This answer depends on whether you are in a Psychiatric Unit, Pathophysiology class, or the Pharmacology lecture. In the Psychiatric Nursing Unit, the patients know exactly how to push your buttons, whereas in Patho and Pharm, we study this activity on a cellular level. Throw into the mix a visit from Body Worlds and we have a hands-on presentation of the human body (receptors included) dissected and plasticized for your viewing pleasure.

Going into week three, students have completed 32 hours in a clinical rotation (16 hours 2 days a week)- either catching babies in OB or getting their buttons pushed by patients in Psychiatric units.The three classes that accompany clinicals are Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, and either Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing or Maternal/Child Health Nursing. The other 152 hours of the week go immediately to memorizing drugs, and understanding the inner workings of your body from a pathological perspective. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we start at 8:00 am and end in the early afternoon. The material is much more engaging, but the effort required is comparable to the undergraduate level anatomy and physiology course x 3. Thursday and Friday we gown ourselves in scrubs or uniforms and get a feel for the real-world 8 hour work day. At the end of Thursday, I go to bed about 8:30pm, wake up early on Friday and start all over. With a great clinical group and super instructor, the time passes quickly.

Outside of the university, a classmate and I completed another educational outreach program to the Hispanic Women of Baltimore. This topic was "All you ever wanted to know about Nutrition"  (from a gringita who confuses her Spanish vocab of Sodium with Sulfate… “Be very careful of your sulfate consumption….errr, sodium?") Teaching and interacting with a smaller group of non-English speakers humbles and excites me. It keeps reminding the little travel-bug to keep the passport nearby for international nursing experiences.

As mentioned earlier, the Body Worlds Exhibit came to the Science Museum at the Inner Baltimore Harbor. The Student Government sold tickets and 200 SON students/family members/significant others were awed and amazed (or turned away) by the intricate inner-workings of the human body. After reading about arteriosclerosis in the textbook and then seeing it in the aorta, I think twice about the detrimental effects of inactive lifestyles and fat/cholesterol consumption. Take home message: Take care of your body and it will take care of you! It’s really amazing!

Life here is good. It's very full of drug knowledge, pathophysiology, and therapeutic nursing in mental health. Wisdom from past students reminds us that that this term is the most stressful, but definitely feasible. Set aside other social or academic engagements and FOCUS. Get friendly with your flashcards and find some study buddies.