I passed!!!!

I just found out that I passed the NCLEX! Thanks to all you who were praying for me. Now little Michael will be able to go to college. This is super-exciting for me. The test that I dreaded for so long I passed with flying colors! 75 questions and the test was complete and I passed! Praise God! He led me to trust in Him and He was faithful. "Not might, not by strength, but by my Spirit, sayeth the Lord." Amen.

Free at Last!

Thank God Almighty, I've taken the NCLEX and am free from it's horrible tortuous grip at last! Wow, what a horrible test. (For those who aren't keeping up, the NCLEX is the national board certification test for nursing) The test gauges how you perform as you take it and responds with increasingly difficult or decreasingly easy questions. I didn't feel like I knew the answer to a single question on that test, so I'm assuming that I passed. hehe... The test shuts off when it determines what level of competency you're at. 75 is the minimum amount of questions you can have; 265 is the maximum amount. I had 75 questions. So I either really blew it or I blew it out of the water.

I had a lot of anxiety about it yesterday when I woke up. So I prayed to God about it. I was reminded about a passage in Philippians about giving up your anxieties to God and His peace guarding my heart or something like that... So I started reading at Chapter 3 (I couldn't remember that it was in chapter 4). Immediately I was convicted that I was relying on my own strength to pass this test. God calls us to rely on His strength in everything. He gets the glory, not me. Yes, we need to study, practice, etc... but in the end, it's God that builds the house (a reference to a psalm... 122?). After prayer I felt a lot of peace. This morning as I took the test, even when I didn't know any of the answers, I felt a huge amount of peace. Praise God!

I'll keep you posted on the outcome. But I think I passed.

Working again

Well, I finished my 2nd day at Alvarado as an "RN" yesterday. It's not actually different from two weeks ago except that I get to pull medications out of the pyxis machines (that's our local drug dispenser on the floor, kind of a like a vending machine ;). I've had 2 interesting patients to take care of as well. I can see myself growing as a nurse in areas of compassion and assessment as well as prioritization. This is very good, because these are all critical for me to have in my repertoire if I'm ever going to be a proficient nurse. Alvarado is treating me well. God has blessed my family immensely with this job.

In other health-related news, Shannon's contractions are 7-10 minutes apart!

Waiting game...

- _______ Hospital, how may I help you?
- May I please speak to the director of critical care?
- Just one moment
------
ring.... ring.... ring.... ring....
- Hello, you've reached the director of critical care. I'm not able to answer the phone right now, but if you will leave your name, phone # and reason for calling, I will return your call at my earliest convenience. If this call is an emergency, you can page me at ###-###-####. Thank you.

grumble grumble grumble....

This is what I've listened to for the past 3 days trying to get my job back in the ICU... sigh. I think my director is on vacation. Waiting sucks.... Studying while you wait is even worse. Studying for a test that will determine if your baby ever gets into a decent pre-school while waiting for a job? Hell. Having a supportive wife through it all to keep you from going insane? Grace.

Mission Accomplished: Graduated

Before getting to the main story, my arm is still attached and functioning (see prior post). I was kind of worried for a few days there. I was experiencing nerve pain, parts of the arm were bluish-black, and the surrounding areas were yellow. All that remains now is a small yellow patch on the ventral side of my middle forearm. Creepy!

I graduated from USD's Master's Entry Program for Nursing this Friday, the 25th. It was a very nice ceremony and I made out with a lot of money from the relatives! ;) But seriously, I enjoyed having my family with me as I celebrated with friends on finally finishing this program (I took an extra year to complete it compared with the rest of my colleagues). Some of the speakers offered some very encouraging and inspiring words. I'm actually starting to believe that nurses really are special and a very great asset to the community both locally and abroad. The ceremony made me feel honored... very odd for me to feel that. (Photo: Shannon, me, Mom, Dad)

Now all I have left is to take the NCLEX and I can just work for the rest of the summer... and take care of our new baby!!!! Not here yet, but check back for pictures in a couple weeks. I'll be working at Alvarado in the ICU as my permanent job. I'm very excited and can't wait to learn more.

Infiltration

Ouch! I gave blood today (or tried to) when the needle infiltrated through my vein. That sounds painful, but really, veins don't hurt to be stuck with needles. What hurt was all the blood that filled up the non-vacant space between my skin and muscle. It swelled to about 1/2" high and 1 1/2 " wide! I cussed too, under my breath of course. I totally freaked out, tried to loosen the blood pressure cuff while the nurse was turning off the hemaphoresis machine.

What a reminder of the sheer terror that I can strike in the hearts of my patients...

In other news, 2 1/2 weeks left of school and I'm currently working in the ICU at Alvarado, endeavoring to take care of 2 patients simultaneously; it ain't easy. Shannon is 34 weeks pregnant today. The nursery is complete, only awaiting our friends artwork on the walls and a new occupant. :D

Rest

Wow, what a difference the Holy Spirit makes. Last week was so rough on Shannon and me. I felt overwhelmed by work and study and I just felt unable to rest and enjoy myself, ever. At home group on Sunday, I asked for prayer for us. I know God is totally helping us: this week was been a lot easier to handle. I'm actually gonna do an extra clinical day this week because I feel like I can handle it. wow!

One of the things I was convicted of while praying at home group was how poor of a 'spirit' I seem to have (translation: I never feel like I'll have enough of whatever it is I need). This it totally contrary to everything in the Bible. Isaiah 55 addresses the best; it calls out the poverty and dissatisfaction of God's people and tells them to go directly to the source, God Himself, and receive abundance. I'm still mulling over these thoughts, but I feel so much more satisfied and excited about life. I have less fear and anxiety about nursing (well, a little bit less).

Subsequently, my rest this week has been great! I've actually woken up about an hour before my alarm the last three days and felt pretty refreshed. I still took the extra hour for sleep, but the difference is still noticeable. Time with Shannon is less rushed as well; we can really enjoy the time we have together.

So now... I'm waiting at school for my class which begins in about 2 hours. Then it's off to the grocery store and home.