First day of school

Today was the first day of the new semester. Here's what I've learned so far:

I'm going to be in class/clinicals about 30 hours a week. I also work just under 20 hours a week. The sheer volume of coursework we're going to cover, as well as the increased difficulty of the curriculum means that I'm really going to have to utilize my time efficiently. Time management has always been a weak area for me, so I'm looking at this as an opportunity to improve.

I'm not the only one nervous about our upcoming clinical experience. Everyone in my class feels the same way.

For grins, I decided to weigh my textbooks - 48.8 pounds, not including my binders and course packets. I also have three more books yet to buy (smaller and lighter, thankfully!) I prefer to think of my books in terms of weight rather than cost – in pounds it’s kind of funny, in dollars it’s just plain painful...

We received our clinical groups and unit assignments today. My first clinical rotation is in surgery. Nothing like jumping in headfirst, eh?

Now it's time for bed. I'll end with a lovely quote from Virginia Henderson, one of the bright, influential nurses of the 20th century:

The nurse is temporarily the consciousness of the unconscious, the love of life for the suicidal, the leg of the amputee, the eyes of the newly blind, a means of locomotion for the infant, knowledge and confidence for the young mother, a 'mouthpiece' for those too weak or withdrawn to speak.