Reality has started to hit us all.  The Special Education Assistant 0410 class has 60 more days before practicum.

Walking into the classroom every morning has a whole new feeling to it.  It’s a little more electric. We have all become so close – really and truly like a big, crazy, lovable, slightly dysfunctional group of sisters.  We have laughed together, cried together, worried together and even argued together, but one thing has stood strong and true throughout;  our constant commitment to each other to bring our whole selves to the classroom and  to honour and respect each other as unique individuals with unique thoughts and beliefs.

In sixty days our little cocoon that has nurtured us and fed our hungry minds with the knowledge we will need to know for our future careers will open.  We will emerge as fully educated and informed SEAs ready to spread our wings and explore our new career opportunities.  Unfortunately with this new independence also comes the knowledge that the warmth and safety of our cocoon will be gone.  It will soon belong to some fresh eager minds – minds that have yet experienced the positive life altering and emotionally awakening lessons that the SEA course will teach them.

Over the next sixty days we will be experiencing many more new and exciting concepts, strategies, facts and statistics  - America Sign Language, Food Safety, Alternative and Augmentative Communications and so many others.  During this time you can be rest assured that the 13 of us will just become even stronger and more supportive of each other.  The electricity in the classroom will become even more noticeable as we work to ensure the success of each and every one of us.

We came up with a Coat of Arms the other day in class that we believe represents what our class stands for.  In medieval times the Coat of Arms was used not only as a form of protection for the knight charging into battle, but it also pronounced to the world who his family was and their beliefs.  Our “SEA0410 family” motto is “Educate & Advocate”  – this is what we do for each other and this is what we will do for the students in the classroom once we leave our cocoon.

When we unfold the road map of our life and look at all the twists and turns, detours, mountains and valleys that we have travelled it is truly fascinating to try and see what the next section of the map will look like.  Will it be a steep peak to climb, a delta with many lakes and rivers to cross or a long flat boring prairie drive?

As I approach 45 and I look at my road map I see a life filled with adventure, twisting roads,  surprise road blocks, gravel roads and speed free zones.  What I do know is that all of these roads eventually met and led me here to Stenberg and to the Special Education Assistant Program.

Making a decision at my age to go back to school is considered by some to be crazy – “But you have a degree already”, “Why do you want to do homework?”,

“Aren’t you going to be older than everyone else?” are just some of the more common questions I get asked.

My answer:  “Yes, I do have a degree, which, with my SEA diploma, will make me an even greater asset for any Special Needs program.  It’s not “homework” if it’s something you love learning, and at my age I have the luxury of going back to school to only take something I really want to learn – and no, I will not be the oldest in the class, and even if I was, it wouldn’t matter because, today, in 2010, classrooms are filled with people of all ages going back to school to increase their level of education.”

I have always wanted to work in the area of Special Needs, but the road wasn’t open for me when I was younger – I had chosen detours that led me to other destinations.  Last year I saw the opportunity, and the timing was right, and I knew it was my turn to go through the green light and grab onto my dream.  In a matter of a few months I will be starting to apply for a job in the field of work I have always wanted to be in, and thanks to the society we now live in, it’s not too late to be doing this – even at 44!!

This semester is going by fast – it’s already mid-July and that means we’re on our way for more exams and projects! How I wish there are more than 24 hours a day! Sometimes I’m amazed how much information our brain can hold – so treat your brain nicely! Eat healthy, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep to prepare yourself physically and mentally for exams! I remember those times that I did poorly on exams were the times that I didn’t eat properly and didn’t have enough sleep. So instead of focusing on answering the questions correctly…my focus was on my growling stomach and fatigued body! Not such a good idea, eh?

So aside from exams and projects, has anyone been enjoying our nice hot weather here in Vancouver? If you’re out of other ideas except going outdoors for a barbecue, a hike, a run, or lunch at a patio and want to do something different…here is a suggestion: How about going to the Richmond Night Market? The Richmond Night Market is one of the hottest summer activities – with its assortment of chinese home-style snacks, cooked-to-order small dishes, discount merchandise, it surely captures the interest of many people. You will also find accessories, clothing, home decorations, household items, designer-brand inspired accessories, music and videos, toys, most at a bargain price. So if you’re one of those people that love Chinese cuisine and want to spend some time with friends on the weekend, you may want to consider this summer event. The hours for this event are: Saturday (7 pm – 1 am) & Sunday (7 pm – 12 am) and it is located at 12631 Vulcan Way, Richmond, B.C.

Hi readers! Welcome! This blog will share with you my journey to become a practical nurse…

School is a big stress – no doubt – especially nursing school. There are a lot of materials you have to remember, learn things that you have never seen or done before. But I believe if you’re devoted, determined, and dedicated – not only will you be successful, but you will also enjoy being in nursing school! Here are some simple tips that may help you (and me) to walk this road easier:

Some tips:

- Other people in the class are just as scared as you are. Remember to keep positive thoughts!

- Be prepared to learn and work hard. Yes, you will have to do a lot of reading, and it will be confusing at times. Write down any points that you don’t understand and clarify with the instructor. Highlight things that the instructor says is important!

- Have a support group. Believe me, you will need a supportive group to give you advice and encouragement when you feel lost and lacking motivation to study.

- It is normal not to know everything. This does not mean you’re stupid! Also, when you are nervous and stressed, you will tend to forget how to do things (even if they are the most simple tasks). So try to relax – especially during your Lab exams! Take a deep breath and always rationalize why you’re doing this specific task for your client.

- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. When you go on practicum, a nurse tells you to do something on a patient that you are not familiar with it or feel uncomfortable doing so, ask for help. Remember, you have the right to learn and clarify any uncertainties, and your patients have the right to receive safe and competent care.

- Find time to relax and recharge yourself. This means prioritize your time and organize your week. Set aside one day just to catch up with friends and family, watch TV, or just do whatever you want. In that way, you will have your “scheduled day-off” to look forward on the days when you feel unmotivated or lacking the energy to move on.

Hope this helps! Stayed tuned for the next blog!

Welcome readers to the blog of the SEA0410 (SEA meaning Special Education Assistant) class of Stenberg College. As the official “blogger” it is my intention to give you an insider’s view of all the crazy stuff that happens behind our closed doors. Very often everyone can hear us, but no one ever really seems to know exactly what we are up to….

For many students at Stenberg, we, the Special Education Assistant’s are a bit of a mystery. Everyone at Stenberg is learning things in the Medical Field except for the SEA’s – so “What exactly are you learning?” is usually a big question we get. All the other students get to dress like doctors and nurses and we have to wear boring “business casual” clothes – who wouldn’t trade a pair of black dress pants for a set of Minnie Mouse scrubs!!. Then there is our “behaviour” – we have been seen running around in pyjamas, matching shirts, matching coloured clothing or other equally kooky get-ups. We seem to celebrate Christmas in the month of July and sometimes it appears as if we are doing a lot more laughing in class than learning. Just last week we got to go to the mall and “observe” strangers – I prefer to think of it as ‘playing spy’ myself, but do you know how cool it is to go and watch how people act when they don’t know you are watching.

By writing this blog, I hope that I will able to share with you all the pride our class has in our SEA0410 Class as a whole – we are an amazing team of 15 women and one super luck guy ( he’s spoiled rotten by all of us) … We have grown over the last three months from a group of strangers, with a career choice in common, to a close knit group of friends and family. We are an unbeatable unit who truly work together and care for each other, helping one another study, correcting each other’s work, and even small little things like just giving a shoulder when one is needed.

We also stand out from most students in the academic world because we love our teacher. Yes, as weird as it sounds, we, the SEA’s, believe we have the best teacher in the world. Everyone in our program loves her, and because of that we work even harder to succeed – she is the one who gives us all these neat and crazy projects to do – how can you not love a teacher like that!!

So stay tuned and log in for all the adventures to come, because trust me, with this crazy class, I can promise you there will be many.

Case Studies! Have you done your first one yet? Or are you getting ready to do any more?

I have to tell you this was the ONE thing that made me so nervous during nursing labs. It was like acting class…and well, I am NOT an actor. I am also not a fan of talking to myself lol.

I had no idea what I was getting into when we were first told about the assignment. The whole class was at a loss. None of us had ever done one, so we had no idea how to prepare.

Most of us were book smart…but could we put it into action and make it make sense? That was the big question.

We were told to prepare the 4 different cases and be prepared the day of to choose the one you will be doing. Oh, the pressure. Of course, we all had our favourites of the one we wanted lol. I remember the first one I did, I got the hard one…the patient who had the stroke.

The first time we used the dummy dolls as our patients (later on we moved onto using a classmate). So, we walked into the lab where the instructor was, to talk and perform skills on a dummy…wow, this was NOT my cup of tea.

BUT, I have to say I prepared well compared to some. I knew my information inside and out. But, the most important thing I did was PRACTICE. You would be surprised in the amount who did not, and their performances showed it! Yes, it was hard to talk to myself as well, but I knew if I could say it out loud step by step, then I could do it.

So, do yourselves a favour. Bite the bullet, practice with each other and practices with yourself.

Yes, I was seen talking to myself in the car as I drove, doing my step by step case study.

Heck, it got me and A, so why not?!

It’s hard to believe but this will be my last blog as this is the last week at school for our class. The time has simply flown by. I don’t know what to write about as there is so much going through my mind right now. We met up as a class today for the first time in five weeks and it seems like it was only yesterday that we were together.

We all had different stories of our practicum experiences, some people were missing as they were actually working already (good for them!!!) but we hope to see them later this week and catch up. I think we were a great class – we were a mixture of ages and personality types but that did not seem to matter. We not only supported each other but we also showed a great deal of respect for each other and even now continue to support each other as we move forward in reaching our goals.

We’ve had a lot of laughter, some (no, make that a lot of) tears, lots of homework and many doubts; but we were encouraged by our instructors and also by each other with genuine wishes for everyone to succeed. It truly was the best learning experience I’ve had in my life and I thank each and everyone.

Learning isn’t just reading in a book and answering questions on an exam – learning is listening, helping someone else who is perhaps struggling with a concept or by simply giving of you – being there – and each and every one of us did that. I am so proud of us that my heart is filling up and I can’t wait until we all stride across that stage with our heads held high (with a certain somebody running back for her forgotten Ikea umbrella!) We did it – take a well deserved bow!

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’!

As far as I know, the tasks of studying, doing homework, submitting case studies, etc is over for our course. We just need to attend one last module that will teach us the interview process and how to prepare job winning resumes and cover letters. To my surprise, we would be graded based on our interview skills and how we prepared our resume and cover letter. The writing requirements are my least concern but the interview aspect is definitely an anxiety booster. We had to undergo a one-to-one, panel and a group interview. I had experienced doing the first two types but the last one is new to me. The panel interview is for sure intimidating as I thought our instructor would pull other teaching staffs/ program advisors to be part of the panel. It was such a relief learning that we only had to do the one-to-one and panel interview activity with our classmates.

We each had the chance to act as both parties – interviewee and interviewer. It was fun doing the activity. We get to release our tensions and were able to relax once we had our first try. Acting was quite amusing, especially when we pretended to be the employer, as we got to ask tough questions. But that in turn became enlightening because we learned not only what the response could be but also how the questions could be answered in different ways. In group interviews, we were faced with a challenge on how to appease a disgruntled parent. An actual dialogue was done. It gave us an idea of what to expect when we get to work in an actual educational setting. The feedback at the end was very helpful. Areas of our strengths and where we could improve  were pointed out. I truly appreciated going through these interview activities as it surely developed our skills and confidence in getting a job.

Though we still have the body mechanics training before the end of this week, I can safely say now that our in-class tasks are finally over. And yes, we did survive!

I remember the endless vocabulary and other medical information we had to memorize in such short periods of time. The task each day seemed daunting and next to impossible at that time. My friends and I discovered the usefulness of FLASHCARDS. (so much so, that we would buy out the dollar store at the mall there!)

We would split the work and make up the flashcards for all the important information before a test. Then we would study and quiz each other. To this day, I still have a small rubbermaid that has my bunches of flashcards!

I remember the MOST important ones I made all on my own were my Drug cards. They are so important, and I still refer to them to this day, and I still add to them. You will be surprised at the endless amount of drugs you run in to. There are always new ones to learn. By using the flashcards it is the quickest and easiest way to learn the basics you need to know about the drug. (Hey, it beats looking it up in the giant CPS book!)

So, that is my tip for this week! I am not sure where in the program the Practical Nurses reading this are at, but it is never too late to learn a good study tool. Believe me, when it comes time to study for that big licensing exam, you will be thankful to have some of the most important information easily accessible!

Next time you are in class, keep a pack of index cards with you and anytime you hear or read something valuable make note of it!

Any one want to buy my old flashcards? LOL J/K

Best of luck