Another Nursing Milestone for the Inaugural Class

Hello there ladies!

Fall is upon us on campus and it's so gorgeous with all the color changes! 

Today was the School of Nursing's Lighting of the Lamp ceremony which was pretty much an inauguration of all the nursing students into the nursing program. Florence Nightingale, considered the foundress of modern nursing, was once called "lady with the lamp," a nickname she earned in the Crimean war when she'd visit the wounded soldiers at night with a lamp and care for them. It was very apt that at our ceremony we lit candles and were given candles as tokens of our journey in  becoming beacons of hope and care for our future patients just like Nightingale. 

R: me with President Coley and on the left are my friends Laura (and lab partner Kirsten) after the ceremony!

Btw, snap shot of what we do in class:

Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, it's tape the pulse on Anne our grad-student-teacher! 

Attention: Free Blood Pressure screening!

No seriously. We have a vital signs test on Tuesday so I've been taking everyone-I-see's blood pressure and pulse and respiration. Ah, the life of the nursing major. If you're on campus, find me...or another nursing student. We need practice.

A long long time ago

It's reunion weekend for the graduating classes ending in "3"s! ie 1963, 73, 83 etc. 

Today, Liz and I toured members of the class of 1963 and I can't really say I nor Liz really gave the tour. We learned that even back then, Notre Dame women were a feisty bunch and that bad experiences of the moment turn out to be fun, fond moments 50 years later. Cool fact: we met ladies who had our current room in Meletia when THEY WERE HERE in 1962-3. How. Awesome. Is. THAT?!

Liz is getting tour trained by moi for the time being as she's a brand new shiny SA. Guess you'll see her on tours soon, too! 

Silver Linings

Hi ladies!

I'm definitely putting off studying for my Foundations of a Caring Profession class and this is definitely a good way to do it (shh! don't tell my professors!). It's the fourth week into nursing school and my first big test is in TWO DAYS. yikes. Oh and I have to be able to read vital signs by next Tuesday so if you're around campus and would like a free blood pressure test, pulse reading, and respiration rate report, find me...or any other nursing student. Just look for the scrubs :)

Speaking of scrubs, that's pretty much my uniform now. We have a choice to wear business casual under our lab coats or scrubs. Today I chose business casual because I forgot to do laundry so my roommates dressed me (haha I love that we all fit into each other's things!)

L: my nursing classmate Kim in her scrubs outside the new academic (well, we call it nursing) building. R: Me today :) Excuse the mess...I had an early start this morning and threw everything everywhere...

SO....what's been going on campus?

MOVIES UNDER THE STARS! (okay, we really only had one outside but still, we showed movies...FOR FREE!!!

Bridesmaids as a part of welcome week. Everyone who came got free NDMU blankets and a tumbler!

You know you go to an all girls school when: This scene comes on and there is mad cheering from the audience the entire 15 seconds it was on the screen. Priceless. (why yes, that is The Great Gatsby!)

FOODING. We washed our hands well in Holistic Health Assessment so we got candy. Yeah, I'm still living with Liz. She and I got a triple this year so we have Candra, too! This was the other night when I walked in and heard giggling and a tad bit of arguing. Red handed on the ice cream in the hallway fighting for the last piece of cookie in the cookies and cream ice cream. Btw, SAGE now serves sushi. om nom nom. 

LOOOOVE the new windows in the "academic" building. I put myself on a self imposed exile last week so that I could get some work done. It was fantastic!

So all in all, it's been the same crazy life. One great thing today: I found out a got a scholarship to go to the Maryland Nursing Association Conference in a few weeks! I'm not presenting but I get to hear about all the fantastic things nurses in Maryland are doing! *cue epic dancing music* I'll keep you guys posted on that.

Meanwhile...I really should get back to some studying. Hope your year has been to a great start. 

Oh btw, one more reason why you should come to Notre Dame (for all you baseball fans out there)

FREE O's game tickets. ahhhhhhh! Although I wouldn't mind some Raven's ones either.... GO BAL'MORE Birds!

Wait, it's just September?

Hello ladies! 

I hope your fall semesters have been off to a great start! It's currently the third week of nursing school and as my previous post stated, scrubs and lab coats have pretty much taken over the campus. The new building is almost complete and it looks amazing. (Haha I already have lab there though. Yep, we're such rebels).

Nursing school is tough, I won't lie. It's just the third week and I feel like a fish out of water and buried under the pressure of mountains of readings, assignments, and tests. Still, every time I get to play with my stethoscope, make my roommates sit while I practice taking vital signs on them, and put on my scrubs and lab coat, I feel like it'll be worth it. Everyone knows who we are and are eager to show their support every time they see the sea of white and blue headed to the new building. As a member of the first graduating class of this program, I know I am setting the stage for the classes to comes after me. It won't be easy but I'm happy to have the support and family I have not only with nursing but with the entire Notre Dame community. 

...and CUT on the "deep" stuff. :) I just wanted to say hi, really! No picture today but the will be plenty this entire year, promise! Have a fantastic day everyone!