http://scrubsmag.com/are-you-making-these-5-big-communication-mistakes

Technorati Tags: Communication, Link, Nursing, Wisdom

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There were a handful of my classmates that came to the rehearsal.  We were a rowdy bunch, we kept laughing and carrying on like kids the whole time.  We had to blow off steam because we were so excited that graduation day was finally here.  As all of the graduates gathered in the auditorium, the long list of instructions began.  Do this, don’t do that.  Blah, blah, blah.  We were too giddy to listen at that point, but that all changed when each school split up and headed to a meeting point so that we could line up in order for the processional run through.

I waited patiently for my turn to receive the little card with my name and place in line.  After a few minutes, the lady with the cards yelled out my name.  I told her I was John and she handed me my card and said congratulations.  What?  I looked down at the card and it said John Knowes – 1 Outstanding Student.  Again, what?

It turns out, the faculty of my campus entered my name in the running for the Regional Outstanding Student award for the nursing program, and I was selected!  Woo hoo!  What a surprise!

So the ceremony was a bit different for me.  I got to lead the nursing class during the recessional, and all of the Outstanding Students from all of the various schools sat together in the front of the auditorium.  Cool.

So, fast forward to the evening.  We arrived at Emens at about 6pm and my family went in and found seats.  The place was already

Receiving my Outstanding Student award

crowded, so they were lucky that they didn’t have to sit in the nosebleeds.  By 6:15 almost everyone was lined up outside, dressed in caps and gowns, all excited for what was going to happen.  I talked a bit with the nursing faculty that was there, and shared a few laughs with the students, but most of the time I stood there just soaking up the excitement.  At 6:55, it was time to start.  We followed our school banners into the auditorium and took our seats.

There were several speeches and faculty awards before the announcement of the Outstanding Students.  One by one, we made our way to the stage as a brief bio was read about each of us.  We shook hands with the President as he awarded us our plaques, then we made our way back to our seats.  After a few more activities, it was time to walk across the stage to receive our degrees.  Well, at least the degree cover.

There were a lot of people to get through, and it seemed to take forever, but it was really great getting to see so many people achieve their dreams.  Once all of the graduates walked across the stage, we were given our charge by the board of trustees and we were allowed to move our tassels to the left.  We were done!  We were graduates!

As we all made our way outside to meet with our families, I can’t remember seeing one graduate that wasn’t grinning.  Everyone was so excited.  It was a very memorable moment.  There were so many people rushing out of the doors that the group of people that I was gathered with got split up and never got back together that night.  That was it.  It was over.  We all started to go our separate ways.

I went home with my family and had to grab something to eat.  I felt lousy because I hadn’t eaten since noon and it was already 10pm at that point.  I gobbled down some pizza and we all looked at the stuff that I brought back from graduation.  It was a long exhausting evening, but one that I had been waiting for, and at long last it was done.  I went to bed that night realizing that the only thing between me and my job is the NCLEX exam.  Let the preparations begin!

What was your graduation like?  Any surprises, good or bad, that you’d like to share.  Are you just starting your nursing school journey and just interested to see what to expect?  I’d love to hear your story.  Leave a comment to share.

Technorati Tags: Award, Ball State, Career, Degree, Education, Emens Auditorium, Graduation, Ivy Tech, Link, NCLEX, Nursing, Nursing School, Nursing Student, Outstanding Student, RN, Student

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Head over to the article at http://scrubsmag.com/why-is-nursing-school-so-hard and have a read.  I think you’ll enjoy it.

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After a nice meal together, my fellow class officers made our way to a few stores to pick up the items we needed for the pinning ceremony.  With all of our supplies in hand, we made our way to the church to begin setting up for our event.  Before too long, we had everything set up and ready to go.  I’m so happy that my officers and I are “planners” because we got everything taken care of well in advance and had a pretty simple time setting up.

Our classmates were expected to arrive by 5:30pm for rehearsal.  As expected, we were actually able to get started by 5:45pm with our first run through. We had a few changes to make as we worked through the ceremony, but after one more run through, we had it.  By 6:15pm, our volunteers from the class of 2013 had arrived and began taking care of our cake and punch for us.  They also acted as ushers, and even a time keeper/wrangler for all of my fellow students!

About 20 minutes before the ceremony, the “wrangler” gathered us up and shoved us back into the choir room behind the sanctuary where the ceremony would be held.  We rehearsed the reading of the Nightingale Pledge a couple times.  We all wanted to make sure we pronounced deleterious correctly!

Five minutes before the ceremony, I gave everyone a quick pep talk, and offered my thanks for all the support and assistance they’ve given to me over the last two years.  As we got the signal to line up, I think we all got a collective case of butterflies in our stomachs.  I know I had to grab a quick drink of water…my mouth got very dry and I would have hated to have a dry mouth during my speech.

We lined up and when the music began playing, we all made our way to our places on stage.  The room was electric.  All of us were excited and very proud to be on stage.  As we looked out into the audience and saw our family members, we all felt great.  A few of us exchanged some words to one another, but for the most part, the focus was on the speakers.

After the welcome and the benediction, it was my turn to present my speech.  I can tell you, I was very nervous when I ran through the speech earlier in the day, but when I took the stage for the ceremony, I was feeling great!  I wasn’t nervous at all.  In fact, I think having a live audience allowed me to breathe some life into the words that I had before me on the page.

In a little over four minutes, my speech was over, and it was time for the New Castle student to present her speech.  After that, our program chair gave her speech. I was worried that there would be too many speeches, but it seemed to work out great.

Finally, it was time for pinning.  As our names were announced, we made our way to the front of the stage and received our pins.  We each received a few special words and a hug, then made our way back to our seats to take a close look at our new pins.  After everyone received their pins, it was time for us to recite the Nightingale Pledge.  As we spoke the words, I think we all realized that we were really now part of something bigger than ourselves.

After a congratulatory speech, we were done.  The processional music played and we made our way out of the sanctuary past all of our family and friends.  As we exited the ceremony, everyone gathered for a big group hug.  The time for tears of joy had finally arrived!

As our families and friends exited the sanctuary, they greeted and congratulated us, and then everyone began to partake of the cake and punch.  The ceremony ran for about an hour, and the reception lasted about as long.  After everyone else had made their way out, my officers, a few other classmates, and the 2013 volunteers stayed to clean up and get everything out of the church.  We were done and gone by about 9:30.  I made my way home and dropped from exhaustion and relief.  I was finally done!

Pinning was an awesome experience, and a great way to bring our time together to an end.  It was great to see everyone together having a great time.  We had so many ups and downs during program, it was often difficult to get everyone on the same page, but for this wonderful evening, everyone was feeling great.

I don’t claim to be a great writer or speech giver, but I’ve decided to include the text of my pinning speech here.  I hope you enjoy it.  I really enjoyed giving the speech. Before the text, I’d like to thank the folks from the Anderson Class of 2013 that took time out of their busy schedules to help us with our pinning ceremony.  Without their help, this would have been very difficult to pull off.  Thanks a million guys! And don’t worry.  You’ll do great in your second year.  I hope I can come see you this time next year to see you receive your pins!

Ok, here’s my speech:

Good evening.  My name is John Knowles, and I would like to welcome all of you to this very special evening. Tonight is a celebration!  It is a time for all of us to come together to reflect on the journey that we’ve all been through together.  We’ll share stories, have some laughs, and even shed a few tears.  But above all, we will share some time together and celebrate what all of us have accomplished together.

When I say all of us, I truly mean “all of us”.  This celebration is not just for those of us on stage about to receive our pins.  It is a celebration for you, our family and friends.  Without your support and encouragement we would not be here today.  And it is for you, the faculty and staff of the Ivy Tech Nursing program.  Without your knowledge and guidance we would not be here today.  This is truly a day of celebration for “all of us”.

I am honored to share the stage tonight with this wonderful group of people.  We came into this program as strangers, but we are definitely leaving the program as close friends.  Every one of us has made a relationship that will last a lifetime.  We share a bond that will stay with us long after we stop seeing one another on a daily basis.  We have come together to help one another survive the difficult exams, the tortuous clinicals, and the care plans…oh, the care plans!

We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time.  I can remember our first nursing lab check-off.  We had to prove to our instructors that we could successfully wash our hands.  Every one of us was convinced that we would fail this seemingly simple task.

Fast forward to last week – our final week of clinicals – and all of us were giving care to our patients, documenting our actions, and working as colleagues with the nursing staff, all the while demonstrating competence and confidence in our abilities.  Quite an amazing transformation, wouldn’t you agree?

We’ve been through many of life’s highs and lows together.  We’ve celebrated victories, witnessed the miracle of birth, and shared laughs together.  We’ve also shared personal tragedies, comforted one another as we’ve faced our shortcomings, and struggled with the passing of  patients.

Through all of this, we’ve grown.  We’ve become much more than the people that started this program.  We’ve learned much more than the “theory” that we’ve been taught in class.  We’ve learned about truly listening to our patients, holding a hand, and demonstrating compassion.

We sit here tonight with mixed emotions.  We are so excited that we’ve finally made it.  This ceremony has been the prize that we’ve been working for, and at long last we’re finally here. But this special evening also marks the end of our journey together.  As we go our separate ways, we will take with us all that we’ve learned, and all that we’ve experienced together.  We will forever be a part of each other’s lives even though our paths may never cross again.  I thank you all for your friendship, your encouragement, and support through this amazing experience.

On behalf of the entire class, I would like to thank the faculty and staff of the Ivy Tech Nursing Program for believing in each and every one of us.  Not only have you taught us what we need to know to become nurses; you have inspired us to believe in our abilities and ourselves.  As we leave you to venture out into the world, we hope you feel secure in the knowledge that we will always hear your voices in our heads warning us before we do something monumentally stupid.

Finally, our biggest thanks goes to you, our family and friends.  We are all in your debt for the sacrifices that you have made.  You have endured our long hours of studying, stories that should not have been told at dinnertime, and seemingly endless babble about this disease, or that medication.

You have kept our homes in order, and our families intact while we were giving everything we had to our studies.  You have given us your patience when we were frantically preparing for a test or completing a project.  You have given us your love and encouragement to continue when we felt like throwing in the towel.  Through all of the ups and downs, you have been there for us.  Without all of you, we couldn’t have made it here tonight.  For all of us assembled here tonight, thank you.

Technorati Tags: Education, Faculty, Family, Friends, Graduation, Ivy Tech, Nursing, Nursing School, Nursing Student, Pinning, Pinning Ceremony, President, Speech, Student

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In two hours, we have our last class.  Our final time to be together in the learning environment.  Shortly after that, my fellow officers will grab a quick lunch and then finish gathering everything we need for tonight’s celebration.  We then make our way to the church where we’ll be having the ceremony to begin setting up, decorating, and making final decisions about the flow of the ceremony.  We’ve done all we can to this point, we just need today to get going so we can finish!

We’ll rehearse with our class for a bit prior to the ceremony, put promptly at 7pm, it all gets real.  My speech is written, and I’ve practiced it a few times.  It’s not a great speech, but hey – it’ll get the point across.  I just hope I don’t get myself too nervous and blow it!

This is going to be a very happy event mixed with some sadness as well.  This will be the last time our class will be gathered together in one place.  Sure, we have our actual graduation ceremony next week, but there will be several people who will not be there, so tonight is it.  It’s kinda sad to think that after all this time together, we will go our separate ways, find our new careers, and new friends to share our experiences with.

Congratulations class of 2012.  And congratulations to you out there who may be reading this post.  If you are graduating like I am, job well done.  If you are just starting your journey into nursing, congratulations on taking the first step.  Before too long, you will be were I am today.  It’s a whirlwind experience, so hang on and enjoy the ride.

Technorati Tags: Education, Graduation, Nursing School, Pinning, Student

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The biggest hurdle I have this week is writing my speech for the pinning ceremony.  I should be able to start that tomorrow and get it finished up by Thursday.  Well, that’s the plan. We’ll see how it goes.  It’s kinda tricky being responsible for a pinning speech.  I mean, what do I say?  Do I spend time with inside jokes and leave the audience hanging, or do I spend the time thanking everyone for all the  help they’ve given us over the last few years?  There’s a lot consider…I hope I don’t spend too much time staring at a blank screen waiting for inspiration to strike.  One thing is for sure…it’s going to be short and sweet.  I don’t have any plans of droning on endlessly and keeping people from getting pinned and out to the reception for cake and punch!

We have one more class to attend on Friday morning and that’s it.  It’s all over.  I’m expecting shouts of joy and tears at the end of the class.  It’s been a long hard journey to get to this place and we’re finally here.  Very exciting and terrifying at the same time.  I’m just so glad that the tension that everyone was experiencing a few weeks ago has given way to relaxed anticipation.  Nobody is feeling the need to argue or fight anymore.  We’re all reflecting on what we’ve been through together and we’re excited to see what’s in store for us after this chapter is done.

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I’m shocked…stunned…bewildered.  What the heck happened to the last two years of this program, and how much of this material that we were given will I remember when I sit for the NCLEX exam?

Am I really ready to be done…to have the safety net pulled out from under me?  Only time will tell.  I hope I am.  Somehow, I’ve managed to convince others that I am.  They all seem to see something in me that I haven’t found in myself yet, but I keep hearing from my co-workers and my patients that I’m going to be a good nurse.  I hope I don’t let them down, and I sure hope I don’t let myself down.

The confidence of being a student is giving way to the uncertainty of being alone as a nurse.  But I know that I’ll never be alone.  I’ll have my classmates, my colleagues at work, and all of you to help me find answers, strength, and encouragement as I move into this next phase of my journey into nursing.

One door closes.  Another opens.

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My first career as a photographer was never what you would call lucrative.  Sure, I was able to gain the accolades of my photography peers.  I earned gold and silver prized, but never made much of the “green” prizes.  It was always a struggle to put food on the table no matter how hard I worked.  I gave my heart and soul to my craft and got pretty good at it, but never made much money.  Is money everything?  No.  But it sure helps to have some of it when the bills come due.

Fortunately my wife got a job that had some decent benefits by the time I had to have my heart surgery.  Even with the coverage we had, we were just about financially destroyed.  I was never able to regain the momentum that we had with our business prior to my surgery and eventually we had to give it up.  It was, at the time, a heart breaking decision, but I’ve come to see it as a blessing.  I would have never found nursing if I had continued on the same path I was on.

It has been just about three years since I began this new chapter of my life.  I’ve gone from wondering if a 40 something guy had any hope of going back to school for nursing all the way to receiving an offer for a full time position as an ICU nurse.  It’s amazing how much you can accomplish with a lot of hard work, and the support and love of your family.  There have been times over the last few years when I wondered if I would really ever make it, or if it was really worth all the trouble.  I believe now that I am going to make it, and it is has been worth all the trouble.

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Is this normal?  Is it normal to all but fall apart as people, as a class, so close to graduation?  I’m actually quite sad that this is how things are turning out.  My time in nursing school as been an overwhelmingly positive experience, but this last push to the finish line seems to be extraordinarily tough for everyone.  I hope that we can all get it together and get through this in one piece.

Tick tock, tick tock, time is marching on and we all feel like we need more than we have left.

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