Editors Note: This nursing student story essay was selected from BrainTrack's Nursing Schools Scholarship for fall 2009. At the time of submittal this entrant was studying for a Bachelor of Nursing at Saint Xavier University in Chicago, Illinois.
Wishes Had Known |
Program Likes/Dislikes |
Choosing Nursing
What do you wish you had known about selecting and entering your nursing school that would be helpful to others going into nursing?
I chose nursing as a career path thanks to my sister Courtney. I was a senior in high school and my sister and I were talking about my upcoming graduation and my dreams for the future. Courtney said that I should look into becoming a nurse because I have always loved helping people and loved anatomy in high school. I began to research different programs and about the career and I fell in love.
I also have felt a profound connection to the medical profession since the day I was born. I was born without a soft spot, essentially leaving my brain with no room to grow. The amazing doctors and nurses at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago operated on me at eight months of age and then one year of age. Because of them I have led a normal life, I am not disfigured as I would have been had I not had the surgery. In addition, without their professional expertise I would have undergone brain injury and cognitive decline. The staff at Children’s put me into their medical books as a success and I have felt that way all my life.
I currently work as a nurse assistant at Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. I have learned and witnessed so much at work in addition to the wealth of knowledge that I am soaking up at Saint Xavier University. Nursing has been a blessing to me and I am very excited to give back to my community.
What have you enjoyed most and least during your nursing degree program so far?
My nursing program at Saint Xavier University has given me more than I could ever ask for. I have enjoyed building my knowledge of the medical field so much. Our first semester of actual nursing classes was wonderful. My family may disagree because I was constantly taking their pulse, pumping their arms up with my blood pressure cuff and performing head to toe assessments on them! Since then I have had clinical rotations at three different hospitals and have been exposed to a few different sides of nursing.
I enjoyed most the day that I was assigned at a local hospital’s emergency room to shadow a nurse. Upon entering the facility I knew that the emergency department was the place for me. Learning how to prepare and administer IV medications has also been very rewarding. Most importantly I love to hear my patients say at the end of my clinical day that they felt well taken care of by me and that I am in the right profession. Nursing school gives a student that hands on experience that most other majors lack.
The thing that I have enjoyed least from my nursing program is the loss of my free time! You can always find me at one of four places, school for lecture, my clinical sites, at home studying or at work. In the long run however these years of tough studies will pay off. I figure that if that is the aspect I like the least than I am in the right profession! I have found that if you want something enough you will put your best foot forward and keep going until you get it.
What led you to choose nursing as a career path?
I wish that I had thoroughly researched schools of nursing at the universities I applied to. Upon acceptance to a certain large state school that my brother attended I immediately registered. I knew that I wanted to be a nursing major and I knew they had some sort of nursing program so I blindly jumped in. Shortly after the start of my freshman year I discovered their program was quite small. Over time I had some experiences with their hospitals and I was not impressed.
One night I sat down and thought to myself, “Is this where I want to learn the skills that will guide my life’s passion?” I knew the answer right away. I began researching schools of nursing in Illinois, especially ones close to where I lived. I came home from my school a few weekends and went to some open houses. Saint Xavier University caught my attention and I applied to their nursing program. I was accepted and transferred in my sophomore year of college. Due to the transfer process I am one semester behind in graduating. On looking back I do wish that I had not only researched the universities that I liked, but also their specific nursing programs. Nursing programs are similar, but different and a student needs to find one that fits with their learning style and preferences.
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