Hey everyone, can you imagine? It’s the last 2 weeks of school already! That means we’re all heading to practicum again soon! These last 2 weeks are packed with projects, presentations, exams, case scenario testing, etc, and I understand it’s giving us a whole lot of stress. However, I am really glad to see that even with all the stress, everyone is still being supportive of each other and trying to encourage each other. Especially our instructors, they have been giving us words of encouragement all along. They make sure we stay focussed and keep doing our best. It really makes a big difference at this time of the year to have a supportive class and instructors like the ones we have at Stenberg College, thank you!

By the way, as I mentioned, I know everyone is probably under a great deal of stress right now, but don’t forget to take some time off on the weekend to relax. This weekend is our Stenberg Friends and Family Movie Night, which will take place at the Hollywood 3 Cinema in Surrey. We can have a free movie for ourselves and three guests, plus we can get free popcorn and pop each! There are two movies to choose from – Grown Ups or the Karate Kid. I am really grateful that Stenberg provides us with this special event to take some time off the books and enjoy the time with our loved ones. Hopefully I will see you all there!

This week is going to be a random collection of what I like to term “Stenberg Odds and Ends” – some interesting stories and facts that are either going to happen or have already taken place on campus….

Of course the big buzz event that is coming up is STENBERG FRIENDS AND FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT!!  Stenberg has managed to form a partnership with the Hollywood 3 Cinemas to bring us a fabulous deal  – a free movie for ourselves and three guests with popcorn and pop included – when was the last time you got a deal like that!!  The movie choices are Grown Ups or the Karate Kid – so come on out and enjoy a great movie, and thanks to Stenberg for this great chance to spend some time away from the books and instead spend some quality time with our family.

Another exciting event on campus, which many of us are appreciating from the “bottom” of our hearts are the fancy new chairs that are in the classrooms.  I know that my first few days this week have been much more pleasant due to these modern, sleek ergonomically designed chairs – and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a chair with wheels!!  I suspect the hours of class time will be much easier to sit through now that we have these wonderful chairs to sit in.

Finally, my last little “Stenberg Odds and Ends” note is that if you happen to see any people in the halls looking like they are observing you, or are watching you intently, they probably are.  The next two weeks is the “Observing and Recording” unit of the Special Education Assistant (SEA) program and a lot of the work involves going about and observing people very discreetly (??). 

So, if I were to try and wrap this blog up into a nice pretty package with a bow I would tell you that this week, while sitting in your nice new comfortable classroom chair you should gather a group of friends to go to Stenberg Family and Friends Movie Night.  While at the movie, beware of how you eat your popcorn, because an SEA student might be behind you observing and recording how many pieces of popcorn you put in your mouth at once….

Most of you are probably aware of the raffle basket fundraiser some two weeks ago at Stenberg; it was just amazing. The fundraiser was for one of our fellow classmates diagnosed with breast cancer, and it turned out to be very successful. Almost $4,000 was raised in the end! We all hope that the money raised will help her in some way, but what’s more important is that we all want her to feel our care and support for her.

I came across this awesome nursing joke online the other day, and thought I would share with all of you for a little laughter. Enjoy!

A nursing assistant, floor nurse, and charge nurse from a small nursing home were taking a lunch break in the break room. In walks a lady dressed in silk scarfs and wearing large polished stoned jewelry.

“I am ‘Gina the Great’,” stated the lady. “I am so pleased with the way you have taken care of my aunt that I will now grant the next three wishes!” With a wave of her hand and a puff of smoke, the room was filled with flowers, fruit and bottles of drink, proving that she did have the power to grant wishes before any of the nurses could think otherwise.

The nurses quickly argued among themselves as to which one would ask for the first wish. Speaking up, the nursing assistant wished first. “I wish I were on a tropical island beach, with single, well-built men feeding me fruit and tending to my every need.”

With a puff of smoke, the nursing assistant was gone.

The floor nurse went next.”I wish I were rich and retired and spending my days in my own warm cabin at a ski resort with well groomed men feeding me coccoa and doughnuts.” With a puff of smoke, she too was gone.

“Now, what is the last wish?” asked the lady.

The charge nurse said,” I want those two back on the floor at the end of the lunch break.”

Source: http://www.nursingfun.com/jokes/nurses/3nurses.htm

For the last two weeks all of the students and staff at Stenberg became united to help a fellow student.  We were all so shocked when we heard that one of our fellow classmates, at the incredibly young age of 23, had been diagnosed with breast cancer.  This happens to moms, aunts, grandmothers and older women, not a young woman just starting out life and going to school to begin her career.

Immediately there was the want by everyone at Stenberg, students and faculty alike, to reach out and help this incredibly strong and courageous fellow student.  It was decided to hold a raffle on baskets that would be created by the individual classes at Stenberg.

All the classes had one week to come up with their irresistible raffle prizes.  By the time the baskets had been stuffed and wrapped I don’t think, by the looks of them, that there was a single person on campus who had not contributed to the baskets.

These prize baskets would have made any professional corporate gift company jealous – there was every theme and size imaginable, from a Staycation basket to picture frames stuffed with lottery tickets and a beach basket to a movie basket – really amazing and beautiful tributes to just how much a student in need means to the Stenberg community.

After the raffle tickets were all sold, it has been said that we raised just over $1400 – an incredible feat considering the timeline and the size of our community.  Then the piece de résistance  – the College matched the amount we made.  The final amount including  donations was close to $4000!

After all was said and done, we all united, came together as a community of students, friends, teachers and caring people and helped out a wonderful young woman who will be able to face her upcoming battle knowing that she has an entire College supporting her and sending her all of their prayers, positive energy and well wishes.

I feel there were many reasons I was successful while attending Stenberg. I had great teachers, peers, and felt a sense of community at the campus. The school was always having activities and events geared towards having the students from different programs interact. They were always well thought out and a good time for all.

My favourite event was halloween. My class participated in the pumpkin carving contest. I have to say, it was interesting to see all the pumpkins done by the different groups, we all seemed to carve ideas based on our programs. For example, our pumpkin was a nurse, syringe and all!

I made an effort during my time there, to be a real part of the school. I was my class representative and attended as many meetings as I could. I was proactive to have things changed to the school in order to make it better for the students. You know the water cooler in the student kitchen? I had part in getting that So, you are welcome!

I was honoured, as I said before, to be named ‘Student of the Year’. What an amazing achievement to strive for! And what an awesome thing for the college to do. I always felt that the school’s goal was to have their students succeed, and most of us have! You are a product of where you come from, so if you are trained well, you will do well, and Stenberg provides that.

Enjoy your time there. Work your hardest, be part of the school community and activities, be positive and supportive to your peers, and you never know what may come of it. You too may be ‘Student of the Year’!

Tonight, trying to find inspiration for this last blog is nearly killing me. I’m staring at this page like it’s a tired old washcloth—something unpleasant and hard to wring out. I did think about writing of cats, or of failed personal diets. But I’ve done the cat bite thing and diets are boring. If I could speak in tones of stunning sunsets, I would do that. Or if I could quote the lines of Shakespeare, I could do that.

I could write reflectively on the last six months of college: about the early mornings grabbing coffee on the way to school; about fellow students with their quirky (and fun) personalities; about shared dreams and visions over glasses of wine, of racing to the car at break time to avoid a parking ticket, or of potlucks filled with homemade food and donuts. However, even these things don’t feel right for this blog.

I could speak of projects or first aid procedures—how to save a life, or protect my own. I could mention sweating over personal care scenarios and the big sigh of relief that followed when it was done. I’ve room left to write about crossed fingers, muttered prayers, and final exam mark postings. I could mention student appreciation days, Blenz gift cards, gingerbread houses, Christmas gift baskets, Haiti, and pajamas, but that’s been done before too.

Maybe all I want to say is “thank you” to everyone who made the last six months enjoyable and interesting. So, without further ado (Ha! That’s from Shakespeare!) “Thank you!”

This is a bit mushy and I make no excuses – OK, I do give the excuse of maybe OD’ing a little on the cough medicine as I seem to have picked up a cold from somewhere – which got me to thinking how generous little viruses are – they happily go along and share themselves with anyone. It’s good to share. And then another thought popped into my head – how in our class people share of themselves.

Working through some of the material that we are given to study can be daunting to say the least. Nobody learns the same way or at the same pace – but what makes me feel so fortunate is the support everyone in our class gives to one another both during class and after class. I’m not talking grand gestures, just the small things – a phone call, someone listening and sharing thoughts, someone explaining from their perspective. We have a little study group after school and today was fun – we all got something out of it. We have a number of those ‘tick lists’ to put to memory and were having some difficulty with them – so we tried doing something a bit different – today we took turns in adding movement to what we were memorizing and you know – it worked. Taking a dry topic and turning it into a physical thing made the difference and got the other parts of our brains working. Now I’m looking forward to tomorrow to see what we can come up with next.

There is another way to support each other in class, just by showing respect through listening and caring through supporting. A supportive gesture, a phrase or offer of a solution, it all helps! So NUC (Nursing Unit Clerk) 0809’s take a bow and a pat on the back – the work is hard and I think we all do a great job of helping and supporting each other. (….awww love ya man!)

Okay the mushiness is now over……

We are having our exam on Friday, which happens to be Candy Gram day! I hope everyone gets lots of candy – remember to wear pink to support breast cancer donations! We’re also having a potluck to celebrate the end of the module for SOT’s (I really can’t believe we are that point already)…..just four more weeks to practicum….

I don’t wear pajamas in public: That’s a fact. But I do like pizza. Fact two (or three, if you’re counting): I don’t like intense pain. What have these things got to do with being a student at Stenberg College?

Recently while working at an animal shelter, I put my hand where it wasn’t wanted and was instantly dealt a painful bite by a ferial cat. “You better keep an eye on that,” the attending vet advised me. “My first bite became so infected, the doctor threatened to put me on an intravenous.”

That wasn’t going to happen to this chickie, I assured myself smugly. I had an exam on Tuesday (this was Saturday morning) and nothing was going to hinder me from writing it. Three hours later I purchased heavy-duty antibiotics for my swollen right hand.

Fact four: Resident Care Aide students like to ask you about your signs and symptoms if you are ill, or if you have a nasty animal bite. I’m happy to say that I got lots of sympathy from fellow classmates while being able to successfully write the exam.

About pajamas: Stenberg encouraged all of its students to wear pajamas to school on January 19th. The winning class would get a pizza party. Although I don’t wear p.j.’s in public, but I do eat pizza, I came to school appropriately dressed. RCA 0909 rocks, because we won!

And since my hand has healed nicely I’ll be able to hold onto my pizza slices without any problem.