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Life, Nursing, NYC

Reflections On My First Semester Of Nursing School

August 15, 2014 By Robyn 21 Comments

The past three months have flown by faster than I could have imagined.
The past three months living in NYC have been a bigger adjustment than I could have imagined.
But pursuing a career in nursing has felt more right and been more life-giving than I could have imagined.

When I decided I wanted to make a career change last August, I kind of just made up my mind one day and then went full speed ahead. God opened my heart to going back to school, I felt strongly compelled, and didn’t second guess much of my decision. Since starting school in May, I feel even more assured in my decision to go back to school. Even when finals week rolled around and I was studying nearly every waking second or when my heart ached because I missed my friends in Charlottesville so much or when I had to say no to fun things in the city because we had to study for an exam on Monday. I never thought “why did I do this?” I think that’s a really good thing. It feels reassuring.

As cheesy as it sounds, I’ve never felt more called to something. I know I’m only 3 months into this journey, but considering we are 1/3 of the way to a BSN, I’m really glad that I love this field so much. I thought I really loved my job as an RD, and I really do, but I don’t think I’ve been as passionate and excited about something as I am about becoming an RN and ultimately an NP. I feel so grateful to not only be pursing this, but to be in a field where you get to be part of the most intimate and vulnerable parts of people’s lives. I can only imagine what the next 9 months will bring. And that excites me.

But really, the one thing I know I’ve learned in the past 3 months is that nursing is hard. I didn’t expect it to be easy, but there were days when I thought, “How will I ever know all there is to know?” Columbia has been such an amazing experience. Every day I’m thankful that I get to learn here and have this opportunity.

We are learning so much. This past summer semester, we learned how to do a full physical assessment which seemed insane at first but now that the final for that is over, it feels so satisfying to know I can do that now. Essentially, we had to do a full head to toe physical exam on our lab partner that is best described as a 30-minute monologue. So much memorization.

Admist the overflowing about of information I learned in the classroom, I’ve also learned some other really valuable things.

Nursing school has taught me to really embrace my body.  Before school, I’d say that overall I had a pretty healthy relationship with my body. But I don’t think I had fully embraced my body. We took Advanced Physiology this summer and the more I learned about the intricate details of how the body works, the more I thought how ridiculous it was to focus on physical appearance. It is absolutely insane how the body works, and even more so how it works properly day in and day out- how everything just runs smoothly to keep us healthy. All the steps that have to go right for your heart to beat just once is so detailed, and then it beats again and again and agains for YEARS. That’s incredible to me.

In physical assessment lab we were half naked the majority of the time practicing on our partner. There’s something really beautiful about an “imperfect” [for lack of a better word] body. Gaining this perspective has been so refreshing and freeing for me. Throughout the semester I had this overwhelming peace and contentment with having a body that is just your average female body. A woman’s body with a healthy amount of fat and curves and cellulite. You learn to grow really comfortable in your skin when you and your partner are examining each other every day. I think that’s pretty awesome.

I’ve also learned that it’s okay to admit adjusting to NYC has been harder than I thought. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve got to see some pretty cool things. When I’m running through Central Park on a Saturday before I pick up some groceries at TJs I’m always blown away that this is just my Saturday morning. I use to run around Central Park while visiting thinking, “How do people LIVE here?!” Welp, I’ve learned it’s hard to adjust to living here. Everything takes longer, people are a wee bit [aka a lot] different than they are in Charlottesville, and even the simple tasks like grocery shopping are harder. And that was a difficult adjustment for me. It’s been really comforting to know that when I talk to other people about adjusting they say, “oh girl, it’s a huge learning curve and I went through the same thing.” But I’m so glad I’ve walked through that and I still am. It’s taught me SO much about myself, my lack of faith, and what faith actually looks like played out.

These first few months have been such an adventure! I am so excited to be refreshed and renewed after two weeks away and then to jump back into the city and back into school.

The fall will be what seems, much more manageable. Instead of 8 hours of class on Monday, 12 hours on Tuesday and the hospital all day on Wednesday- we will only be in 4 hours of class on M, T and F and then in the hospital all day on Wednesday and Thursday. And instead of having 6 different classes to keep up with, in the fall we are rotating through different specialties for 5 weeks each. So I will start with Psychiatry when we start in September and then move on to Pediatrics, Community Health, Labor and Delivery and then Med/Surg. Our class on M and F goes along with our clinical rotation in each speciality and then the only other class we have is Pathophysiology on Tuesdays. And all classes don’t start till 9am or later, wahoo!

All that to say, I think getting back into a regular blogging schedule will be doable and I’m so excited to be back into the swing of things! If you have something you’d like me to write about- please email me! And I think I’m going to still do Q & A videos on Fridays so if you have a question you can email me about that too.

And just to clarify since I’ve got questions about this, I am most definitely still taking new Nutshell clients and will continue to take new clients. Instead of blogging these past few weeks, I focused #1 on school and #2 on continuing to see current clients and take new clients so if that’s of interest to you or somebody you know- email me about that too 🙂

Cheers to more adventures in school and NYC!


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Filed Under: Life, Nursing, NYC Tagged With: nyc, school

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A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

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I have yet to experience postpartum myself, but I've had many clients and readers that have been through that season of life. Or perhaps you are currently living through the postpartum period. Every woman's body is different, therefore every woman's experience after giving birth will be different. What works for one woman, might not work for the next. While one woman might go through postpartum and adjust to newborn life quiet seamlessly, another woman might find it much more difficult. She might need the support of medication, therapy, extra help and many other things. One way is not better than the other - they are simply two different ways of navigating the postpartum period. I hope this post helps you better care for yourself, whatever that means for you. There's no right or wrong way to care for yourself as a mom or your new baby.

Postpartum Hormones: what’s happening in your body and how to care for yourself

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I talk a lot about moving, eating, and living intuitively so you can be well hormonally and live a fulfilling life in line with your values

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We veered from our usual Friday night homemade piz We veered from our usual Friday night homemade pizza (minus the dough, we leave that to @albemarlebakingco) because we are eating pizza tomorrow with some friends - instead I called my mom and asked her how she makes her chicken fingers and we fried up a big ole batch of chicken nugs 🙌🏻🤤 along with a sheet pan full of sweet potato fries and a simple arugula salad dressed with parmesean, olive oil and s&p. Oh and my moms honey mustard recipe for dipping. It’s SO DANG GOOD.  Over the past 6ish months we’ve been practicing (and practicing and practicing bc it doesn’t come naturally) unplugging from technology and slowing down and resting and just being for one day a week. Some call it Shabbat. Some call it Sabbath. Maybe you call it something different. All I know is IT IS SO GOOD FOR MY WEARY SOUL and the day I look forward to ALL WEEK. Sundown on Friday to sundown Saturday. Nothing but rest. For us that means hiking (or something outside) and napping and reading and being with friends and eating really good food. And drinking some really good wine or craft beer. Sometimes whiskey. 😛  And because I know I’ll get asked about the chicken finger recipe and also because it’s too good not to share and Momma Coale said I could, here ya go:  Cut chicken breast into thin strips or small pieces (I prefer nug size bc the breading to chicken ratio is perfection). Salt and pepper those babies really well. Then dredge them in all purpose flour, then egg, then panko - just like you would bread anything else. Then fry them up in a light oil - I use avocado oil because that’s our everyday oil. You could also use canola or peanut oil. Just fill a pan with an inch or so of oil on medium high heat. They only take 2-3 minutes per side. You can always temp them to make sure they are at least 165 degrees F to really make sure they are done. Dunk in all the sauces and enjoy!  Happy weekend!
I am not a craft mom. My version of crafts is baki I am not a craft mom. My version of crafts is baking because 1) my toddler actually engages with it and 2) we have tasty things to eat in the end.  Wanna know how long crafts last in our house? Approximately 23 seconds. Maybe 51 on a good day. So we just stopped crafting a long time ago and instead started baking.  And when I need my toddler to stay in one place, I turn on the faucet. I am still utterly amazed at how long water can entertain a small human. And it’s FREE. 🙌🏻 well, mostly..  Send me all your favorite baking recipes because we are on a roll over here 👩🏻‍🍳
Just left my mom vacation. 💆🏻‍♀️ I do Just left my mom vacation. 💆🏻‍♀️  I don’t know what this says about me. Anybody else find the dentist weirdly relaxing? For the most part, I love being with my two tiny humans all day, but BLESS does it feel good to lay in a chair for 60 minutes with my eyes closed and do nothing except hold my mouth open.
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻 two babies are asleep at the same time in their beds (and not on me) for the FIRST TIME IN 7657 DAYS and dear lord I could cry tears of relief straight into this latte and bowl of chocolate chips bc I woke up this morning exhausted and weary and told Nick I didn’t want to parent today 🤣 Not even calling this self care. It’s sanity right now. And even if it lasts 5 minutes it will be 5 minutes of freaking glory. p.s. yes that brick is crooked bc v uneven floors are part of the charmed package of this old house
Learning over and over again in this season that f Learning over and over again in this season that feels unsettled and chaotic and longgggggg that sometimes, you just need the viewpoint of a toddler to remind you that the seemingly insignificant things & moments really are....straight up magical. And that yes, these mundane days are packed full of goodness & beauty if I keep my eyes fixed on what actually matters.
Spent two hours at Lowe’s this morning and wow, Spent two hours at Lowe’s this morning and wow, wowww 🤯 Asked at least six people where to find something and their opinion on all the options bc holy decision fatigue. Nursed my newborn on the floor of the paint aisle. And BLESS my new contractor friend Matt I found in the lumber section that pushed my cart around and helped me avoid the mistake of buying exterior wood for some DIY bathroom shelves.
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I’m giving all our bathrooms a DIY makeover and I couldn’t be more of a rookie. So shoutout to all my Lowe’s buddies and YouTube 😜 You’re making this happen.
We are now officially homeowners. WUT? We didn’t We are now officially homeowners. WUT? We didn’t plan to close on a house 10 weeks after having a baby, but here we are. And we are so, so grateful.  And I’m also terrified. We’ve moved three times and lived in three different states since we got married three years ago. After six years spent living in New York City and Boston, moving back to Charlottesville was really, really hard for me. I cried a lot those first six months because my heart ached for the northeast and for city life. I wanted to pack up and go back to Boston ASAP. It felt so different and so quiet here and at times, very lonely. Even though it felt like the next right step, I second guessed our decision A LOT.
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But here we are 10 months later ready to continue investing in this neighborhood we’ve come to love. And this community of people that have become so dear. Ten months later and it feels so, so right. And although committing to settling down here for a good bit feels really scary to me, it also brings so much peace to know we aren’t moving again anytime soon. We are here to plant and grow. And raise our babies in this house as we make it a home. It’s also really fun to have one of your best friends be your realtor. We love you @kelli.teter.nesting 🤗
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Now, to see if we make it out of this kitchen renovation all in one piece 🤪
my go-to breakfast these days is two fried eggs in my go-to breakfast these days is two fried eggs in ghee with sautéed spinach (also in ghee) and an english muffin with more ghee + some sort of jam on half for that sweet & savory combo. we discovered these local english muffins (from The Bread Basket) and they are doughy and delicious and we are obsessed.
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I’ve found that I need a solid source of protein and lots of fat for breakfast to keep me full while breastfeeding this time around vs with Cal, I was so into big bowls of pb & chocolate chip banana oatmeal. just goes to show our bodies know what they need and change cravings accordingly. also, just a psa: go pick up the maple butter from @traderjoes bc it is bonkers 🤤 and lastly, shout out to my husband bc a lot of mornings he is making this bfast for me while I nurse & try to pull myself out of bed - don’t for a moment think I’ve got it together 🤪
I’ve had many thoughts rolling around in my brai I’ve had many thoughts rolling around in my brain of if/how to use this platform in a way that aligns with how I want to live my life. I’m finding it tricky to discern that when 90% of my use on this app is for professional purposes. But I’m not sure if even professionally, it makes sense for me. Because I feel more aligned with what matters to me when I’m not regularly present here.  I’m not really sure what things will look like moving forward, but for right now I’m here to share with you that I somehow found some spare minutes between newborn & toddler life to write a post with some semi-coherent thoughts on life lately. 🤪 You can head there by clicking the link in my profile.
I’ve been completely disconnected from social me I’ve been completely disconnected from social media and that’s been vital for me during this tender postpartum period of transitioning from a mama of 1 to 2. But today, I’m bopping on briefly to share how Teddy entered this wild world with you - if you’re into a lengthy, detailed birth story, the link in my profile will lead you to the blog post 💙
Theodore “Teddy” Lars Nohling joined our famil Theodore “Teddy” Lars Nohling joined our family at 12:48am on Wednesday after a quick and swift labor & birth at home 💙 Thank you Father for another healthy baby boy & your abundant, tender love for us. What an undeserved gift.
Very grateful to be carrying another baby past his Very grateful to be carrying another baby past his due date, but also....LET’S GO DUDE. Still over here eating dates (check out the @ebbirth article on the research showing dates can help ripen (aka soften) your cervix, reduce the need for medical intervention in labor and can overall, improve birth outcomes) drinking red raspberry leaf tea and sleeping as much as possible with a 19 month old running around. And also trying to survive July in VA without public pools or splash pads bc it is BLAZIN HERE (and I’m a wuss with the heat 🤪)

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