Hi everyone! I am so sorry for the disappearance….again. Between school, moving into my new home and working I have had zero time to come here and write about my adventures and what has been going on in my life! We’re already almost finished with December and into the year 2023! It’s amazing and crazy to see how fast time flies sometimes. I hope everyone has been enjoying the festive holidays and keeping safe and being healthy. I just wanted to stop by and hopefully write more in the next upcoming weeks! Until next time (:
college
Word(s) of the Day
Nursing School Edition #7
Pathophysiology
Some terms from my Week 5 class in Patho:
Leukemia:
is a malignant disease of the bone marrow that causes an increase in white blood cell production.
The term tumor as related to neoplasm means:
new growth.
Neoplasms that are confined to a local area and do not spread are called:
benign.
Metastasis
is the spread of the neoplasm to distant sites.
Next Up: Microbiology
Week 5 Micro:
What are the two major categories of cells?
a. Bacteria and viruses
b. Prokaryotes and eukaryotes
c. Pathogens and non-pathogens
d. Plants and animals
What are the primary functions of the innate immune response?
A. Produce antibodies in response to the pathogen
B. Create memory cells to prepare the body for future attacks
C. Attack the pathogen and alert the adaptive immune response
D. Signal T cells to produce cytokines in response to the pathogen
What type of transmission occurs when a pathogen is spread though sneezing or coughing?
A. Common vehicle
B. Indirect contact
C. Airborne
D. Direct contact
Inflammation:
is caused by the dilatation of blood vessels which allows the passage of fluid, antibodies, and WBCs into the infected body area.
Summer’s end in September
I can’t believe summer has come to a close already. Just starting out in September and the first weekend is spent relaxing, looking at fall decorations and putting away those summer ones. Time can not be flying by any faster!
Some news from me: I am now set up in Arizona at my condo. I am still adjusting to just how HOT it is here! Every day is over 100 degrees! It’s wild to say the least. I’m also having a lot of fun trying to find what my style is for decorating the house. Sometimes I want a dark/rustic farmhouse look and sometimes I want to go full on industrial! So it’s been fun adventuring around the city checking into all the craft, furniture and design stores. I brought along my cat Solo and needless to say he cozied right on in. Loves to bathe in the sun, attack all the cat toys and basically made himself right at home.
I started my third semester and half of the classes are in person at the school. It was weird going back to in-person classes again. However, it was nice because I met some people who are equally confused and stressed out about school and even wore my scrubs! So exciting…and nerve-wracking.
Goals:
Some goals that I have for September is to get all my nursing school notes organized. Come up with a better financial plan for saving. Study and get the highest possible grades on my assignments and to adventure around Arizona a little more. Maybe find a nice local coffee shops and some hiking trails.
What are some goals that you have for September?
“A goal without a plan is only a dream.”
-Brian Tracy
Word(s) of the Day
Nursing School Edition #6
I just started my 3rd semester of nursing school and do you know what that means? More info about nursing school and the classes I’m in. It also means more “Word of the Day,” POP Quizzes and other beneficial educational and fun information. I hope you’re excited to learn new things or maybe just to refresh your memory. I know I am more than ready for this semester and couldn’t be more excited to bring you along. I would say, sit back and relax but instead: Let’s open our mind and learn!
Pathophysiology
1. Pathology is:
a. a disease
b. the bacteria that causes the disease
c. the study of disease
d. the complication of diseases
2. Etiology of a disease means the:
a. study of cause
b. predicted outcome of the disease or condition
c. cause is unknown
d. disease was caused by a hospital environment
3. A chronic disease usually has which of the following elements?
a. It is related to the respiratory system.
b. It happens suddenly but lasts only a short while.
c. It persists for a long period of time, often for the individual’s entire lifetime.
d. It has a sudden onset.
4. Diseases caused by an abnormality of an individual’s genetic makeup can be classified in which of the following categories?
a. Trauma
b. Hereditary
c. Nutritional imbalance
d. Inflammation
5. Adenomas, carcinomas, and sarcomas are examples of:
a. malnutrition
b. hyperplasia and neoplasms
c. trauma
d. impaired immunity
6. When a cell adapts to irritants or damage by changing to another type of cell, it is called:
a. hypertrophy
b. hyperplasia
c. metaplasia
d. Dysplasia
These were questions I picked out of study material that we learned in WEEK 1 for my Pathophysiology class. The correct answers are displayed in bold green text. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Happy Studying!
Word of the Day, POP Quiz!
Nursing School Edition #5
What is a heart murmur? A heart murmur is is an abnormal noise between heartbeats. It can be a blowing, whooshing, or swishing sound. A heart murmur is when the blood makes an extra sound as it moves through.
The atrioventricular valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle is known as the ____ valve. Bicuspid / mitral valve
What is an angioplasty? An angioplasty is a surgical repair or unblocking of a blood vessel.
The ____ arteries supply muscles of the thorax. Intercostal
An average cardiac cycle takes ____ seconds. 0.8
Lymphatic ____ are spaces between groups of lymphatic tissue. Sinuses
Liver macrophages are called ____ cells. Kupffer
Hydrochloric acid is secreted into the stomach by ____ cells. Parietal
The taste of ____ detects monosodium glutamate. Umami
The collapsible, muscular tube that is situated behind the trachea is called the: Esophagus
During the ____ phase of the menstrual cycle, the zona pellucida develops around each egg. Menstrual
The anterior portions of the nasal cavities just inside the nostrils are known as the: Vestibules
Sickle-cell anemia is a hereditary disease in which leukocytes have an abnormal sickle shape due to abnormal hemoglobin. FALSE
Hyperparathyroidism results in the softening and deformation of the: BONES
A quote my Anatomy and Physiology Professor gave to my class:
“Just because you watch ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ doesn’t mean you can do the operation.”
Charles Barkley
Word of the Day:
Nursing School edition #1
This week we have been focusing on the circulatory system of the body. One thing that was talked about multiple times was the MAP. What is the MAP you might ask? It is an acronym that stand for Mean Arterial Pressure. Now what does that exactly mean? Its the average arterial pressure through one cardiac cycle, systole, and diastole.
This Youtube video is a great example of how to calculate the MAP.
Resource:
DeMers D, Wachs D. Physiology, Mean Arterial Pressure. [Updated 2022 Apr 14]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan
Nursing School
Second Semester is kicking my butt
In April I started my second semester of nursing school and let me tell you, it’s kicking my butt. Having a 5 class course load, two part time jobs and doing my military duty is A LOT. Not to mention finding time to actually sleep, eat, workout and blog! While these classes take up most of my time, I know it will benefit me in the end. To keep track of all my assignments in my classes I use my planner religiously. So far it hasn’t failed me and I’m staying on top of all my assignments. In addition to nursing school I updated my blog a little bit. I decided to give it a makeover and make it look a little nicer and user friendly. June always seems to be a busy month for me, and it’s even busier now with school.
Do you have any summer plans? If so let me know in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!
My tea always has the nicest and heartwarming quotes. 💚
“Your greatest strength is Love.”
– Yogi Tea
School Update:
Semester 1 Complete!
Semester one of nursing school was completed. It was a nice and tough semester, especially with my math class. I managed to struggle through and pass with all A’s and a B in math. I surprised myself, to say the least and I’m glad I pushed myself. Thinking back to how my learning styles have changed, I definitely see a pattern on some things. I definitely am a crash course student. What that means to me is that if I cram semi last minute I tend to retain information more and score higher on tests. I think that is a TERRIBLE habit to have, but for some reason it works for me. These last couple months I have tried to curb that habit and I actually did a little better with it. These classes were asynchronous which worked out great with my work schedules. My next semester (which starts in a week) is also asynchronous, so that kind of eases some stress. Are you wondering what asynchronous means, just like I was before taking these? Asynchronous basically means that students are given a time frame, usually a one-week window. During that time frame they need to connect to their class at least once or twice a day. Doing it on your own with a timeline guidance is great for non hands-on classes.
I wanted to keep tabs on how my classes are going and what grades I earn because this is a big journey for me. This also keeps me motivated in a sense to share how nursing school is and what happens throughout it. I’m excited to start my next set of classes and a little nervous as well. I’m taking a full semester with not four, but five classes! So this should be interesting.
“Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”
—Mother Teresa
Late night studying.
New Things in Store for Me…
Nursing School
I have some big and exciting news to start off 2022. I was accepted into Nursing School and am starting my first semester. This has been a long time coming and it has definitely been a journey along the way. I first started looking into Nursing programs when I graduated high school in 2011. Due to the budget crisis in California way back in the day, the program I was looking at was cut and almost all nursing programs were turned into lottery based systems. So now fast forward about 10 years and I am officially in Nursing school. I am beyond excited, nervous and definitely stressed. Sometimes I think that it isn’t real, but it is. There is so much to learn and I am excited to learn and soak in all this knowledge.
Goals:
Some goals that I will be continuing to work on are my studying techniques and organizational skills. This semester I am doing a big personal change with how I organize. When I was going to school for my Associates in Fire Technology I wrote EVERY single down in a notebook or a planner. I also had assignments and due dates randomly tacked up to my board or laying on a counter top. I decided this time I can’t do that because that was so hectic, even though it worked. I bought a few new items for studying and organizing, one of them being the new Ipad Pro. This thing is amazing so far, I’m still learning as I go because it is a steep learning curve for me. One of the things that I love about it is the Digital Planner aspect. Instead of carrying around a paper planner (which I kind of miss because I love them), the digital planner is much more efficient and accessible. When I go to work I only have to carry around a small notebook, my Ipad and my Apple Pencil. It’s convenient, not bulky and works great off of wifi.
Another goal that I gave myself is: not to set myself up with too many goals. Everybody is different and I know how I work. If I give myself too many goals I will stress myself out and over worry. That is something I don’t want. Lastly my end goal is I want to pass school. Easier said than done.
“You treat a disease: you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you win—no matter the outcome.”
—Robin Williams in Patch Adams
Katie Writes 