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 Masters in Nursing at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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?
Before I started undergraduate studies, I wish I had known how difficult college would be. Choosing schools was important but I did my research and found the right match for me. I went away to school, and was ill-prepared for how much growing up I had to do. Discipline is necessary to get all school work done, and prioritizing was not my strongest asset back then. I should have studied more, because even though at that time I thought I was finished with school forever, knowing more basics of nursing science would have been very helpful with my graduate studies.
As far as graduate nursing school, go at your own pace and pay attention in class. Everything builds on everything else and is necessary for clinicals. Appreciate what you are able to do and learn from your instructors' critiques.
What have you enjoyed most and least during your nursing degree program so far?
The best thing about getting my master's degree has been all the learning and clinicals. It is amazing what has changed since I started nursing, and how much more there is to learn. I'd like to eventually go back to school again to earn my DNP; I don't take the opportunity of school for granted as I did when I was an 18 year old undergraduate.
The thing I have least enjoyed while being in graduate school has been balancing school, work, and family. I have been going part-time to school since January 2006 for a 2 year Master's in Nursing program. The reason for this is that I have a child, have continued to work to support my family, and one class at a time is what I can afford to do. The guilt of never having enough time for my family versus not having enough money because I should work more, but need time to attend class and do homework has been a huge struggle. However, I know I'm doing the right thing for myself and my family and in May I will FINALLY be done!
What led you to choose nursing as a career path?
To be honest, watching reruns of MASH is the first time I decided I was going to be a nurse. I was in grade school and wanted to be a strong O.R. nurse like "Major Hoolihan". By the time I got to junior high, I had made up my mind that I wanted to make a difference in others' lives.
I worked hard in high school, applied to and was accepted to Case Western Reserve University. After graduating and passing boards, I moved to Virginia to begin practicing as a nurse. The best thing about nursing is the variety one can choose in this field. My first job as an RN was on a women's health unit. I moved from there to a neuro step-down unit, then a neuro ICU. Later I was able to become a travel nurse and traveled all over the country! Now here I am in Charlottesville, Virginia, back in neuro ICU and in grad school to become an ACNP, something I never could have predicted. I still enjoy nursing, would do it all again if necessary, and look forward to the rest of my nursing career-wherever it leads me.
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