Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Spring has sprung and break is over!
I was ready to get back to school from spring break so that I could slow down : ) LOL! Unfortunately that hasn't happened yet. Classes resumed Monday. Bruce and I had to make a quick trip to Oklahoma City to see his brother on Tuesday. I completed a case study on Metabolic Syndrome for Pathophysiology late last night. I have an Anatomy & Physiology exam to take by Saturday and a lab quiz next Monday. Whew! But the great news is, I'm working on straight A's this semester : )!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Spring Semester Has Begun!
I’m a first semester A&P tutor now! My A&P instructor, Dr. Allen, recommended me to be an A&P tutor. I thanked her very much and felt very proud, but I told her that I probably could not spare the time. However, after some research and further consideration, I decided to accept the position. I'm now officially part of the El Centro College Professional Support Staff as a peer tutor in the first semester A&P lab. I'm only working in 4 labs for a total of 6 hours per week, but it's a start. I’m tutoring more for the experience, than the little it pays, and because I love to teach! I’m also hoping the experience will look good on my application for the Sonography program.
I’m working with two other students in A&P. We all got A’s on our first lab quiz. We’ve been studying together and working on a study guide for the first lecture exam which is coming up next week.
My Pathophysiology class has gotten off to a slow start, mostly due to technical problems with our eCampus site. It should be a pretty interesting class though. Mr. Walther is really funny. Although I’m not looking forward to some of the pics he’ll be showing us. He really likes to gross out students with graphic images of medical problems. Ugh!
The General Health Professions Management course is proving to be much more interesting than the book titled, “Law & Ethics for Medical Careers” seemed to indicate it would be. There are NO exams! Yeah! But there are lots of assignments. We have to submit a summary of a health related article every week. That’s proved to be very interesting. I try to pick the most unusual subject I can find. So far I’ve read about a Southlake, Texas doctor that rebuilt a 2 year olds face, how the concept of a mid-life crisis has become an outdated myth and about the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks (this one is really cool). I’ve gotten 100% so far on all my work for this class.
I’m working with two other students in A&P. We all got A’s on our first lab quiz. We’ve been studying together and working on a study guide for the first lecture exam which is coming up next week.
My Pathophysiology class has gotten off to a slow start, mostly due to technical problems with our eCampus site. It should be a pretty interesting class though. Mr. Walther is really funny. Although I’m not looking forward to some of the pics he’ll be showing us. He really likes to gross out students with graphic images of medical problems. Ugh!
The General Health Professions Management course is proving to be much more interesting than the book titled, “Law & Ethics for Medical Careers” seemed to indicate it would be. There are NO exams! Yeah! But there are lots of assignments. We have to submit a summary of a health related article every week. That’s proved to be very interesting. I try to pick the most unusual subject I can find. So far I’ve read about a Southlake, Texas doctor that rebuilt a 2 year olds face, how the concept of a mid-life crisis has become an outdated myth and about the immortal cells of Henrietta Lacks (this one is really cool). I’ve gotten 100% so far on all my work for this class.
Friday, January 8, 2010
What I started to write December 3, 2009
Well here it is, more than a month later and I haven’t been able to slow down enough to update my blog since Halloween. I completed two of my classes in November, Basic Health Skills and Health and Wellness. I got A’s in both classes. That gave me a month to focus on completing A&P. Although I was getting A’s on lecture exams, unfortunately, I had a B average on my lab quizzes. I ended up with a B for the course. I may have to repeat it, but am not planning to immediately. I’ll be taking A&P II in Spring 2010.
Wintermester (2009-2010) Update January 8, 2010
I’ve decided to retake several core classes, including Speech. I got a few B’s and one C in some undergraduate work that I transferred. I need to get some or all of those up to A’s, by retaking the classes. I will not be retaking College Algebra! That B is staying!
I finished the Speech class today with an A on the final and an A for the class. Yeah! It wasn’t as easy as I was expecting. I had to learn how to deliver a speech, the instructor’s way, which was not very close to what I’d learned through work experience and Toastmasters. It was quite an experience, one I will refrain from commenting further on. Suffice it to say, I got an 87 on the first speech. I then figured out what the instructor wanted and got a 98 on the second one.
I took the HESI Admission Assessment Exam in December. This exam is required for admission to any of the health occupation programs at El Centro College. In an attempt to get the highest possible scores on all 4 sections, I'm allowed to take the exam up to two times per year for the Sonography program. I want a minimum score of 90% on all sections. Close to 100% on the Reading Comprehension section would be great! I did it! And what a shock it was that my highest score was a 98% on the math section! I’ve expressed my sincere thanks to Felix, my fellow Speech student, for helping me review math. Felix helped me brush up on fractions and ratios, which was obviously a big help! I got 97.87% on the Reading Comprehension, which is a very important score for getting into the Sonography program. It's one of the criteria used to rank students to choose the top 30 who will get an interview. It was also rather surprising that the sections I expected to get the highest scores on, I got the lowest scores on. I got 96% in Vocabulary and 92% in Grammar. I’m sure not complaining. I won’t have to repeat any sections of the exam!
What’s Next?
I have a break from school for over a week! Yeah! I’m tired. Hopefully, this will give me a chance to get rested and caught up on some things, starting with this blog update. I start the Spring 2010 semester on January 20th. I’m taking Anatomy & Physiology II, Pathophysiology (the study of disease) and General Health Professions Management. That’s a total of 8 credit hours, which is what I completed in my first semester, last Fall. These are all pre-requisites that must be completed prior to applying for the Digital Imaging Sonography program. The A&P instructor has recommended that we get a head start, before the semester starts, working on the digestive system. Another student and I are planning to work on that next week.
On the fashion front, I colored my hair a really bright, vibrant, glowing red! It’s way cool and lots of fun! I've posted a new pic.
Out of the Mouths of Babes!
For those of you I didn’t share this with. I was visiting my friend Laura yesterday. Her daughters are Ashley, 4 and Taylor, 8. Here's a little conversation I had with the Ashley, the 4 year old.
I was telling the girls about something I had done when I was young. Ashley asked me, with an openly surprised expression, "You're not young now"?! I was flattered, momentarily, until she followed immediately by exclaiming, "You're younger than God"! : ) Oh, how Laura and I laughed!
About Mom
She is still in kidney failure and is undergoing dialysis three times a week. That process has its challenges. Overall though, she seems to be feeling well and is maintaining a positive attitude. She is still being given some hope that her kidney function is and will continue to return to where it was a few months ago. Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers and support!
About Bruce
There’s great news for Bruce. He quit Harley-Davidson in November. The Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse recruited him back to work for them, something they wanted to do a year ago, but they had to fill the position internally at that time. Now the job is his! Although he isn't the demonstrative type, I know he's just jumping for joy! He's got a few days off before starting his new position. He had two 4-day weekends in December. He hasn’t had so much time off in 3 ½ years.
My Pain in the Foot : )
Well many of you know I’ve had a chronic pain in my right foot for coming up on a year now. They did an x-ray last June, an MRI in July and a second MRI in December. The results on all have been negative. There is no arthritis. There is some tendonitis, but I have no pain where it was indicated. I’ve seen an Orthopedic Foot Specialist and a Podiatrist. It seems that they have tried everything. I’ve tried different shoes with better arch support, orthotics, orthopedic shoes, physical therapy and an NSAIDs pain patch. They’ve tried injecting alcohol to stop possible nerve pain. They’ve also injected steroid into two different places. I’ve worn a cast for about two months. I tried crutches for all of one afternoon. They’re very hard to use and I gave them up. The Podiatrist has told me that he does not know what else to do. I’m considering seeing the Orthopedic Foot Specialist again, just to confirm that he has nothing else to recommend. If they don’t know what else to do, I sure don’t know either. : (
In the News!
Check this out, if you haven’t seen them already. Mom and I were both on the Channel 8 news on the same evening in two totally unrelated segments. Here are the links.
Aging in America: Emergency response systems
http://www.wfaa.com/news/consumer/Aging-in-America-Emergency-response-systems.html
Downtown Dallas wind farm could power El Centro College (You’ll have to watch closely for the shot of Dr. Allen’s class. I’m in the first seat on the front row).
http://www.wfaa.com/home/El-Centro-looking-to-create-wind-farm-in-downtown-Dallas--69687682.html
Well here it is, more than a month later and I haven’t been able to slow down enough to update my blog since Halloween. I completed two of my classes in November, Basic Health Skills and Health and Wellness. I got A’s in both classes. That gave me a month to focus on completing A&P. Although I was getting A’s on lecture exams, unfortunately, I had a B average on my lab quizzes. I ended up with a B for the course. I may have to repeat it, but am not planning to immediately. I’ll be taking A&P II in Spring 2010.
Wintermester (2009-2010) Update January 8, 2010
I’ve decided to retake several core classes, including Speech. I got a few B’s and one C in some undergraduate work that I transferred. I need to get some or all of those up to A’s, by retaking the classes. I will not be retaking College Algebra! That B is staying!
I finished the Speech class today with an A on the final and an A for the class. Yeah! It wasn’t as easy as I was expecting. I had to learn how to deliver a speech, the instructor’s way, which was not very close to what I’d learned through work experience and Toastmasters. It was quite an experience, one I will refrain from commenting further on. Suffice it to say, I got an 87 on the first speech. I then figured out what the instructor wanted and got a 98 on the second one.
I took the HESI Admission Assessment Exam in December. This exam is required for admission to any of the health occupation programs at El Centro College. In an attempt to get the highest possible scores on all 4 sections, I'm allowed to take the exam up to two times per year for the Sonography program. I want a minimum score of 90% on all sections. Close to 100% on the Reading Comprehension section would be great! I did it! And what a shock it was that my highest score was a 98% on the math section! I’ve expressed my sincere thanks to Felix, my fellow Speech student, for helping me review math. Felix helped me brush up on fractions and ratios, which was obviously a big help! I got 97.87% on the Reading Comprehension, which is a very important score for getting into the Sonography program. It's one of the criteria used to rank students to choose the top 30 who will get an interview. It was also rather surprising that the sections I expected to get the highest scores on, I got the lowest scores on. I got 96% in Vocabulary and 92% in Grammar. I’m sure not complaining. I won’t have to repeat any sections of the exam!
What’s Next?
I have a break from school for over a week! Yeah! I’m tired. Hopefully, this will give me a chance to get rested and caught up on some things, starting with this blog update. I start the Spring 2010 semester on January 20th. I’m taking Anatomy & Physiology II, Pathophysiology (the study of disease) and General Health Professions Management. That’s a total of 8 credit hours, which is what I completed in my first semester, last Fall. These are all pre-requisites that must be completed prior to applying for the Digital Imaging Sonography program. The A&P instructor has recommended that we get a head start, before the semester starts, working on the digestive system. Another student and I are planning to work on that next week.
On the fashion front, I colored my hair a really bright, vibrant, glowing red! It’s way cool and lots of fun! I've posted a new pic.
Out of the Mouths of Babes!
For those of you I didn’t share this with. I was visiting my friend Laura yesterday. Her daughters are Ashley, 4 and Taylor, 8. Here's a little conversation I had with the Ashley, the 4 year old.
I was telling the girls about something I had done when I was young. Ashley asked me, with an openly surprised expression, "You're not young now"?! I was flattered, momentarily, until she followed immediately by exclaiming, "You're younger than God"! : ) Oh, how Laura and I laughed!
About Mom
She is still in kidney failure and is undergoing dialysis three times a week. That process has its challenges. Overall though, she seems to be feeling well and is maintaining a positive attitude. She is still being given some hope that her kidney function is and will continue to return to where it was a few months ago. Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers and support!
About Bruce
There’s great news for Bruce. He quit Harley-Davidson in November. The Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse recruited him back to work for them, something they wanted to do a year ago, but they had to fill the position internally at that time. Now the job is his! Although he isn't the demonstrative type, I know he's just jumping for joy! He's got a few days off before starting his new position. He had two 4-day weekends in December. He hasn’t had so much time off in 3 ½ years.
My Pain in the Foot : )
Well many of you know I’ve had a chronic pain in my right foot for coming up on a year now. They did an x-ray last June, an MRI in July and a second MRI in December. The results on all have been negative. There is no arthritis. There is some tendonitis, but I have no pain where it was indicated. I’ve seen an Orthopedic Foot Specialist and a Podiatrist. It seems that they have tried everything. I’ve tried different shoes with better arch support, orthotics, orthopedic shoes, physical therapy and an NSAIDs pain patch. They’ve tried injecting alcohol to stop possible nerve pain. They’ve also injected steroid into two different places. I’ve worn a cast for about two months. I tried crutches for all of one afternoon. They’re very hard to use and I gave them up. The Podiatrist has told me that he does not know what else to do. I’m considering seeing the Orthopedic Foot Specialist again, just to confirm that he has nothing else to recommend. If they don’t know what else to do, I sure don’t know either. : (
In the News!
Check this out, if you haven’t seen them already. Mom and I were both on the Channel 8 news on the same evening in two totally unrelated segments. Here are the links.
Aging in America: Emergency response systems
http://www.wfaa.com/news/consumer/Aging-in-America-Emergency-response-systems.html
Downtown Dallas wind farm could power El Centro College (You’ll have to watch closely for the shot of Dr. Allen’s class. I’m in the first seat on the front row).
http://www.wfaa.com/home/El-Centro-looking-to-create-wind-farm-in-downtown-Dallas--69687682.html
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Happy Halloween!!! This next week looks pretty scary!
I passed the check offs for my skills in sterile technique for wound dressing change and catheterization!!! I’m sooooooo thrilled! Fortunately, the skills are learned and demonstrated on a dummy and he doesn’t complain! I don’t plan on being a nurse and I don’t expect to ever have to do these things on a human being. I’m still tired, bordering on exhaustion. I have another very, very long week ahead. I have exams in every class, including a lab quiz and four medical terminology quizzes (yes, it would help if I didn’t procrastinate on taking these, but I can’t seem to help myself. Sigh). All of these exams are scheduled for Wed. and Thurs. of next week! I have made plans to study with others all day Saturday; all day Sunday; before and after class on Mon.; and all day Tues. I will be taking the skills class exam Wed. and the A&P lecture exam on Thurs. I’m planning to take a break on Fri. and Sat. if at all possible.
Other great news, Bruce has given notice to quit Harley-Davidson! That is soooooooo great too! No more working every Sat. for 11 plus hours! He is returning to work for the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. That was who he worked for before the internship at the judicial treatment facility. He enjoyed working for GDCADA and doing outreach work for HIV prevention. They love him there and hadn’t wanted him to quit in the first place and they’ve asked him to come back! I’m very proud and really happy for him.
Many of you know that I’ve been experiencing pain in my right foot since at least last spring. I’ve seen an orthopedic foot specialist and a podiatrist. My foot has been x-rayed and I’ve had an MRI done on it too. They seem to have tried everything i.e. trying shoes with better arch support, a post-surgical boot for a month, a steroid injection, an injection of alcohol (not sure about the logic in that one), orthopedic shoes and physical therapy. All of this seems to have been done to no avail. I’ve also determined that it doesn’t get better or worse by not walking on it. It hurts not matter how much I stay off of it or how much I walk around. I’m now in an air cast. It’s a heavier boot than the one I had before and it inflates around the ankle, to provide greater support. I can also take it off as needed! Isn’t modern medicine great? Now if they could just get my foot to stop hurting. I’m also using a topical pain patch with an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). It’s improved, but has not entirely stopped hurting, but I’m hopeful that we’re at least making some progress now.
Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and support! It makes a lot of difference to have friends and family behind me!
Other great news, Bruce has given notice to quit Harley-Davidson! That is soooooooo great too! No more working every Sat. for 11 plus hours! He is returning to work for the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. That was who he worked for before the internship at the judicial treatment facility. He enjoyed working for GDCADA and doing outreach work for HIV prevention. They love him there and hadn’t wanted him to quit in the first place and they’ve asked him to come back! I’m very proud and really happy for him.
Many of you know that I’ve been experiencing pain in my right foot since at least last spring. I’ve seen an orthopedic foot specialist and a podiatrist. My foot has been x-rayed and I’ve had an MRI done on it too. They seem to have tried everything i.e. trying shoes with better arch support, a post-surgical boot for a month, a steroid injection, an injection of alcohol (not sure about the logic in that one), orthopedic shoes and physical therapy. All of this seems to have been done to no avail. I’ve also determined that it doesn’t get better or worse by not walking on it. It hurts not matter how much I stay off of it or how much I walk around. I’m now in an air cast. It’s a heavier boot than the one I had before and it inflates around the ankle, to provide greater support. I can also take it off as needed! Isn’t modern medicine great? Now if they could just get my foot to stop hurting. I’m also using a topical pain patch with an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug). It’s improved, but has not entirely stopped hurting, but I’m hopeful that we’re at least making some progress now.
Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and support! It makes a lot of difference to have friends and family behind me!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
I’m Making Lots of Great Progress!
Things are still as busy as ever, but the effort is paying off. I made a 95 on my second A&P lecture exam!!! Woohoo! I made 19/20 points on the written portion (I filled up 1 ¾ pages, where on the first one, I couldn’t even fill 1 page)! And all of the written information was accurate. My study partners and I worked really hard to get an A on this exam, and the work paid off for most of us. The tutored study sessions I’ve been attending have been worth the time. When my lowest exam and lab grades are dropped, my average for A&P is 88.6%. I’m going to continue pushing to get that up to an A.
My health courses are going even better! I still have a 100% average in my Health & Wellness class. In my Basic Health Profession Skills class, I completed four lab quizzes between last week and this one making 100% on one and getting 19/20 points on three others. Yeah, I’m sure it would help if I could spread those out a bit. I took the second exam for the Skills course week and got 92.2%. My course average is 92.48%!! I attended a four hour lab today for the Skills class to learn sterile technique for catheterization and changing wound dressing. Since I won’t be a nurse, I don’t have to worry about ever doing those things on a human. The dummies were very cooperative and didn’t complain and it wasn’t too gross!
I’ve attended information sessions in the past few weeks for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Radiography Technician and the Digital Imaging Sonography programs. Although I still need to discuss all of my options with Bruce, I’m starting to lean more strongly toward applying for the Digital Imaging Sonography program. I’ve sifted through the details of the requirements for admission to each program and I’m starting to feel more confident about getting accepted into the Sonography program. Sonography is probably the most competitive health program to get into, but I’m starting to believe that I can do it!
My health courses are going even better! I still have a 100% average in my Health & Wellness class. In my Basic Health Profession Skills class, I completed four lab quizzes between last week and this one making 100% on one and getting 19/20 points on three others. Yeah, I’m sure it would help if I could spread those out a bit. I took the second exam for the Skills course week and got 92.2%. My course average is 92.48%!! I attended a four hour lab today for the Skills class to learn sterile technique for catheterization and changing wound dressing. Since I won’t be a nurse, I don’t have to worry about ever doing those things on a human. The dummies were very cooperative and didn’t complain and it wasn’t too gross!
I’ve attended information sessions in the past few weeks for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Radiography Technician and the Digital Imaging Sonography programs. Although I still need to discuss all of my options with Bruce, I’m starting to lean more strongly toward applying for the Digital Imaging Sonography program. I’ve sifted through the details of the requirements for admission to each program and I’m starting to feel more confident about getting accepted into the Sonography program. Sonography is probably the most competitive health program to get into, but I’m starting to believe that I can do it!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Study, Study, Study!
I'm beginning to think that there will be no end to studying. I don't think it will end until the semester is over and probably not even then. During winter break, I plan to take the prep course for an entrance exam I will be taking in January. I will be studying over the break for that exam. I studied very hard for my last A&P lab quiz. I made an A! I raised my average grade for the course a couple of points, to 84.54%. The next A&P lecture exam is this coming Wed. I'm studying with a few other students, in addition to attending tutored study sessions. I'm working to make an A on this exam. Things are going very well in my other classes too. I have a 92.09% average in the Basic Health Professions Skills class and a 100% in the Health and Wellness class.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
More success and good news!
Here's the good news first. My thyroid biopsy was benign. That was a great relief!
School is going great! I made an 86 on my first A&P Lecture Exam. I have an overall average for A&P of 83.33%. I'd really like to get that up to an A. I'm studying very hard to get there. In addition to my own studies, I'm working with a couple other students as study partners. I studied with Cameron this morning and yesterday morning. Tracy, Cameron and I will all be meeting tomorrow as well. We have an A&P lab quiz next Wed. and the next lecture exam is the following Monday.
Last night I finished my first exam for the Health & Wellness class. I made 100%!! Including the assignments we've completed to date, I have a 100% average for the class. I'm psyched!!!
School is going great! I made an 86 on my first A&P Lecture Exam. I have an overall average for A&P of 83.33%. I'd really like to get that up to an A. I'm studying very hard to get there. In addition to my own studies, I'm working with a couple other students as study partners. I studied with Cameron this morning and yesterday morning. Tracy, Cameron and I will all be meeting tomorrow as well. We have an A&P lab quiz next Wed. and the next lecture exam is the following Monday.
Last night I finished my first exam for the Health & Wellness class. I made 100%!! Including the assignments we've completed to date, I have a 100% average for the class. I'm psyched!!!
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