Research Symposium

The semester is almost over!  On Tuesday we presented our posters at the Union Research Symposium.  We were quite proud to show off just a part of the hard work we have done this semester.  This term has been much more difficult than the last, and we have been warned summer will be even worse.  Now it's time to start cramming for finals in basics of anesthesia, pharmacology, and pathophysiology.  I'm looking forward to May 15 when they are all over!  I have learned so much over the course of the semester and I am excited to learn more next semester.  We're finally getting to learn anesthesia, I can't wait to get into clinicals in the fall!

Research Poster Finished!

My research group spent a lot of last week and this week finishing our research poster.  We finally got it printed.  Who knew it could be such a challenge to find a printer and appropriately sized foam board?!?  Office depot and hobby lobby are definitely the easiest way to go.  What a relief to have it finished.  I think we are actually looking forward to presenting it at the symposium next week.  

We had a basics exam this week, it was a tough one, but I think we all survived.  Only three more exams left for the semester!  This week was our first time in the simulation lab.  It's exciting to finally be learning anesthesia skills.  We are only learning to check off the anesthesia machine for now, but I know we are all looking forward to taking techniques this summer.
I just submitted my last assignment for Technological Transformations!  What a relief to know all of my assignments are turned in!  It's not the end of the semester yet, but getting ahead and finished on those assignments will give me much needed study time for finals in my other classes.  I'm looking forward to meeting the classmates not in our CRNA class when we all meet next week on campus.  Only 3 weeks left in the semester!

Easter

I must admit, with school stress I didn't focus on Easter like I should have.  I realized it on the Thursday before Easter that I had spent more time worrying about finding pink peeps for my Easter centerpiece than I had spending time with God and appreciating what He did for us.  Dr. Wamble spent the last part of our class time in pathophysiology explaining the physiological process Christ went through before and during His crucifixion.  Talk about a humbling lecture!  It is unbelievable how Jesus suffered through all of the beatings and trials, bore the sin of the world, and in the end forgave us.  How amazing is our God!  We have freedom from sin because He died on the cross for us.  I have been reminded to MAKE time to spend with God.  Whether its early in the morning, or late at night, I cannot neglect my relationship with Him just because I'm busy with school.  He must be my biggest priority!
I got to enjoy time with my family when they all came to Jackson to celebrate Easter.  We had fun spending Saturday in Memphis and going on the tour through Graceland.  That was quite an experience...who wants green shag carpet on their ceiling?!?  Having them in town reminded me of how much I cannot wait to move back home to be close to them when I graduate.

Challenges

What a fantastic week and weekend!  I enjoyed spending time with my family and friends back home.  My mom, Emory, a few church friends, and me ran a half marathon on saturday!  It was my mom's first and she ran all 13.1 miles!  I couldn't be more proud of her.
When I was finishing up my last training run last week, I was reminded how marathon training relates to not just school, but also my walk with God.  When marathon training you begin with short runs that gradually get longer each week until you reach your goal just a week or so before the big race.  I think God prepares us to face things in our life we could never imagine.  This CRNA program is definitely the biggest challenge I have ever faced, but I know God has me here for a reason and He will get me through it.  He allows us to face trials and challenges in order to make us stronger and to become better Christians.  My husband and I have been facing a particular trial since we moved to Jackson.  As soon as it appears the situation is improving, something else occurs and it seems like the stress takes over again.  Through the encouragement of family, I have been reminded that it is all temporary, and God has an ultimate plan.  He will use these trials to prepare me for facing bigger ones in the future.  What an amazing God we have!
This week I am balancing studying for the pathophysiology exam and starting on our poster presentation for research.  Our poster is on the comparison of alcohol based hand rub and traditional hand washing and decreased surgical site infections.  Ultimately we found that many studies showed the two methods to be almost equal in decreasing the microbial burden, but alcohol based rubs maintained disinfection for a longer period of time.  Alcohol based hand rubs are also more time efficient, easier to use, and more cost effective, therefore resulting in better compliance by health care providers both inside and outside the operating room.  We found a great deal of information on the topic, but one of the weaknesses of our literature is the problem of surgical site infections being caused by multiple factors.  It is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of surgical site infections, especially with long hospital stays and lack of monitoring outside the OR.
On the topic of health technology, my husband has been keeping me up to date with the latest information on the release of ICD 10.  He works for a computer charting company, and has had huge success with the offices and facilities that have gone live with the software.  Unfortunately, the company has trained all of its employees on the latests updates to ICD 10 and other reimbursement, coding, and insurance changes.  It seems that government health care regulation is facing more difficulties than expected and it is affecting everyone from doctors and nurses, to computer support personnel.  Hopefully when ICD 10 is released, it will be beneficial to doctors and not put businesses under like some companies are suspecting.

Spring Break

Finishing the pharmacology exam was the start to spring break!  This week has been a much needed break from the stress of school.  While I am still studying and working on assignments over the break, there is nothing quite like being home.  This weekend I was able to catch up with some of my old friends from nursing school.  It's neat to see how far we all have come since first graduating with our BSN degrees.  One friend is in NP school, while another is starting her Masters degree in Nurse Education, and I am working on my DNP.  It was great to catch up on the latest practices and to hear what was going on in the units I used to work in.  It was also fun to talk about project ideas for our various research classes, even though we live in different states.
My husband and I are enjoying some much needed time with friends and family.  We attend church in Jackson, but it's just not quite the same as being home in the church you grew up in.  Emory and I are both still very close to our church friends and enjoy getting to sit in my father-in-law's Sunday school class.  We received so much love and encouragement from everyone.  The Lord knew exactly what we needed! :)
Between catching up with friends and family, I will stay busy studying for the pathophysiology exam coming up next week when we come back from break, and hopefully getting started on our research poster details.  I'm also hoping to get ahead on technology assignments.  I'm quite thankful for online classes and resources that allow me to work on projects and assignments even when I am away from home and school.

Survival...SRNA style

We survived our EKG exam in basics!  I don't think I could have fit in one more minute of studying on tuesday.  I've stayed up late studying before, but I don't think I have ever gone to bed late and gotten back up at 4am to cram during the last few hours before an exam (after studying for 15 hours during the day).  I am amazed at the stamina God has provided me and my fellow classmates.  It didn't seem possible to study that much information that quickly and do well on an exam, but it happened!  God can do all things!
Now that the basics exam is over, it's time to get back to studying pharmacology.  T-minus 6 days until the exam and even more importantly, SPRING BREAK!  I'm looking forward to going home and spending time with family and friends.  My husband and I won't be doing anything too exciting, which is going to hopefully give me plenty of time to catch up on school work and get extra studying in.  At the end of spring break, my husband and I will be running a half marathon with my mom and some of our friends.  It's going to be such a fun weekend!
My research group was able to complete our abstract and we are applying for the symposium.  Sometimes I can't believe I'm actually in a DNP graduate program.  It seems like yesterday I was starting nursing school.  I am learning more and more everyday, and I am constantly amazed at how quickly healthcare is advancing.  As DNP students, we must be up to date on the latest evidence based research.  We are going to be expected to be "experts" in the latest research and best practices for anesthesia.  I am still muddling through DNP project ideas.  There are so many details involved in anesthesia, it is difficult to narrow it down to a specific idea or topic.  I am hoping to make a decision for an idea soon.
Going through this program has taught me a great deal, and we are only half way through the second semester.  I would apply the knowledge I have gained very differently if I were to go back to being a bedside nurse.  I'm constantly amazed of how much I don't know, and I've started questioning, "how have I never killed anyone?!?"  Nurse anesthesia school is teaching me not only how to be a CRNA, but also how to be a better nurse and use those skills for a greater purpose.

Maybe I can beat Emory in the half marathon this year...

We are a little competitive

Snow Week

It was definitely a fun and exciting week with all of the snow!  My husband and I were like a couple of five year olds playing out in the snow.  We attempted making a pitiful snowman, made "snow cream", and had a snowball fight on campus.

Having a few extra days off from attending classes, gave me the opportunity to really focus on assignments for my online classes.  Wednesday my research group was able to get together and we finished up working on our abstract.  Thanks to everyone's input we were able to get it turned in early.  We are doing our project on the comparison of regular hand washing (correctly for 3 min) and alcohol hand rub related to decreasing surgical site infections.  After conducting limited research, we've found that hand washing and alcohol rub result in about the same incidence of infections, but compliance is a major factor since many health care providers do not wash correctly for 3 minutes.  It will be interesting to find more research on the effectiveness of the two methods.

Technological transformations has been an interesting class so far.  We are required to design an online portfolio, similar to an online resume.  I hated the idea at first, but now that I've worked on it, I think it will be a great tool for networking in the future.  I have also designed my business cards, who knew I would ever have those!  It will be easier to network in the future with potential employers.  This class has been different than I expected, but I think I will greatly benefit from everything I am learning.
I'm still trying to come up with an idea for a DNP project.  We do not have to have anything finalized, but I need to start thinking of something related to anesthesia.  Hopefully I'll decided on something soon!
This semester is teaching me more and more everyday how much I need to rely on God to survive this program.  With challenges outside of school threatening the precious time I have to study for each class, and constantly feeling overwhelmed, God is teaching me to take time to be still.  I seem to always struggle with running from task to task, but God has been calling me to STOP, be still, and listen to Him.  What wonderful lives we have in Him!