Graduating in May is supposed to be a very exciting time for us college graduates! However, I feel particularly hung up on the fact that I have so much to do in the next 5 months that will carve out the path to my future. I’m most excited about being able to finally feel like an independent adult. These past four years have taught me so much, but finally being responsible for a 40-hour a week job in which I’m eligible for benefits and retirement plans is something I’ve long looked forward to. I can’t wait to actually show everyone that I’m more than prepared to enter the workforce and make my mark. New-graduate program applications are beginning to open, and I find myself with butterflies in my stomach. The decision of where I want to begin my career and in which field is something that I still feel like I need more time to decide on! I always knew this time was coming, and I simply cannot believe that it has already arrived. I know that I’m not bound to the field I pick, but I’m most worried that I’ll pick a field and I won’t enjoy going to work every day. The nursing director at the hospital has a quote in his email signature, and it says, “Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life”. That’s what I hope to find one day in my career.

I always thought I’d celebrate this momentous occasion with a party, but I don’t think that’s in the cards this year. I definitely plan to take a vacation after graduation and take my boards. It will be somewhere tropical, with fruity drinks and a beach and quiet. But not too much quiet, I’ll need some daily activities in paradise to keep me occupied. In order to keep myself on track for this last semester and ensure I get to take my well-deserved vacation; I have a specific study plan. I have all of my assignments written down on monthly calendars to ensure I do not miss due dates, and usually work on what’s due next on the calendar. I have budgeted certain time frames during the day during which I allow myself only to work on schoolwork, so that I then have time to see friends and do things I enjoy away from school. When NCLEX comes closer, I plan to build in NCLEX prep days utilizing a prep book into my weekly budgeted time. I don’t want to work too far ahead of schedule, as this allows me to put in quality work into my school assignments and ensure I’m not left with too much free time to sit and do nothing. What I learned from the ATI NurseLogic 2.0 Modules are that I am already doing a lot of what they recommend for studying and remediation techniques. I need to be doing what works best for me, and by my fourth year in school, I certainly have that mastered. These modules did help to remind me of how to critically read NCLEX questions and to focus on what the bottom-line is of the question. Getting overwhelmed with the amount of information in a question has been my downfall during past exams. Lastly, these modules helped to review what was really solidified for me during Adult Health III. Tissue perfusion and oxygenation are key to answering all NCLEX questions successfully. I need to be focusing on what can be critically damaging to a patient and what interventions as the nurse can I do to help in that immediate moment. 

I’m very excited and nervous to see what this last semester brings as it will not only bring me a long-awaited degree, but also a board examination and (hopefully) a job offer!