First Week!!!

Hi everyone,

Thank you for taking a look at my blog tracking a year in the life of a first year Accelerated Nurse Practitioner program at Regis College. First let me start by introducing myself. My name is Katie Kefalas and I received my B.S. in Athletic Training in the Spring of 2009 from Merrimack College. After 4 years of undergrad and numerous opportunities by major requirements to observe nurses in local hospitals, I realized that I wanted to switch careers and become a Nurse Practitioner.

Prior to the first day of school, I have to admit... I was pretty nervous!!! I felt like I was a freshman all over again!!! However, after stepping foot onto the Regis campus for the first day, I knew that I was going to be OK. My very first class was my Professional Nursing Lab. Everyone in the lab was very friendly and very enthusiastic about learning. There was a good amount of students in the program coming directly from undergrad. I was suprised to see so many career changers, and students of all ages and educational/professional backgrounds. Several students are juggling families and part-time jobs as well. I’m hoping to keep my part-time job for 10 hours/week…we’ll see!Since it was the first day, most of it was spent getting adjusted to the blackboard website (where assignments, class documents, etc. are posted) and an explanation of the semester. We were also taught the proper way to remover protective equipment and thoroughly wash our hands. Although that may sound trivial, this is actually one of the most important aspects of nursing due to the fact that it is just one way of preventing the spread of germs and disease.

During the first week, I also took Professional Nursing and Health Assessment in Nursing. Both classes seem very interesting. Coming from a health science background, most of the information was review. However, I could tell that this was just setting up the more in depth information we will be learning later on in the semester. Vital signs are an essential component of the nursing profession. We were taught the proper technique for taking blood pressure, pulse, and respiration. These skills will be necessary for a successful career in nursing. On Friday, we had our clinical orientation. My clinical location is Lahey Clinic in Burlington from 7am to 3pm, and my clinical advisor is Mary Gardner. I, along with 5 others assigned to this clinical, learned that we will be observing the 7 West Wing and that most of our day will be spent on the Oncology floor. Having an aunt who recently underwent stem cell treatment at this very hospital, I was very excited for clinical to start and to begin learning.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for next week's blog!!!

- Katie Kefalas : )