my HESI. There is lots of reading I'm behind in but as far as actual homework I'm not terribly behind but I am one of those people who is always on top of her stuff and knows everything that is going on so going two plus weeks without knowing what was going on was really hard. I also am continuing to work on our big little program  and SNA stuff getting ready to hand over my position on March 1st. I am also getting ready to get my applications together for all the nurse residency programs I'm applying to next month.

My goal is now that I am done with HESI and can focus on my last semester I will have more time to get more blog posts up and actually get some fun stuff like recipes, study tips, or craft project posts up!!!
Until next time my readers <3