How goes RN Nursing College?

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Charlene is a little over halfway through the 4th semester of 'RN College'.  RN College is spread over two years in four 4-month semesters but is seems like forever to her (and us).  I still don't remember when we could eat at the kitchen table as it now is her 'studies' desk.  Oh, we have a desk, just not one big enough for 2 laptops (one with an additional external monitor), tons of books, piles of papers, jars and bowls full of yellow highlighters, pens, markers, scissors, tape, stapler and staples, boxes of those 'O' stick-on reinforcements, extra batteries for her handheld recorder (for the lectures) and other assorted study paraphernalia.  When she started in January of '09, she knew it would be a rough haul getting through it all but things are never as it seems.  The first day of classes, the nursing instructor told the classes " For all of you that are used to getting an 'A' in classes, you'll be lucky to get a 'B' " .  Yea, that about says it all.  NS10, the first semester was rough.  It was a 'getting used to it' rough.  Learning how to do the infamous 'Care Plans' that can go 27 pages or more, learning the formatting setup of the required homework papers, figuring out how to balance home life with Nursing School classes.  And the hours......... for a measly 12-14 credit hours, the classes are usually 22+ hours a week with a ton of extra hours playing 'gather info at the hospital' for Care Plans and patient followup.  Wow, was she ever glad Summer session came along - no Nursing School during Summer.  Then, in the Fall of '09, she began NS20.  This one is not the 'tie breaker' - it's the people breaker.  NS20 begins the 3 Semesters of 'Weeding out the timid, the lazy, the ill-prepared, the ones who didn't study enough.  Two care plans a week.  That means, in addition to all the classwork, studying and preparing for the next day's quizzes, she will spend 3-4 hours of her own time at the hospital on a Sunday afternoon gathering patient info on 2 people, come home and begin untold hours of research and paperwork - doing either the 'quicky' 10 page care plan or the 25-30 page extended care plans.  Thought she was gonna die.  Finally, the end of NS20 and Christmas Break for 3 weeks!  She could read fiction, magazines, watch mindless TV, sleep in past 6 in the morning and do all the things the rest of us did.

When Charlene was working on her Associates Degree, every quarter it was the same thing:  "I can't do Algebra, I don't do this kind of math well" - She got straight A's.  Then, it was Biology (which was kind of fun, but not really as the studies and homework and tests were a 'Wall' at times.  She got straight A's.  Ditto for Chemistry, Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology and so on.  Of course, 'A', 'A', 'A' and 'A' in all her classes.  Graduated with a 4.0.  But always, I heard, "I can't do this-or I can't go on-or, I'll never remember this".  Thank God her college councilor set her up with all the necessary courses in logical order.  So, 3 years of "I can't...." became "I Did it!".  Through the first 2 semesters of Nursing College, we all heard the same thing repeated.  Both courses were tough.  Stressful to say the least but she got through them with a 'B' which was great.
Then NS30 began in January, '10.  Uh, this one is the true killer of students.  Really tough classes, instructors from hell.....and 3 care plans a week.  Lots of 'off duty' research at the hospital gathering information on patients and lots of hours writing care plans.  And wouldn't you know, one week into the semester and AHHHHHH! - her laptop dies.  Dead.  Bad motherboard.  Talk about a total freak-out!  Of course, we got another right away, pulled the hard drive out of the dead one and transferred files.  She lost a day of 'homework' but caught up quickly.  At the height of  'Care-Plan-Mania' as I preferred to call it, she'd spend about 6 hours on a Sunday afternoon/evening at the hospital gathering patient info, then return home to work past 1 or 2 in the morning writing care plans.  Get up extra early and do regular 'studies' and go to school.  Returning home, hit the books, the paperwork, the care plans.  Never ending!  Never enough sleep.  We didn't have much 'face time' with her as she was always concentrating on studies.  About 1/4 of her class failed.  Passing in Nursing College is 75% or better, no exception.  One student 'flunked out' with a 74%.  What happens when you flunk out?  You start again the next semester doing the same class.  If you flunk ANY of the semesters twice, you are out for good and must start all over again as a 'newbie' at a different college.  Yuck!  There were times when she was almost ready to quit.  A real stressful time for her.  But she got through it last May with a 'B' average.
Now, she's a little over halfway through NS40.  She was told by students a semester ahead of her that NS40 would be easy compared to NS30.  Well, it's not easy but it's easy-er.  Two days of classroom and two days of 'playing nurse' beside the instructor.  She's very nervous when doing things for the first time and her instructors either helped her through or badgered her for being nervous (which makes it worse).  The last 2 weeks have been classroom instruction on 'Nursing Ethics'.  Big test tomorrow on that.  She's had 3 big tests this semester.  She'll put in at least 50 hours of study for the tests in addition to regular homework.  Staying up late at night, then off to bed at midnight, up at 3 or 4 in the morning to study more, class at 7:45 A.M.  So far, 3 tests have yielded a 90% grade on each.  Excellent job, Charlene!  Next week she starts 'Preceptorship'.  She will do RN work with a real RN beside her.  We're talking putting all those studies to work as she changes bandages, gives meds, does RN paperwork stuff, gives shots, starts IV's and all the stuff a regular RN does.  She'll be doing three 12-hours shifts a week through Thanksgiving and then, pretty much is done with school (if she survives) .  In early December, the last week is classroom study prep for the RN State Boards to get her RN license.  Whew!  I'm worn out just trying to remember this stuff so I imagine she's worn out, beat up and ready for Winter Hibernation.  To quote my Black friends in Ohio, "You Go, Girl !".......(By the way, that phrase is not a 'white people thing' - it's a black thing.  Get over it.)  Again, You can do it, Charlene!  (from a proud hubby who doesn't remember what you look like....thank God for photos.....)