A fork in the road...

I've been rethinking my current plan and realizing it needs a few changes.

So, instead of the BA to MSN, I'm going to pursue a BA to BSN. Here's why...

1. The MSN at UT requires you to declare your field of interest as part of your application. So, your whole degree depends on your area of choice. Since I'm not experienced with nursing yet, it has been really difficult trying to project what I think I want to do with this degree. The BSN is just straight BSN. That's better.

2. I've been toying with the idea of getting the Nurse Practitioner Masters (NP) instead. UT requires that you work as an RN for at least 2 years before you are eligible to apply for the NP program. Another good reason the BSN is better. This way I can work and try different fields before having to commit my career to one.

3. Lastly... The sooner I can start bringing in the dough, the better for us.

So, I've found 2 programs that you can get your BSN in 12 months. Seriously, 12 months. The more I researched these programs, the more I realized it would basically be an ENTIRE YEAR (week off in May and one week in September) of what I went through last month in Anatomy.... remember the milk challenge? exactly. They REQUIRE you to sign a waiver that you won't work AT ALL and if they catch you working, you are kicked out of the program. wow. They quote that their students put in 80-100 hours a week in combined efforts of clinicals, classes, and homework. Is that possible?

So, I kept looking and finally found a BA to BSN program stretching it to 18 months (and up to 4 years... since its online, you can take breaks if you need it). They don't mind you working and having a life/family. The pre-req's are reasonable. The cost is even cheaper than both the 12 month programs. It's through A&M - Corpus Christi = TAMU-CC. I'll have to go down there a few times over the whole 18 months, but I mostly will be home doing classes online and clinicals with a local precepter here in Austin!

I'm still hoping to start Summer 2009 just as the UT program would begin. I've had to tweak my pre-requisites a little, but I should be ok to start then if all goes smoothly.

Another element I really like is that 2 of my new friends from Anatomy class are also looking into this program. So it would be great to create a support group of students here in town. Friends to travel to Corpus with and share travel expenses and roadtrip fun.

Funny to think I'll have my BSN from A&M, then NP from UT.
Split between the rivals.

It's done.

Wow. It's taken me a day or two to really feel that I'm done. Really good feeling actually. I'm celebrating today by staying in my pajamas as long as possible and just catching up on small things around the house. I read a magazine. Ate some chocolate with my morning coffee. Sent some emails. It's been heaven.

So... the last 2 tests went well. As I was taking the final, the good feeling of knowing I still had a decent cushion for my grade allowed me to skip the essay question all together. I've never had the thought or the confidence to leave something blank and know for sure it wouldn't backfire. Instead, I wrote my teacher a short thank you for such a great class. She did a tremendous job making all the details and memorization interesting and engaging. Even with leaving the essay blank... I managed 147.5/150 after the extra credit questions. Bringing my overall average to a 98. I feel a bit like an Olympic Gold medal victory.

Feels good to do well. Feels even better to be finished and relaxing. The road to my Masters is long ahead of me, but I'm feeling good about the shoes I'm trying to fill.

In the middle of the Final Four

Madness,... YES! Last Monday, our class realized we had 8 days remaining of our class and 4 of those days were exams. Exams from last week went well. I'm maintaining but I'm not sure exactly how. Being tested on material you JUST received a few days before is insane. I've felt like I'm in some kind of academic twilight zone. I'm heading to the lab for a jam packed morning of microscopes and models then home to study until the wee hours tonight. Do it again tomorrow on all the details I didn't get to today. Then Final exam Monday and Final exam Tuesday. Heed all warnings... never take Anatomy in 5 weeks.

The Milk Challenge

Ever heard of it? The Milk Challenge? The challenge is to drink a gallon of milk in one hour. Sounds simple enough. Well... I'm beginning to feel this is a perfect metaphor for this Anatomy class. As you can imagine, the body has an impossible feat to take in an entire gallon of milk in one hour. For one, the size of the stomach can only take in so much. Like my brain. It can only take in so much. 5 weeks to cram in the details of structure, location and function of up to 3 different body systems a week has been incredibly challenging. So it can be done, but its rather miserable. Read more about it here . Good news is Exam 3 was today and I think I pulled another A. Thank you GOD! It was the hardest test of the semester the instructor said. We're half way done!

Procrastinating

Exam 2 today went well. YAY! So instead of studying for Lab Practical 2 that's on Thursday, I started playing around with PHOTOMANIA. See what fun you can do! SEE HERE.

Feeling a little uneasy at the top

The instructor handed back both our Lecture Exam 1 and our Lab Practical Exam 1 today (with her bonus questions... I ended up scoring over 100 on each exam!). She was really pleased how well the class did despite the rigorous schedule the summer schedule creates. She slipped by my desk and quietly asked to borrow my test. Then she proceeds to read outloud one of my essay answers as an example of a well written essay. ME? Serioulsy? I could feel my face getting red. She didn't say my name thankfully. It feels great to be recognized, but there's something so awkward about grades and being singled out. Something about others looking or acting with you differently. Something about anonymity with grades just feels better. It was a strange mix of feelings. I was proud. I AM proud of how well I did on both exams considering the extreme brain load it required. I've never been at the "top" quite like this. I've always been near the top with a comfortable distance and room for improvement. At least for that moment today, I tried on new shoes. We'll see if I can learn to walk or even run in them. ;)

Fall Schedule

Today I register for Fall classes. I've got 5 prerequisites remaining for UT and they are all equally brain intensive. So I've settled on Microbiology, Nutrition and Genetics for this fall. Unfortunately, it looks like ACC requires ANOTHER PREREQUISITE in order to take their Genetics class. So I'm hoping to get the scoop this morning from an advisor to see if the prerequisite class is required or I can swing it without. As much as I would love to be taking Microbiology AND the ACC prerequisite of Cell and Molecular Biology at the same time (sarcasm, yes.), I'd rather just focus on my UT pre-req's and get on with it.

Another fun piece of my journey I realized today is that I have everything to complete my application to UT. I didn't realize the GRE was actually for UT and not my nursing application. So aside from filing my online application and paying the simple $50 bucks.... application ONE is as good as done. Not sure when I'll actually have time to tackle that since Anatomy continues to pummel me with unbelievable amounts of information. Every minute counts.

My next Lecture exam is Tuesday... Skeletal, Muscular and Nervous Systems. Followed by Lab Pracical 2 on Thursday, 24th. The waves just keep on coming in.

So, after exhaustive research on options for this Genetics class. I can either take it online pay out of state tuition (only options from UT's approved list are out of state), take it at UT or Texas State but they both require pre-requisites as well - so that doesn't really solve anything, or stick with ACC and its one pre-requisite of Cell and Molecular Bio and the bargain tuition. The big stinker is both Microbiology and Cell and Molecular have a nice big 3 hour lab once a week. So my fall schedule will be more like 5 classes really. Wow. Here we go!

I DID IT!

Lab Practical Exam 1 is done! I did equally as well on it. I couldn't be happier. I've got a good base now so if a future test messes me up, hopefully I can still make out alright. Such a relief! I'm celebrating with a glass of wine and probable nap to follow on the couch. Hope I can get a few winks before Henry wakes up!

First exam

WHEW! First test is over and done! There's nothing better than the feeling after you finish a test and do pretty well. I was one of the last ones to turn in my test, which hasn't changed since high school. I'm slow and methodical; so you can see why I hate standardized timed tests! Tomorrow, we also have an exam, a lab practical. She sets up 25 stations with either a microscope, model or diagram and she asks us to identify 2 items from each station. Sounds pretty straight forward, yet there's the added twist of only having 1 minute at each station. ARGH, we're back at timed tests! I know I did well today on Exam 1. Let's hope things go as well with Lab Practical 1. Wish me luck!

new school supplies

No new #2's, no new pens, no new notebooks, no new backpack or colored pencils and I recycled my old binders and divider tabs ... to save up for this... and I LOVE IT! So much of classes these days are interactive; it was the obvious school supply that I needed the most.

Dusting off the old pencil case

That's right. Mom's back in school. I've got my sights on a MSN (Master's in Science in Nursing) from UT. They are one of the few programs in the country that allow you to get your MA without having to get a BA in Nursing. So, off I go. The program looks fierce and demanding yet exhilarating and I'm ready to tackle it.

But first, I must get in.

And in order to get in, I've got the long and grueling task of preparing not one but two applications. I have to be accepted into UT as well as the Nursing Graduate School.

One bit of beautiful news is that I have completed my GRE requirement. YES! Luckily, the nursing program doesn't require a strict grade on the GRE and I made it just by a hair over what they consider a decent enough grade not to require a retake. I was incredibly relieved to get that piece out of the way before starting classes; seriously seriously relieved. I loathe standardized testing.

Currently, I am busy rockin' my way through BIO 2404 = ANATOMY at ACC! I am lucky to have some solid knowledge in this subject, but so many details are in the serious depths of my memory banks. Summer classes are incredibly dense and fast. So after M-F with 3 hours of lecture and lab, it's daily reading, questions, finish labs and get ready for new material the next day.

Out of 24 students in my class, 22 are heading toward nursing!