My Dad Came To Visit

My Dad came to visit for a few days. It had been a while since I had gotten to see him and there was finally a break in my schedule giving us some time to hang out. Fourteen years I tried snowboarding for the first time and was miserable. At the end of the day my Dad rented a board and tried it with me so I wouldn't be so miserable. This week, we both snowboarded again. I am trying to learn how and he was a good sport and tried it with me. He got some great air (see the picture...). Okay, actually we both got some great air just before we face planted. But we had fun.

We spent a little time in Baltimore as nether of us had been and took in a play at the DC Sheakspere House. It was great!

Plans to leave my current job

No, I am not getting out of the Army just yet...

At the end of April I will be leaving my job as a Staff Nurse on Ward 46. I will be leaving Ward 46 to go the US Army Nurse Corps' Critical Care Course. I will be spending my summer in class furthering my education as I prepare to care for those Warriors Past, Present, and Future in the Critical Care Setting.

I will not have to pack up and move as I will remain at Walter Reed for the course and for the year to follow. I am currently participating in the required online prep course through the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (we all know how much I do not enjoy online courses...) The first half of the course will be in a classroom digging deeper into assessments and reatments (for my APU SON buddies it will be like UNRS-411 eight hours a day for five days a week) . The second half will be hands-on in the ICUs at Walter Reed. It is going to be a summer of studying, studying, and more studying.

I am sure I will have plenty of updates for you as I get started in the course.