Drama and Estrogen

Sarah Berning. SN

It's Confession Time. Being in an estrogen dominated environment was the one aspect of nursing school that really scared me before I started. I don't know why it concerned me so much because I've grown up always surrounded by other girls...but on the other hand-maybe that's why I was so scared! I guess I've just always had the feeling that a class full of girls would have waaaay more than it's fair share of drama-and guess what? I was right. It's not all bad and certainly lends itself to some very amusing moments-but sometimes I would give a lot to be an engineering major and bypass all this estrogen! Especially when we're all packed into a tiny classroom...and especially when we're in a tiny classroom right before finals week...and especially when we're packed into one tiny classroom right before finals week and our hormones are all peaking at once!! In fact, it got to the point last week that there was so much drama in class I started really look forward to our end of the week clinicals. For some reason my exam exhausted mind thought clinicals sounded like safe place to retreat and escape from all the gossip. Ha. When I showed up to the hospital on clinical morning I realized (all over again) that the hospital is literally the grand central station of gossip and drama!!

And another comment-why have I never been coached on the correct way to approach doctors? Why do people assume all student nurses are humble, polite and sweet girls with zero attitude? Why has no one ever considered that some of us might have really smart mouths and really bad observational skills? Why has no one considered any scenarios where a doctor comes up to the little student nurse and is totally rude and the student nurse doesn't notice that the doctor is a doctor until its just a leetle too late and she's already totally told him off?!...not that this suggestion has anything to do with personal experience or anything like that...

On a positive note, I officially have my next two years of school completely scheduled out-which is a very secure place to be! It's weird to have my classes all the way through senior year already marked out...I'm not used to this level of organization and planning!! It makes graduation seem so very very far away and yet close at the same time.

On another positive note- I really really like all the aspects of nursing that have to do with patient care. I really like working with my patients and I really like all the medical aspects of caring for them so those are the two major parts of nursing that are absolutely great!