I am ending my eighth week of school now. I have completed my first nursing course called Foundations of Nursing. It was five credits and included eight hours of lecture and six hours of lab per week. I am fairly confident I got an A in the course, as I scored 100% on my final exam yesterday. This made me very happy, as I have felt very frustrated taking these tests. All of our exams are designed to prepare us to take the NCLEX-RN exam after we graduate. Graduating from a nursing program doesn't guarantee that I'll be able to practice as a nurse. First, I have to pass the NCLEX. The questions are tough and I compare it to a question written like the one below.
What color is a tree?
a) green
b) brown
c) purple
d) yellow
Well, we can throw up purple right away. Given that it is October, many trees are green, yellow and brown right now. What a person has to do is choose the BEST answer, even though all three are correct. Trees are not always yellow, so we should throw that out next. Most trees have a brown trunk, but not all. Birch trees have white trunks. I can't think of a tree that isn't green. Most people think of the color green when they think of a tree. So, a) green, is the best choice for this question.
This is a very frustrating way to take a 40, 60 or 100 question exam! But, it's good practice, and I feel that in the last eight weeks I have made strides in my ability to rationalize and choose the correct answer on these types of exams.
Here is a photo of Main Hall on campus. It is the oldest building and smells funny, but really is a cool building. I don't think pictures do justice to the beauty of campus.
This is my fourth attempt at creating another post to this blog since my last one. I cannot seem to get a handle on the format of this. So, I've decided that I'm not going to care if the words match up with the pictures anymore.
These are pictures from Regis University's "Register to Vote" week. One of the students donated his time to create these amazing pieces of art outside the student center.
Being involved in politics while starting nursing school has been difficult. Even though I've known for a long time who I would vote for, I've still found it interesting to watch the debates and talk with people about their ideas about politics. This election has really bothered me because I think that politics really brings out a dark side in people. There are so many video clips and stories about people who get so angry and intolerant of other people's opinions. More than ever, I realize how far left I am when it comes to politics. I don't understand how people make some of their decisions. I understand how people who own business would be concerned about Senator Obama's plans, and I can respect their opinions regarding politics if they're educated about the candidates. What I can't understand is how some people can claim to be so involved in church, and be so concerned about upholding Christian values in our society, yet be so brutal verbally toward people with differing opinions. How can a person who is borderline violent about their pro-life thoughts, be a fervent supporter of the death penalty? How can a person who claims to be so religious turn around and say that Senator Obama is a terrorist not to be trusted? It makes me very sad to know that people can still be caught up with the color of Obama's skin. I believe that Senator McCain and Senator Obama are both doing and saying what they whole-heartedly believe is right. Just as I am so adamant about pro-choice and universal healthcare, so are people who are pro-life and want less government. Interesting how liberals are perceived as troublemakers and anarchists, yet it's republicans who don't trust that their government is capable of handing something like healthcare.
My birthday isn't until Monday, but we celebrated yesterday and it was a fantastic day! We went to the Poudre Canyon to go climbing, which is by far one of my favorite places in Colorado! We forgot the camera, so unfortunately I don't have any photos from the day of climbing, but I do have the above photo of my new birthday crash pad! On our way through Fort Collins, we stopped off at Kelly's house to "pick up shoes," as Eric told me. When we got there he came around the corner with this crash pad instead! My old crash pad was very, very thin and not worth much of anything in terms of protection. I was very excited! Eric chose purple because it's my favorite color, but then decided that purple and black wouldn't be good so he also chose yellow. So, now I have a Vikings/Lakers pad! I guess that fits us well since I am from Minnesota and he's from California!
