THE STUDENT NURSES'LOUNGE!! (aka "The Hard Knock Cafe")

Musical selection: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, K. 492, courtesy of Classical MIDI Archives, © 1999 Pierre R. Schwob

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Welcome! You're visitor # to the Student Nurses' Lounge!

Welcome to the FINALLY revised new homepage of THE STUDENT NURSES' LOUNGE! I got rid of the chatchkes, the fluff, and excess baggage, and simplified this page. Now if only I could the same with my life.

This is where "nurse wannabes" can hang out, relax, grab a cuppa Java java, meet other nursing students, enjoy some of the world's greatest classical music (from Classical MIDI Archives, © 1999 Pierre R. Schwob), or swap stories. Most of all, it's a place to share experiences and ideas, help each other out, and draw strength from each other. Or think of it as sort of like the nursing school version of the Smithsonian Institute -- all kindsa stuff, little nooks and crannies, and it takes at least a week to see it all.

Let's face it. No one knows what it's like to be a nursing student like another nursing student. Friends and family members don't always give you the support we need, and sometimes even instructors and we experienced nurses forget what it was like to be a student -- scared, excited, hands shaking as we prepare to give our first injection or insert our first catheter (which automatically confers membership in the exclusive Catheter Club). Not to mention ugly uniforms, instructors from Hell, care plans, test questions where all the answers seem to be wrong -- in short, all the things that make nursing school the wonderful adventure that it is. And all leading up to the dreaded NCLEX!!

This is YOUR site and I'm still looking for your contributions -- poems, essays, jokes, stories, etc. Just e-mail or snail mail 'em to me and I'll get 'em in STAT!

Just a few words about myself: My name is Diana Bitritto, RN, Diva Nurse, at your service, and in Dec. 2007 I received my AAS in nursing online from Excelsior College in Albany, NY. In Jan. 1999 I graduated from the 2 yr evening LPN program at Ocean County Vocational Technical School in Toms River, New Jersey. I worked until 2010 when I retired (not my decision but then that's another story). Now I do volunteer work for a free primary care facility and sometimes do wellness screenings and flu shots. I love being a nurse (usually)! But let me tell you, pals 'n' gals, real nursing ain't NUTHIN' like nursing school! (But then, ain't NUTHIN' like nursing school anyway

I was born in 1948 (do the math), have a husband, an adult son, a dog, several tattoos, and 3 bicycles. Before that I worked in banking for 11 years, which is about one step up from a funeral parlor. I also used to be a legal secretary several lifetimes ago but decided I wanted to do something less stressful, like bomb squad. I live in Cliffside Park, NJ, which is about a half hour bus ride out of midtown Manhattan. My passions include nursing, bicycling, science and historical stuff, my home state of New Jersey, skating (ice, inline, and quad), old cemeteries, flamingos, and classical music (especially Beethoven), not necessarily in that order. And my classic, all-American, hopelessly dysfunctional family, when we're not fighting and yelling and screaming at each other and generally driving each other crazy. My e-mail address is JerZFox@aol.com (Because it's a helluva lot easier to type than JerZTiredOldDog@aol.com.)

The biggest mistake that nursing students and new nurses make is that they make it harder for themselves than it has to be. Sure, it's tough, but not impossible! Relax, let it go, and have some fun with it! That's what this site is all about.

Have you had a particularly rewarding or aggravating clinical? Feeling discouraged? Have a question about a subject, medication, or procedure? Want to share a joke or two? Whether you're seeking information, support, a cyber-shoulder to cry on, or just wanna say "Hi," your fellow SNs are waiting to hear from you. Please feel free to put an entry in the guestbook, e-mail me with your comments, or just chill out.

I'm also looking for Guest Authors to contribute to this site. We welcome essays, poems, research papers, etc. on any nursing (or non-nursing) topic. Did you got an A in your Alzheimer's paper? Don't keep it to yourself; share it with us! Got any tips on dosage calculations (ugh!), writing nursing processes (HELP!!!), or doing a procedure? Did you have a particularly memorable patient? What's your view on (mis)managed care or the role of nurses in the future? How 'bout you seasoned pros -- any words of wisdom to impart to these eager newbies (besides "Go into another field")? Here's your chance to share your wisdom and impress your fellow SN's with your literary or poetic talents! E-mail or snail mail your contribution, along with a brief bio and your e-mail address (optional) and I'll include it stat, and maybe even sooner.

I'd like to hear from nursing students (as well as instructors, experienced nurses, and anyone else) with different perspectives -- "recycled students" like myself, young students, male students and nurses, international, gay/lesbian/bi/trans, disabled. Whatever your background is, you're welcome in the Student Nurses' Lounge anytime! So take a break from the books and SMILE! And if I convince just one of you to get on a bike, listen to classical music, visit New Jersey, or most of all, to realize that nursing school can be fun and rewarding, then all this effort I've put into this site is worth it!

Other stuff from the fevered mind of yours very truly:

THE NEW JERSEY ANTHOLOGY
The Real Thing by Kim B.
Million Nurse March by Julie
Nina by Joel Hart
Seven Nurses Contributed by Rebadee
You Know You're from New Jersey If... Contributed by JULIECR
And God Created New Jersey Contributed by Marcie
Male Nurses, Men in a Female Dominated Profession: The Perceived Need for Masculinity Maintenance By Christopher Neighbours, New Zealand
Application to Live in New Jersey Contributed by my classmate, Laurie Stauffer, LPN
Mija's Legacy by Sue Angelo
Poems by Vera Johnston, RN
Danielle Welzig
The Student Nurse's Prayer by Meredith Joyner, Nash Community College, NC
20 Things I've Learned from Being a Nurse by Sally P. Karioth, RN, Ph.D,, Associate Professor of Nursing, Florida State University
Poems by Michele Paterson, EN, West Perth Australia
Circle of Life - a poem by Jeff Reichardt, RN

This site was created on TRIPOD. Copyright© 2004 by Diana Bitritto