Celebrating 6 months of Steffanie {Employed} BSN, RN!!

 

6 months!

A few months ago I wrote about my best friend Melanie successfully having 6 full months of full-time nursing employment in a job that she absolutely adores (here)! Now it's a shout-out to Steffanie, she has persevered through studying for boards, passing, and now successfully completing 6 months of full-time nursing employment. The three of us have decided that transitioning to full-time nursing is tiring, difficult, and frustrating at times, and quite frankly is a hard job that is not really all that glamorous. So in order to be the best nurses we can be and continue to support each other in this career we choose to celebrate the milestones and anniversaries along the way. As well as this allows us to be intentional about our friendships even when it's a time in our lives it would be really easy to be independent and go our separate ways. So for this weekend of celebrating will be going to Graves Hotel and spending a night in downtown Minneapolis, relaxing, celebrating, and spending time together. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Steff and spend time together. I'm hoping I will have a few pictures to throw together a fun blog post from our shinanigans.

Post dated for April 21st - Steff's official 6 month anniversary. Post written 04/27/2014

Celebrating 6 months of Melanie {Employed} BSN, RN!!

6 month anniversary.

I have mentioned my good friend Melanie on this good ol' space before {here}, but this weekend Melanie, Steff and I all celebrated Melanie successfully completing 6 full months of full-time RN employment on February 9th, 2014. Back when we graduated and passed our boards we promised each other we would take time to celebrate, relax, and enjoy time away from the pressures of working as a nurse on a routine basis. Whether this was with going out for dinner, on a vacation, or a simple overnight in our lovely city we call home. So it was decided that we would start out by celebrating our 6-month anniversary's of our official start date at our jobs. Melanie was hired as a full-time public health nurse, working for a non-profit organization that sends nurses to work in the homes of patients that have a psychiatric diagnosis and need skilled nursing visits, weekly/ bi-monthly/ or monthly. In her role as a field nurse, she has the demanding job of being part care-coordinator, advocate, and bed-side nurse. She works hard and puts 100% into every patient, they are long days but she also knows she's where she wants to be. She has a heart and passion for her patients and that's evident in how she talks about her job, even on the bad/ crappy days..because yes, they exist.

So we planned an awesome overnight in downtown Minneapolis. We stayed the night in Minneapolis' Hotel Ivy, enjoyed facials & massages at the Ivy Spa Club, and ended the night with a movie on demand and wine. All things that allowed all three of these nurses to take full advantage of relaxation and respite from the demanding jobs that we are learning to love. Next will be Steffanie's 6 month anniversary on April 21st, so please feel free to pass along recommendations of hotels/ spas/ accommodations in the twin cities we're all ears! 

Here's a few iPhone photos from our girls overnight :-)

Steffanie BSN, RN

Steffanie BSN, RN!!!!

You did it! After everything was all said and done you rocked it no matter how much you doubted yourself you rocked and kicked the NCLEX-RN exam's ass! You have been with me through it all, every last clinical we were able to share together and I wouldn't have wanted it with anyone else. I have seen you "in action" and you are going to be a hard-working, caring, patient, diligent nurse and your future patients and families will be so lucky to have you. You worked so hard for this day, and I am so glad I can celebrate alongside you. I selfishly hope you stay up north and find jobs together so I am not left to do it on my own. You have been a teammate, classmate, and now a life-long friend! I'm so glad our paths crossed back your freshman year as my "little sis". 

Congratulations!

You are BEAST!

 

 

Melanie BSN, RN

Congratulations Melanie!!

I know I'm bias but I'm pretty sure I have the smartest friends around. I mean seriously, everyone passing their boards the first time in the fewest amount of questions possible?! Yeah, they're pretty awesome. Melanie is no different. She is the most caring, loving, non-judgmental person I know and it will make her a really good nurse because of it. She is a very loyal friend, and can't imagine my life without her. I am really excited to see where her nursing career takes her, because she is someone any employer would be lucky to have! 

Melanie, you rocked it, and you're so humble about it too. I have a lot of learning to do having you as a friend. Now it's time, you can enjoy summer in any way you feel like! (I guess now it's my turn, way to set the standards REALLY high...) ;-)

Ashley, BSN RN//

(No....not me....not yet)

Congratulations Ashley!!

I am so excited for you, yesterday when you called me after the exam I just knew you passed! So today when you texted me that it was official I was elated!You have worked hard, studied a lot, and gave up other "college" things to finally say you kicked NCLEX's butt! It's crazy to think that just over two years ago I first met you in our first nursing clinical and now we can say we were roommates and friends. Fargo, ND is so lucky to have you as their newest edition. The babies and families will be loved and cared for to the fullest during their time in the NICU.

You're going to be a fabulous RN, and I can't wait to see where life takes you on this journey!  

(Thanks for motivating me to keep studying and preparing for my exam, it's the support from you that I appreciate more than you'll ever know!)

Celebrating the Big Things! {While enjoying the little things}

Laura, RT//

Today, my good good friend and last-years roommate passed her Respiratory board exam today! She officially can add "RT" to the end of her name. I am so so excited for her, I know she was really nervous going in but I knew she could do it and she did! Respiratory therapy as in nursing you cannot work until you pass your boards, and lucky her she has a job waiting for her which means she REALLY needed to pass. She is also the first of my group of friends who graduated this year that took the boards, as I mentioned on facebook it is encouraging and pushes the rest of us to continue to study and work hard so we can have the feeling of relief and excitement she's having. She is going to be an awesome respiratory therapist, her patients, employer, and fellow health care providers she will work with are really lucky! If I get the opportunity to every work with her, I will be so happy!

Congratulations Laura! You finally can feel the relief and excitement of graduation and being finished!
Celebrations will continue this weekend :-)

Little things that I'm enjoying right now:
- Sun
- Summer weather
- Frozen lemonade from Panera
- Getting a "select all that apply", "correct order", and "select a region" questions right on a practice exam today, first time ever!...must mean I'm learning something with all these study sessions!
- Having our foreign exchange student in town from Amsterdam on vacation living with us again after a year (I visited him in Amsterdam back in January when my flight had a layover on my return trip from Africa {here})