I PASSED!!!!

Competence of nursing knowledge RT passing the NCLEX on the first try AEB a huge sigh of relief, jumping up and down and grabbing an ETOH beverage.   

In non-medical terms ... I am now Emily Mazurak RN, BSN, MPH!!

Not Just a (soon to be) Nurse

"Why didn't you go to med school?"  "Did you think med school would be too hard?"  

"Why would you want to be just a nurse?"

I am sure if you talk with many nursing students who are currently in school, they have been asked the above questions more than once.  Not only did that happen to me, but in the beginning I always felt the need to explain that I could have cut it and would eventually be pursuing a masters in nursing.  As time went on, I began to realize the different hats nurses wear and really think about why I wanted to become a nurse.  The party line now describes the difference between doctors and nurses - medicine is treats the disease where nursing treats the human response to the disease.

Last Sunday, nursing students from across the state attended the Annual Maryland Association of Nursing Students Convention.  This year's theme ... Just a Nurse? No Such Thing because the truth of the matter is that nurses are more than just a nurse.  A few months ago an article written by Kateri Allard went viral and she so eloquently described why she was more than just a nurse and the need to change the perception not only within the field, but more importantly outside the field as well.  We were fortunate enough to have Kateri as our keynote speaker and I am sure it got most of the audience thinking about their profession in a different light; I know it sure made me reassess (hence this post).

MANS lettering written out in lanyards from Emilyy050

Kateri sums it up well:

I am a Nurse. I didn’t become a nurse because I couldn’t cut it in med school, or failed organic chemistry, but rather because I chose this. I work to maintain my patient’s dignity through intimate moments, difficult long term decisions, and heartbreaking situations. I share in the joy of newly born babies and miraculously cured diseases. I share in the heart break of a child taken too soon, a disease too powerful, a life changed forever. My patient is often an entire family. I assess and advocate. Sometimes I wipe bottoms, often I give meds, but that isn’t the extent of what I do. There are people above me, and people below. I work closely with both, without them, I could not do what I do well. I chose this profession and love almost every minute of it. I know I am not alone and I appreciate all of the nurses who work alongside me. Many of them have shaped me into the nurse I am. Someday I will shape others into the nurse they will be. This wasn’t my plan B, it was my plan A, and I would gladly choose it again.

NCLEX TOMORROW!!

After countless hours in lecture and in clinical and even more studying (or at least that is what it feels like) tomorrow I sit for my boards and fingers crossed will be able to add RN to the alphabet soup after my name.

Pray for a swift tail wind easy questions where not all of the choices are the right choice and I have to choose the best answer. 

Only in the US

So life right now pretty consists of studying, studying, eating and studying (NCLEX t-minus 91 hours), but there are a few moments where I steal away and enter the wonderful world of The Meta Picture.  Every once and a while I come across a gem which is too good to go unshared.  Today I present: #HamburgerEarmuffs

Snow is in the Forecast

SO EVERYBODY FREAK OUT!!!

Years ago when I moved to DC, I was shocked at the city wide panic which would ensue.  Even the mention of 1-3 inches would send the city into a tailspin and people would be taking bets on whether or not there would be school/work.  The only exception was the year we all survived Snowmagedon 2010.  Fast forward a few years and the same is true of Baltimore County.  Today, however, the weather people might be a bit more on track.

Day 4 of the #100happydays project: 

Drinking hot chocolate from a DIY snowflake mug

#100happydays

"Can you be happy for 100 days in a row?"

With a tag line like that, who wouldn't be curious to see what they meant.  I came across the 100 Happy Days project thanks to a friend's facebook post.  In a world where everyone is running around, people may feel like they do not have the time for 100 happy days or are unable to find the simple pleasures of life.  Apparently 71% of people who set off to find what makes them happy are not able to complete the project.  

100 days seems like quite a long time, but here goes nothing!  If you want to follow along I am tracking these little moments in Instagram, so come find me.  I will try to find a few more things which make me happy besides coffee and bikes and try to post a few here now and then.

Day 1: DC Street Art

Arctic Freeze

When you wake up to temperatures like this it can only mean one thing ... break out the brand new handed down Le Creuset Dutch Oven and get to cooking!  I should readily admit that while what we are facing here in Baltimore is no where near the low, low, low temperatures in the Midwest, I am still not a happy camper.  Seriously, it is warmer in my freezer than it is outside.

Can't remember the last time you were so cold?  Well that would make sense as the US has not seen temps like these in 20 years.  Turns out we can blame something called a polar vortex which is a strong, counterclockwise wind which is usually found at the north pole.  Every once and a while the winds move further south and make winter in the US feel like winter in Siberia.

Feeling a little broke after the holidays, what could be better than making a big pot of pasta e fagioli AKA Italian bean and pasta soup.  You render some bacon, caramelize some onions, throw in the beans and cook low and slow in the oven.  Here is an obligatory before picture.  As this is not a food blog, I do the minimal photography thing, but remembered to snag one before I put on the lid.

This time I attempted to follow the recipe found on The Kitchen, but I ended up making a few tweaks along the way (mainly because I thought I knew what I was doing and misread part of the directions).  I also swapped out the white wine for some red because that is what I had on hand and it was a good life decision!

This simple peasant soup (read cheap) will keep me going for days to come.

Study. Study. DANCE. Study.

As 2013 has come and gone (seriously where did last year go?) I am able to present a little project I have been working on over the past twelve months.  Two summers ago I completely stole the idea from the internet sensation Matt and decided to make a video of my own.  SUS'ians grew to love the almost daily dance videos which helped to commemorate our trip across the country.


At last year's reunion, a few friends suggested I take videos throughout 2013 and pull them all together at the end of the year.  Secretly I think they missed being in the videos and this would give them an excuse to relive their glory days dance moves at all upcoming reunions.

Well 365 days later I have complied videos from around the US, Argentina and Peru.  Who would have thunk with all those classes I would have had time for so many adventures?  There were more, but I would remember the video after I had gotten home.

SUS'ians, stay tuned until the end because I found some lost video footage!

Hello 2014

After a few hours of sleep, we were all up and trying to collect our belongings; it's funny how quickly 13 people can take over a house.  Feeling the need to continue the adventure, the DC part of the group headed through the Shenandoah Valley to Luray Caverns, one of the largest caverns in the United States.

Here is the oldest structure in the cavern.  Do you see the shaggy dog?  

Hint: the head is on the left hand side and you can see two legs.

The highlight of the tour was Dream Lake.  After the last flood, water was left behind and now creates a perfect mirror of the stalactites above making them look like stalagmites.

Towards the end of the tour we were brought to the Stalacpipe Organ.  A guy by the name of Mr. Sprinkle (yup that is not a typo) spent three years hitting different stalactites to find those which correlated with 37 different musical notes.  He then created the world's largest musical instrument (it spans 3.5 acres) where the rubber mallets hit the stalactites to create music.

Last up on the tour was a wishing well.  

All of the money is taken out once a year and goes to a variety of medical and education programs.  

The crew arrived back in one piece just as the sun was setting ... a Todd sandwich between two Emilys