Almost an LPN now...

It's pretty awesome; I'm nearly an LPN and I can't believe it!

I somehow passed my mother-baby course with a 'B'. I was quite worried about the fact that I needed a 70% to pass the course on my final exam. This semester was quite disorganized with several problems, including the lack of patients several clinical weeks, the fact I wasn't allowed in the room of my patient on labor and delivery, and the fact the main instructor had a death in the family resulting in substitutes and delayed grades.

Quite frankly, I'm pretty happy to be done with this. I haven't yet really felt the crunch of being a man in nursing until this rotation. I don't ever anticipate coming back; although I definitely would love working in a NICU or maybe even a PICU, or just the Peds floor. As far as mother-baby or labor and delivery; I wouldn't take that position if you doubled my pay!

For the next six weeks, I will be doing psychiatric nursing. I've got the syllabus, but truthfully, I'm more concerned with kickin' back and having a few well-deserved beers on my six day break.

I've received my nursing pin that will be presented to me in the capping and pinning ceremony in mid-August. I'm so proud of coming this far I've been keeping it in my pocket and showing everyone. It's been a lot of work coming this far and it just keeps getting harder; but somehow I manage to come out on top.

In my personal life, my marriage continues to get worse. Seems like my wife just can't possibly comprehend how two jobs, full-time school, and a sick mother wears on me and tries to compete stating that her part-time job and taking care of children is more stressful.

Everything is just crazy... and all at once. I'm only six weeks away from the end of part one; family problems, marital problems, lack of sleep, and financial worries will not stop me this time!

I also have accepted my place in the Fall 2010 RN program. My seat is now verified, and even paid for, thanks to some federal Pell grants for which I somehow qualified.

My employment options at the end of this summer are likely going to be pretty much blown wide open. I'm unsure of what I'm going to do with my sales/office job at this time, but if I can get a job in the OR as an LPN, it's curtains for that job!