Artifacts

The following photos are images that symbolize my journey in the first semester of nursing school and will be forever in my mind when I reflect on this time in my life.

I won this stethoscope on an Instagram giveaway in 2018. At the time I would not have imagined being in the compressed BScN program at Trent by 2024. Where I thought this stethoscope and I would go – I did not know. However, I am grateful I get to use it as a nursing student.  I hope to be able to one day give back to other students by doing giveaways on my own Instagram.

This calendar has been a great way for me to plan timelines and visualize the “Semester-at-a-Glance”, as the manufacture advertises. I originally saw another student purchase one from the book store and went back a few days later to buy one. I felt very organized when I picked a colour for each course and write out all the important deadlines. I really appreciate how it lays out all the dates. In my past educational experiences I have been notorious for letting due dates slip my mind or panicking at the last minute – this has been minimized this semester. 

Here she is, the infamous iPad! I love taking notes in an app called Notability and being able to write and draw right on the slides. All my notes are organized and I can review them easily to study. For me this item represents my role transition back into being a student and adapting to the new technology and norms as 2024 learner.

Beside my desk, a collage of my previous degrees hang. I have earned a Bachelors’ of Science in Community Health Sciences, a Minor in Addiction Treatment Services and a Masters of Public Health. I also, was a member of the NCAA Division 1 All-Academic Women’s Cross Country Team in 2018. There are days I feel behind in life or unremarkable, on these days sometimes glancing at this wall helps me remember the things I have accomplished and the work I am capable of continuing to do. I look forward to being able to add my BScN to this wall… but how should I arrange them? We have some time to figure that out.

I don’t have any good pictures of my car – however this one looks the same (maybe a bit cleaner than mine is at the moment). I got it in the summer before starting nursing school and as a commuter student it is just as much as a part of the journey as my iPad and books. I feel safe and well connected in my car with adaptive cruise and Apple CarPlay. Driving and hour and fifteen minutes to Trent means I have time to listen to textbooks on the BookShelf app before coming to class or relax with some music on the drive.