Elyse

IV

Chapter IV

I reached my first class and walked through the door. There stood a middle-aged woman with light brown hair. She had dark blue scrubs on with her hair pulled neatly into a pony tail.

She looked up in my direction as I walked into the classroom. The classroom wasn't like any classroom I had ever seen. It had about ten large tables, with about 15 chairs at each table. At the front was a large desk with a computer, projector and speaker.

"Hello? Can I help you?" The woman spoke softly.

"Hi, I am here for the foundational nursing class." I looked around noticing other people in the room. Maybe I had gone to the wrong classroom.

"Oh, you're in the right place then!" She smiled and looked back down at her computer.

The rest of the students in the classroom had dark blue scrubs on as well. Maybe they weren't students. I wasn't sure but they all looked so professional and I looked, well, like a typical student.

"Your name is Elyse Wilder, correct?" The woman spoke again.

"Yes." I studied her facial expression to make sure I was in the right place. I felt as if I was interrupting.

"Have a seat where ever you would like. I will talk to you in a moment. I need to get the other students started for the day." She stood up and walked over to the students in the scrubs.

I wandered over to the opposite side, careful not to be in the way of the others. I heard her giving directions to the other students as I waited. Soon after she made her way to my chair.

"Hi, I am Linda. I will be your instructor for this class. I'm not sure if you are familiar with this class..."

I shook my head.

"Okay, well welcome firstly." She smiled again, "this class is typically self taught. It is one of the hardest classes you will take while studying to become a nurse. I will speak briefly each day about the things you should get accomplished, depending where you are at. You will start with module one and work your way all the way through to module fifteen. This usually takes the majority of students around 15 weeks."

She looked over towards the rest of the students and back to me, "but if you are really smart, just like your mother, you will finish it even sooner," she winked.

I smiled and watched the other students typing on their computers.

"So, do you have any questions for me?"

I looked back to Linda and shook my head, "no I don't think so."

"Okay great! Just to let you know, at the end of every five modules you will have an exam. This exam will be pencil and paper with me. It will be around fifty to sixty questions for each one. Then at the end, you will take a final examination which will show that you have learned everything in this course. You may only work on your modules in class. But you are free to review your modules at home that you have completed when you come in for your exam. Oh! And I almost forgot. Everyday you will come in wearing scrubs. I will go get those for you. What size shirt and pants do you typically wear?"

I thought for a second before answering, "I should be around a large I think for all of them."

"Okay great! I will go get those for you. Once I come back, you can go to the bathroom and change. There is a locker room for you nursing students too. I will show you where that is!" She stood up and walked out of the room quickly.

I sat and waited until Linda got back. She got back fairly quickly and handed me two pairs of pants, two pairs of shirts and two pairs of white socks. She also handed me a computer. I had never seen such a nice computer. It had a dark blue cover with the words "Nursing Student 324 Computer" and a little lower on it, it had Elyse Wilder and my ID photo.

"Oh I forgot to get your shoe size!" She chuckled and looked at me.

"Oh, my shoe size is a size 7." I watched as she nodded and walked back out of the room.

Seconds later she came back with a pair of white shoes and handed them to me.

"Let's go get you to the locker room." She started to walk out of the classroom and I quickly followed.

Down the hallway, she went through a door labeled Nursing and walked down a narrow hallway into a light green room filled with lockers and a bathroom area.

"Your locker should be this one." She pointed at the locker that had Nursing Student 324 on it. She told me the code and I opened the locker. It had so much in it. There was a black stethoscope, a black bag with Nursing Student 324 sewn into it and another smaller bag at the bottom.

"There is a lot of stuff in these, but the majority you will not need until you pass this course. Once you finish, you will be set up for the next set of courses. You need to get a 82% to pass this class to continue. I will be in the classroom. Feel free to look at some of the stuff and change. You can leave your clothes in here for now too. Everyday most of the students wear something in to school and then change here." She said and walked out the door.

There was so much stuff inside of this tiny locker. I grabbed my scrubs and changed into them. After changing I shoved my other clothes into the locker. I wandered back out into the hallway and down into the classroom. Linda sat at her desk and the other students worked on their modules.

I sat down and opened my computer case which had a charger and a mouse. I pressed the on button and watched the screen come to life. For the majority of the day I spent reading, watching and answering practice questions. I managed to get through a module in four hours. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Next thing I knew I heard my name being called, "Elyse Wilder, Elyse Wilder to the administration office." I looked up to my teacher with worry. Why was I being called to the office?

Linda nodded towards the door and I took that as the hint to go. I closed my computer and put it back in the case. It was already one o'clock in the afternoon. I was hungry by this point, but I didn't know when I was allowed to eat or where the cafe was.

I stood up and walked out the doors with my things and wandered down the hall to a door that said "Administration Office." I opened the door and there sat the secretary I saw this morning.

"Hello again!" She smiled and looked back to her computer, "Mr. Janson wants to see you. Don't worry though!" She pointed to a door behind her.

I slowly walked towards the door and turned the knob. I pushed the door open and I was shocked to see what was in front of me.