Quick update

A few exciting things have happened in the past week or so.

1. I mailed my licensure application and registered to take the NCLEX. This means that after graduation I will be ready to take the exam as soon as possible and as soon as I pass the state can finish processing my application and send me my license. Yay! My goal is to have my license before my birthday.

2. I started my capstone. This is a slightly different kind of clinical. Instead of working in groups with an instructor, I'm working one on one with a nurse, her name is Amy and she's awesome, during her regular work schedule. Since Wednesday I've done 28 hours with her and I need to do a total of 88. I'm working again tonight from 3-7pm. Amy does a lot of day and evening shifts, 3 8's and 1 12 each week. I lucked out, a lot of people in my class are stuck doing all nights or all weekends. The best part is that Amy works on the BMT unit, so I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing and learning a ton of stuff, particularly the art of IV line management. When you've got several chemos, some antibiotics, a PCA pump and prenteral nutrition to give to someone with a double lumen central catheter it can be quite a juggling act. But I'm getting the hang of it, slowly. Amy is actually a graduate of my program and very patient and willing to teach. I really lucked out with her as a preceptor.

3. I'm on a registered team for the Race Across Oregon. It's a 527 mile race that I will do with a team of 4. Neil (my coach) is putting together teams at the college where he works, and he has invited me to join in. I'm ridiculously excited about this, but I've only got 3 months to train. Yesterday I went for a 50ish mile ride that took about 3.5 hours, which isn't bad for someone riding solo into lots of winds. Then I did a 3-11pm shift with Amy, so I was dead tired last night. Well worth it, though. I just hope the weather gets a little more consistently good so that I can get outside to ride a lot this spring.

4. Other people are getting stomach cramps and hives. This is not good news for them, but it is good news for me, because it strongly suggests that what I had was a virus and not actually an allergy. It's not definitive proof, but two people that I've had contact with have gotten sick in the last two weeks, whcih is pretty good evidence.

5. I booked my flight back to Portland. Only 36 days left in Rochester!