Capstone Olympics

Sometimes, the last semester of college can be pretty boring (i'm not complaining).

And sometimes, its NOT.

Last Thursday, our instructors decided to switch things up a bit, and they organized a capstone olympics activity. We were split up into groups and then set loose to compete against one another to see which team could complete a variety of nursing tasks the most quickly, efficiently, and correctly. If you know anything about nursing students, you know that you've got a big group of type-A personalities. Must win. Must be perfect. Will accept absolutely nothing less. These olympics could have turned ugly. Thankfully we were all able to keep it light and fun, while every group still insisted they were the winners. BTW, WE were the winners!

It kicked off in the lab. Start four IVs, change an occupied bed, and program a med pump as quickly as possible while still doing it correctly. Thankfully, we had mannequins to complete these tasks on, otherwise i'm pretty sure the patient would have bled out or been seriously injured or something... lets just say we don't typically frantically rush to stick four IVs in one arm or flail a patient back in forth in order to change their sheets! :)

Speaking of mannequins, meet my new boyfriend.

Best bridging group!

Next we headed upstairs and occupied the entire hallway on the main floor of the SWKT to answer some NCLEX questions. As if doing that alone isn't already difficult enough, an extra challenge was added: we had to be doing some kind of physical exercise while we answered the question: jumping jacks, jumping rope, hula-hooping, skip-it, etc. Eventually, a few of us got a tiny bit distracted and just ended up messing around. Who needs more NCLEX practice anyway? Oh wait, that would be me. Woops.

Professors spared no expense. Real gold right there my friends.

Basking in our glory. Because as I said, we of course were the winners... along with every other team.

And then there was that terrifying moment when a foot slipped and my life flashed before my eyes and I almost went plummeting face first to the ground... and it was captured on camera. What a shame it would be to die right before graduation. At least i'd be reppin' the gold medal though, right?

Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe what a blessing it has been to be a part of BYU's nursing program. What an amazing education I have been able to receive. I remember a moment at the beginning of last semester when I was just struck with the thought of how cool college is. There was a small group of us nursing students down in the lab, gathered around an instructor as she demonstrated a new skill that we were to learn, practice, pass off, and then apply in our real life clinical the first chance we got. I remember thinking that right in that moment that there must be hundreds of groups of students all over campus who were having very similar experiences, except in their own fields of study. Chemistry majors gathered in a lab, breaking down and building up new compounds. Theater majors in costume, acting out and perfecting scenes. Engineers and architects building and constructing whatever it is they build and construct. Graphic designers making new ads and commercials and stuff. Education majors working on their lesson plans and learning how to communicate effectively with children. The list goes on and on. This is not high school, where you take math and science and health because its a requirement. I have chosen what I want to do with the rest of my life, and my education is geared specifically to that. I have been taught to insert IVs, give shots, administer medications, draw blood, and so much more. I mean honestly, isn't that just cool?! And to think that there are roughly 30,000 other students at this university alone who are pursuing their own fields of study, learning new great and exciting things every day.

"Enter to learn. Go forth to serve."

I have entered to learn. I have learned AWESOME things day after day for four years. I know that I have taken so much of it for granted, but as my days at BYU are now very numbered, I am becoming hyperaware of the blessing that my education is, and how amazingly cool college really is. I excitedly anticipate the opportunity to go forth to serve as a nurse, well-educated and capable because of the time that I have spent at the Lord's university.