{Just Checking In}

A quick recap of this past year:

• I returned to Orlando, FL for my SECOND Disney College Program!
• Spent a month exploring the rivers of the world at the World Famous Jungle Cruise
• Ran back into the loving arms of Mickey Mouse and spent the rest of my program in entertainment. 
• Made countless memories with incredible people from around the world
• Met some wonderful girls that I am so grateful to call my friends
• Endured the stickiest, hottest summer of my life
• Moved back home in January
• Took the NCLEX-RN 9 months after nursing school graduation, and passed with the minimum 75 questions
• Accepted a job offer as a circulator in the Operating Room at a large hospital 30 minutes from home

So there you have it! I am enjoying my new life, but I miss the magic of Disney, too!

I'm excited to start this blog back up, and I hope to keep you entertained along the way!

~Courtney

Licensed Practical Nurse

I woke up this morning and almost immediately hopped online to see if my name was posted on the Department of Professional Licensing website. If I had passed the NCLEX, the company that runs the test would have contacted Utah to tell them I am certified to be a licensed nurse. Then DOPL would have assigned me a license number, and posted my information online.

This is kinda the cheater's way of finding out if you passed.

So I rolled out of bed, changed into my gym clothes, and hesitantly typed my name into the DOPL search bar.

To find this.

The most beautiful thing I've ever read in my entire life.

Courtney Alisa Brown, Nurse.

Which means I can technically start signing my name

Courtney Brown, LPN.

I passed the NCLEX!

I'm finally a NURSE!

~Courtney

{ NCLEX }

Well, I took the NCLEX today. A part of me is very happy to be done with the test, but now I am in the 'sit around and wait' portion. I expect to know if I passed by Wednesday morning, and boy, Wednesday feels months away.

The NCLEX has a minimum of 85 questions and a max of 205, and can take up to 5 hours to complete. I was in there for 1.5 hours and had 85 questions. This means that I A) passed, or B) failed miserably.

Obviously I'm hoping for option A.

Oh my gosh, I'm so nervous for my results!
~Courtney

T-minus 6 Days...

I'm taking the NCLEX-PN in 6 days.
Oh my gosh.
I'm nervous.

Congrats to all the other students who have passed! Hopefully I can join your ranks!

It's crazy to think that if/when I pass... I'll finally be a nurse! Yeah, not an associate degree nurse, but a nurse nonetheless! OH MY GOODNESS!!!

Pray for me, friends.
~Courtney

Anatomy of A Heartbeat

When I was a kid, I had a play set with a whole bunch of medical instruments.

My favorite was, of course, the stethoscope. 

I would hold it up to my own heart, and to everyone (and everything) that would let me.

Surprisingly, the stethoscope actually worked.

Not crystal clear, or anything remotely near the actual sound of a heartbeat,

but I loved that dull, muffled thump sound. 

I eventually lost track of that kit,

grew up and stopped playing with toys.

You know, went to school,

forgot about the plastic stethoscope. 

I eventually upgraded to a legitimate one,

about 12 years later.

You can't even imagine the excitement that exploded inside my heart

the first time I put it to my own heart.

It's magic.

Have you ever heard your own heart?

It's life changing. 

You're listening to the thing that's keeping you alive!

It's gratifying.

It makes you realize life is contingent on the strength of a muscle

that's only the size of your fist. 

There are days when I forget the magic of the heartbeat.

But then I remember that it's been a while,

and I pull out my stethoscope and listen for a while.

Just me and my heart.

I've been studying a lot recently for the NCLEX

(national certification licensure examination)

And I've been stressing out,

worrying that I'm going to fail.

I'm still stressed that I'm going to fail.

But I grab my stethoscope

and spend a few minutes reassuring myself...

Pass or fail...

My heart is strong enough to continue beating. 

So that's my idea of the anatomy of a heartbeat.

It's strength.

I'm in nursing school to touch people's lives. 

I'm in nursing school to listen to other's heartbeats

I'm going to be a nurse,

just like my heart's gonna keep beating.

Beat on, my friends.

~Courtney