The end is near-but not in the apocalyptical sense

One semester down
with three to go. Looks like we’ll
make it after all.

What an amazing semester it’s been, and in less than 24 hours, I’ll be done with my first semester of nursing school. No, seriously, I made it!

School turned out to be a lot harder and much more intense than I thought it would be. Not that I thought it would be easy, by any means, but I’ve struggled more than I’d like to admit. The scientific side of my brain has been in hibernation for several years, but I think that it’s slowly starting to come around and actually retain some of the material I need to learn. Transitioning from liberal arts to the science of nursing means that I’ve had to change not only how I study but how much I study. I was an English major in my previous life, and literature exams in college were easy; they were usually all essay questions, and if you had enough evidence to support your analysis, you got full credit. It’s not quite the same here. Nursing doesn’t exactly allow room for interpretation in the same way that literature does; there are no themes, symbols, or motifs to interpret, but my analytical skills assist me during clinical when trying to figure out the best way to care for my patient.

The other thing that surprised me was the sense of family at the School of Nursing. At least, I perceive the students to be like my family. Since August, we have become one anothers support system, and we speak a language that only we and other nurses/nursing students can understand. Just walk through the halls one day and ask, “Hey, don’t you have a care plan to do?” and watch as we grimace with pain. Aside from that, though, my friends and classmates are an amazing support system, and it’s nice to have this sense of camaraderie amongst my class.

Tomorrow is our last final, and I find it hard to believe that just a few months ago, we were all dressed up in our business casual gear for our first day of class. It’s been tough, and despite the struggle, I’m still thoroughly convinced that I’m exactly where I need to be at Johns Hopkins. I’ve had an amazing semester of personal and professional growth, and I know that it’s only going to get better next year.