One more class that was not supposed to kick my butt, but is. One more frantic night studying because I don't want to look like an idiot in front of my peers. Especially since this is a trauma certification class and I have two years of trauma experience at THE Level 1 trauma center in the area. The catch is that I didn't have it in the ER, I had it in the ICU, and let me tell you they are two totally different animals.This is my life. When I started this ER job they told me I had a year to get three certifications I didn't already have. The problem is that these classes aren't offered every week (or even every six months) and sometimes you have to just bite the bullet and get them over with based on when you can even take them.
The bottom line for me is that from the beginning of April to the middle of May, I will have taken all three of them. Five full days of classes, three written exams at the end and untold numbers of "check-offs", a process that has devilled me since I started nursing school. The idea behind a check-off is simple. The person being tested gets up in front of their entire group and demonstrates a procedure. The person testing gives you vital pieces of information that you absolutely need, but only if you're on the ball enough to know exactly what to ask for or do. You always have some sort of mannequin and all the equipment necessary for the specific procedure. Usually, to make it interesting, they throw in stuff you don't need just to see if you're paying attention. My problem is that I don't like performing for an audience and I have been known to freeze up even when I know the material front and back. Give me a written test any day. To say that this frustrates me is a whopper of an understatement.
So today I have not one but three of the little check-off darlings, and for the first time in my memory, we can't retest if we jack something up. You would have to retake the entire two day class. And one of the check-offs has something like fifty things you have to do without notes in an exact sequence. Then once we're in the proper calm state of mind from the check-offs, we have a fifty question multiple choice test with the same pass it or repeat the class threat. It's like nursing school or the state boards all over again. And it wasn't that much fun the first time around.
Think good thoughts and send them my way. I can't believe I'm missing soccer games for THIS.
The bottom line for me is that from the beginning of April to the middle of May, I will have taken all three of them. Five full days of classes, three written exams at the end and untold numbers of "check-offs", a process that has devilled me since I started nursing school. The idea behind a check-off is simple. The person being tested gets up in front of their entire group and demonstrates a procedure. The person testing gives you vital pieces of information that you absolutely need, but only if you're on the ball enough to know exactly what to ask for or do. You always have some sort of mannequin and all the equipment necessary for the specific procedure. Usually, to make it interesting, they throw in stuff you don't need just to see if you're paying attention. My problem is that I don't like performing for an audience and I have been known to freeze up even when I know the material front and back. Give me a written test any day. To say that this frustrates me is a whopper of an understatement.
So today I have not one but three of the little check-off darlings, and for the first time in my memory, we can't retest if we jack something up. You would have to retake the entire two day class. And one of the check-offs has something like fifty things you have to do without notes in an exact sequence. Then once we're in the proper calm state of mind from the check-offs, we have a fifty question multiple choice test with the same pass it or repeat the class threat. It's like nursing school or the state boards all over again. And it wasn't that much fun the first time around.
Think good thoughts and send them my way. I can't believe I'm missing soccer games for THIS.
1 comment:
I can't believe you're posting at 5:29 a.m.
You'll be fine and I'm sure you've passed.
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