Hey Everyone! Since I am notoriously bad at keeping in touch with everyone, I decided to try blogging and see if that is a good solution. I'll try and update this weekly or whenever something new or interesting happens! For starters, Jamie and I just got back from ten days up on the Island. It was a great break from the usual routine and stress of life back in Ripon. The weather was mediocre, but the fall colors were perfect and we got outside every day to hike, bike, read, and even swim! We jumped in the lake three times, and estimated the water to be in the low 50's or upper 40's... but somehow it didn't feel as chilly as we thought it would. We were also lucky to be able to meet up with Uncle Jack, Jim, Liz, and Laura to play some "sets and runs" and, of course, SETTLERS OF CATAN!
Now I'm back in Ripon and the stress is back, full force. My days seem to get so booked, and having to constantly adjust my sleep schedule aggravates the whole process. Here is my typical week: Monday - Thursday I work for Ripon Guardian Ambulance from 6am-6pm. In Ripon, we have two ambulances that are staffed 24.7, and we all carry pagers around with us when we are on call. When a page goes out, we have 5 minutes to get to the ambulance garage... so we pretty much have to be ready all the time to drop anything at a moments notice. This gives me the flexibility to do homework during the weekday, and also to try and figure out the logistics of moving out to Colorado to start the nursing program in January. I'm currently living at a house in Ripon, courtesy of a woman named Diane Light. Diane is a nurse in the ER in Ripon and was, until recently, my boss! She stepped down as director of the ER and is now taking classes in St. Paul two days a week to become a Pastor... quite a career change! Anyway, she has 3 cats and a dog that need taking care of when she is away, so I watch the house and make sure the pets stay watered, fed, and walked... along with the usual housekeeping stuff. I don't have to pay a dime to stay with her, and I am eternally grateful! Back to the schedule... on weekends, I work in the Emergency Room at Ripon Medical Center. My hours are 9pm-7am Friday and Saturday nights... pretty brutal and it does a number on the body to try and catch up on sleep constantly. I'll be trying to avoid night shift at all cost when I start my nursing career... but that is nearly impossible in Emergency Medicine. So, between 3 (online) classes, 2 jobs, house-sitting, and trying to move to Colorado, I have a pretty full plate and not much time for fun stuff. Welcome to the real world, I guess (I'm not even there yet, and I'm already feeling overwhelmed!).
A few words about the nursing program I'll be doing:
I have been accepted into Regis University's Accelerated Bachelors of Science in Nursing program starting January 12, 2009. It is a 12 month program in Denver, CO in which I will earn my second bachelor's degree and (hopefully) my RN. From there I'll get a job in an ER or ICU somewhere and start getting some experience. My ultimate career goal is to be a flight nurse on a helicopter, but because of all of the crashes lately (11 so far this year, 6 of them fatal) I've been a little discouraged. Hopefully there will be an overhaul on the safety measures and for air medical services... helicopters are changing the way we do medicine and allowing people in rural areas to access top-notch medical care when they need it most. I'd hate to see such an important innovation in medical care falter because of something fixable. Anyway, the nursing program is designed specifically for people who already have a bachelors degree in something besides nursing (ideally Biology or another science). Jamie is in the same program and we'll be doing a combination of intensive classroom and clinical work in the Denver area. Why Denver, you ask?
#1. I was looking for an accelerated program that had pre-requisites that I already have. Even though Regis was one of the best in this regard, I still have to take 3 courses this fall to qualify.
#2. It is a short, intense program. This equals less money, but more work. I'm okay with that.
#3. According to people I've talked to in the Denver area, Regis has the best nursing program in Colorado.
#4. Denver is in Colorado, Colorado has mountains, and Reed LOVES mountains.
#5. Jamie got into the same program... that's pretty sweet! Despite the fact that we might not be on the same schedule for classes or clinicals, it'll be fun to do the program with her.
So, that is a pretty good update of what is going on in my life right now! Now that I have the basics out of the way, I can focus more on the day-to-day stuff more. I won't be able to talk about work a whole lot because of patient confidentiality, but I'll probably throw in a story here or there. PLEASE comment on the blog or email me! I'd love to hear back and find out what is new with YOU!
-Reed
