Spring break is over tomorrow, so it's back to the books, classes, clinicals...I hope this quarter is better than last in terms of how some of my classmates behave themselves (hopefully in a more professional manner).
I just found out yesterday that one of my classmates will not be continuing with us, one of the better, more professionally appearing students. She is going to make an AWESOME nurse someday. I am sad to lose her for another reason, we would get together on Saturdays to study. Now I will probably study by myself, without the benefit of someone to provide a different view.
I have enjoyed my break-it was greatly needed. I have relaxed, focused on other subjects, spent some time with my family, posted some new pictures (http://saoirse-meansfreedom.deviantart.com/), printed out some business cards, basically almost as busy as I am during school hours, just different topics.
I am still fuming over those mystical nursing diagnoses, can't see myself using them at all. especially the disturbed energy field. I even have friends that believe in that sh!t, but they also know that I am not going to pander to their fantasies.
Luckily this next quarter will include some interesting stuff: pharmacology. Learning about how drug molecules cross membranes and interact with receptors to inhibit or stimulate biological actions is fascinating. Off to the books!
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Good News!
I have been accepted! I have until the 14th to return my acceptance, and then I can register for the first quarter nursing classes...I am so excited and so happy! Next quarter is going to be a whole new world in academia, so this spot will probably be very quiet except for maybe long weekends or vacations. But I will continuing to post as I can.
Thank you everyone for your support!
Thank you everyone for your support!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Again with the religion in a non-religious class
Why is it OK to share your religion in school, but it's not OK for an atheist to even exist much less try to share their opinion?
Because then the religious types would have to think for themselves in trying to defend their mythology and irrational belief in that which does not and cannot exist.
Interpersonal communications class is about learning to be a better communicator by learning to listen and be "other oriented" without compromising your own self. I actually do enjoy learning about other cultures, especially their history because it really helps me to understand where the person I am trying to communicate is coming from and how I can be sensitive to their mores and ethics. But just about every ethnic group out there seems to center their philosophy and traditions around religion (notable exceptions include: Britain, Australia, some other countries in Europe, some parts of America, Canada).
I try to be sensitive to what I know are rational traditions of religion (are there any?) but I will not allow conversations to turn toward talk about an invisible sky bully. They can talk and I will try to listen to what they are really trying to say, but I will not add my own two cents' about such an evil and malevolent thought disease. I can't say anything nice and won't just to make someone feel better: because it really doesn't help!
I really do think that everyone who is religious is so afraid of dying that they live their whole lives in fear and trying to find something else that scares them even more (the invisible sky bully that will make your life hell if you even think about thinking something naughty). Dying is a natural part of the human life.
Remembering that we have a limited time to do something that will make us feel like we have accomplished something important in improving our lives, the lives of our families and friends is something that would make this whole world a MUCH better place! Instead we have people who "believe" that someone else will take care of them and make it a better place if they just wish it hard enough. This is a failure to take responsibility for one's own life!
I am always greatly saddened to hear that someone has died (if I know them, I will miss them tremendously, especially if they have done anything to improve the human condition on this planet) but that is how life ends, eventually. Medicine is greatly improving life and the longevity of those of us who take care of ourselves, but there is a limit to the construct of the human body. Maybe someday we can enhance our bodies increasing our longevity but I hope that we do not forget our humanity. I hope that we will still eventually die at some time so that we will remember that our time is limited and we should make the most of every moment we have, live life to the fullest with no regrets!
I'm not saying I wouldn't like to live forever, because I would! Life is a wonderful thing! I just wish the religious would let me live my life the way I think is best for me without their b*llsh!t homilies to try to make me "live" better. (I'm not hurting them, OK, maybe I am hurting their feelings or making them doubt their beliefs-oh, I hope so!-but I'm not physically or emotionally hurting them!) Mostly it just makes me feel sad because of the wasted life they are living and how awful it must be to live in constant fear!
As part of the interpersonal communications class, one lady brought in a song for us to listen to that was supposed to represent her values: it was a religious song. I can't even remember anything about it, it is not the kind of music I listen to anyway. I just kept thinking about how limited this lady's life is because she chooses to live in fear and how sad she seemed. She is not from America but speaks very good English. She is taking the class to improve her interpersonal communication skills (of course) but I think she just needs to lose the religion, start thinking for herself and get some confidence. Get happy! So far I thought her skills were quite good. I'm taking the class because it is a requirement for graduation with a nursing degree (and if I had known that I was going to have a public speaking instructor I would have signed up for public speaking or small group communications, I feel like I am taking two classes in one: interpersonal communications and public speaking). I'm not the only person in the class who is a bit upset about having to get up in front of the class. I know my public speaking skills are not top notch, but they are good enough to get me through a day at work, and that's all I really need. I'm not going to try to be a public speaker.
Because then the religious types would have to think for themselves in trying to defend their mythology and irrational belief in that which does not and cannot exist.
Interpersonal communications class is about learning to be a better communicator by learning to listen and be "other oriented" without compromising your own self. I actually do enjoy learning about other cultures, especially their history because it really helps me to understand where the person I am trying to communicate is coming from and how I can be sensitive to their mores and ethics. But just about every ethnic group out there seems to center their philosophy and traditions around religion (notable exceptions include: Britain, Australia, some other countries in Europe, some parts of America, Canada).
I try to be sensitive to what I know are rational traditions of religion (are there any?) but I will not allow conversations to turn toward talk about an invisible sky bully. They can talk and I will try to listen to what they are really trying to say, but I will not add my own two cents' about such an evil and malevolent thought disease. I can't say anything nice and won't just to make someone feel better: because it really doesn't help!
I really do think that everyone who is religious is so afraid of dying that they live their whole lives in fear and trying to find something else that scares them even more (the invisible sky bully that will make your life hell if you even think about thinking something naughty). Dying is a natural part of the human life.
Remembering that we have a limited time to do something that will make us feel like we have accomplished something important in improving our lives, the lives of our families and friends is something that would make this whole world a MUCH better place! Instead we have people who "believe" that someone else will take care of them and make it a better place if they just wish it hard enough. This is a failure to take responsibility for one's own life!
I am always greatly saddened to hear that someone has died (if I know them, I will miss them tremendously, especially if they have done anything to improve the human condition on this planet) but that is how life ends, eventually. Medicine is greatly improving life and the longevity of those of us who take care of ourselves, but there is a limit to the construct of the human body. Maybe someday we can enhance our bodies increasing our longevity but I hope that we do not forget our humanity. I hope that we will still eventually die at some time so that we will remember that our time is limited and we should make the most of every moment we have, live life to the fullest with no regrets!
I'm not saying I wouldn't like to live forever, because I would! Life is a wonderful thing! I just wish the religious would let me live my life the way I think is best for me without their b*llsh!t homilies to try to make me "live" better. (I'm not hurting them, OK, maybe I am hurting their feelings or making them doubt their beliefs-oh, I hope so!-but I'm not physically or emotionally hurting them!) Mostly it just makes me feel sad because of the wasted life they are living and how awful it must be to live in constant fear!
As part of the interpersonal communications class, one lady brought in a song for us to listen to that was supposed to represent her values: it was a religious song. I can't even remember anything about it, it is not the kind of music I listen to anyway. I just kept thinking about how limited this lady's life is because she chooses to live in fear and how sad she seemed. She is not from America but speaks very good English. She is taking the class to improve her interpersonal communication skills (of course) but I think she just needs to lose the religion, start thinking for herself and get some confidence. Get happy! So far I thought her skills were quite good. I'm taking the class because it is a requirement for graduation with a nursing degree (and if I had known that I was going to have a public speaking instructor I would have signed up for public speaking or small group communications, I feel like I am taking two classes in one: interpersonal communications and public speaking). I'm not the only person in the class who is a bit upset about having to get up in front of the class. I know my public speaking skills are not top notch, but they are good enough to get me through a day at work, and that's all I really need. I'm not going to try to be a public speaker.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Nursing school application and a GREAT concert
 | Gaelic Storm Went to their show last night in Edmonds and LOVED it! Wish I had the cash to see them tonight in Kent also. They are such a fun group of guys and a gal! Great show, though Patrick's mic kept cutting out at the beginning of the second half. I was disappointed that ECA wouldn't let them have their Guinness on stage. Drinking a beer, a single beer, during a 2 hour set doesn't seem like a lot to me, besides they are working hard under those hot lights, dancing around all over the stage.
|
pleased 
| The application is in So I dropped of my application for nursing school yesterday. |
anxious Sunday, October 5, 2008
I am now an officially registered certified nursing assistant!
Bureaucracy
Current mood: 
Category: Life
I am now an official, registered, certified nursing assistant!
The story goes like this: my assigned partner and I are called (after waiting for nearly 4 hours). She had to pee and took a run to the powder room. The evaluator called her name and I told her that she had just ran to the refresher. The evaluator said, that's OK because you are going first. I thought this was odd since in all the previous groups the person listed first went first, meaning I should have been the "resident" that the candidate being tested would be caring for.
I fly through my 5 skills, finished within the 25 minute time limit. The evaluator then starts telling me to put my shoes on the floor at the head of the bed, and calls me by my partner's name. I tell her that my name is Lisa and she gets this horrified look on her face. She calls to the other evaluator who is just about to fax the score sheet in for evaluation in Texas. She erases all of the marks and I have to start over, with her marking the form that is for me. I ended up being evaluated on 9 skills instead of 5 (she did not make me demonstrate that I knew how to wash my hands a second time).
The evaluator admitted it was her mistake, but she was so distracted by other things, she didn't notice or hear me when I introduced myself to the patient for the first time after walking into the "room."
I was so relieved to be done with the first five, the second set was even more nerve-wracking. My partner had it easy since I had just performed all of the skills she then had to perform on me (the first 5 skills I did). I think the evaluator went easy on us after that.
Gotta go take another test!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Schedule
School: Microbiology, Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals and Interpersonal Communications...scared yet?
Tuesdays and Thursdays:
I get up early, usually no later than 5 am. I study, visit DA and other websites for my daily fix of internet, eat, shower, dress (not necessarily in that order). Leave for class by 7:30 am. Sit in class listening to lectures on microorganisms, watching power-point slide shows, taking notes. We get a short break, maybe two. Spend the last 45 minutes frantically trying to do the lab and clean up quickly before class ends.
Walk out of the classroom at 10:50 am and return home to drop off the books and laptop (I take notes during lecture, no access to internet in the class/lab room). Grab a quick lunch, pack dinner, grab my communication text. Ride my scoot through downtown Redmond (one of the many one-way street, traffic lights every 50 feet cities in this area).
Class starts at 1:10 pm. Listen and participate in class until she lets us leave (no break, but we usually get to leave early). Get to work sometime after 4 pm and start no later than 4:30 pm. Work until 9:30 pm and scoot home as quickly as possible without freezing in the dipping temperatures.
Spend a little time "cooling down" so I can get to sleep. Hopefully I get to sleep by 10:30 pm.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays:
I get up early, usually no later than 5 am. I study, visit DA and other websites for my daily fix of internet, eat, shower, dress (not necessarily in that order). Pack my lunch and dinner. Study some more until 10:15 am, then leave for work. Work until 9:30 pm and scoot home as quickly as possible without freezing in the dipping temperatures.
Spend a little time "cooling down" so I can get to sleep. Hopefully I get to sleep by 10:30 pm.
Saturday I have to get up no later than 7:30 am to do all my morning things including packing a lunch. I leave for class by 8:30 am. I sit in class from 9 am to 1:50 pm learning about nutrition. She gives us short breaks, nothing longer than 15 minutes.
I think I am averaging about 6 hours of sleep per night. Sometimes I skip the studying and take a morning nap before going to work.
Good thing there are only 11 weeks left in the quarter!
Someday I'm going to be a nurse...
Tuesdays and Thursdays:
I get up early, usually no later than 5 am. I study, visit DA and other websites for my daily fix of internet, eat, shower, dress (not necessarily in that order). Leave for class by 7:30 am. Sit in class listening to lectures on microorganisms, watching power-point slide shows, taking notes. We get a short break, maybe two. Spend the last 45 minutes frantically trying to do the lab and clean up quickly before class ends.
Walk out of the classroom at 10:50 am and return home to drop off the books and laptop (I take notes during lecture, no access to internet in the class/lab room). Grab a quick lunch, pack dinner, grab my communication text. Ride my scoot through downtown Redmond (one of the many one-way street, traffic lights every 50 feet cities in this area).
Class starts at 1:10 pm. Listen and participate in class until she lets us leave (no break, but we usually get to leave early). Get to work sometime after 4 pm and start no later than 4:30 pm. Work until 9:30 pm and scoot home as quickly as possible without freezing in the dipping temperatures.
Spend a little time "cooling down" so I can get to sleep. Hopefully I get to sleep by 10:30 pm.
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays:
I get up early, usually no later than 5 am. I study, visit DA and other websites for my daily fix of internet, eat, shower, dress (not necessarily in that order). Pack my lunch and dinner. Study some more until 10:15 am, then leave for work. Work until 9:30 pm and scoot home as quickly as possible without freezing in the dipping temperatures.
Spend a little time "cooling down" so I can get to sleep. Hopefully I get to sleep by 10:30 pm.
Saturday I have to get up no later than 7:30 am to do all my morning things including packing a lunch. I leave for class by 8:30 am. I sit in class from 9 am to 1:50 pm learning about nutrition. She gives us short breaks, nothing longer than 15 minutes.
I think I am averaging about 6 hours of sleep per night. Sometimes I skip the studying and take a morning nap before going to work.
Good thing there are only 11 weeks left in the quarter!
Someday I'm going to be a nurse...
Friday, September 28, 2007
It's A Miracle!
I walked into the bookstore at my technical college to purchase some study aids and I encountered a miracle! I don't believe in miracles, but I may have to argue that this event approaches such a status. Especially where I live, in the heart of the west coast bible belt.
One of the biology study guides, right there in the front of the store, right out on top of the stack, had a section about the cellular and molecular evidence for evolution! I had to buy the guide, even though I am not taking biology.
****Now that I think about it though, why do we have to justify this evidence? Well, I guess scientifically, we should be justifying it, and students should demand justification, as a means of starting to check the facts (we don't have time to go and do all the research for every fact presented to us, we need to learn the material-hopefully not entirely by rote-and do more extensive research later, if we still have questions, don't completely understand the material, it interests us enough to do so, etc.). But I am concerned that we may be spending alot of energy trying to "prove our point" when it doesn't need that much energy to be accepted because of overwhelming evidence that it is true. AND IT JUST MAKES SENSE!
How can anyone, who sees the world as it REALLY is, is in touch with reality, believe that humans, and all other life, sprang into existence suddenly? How can anyone believe there is some uber-complex being that created the world and all life and the entire universe, yet is unwilling to remove evil from this creation to make it a better place? Who would want to worship that being anyway? And if we are so complex that we had to be created by this thing, who created this uber-being? Shouldn't this thing, being complex enough to create us and our universe have to have an even more complex creator? Where does the madness end? Maybe we should be worshiping this creator of the creator? ***k that ***t! If such a being exists, I doubt it would even know we existed or care. Therefore, I say to each uber-being their own, and I will worship (put myself into slavery) nothing for any reason! May lightning strike me now if I am wrong...
The self-deluded wishers of something to take responsibility for their lives (and lack of willpower) make me VERY angry (and you won't like me when I'm angry)!
I wish we could make some sudden huge advances in technology and especially space travel and send them all off to some world of their own, quarantine the place and come back in several centuries after they've all killed each other in their pointless arguments about who's uber-being is the true one. (I'd also like to sterilize them, or make them give their children up for adoption, because their lack of self-responsibility is grounds for charges of child abuse, mental manipulation and brainwashing, etc.-they don't deserve the privilege of raising children.)***
So, to get back to school, we are doing a tiny bit of histology...WOW! Sure wish I could take pictures of some of these beautiful close-up views of what makes up the components of life-the cell. How can anyone think these, with their complex mechanism for maintaining themselves, could possibly have come into existence suddenly? I think about all the tiny steps that were necessary to get to the single cell level and I am just amazed! It takes my breath away that these units of life even exist! Of course they do, because we are here!
It's a miracle! So is smelling dinner when I walk in the house in the evening, despite what my professor says. There's no way diffusion can change my boys to be so thoughtful!
One of the biology study guides, right there in the front of the store, right out on top of the stack, had a section about the cellular and molecular evidence for evolution! I had to buy the guide, even though I am not taking biology.
****Now that I think about it though, why do we have to justify this evidence? Well, I guess scientifically, we should be justifying it, and students should demand justification, as a means of starting to check the facts (we don't have time to go and do all the research for every fact presented to us, we need to learn the material-hopefully not entirely by rote-and do more extensive research later, if we still have questions, don't completely understand the material, it interests us enough to do so, etc.). But I am concerned that we may be spending alot of energy trying to "prove our point" when it doesn't need that much energy to be accepted because of overwhelming evidence that it is true. AND IT JUST MAKES SENSE!
How can anyone, who sees the world as it REALLY is, is in touch with reality, believe that humans, and all other life, sprang into existence suddenly? How can anyone believe there is some uber-complex being that created the world and all life and the entire universe, yet is unwilling to remove evil from this creation to make it a better place? Who would want to worship that being anyway? And if we are so complex that we had to be created by this thing, who created this uber-being? Shouldn't this thing, being complex enough to create us and our universe have to have an even more complex creator? Where does the madness end? Maybe we should be worshiping this creator of the creator? ***k that ***t! If such a being exists, I doubt it would even know we existed or care. Therefore, I say to each uber-being their own, and I will worship (put myself into slavery) nothing for any reason! May lightning strike me now if I am wrong...
The self-deluded wishers of something to take responsibility for their lives (and lack of willpower) make me VERY angry (and you won't like me when I'm angry)!
I wish we could make some sudden huge advances in technology and especially space travel and send them all off to some world of their own, quarantine the place and come back in several centuries after they've all killed each other in their pointless arguments about who's uber-being is the true one. (I'd also like to sterilize them, or make them give their children up for adoption, because their lack of self-responsibility is grounds for charges of child abuse, mental manipulation and brainwashing, etc.-they don't deserve the privilege of raising children.)***
So, to get back to school, we are doing a tiny bit of histology...WOW! Sure wish I could take pictures of some of these beautiful close-up views of what makes up the components of life-the cell. How can anyone think these, with their complex mechanism for maintaining themselves, could possibly have come into existence suddenly? I think about all the tiny steps that were necessary to get to the single cell level and I am just amazed! It takes my breath away that these units of life even exist! Of course they do, because we are here!
It's a miracle! So is smelling dinner when I walk in the house in the evening, despite what my professor says. There's no way diffusion can change my boys to be so thoughtful!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Leave Religion Out of the Psychology, Please!
Classes have started and wouldn't you know it...This is the first time I have taken an online course (I am actually taking 2 online classes--statistics and lifespan psychology). In the math class I have many classmates that are arithmophoes. I can deal with this, even though so far the class has had no math to speak of. In the psychology class (which scares me, because too many people have used psychology to do some REALLY evil things--I speak of the 12 step program and others that have you give up one unhealthy addiction for another: religion), we have already had someone scream out their "love for the lord." AAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!
I immediately wanted to reply with, "Can we please leave religion out of this subject?" But I thought I should probably pass it by the instructor first.
My only-on campus class is Anatomy and Physiology.
The A&P instructor seems very passionate about teaching and is fun to watch, but he was scaring me: "If you work full time and are taking other classes, you better drop them now...you will be expected to do at least 15 hours of studying outside of class and lab..."
I am working full-time-I have to to pay the rent and keep gas in the car and pay for my classes, etc., and I really want to get into the nursing program by next fall at the latest, so I'm ignoring his threats for now.
I am hoping, even though my A&P is 15 and more years old, that this will be mostly review to me and I'll do fine anyway. I have 174 pages to read/study by Monday, I also have several chapters in each of the other texts as well. I LOVE to read (I guess that's a good thing!).
I immediately wanted to reply with, "Can we please leave religion out of this subject?" But I thought I should probably pass it by the instructor first.
My only-on campus class is Anatomy and Physiology.
The A&P instructor seems very passionate about teaching and is fun to watch, but he was scaring me: "If you work full time and are taking other classes, you better drop them now...you will be expected to do at least 15 hours of studying outside of class and lab..."
I am working full-time-I have to to pay the rent and keep gas in the car and pay for my classes, etc., and I really want to get into the nursing program by next fall at the latest, so I'm ignoring his threats for now.
I am hoping, even though my A&P is 15 and more years old, that this will be mostly review to me and I'll do fine anyway. I have 174 pages to read/study by Monday, I also have several chapters in each of the other texts as well. I LOVE to read (I guess that's a good thing!).
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