A year ago today I found out that I was accepted in to nursing school! It was such an exciting day. I was so proud and also so relieved to get good news! I have no regrets, however it's been a rollercoast of emotions ever since. I think the SCHOOL aspect is what is hardest. Tons of readings, taking tests, doing care plans, minimal social life, etc... that's not exactly enjoyable. And really the suggested dynamics of "nurses eat their young" has never really surfaced for me. I've never experienced this. I'm not sure why except I really, REALLY try to impress my instructors so that they don't have to cut into me for slack work. My job is to show them that I KNOW my stuff, to ALWAYS be prepared, to continue to progress in my skills and apply what I've learned in the clinical setting. I think the fact that I've had very good interactions with my instructors, both in classroom and in the clinical setting is that I show them respect (which they return). Sure, I have my days where I've left frustrated, but I would never talk disrespectfully to them or challenge them in front of my peers. Anyone who does this is a fool! In a few short years, these are the very people who we'll be asking for references/recommendations! Unfortunately there is an active nursing school rumor mill and way too much gossip. And sadly, venting is a form of gossip that seems to be widely accepted--yes, I do it too :( But honestly, I have very few complaints about my nursing school experience. My complaints stem around the fact that I don't like to be tied down to my books all the time and that "my life is not my own". But I feel that I'm in an excellent program that is preparing me well to take the NCLEX and preparing me clinically to give good, thoughtful patient care. My learning to be a nurse will extend FAR past nursing school--a reality that is both reassuring and frightening.
Another great aspect of my experience this past year is getting to know people that were not part of my life before. Specifically there are two women, M and L, who I am so grateful to have met my first semester. They are also older students and somehow we clicked! It's nice to have friends within the program who you can vent with...who truly understand! We've met for study group sessions, we've gone out to lunch together, & every semester we sit together in our lecture courses. Since we aren't taking classes this summer, we're already planning to meet once a week this summer to start reviewing for the NCLEX! We're already discussing next fall and sharing information that we are learning from other sources about courses and clinicals etc... I totally expect that we'll be prepping and taking boards together, looking for jobs together and providing moral support to each other during our first year of nursing. So grateful!
Hard to believe it's been a year since that acceptance letter arrived. However, THIS SUMMER, I will not be working full-time, not taking a single class (last summer I took THREE classes). And I won't be running all over Charlottesville completing this and that requirements. I'm going to ENJOY my summer.
Congrats to my friend Jennifer (we met in Microbiology) who was just accepted into the nursing program!
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