Why Nursing?
My beloved step-mother is an RN. I grew up hearing all of the worst stories about being a nurse from her and her friends. Consequently, I said I would never be a nurse. The proverbial cliché was true – never say never.
My first degree was in Radio/TV/Film, so how and why did I become a nurse? It was a God-thing. My then husband’s first wife was fighting him for higher child support after she moved to California. However, he was in the Air Force and protected under the Soldier’s and Sailor’s Civil Relief Act. Unfortunately for us, the first judge didn’t care if he was legally a resident of New Mexico. She ruled against us. It looked like he was going to have to get out of the military and move back to New Mexico as there was no way we could afford California child support rates for three children on his enlisted salary. Film had not yet become prominent in NM. So, I looked into jobs with decent salaries back in our home state.
I took career and aptitude tests repeatedly. Nursing kept coming up as the top choice. Now remember, I didn’t want to become a nurse. Nurses are under paid, overworked, unappreciated, vomited on, peed on, pooped on, spit at, yelled at, cursed at, hit, they don’t get breaks, etc. It is not a career for the weak or dispassionate. So, I kept ignoring the prompt to become a nurse.
After weeks of tests telling me how wrong I was, I decided to make a bargain with God. I know, probably not the best choice. I told God if He really wanted me to become a nurse, then I would. But, He needed to make it happen. We didn’t have much money to spend, having to pay lawyer’s fees and fighting the injustice all the way to the California Supreme Court (btw, they decided unanimously in my then husband’s favor).
The current semester had already begun, but I went to the LA Harbor College Nursing Office and spoke with the Director. I asked what it would take to begin the program in the fall. She was incredulous until she looked at my transcripts. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. I missed Sum Cum Laude by 0.004 of a point (That is a story for another time). She figured out what pre-requirements I still needed and worked out a plan to include summer school.
The hitch was I would need to convince the instructors to add me even though we were 3 weeks into the semester. She promised if I got into the classes and kept up my GPA, she’d admit me into the program in the coming fall semester. I said ok.
As I walked to the microbiology classroom, I had a conversation with God once more. I didn’t think I would get in. I was confident this wouldn’t work and I wouldn’t have to become an overworked registered nurse. I approached the instructor with the add slip. Her response, “The first exam is tomorrow. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Being a bit cocky I replied, “Well, I may fail the first exam, but I will ace the rest.” She told me later, she let me add the class to see if I could back up my assertion. I did. The rest is history. I was admitted to the nursing program that coming fall semester and for the next two years I worked myself to the bone. It was a whole different world and language. The worst aspects of nursing school were the exams. You see, I was used to test questions with 1 correct answer. In nursing, there are multiple correct answers. You must choose the ‘most correct’ answer. It drove me nuts. (hint to nursing students: purchase practice test books with explanations as to why the ‘most correct’ answer is the right choice. And take them repeatedly!)
LA Harbor College has an incredible pass rate for the NCLEX, but an extremely high attrition rate. I made it through and passed my licensing exam on the first try. God won. I was now a registered nurse. I’m glad He pushed me in that direction. Nursing has been a wonderful career for me. An ever changing adventure.
When I went back to LA to see loved ones and visited a local hangout to watch a friend’s brother’s band, people still recognized me and tried to hand me their cards. They were shocked when I informed them I was out and now a nurse. The most common response being, “What?! Why? That uses a completely different side of the brain.”
True enough. I suppose it’s a good thing I inherited my mother’s analytical abilities along with my creative skills. I honestly believe the combination makes me a better nurse. I am an ICU, IR, ER nurse with years of experience as a travel contract nurse. My nursing career has sustained me after a very messy divorce and it allowed me to help others. A very rewarding aspect I would have missed had I not chosen this career. Well, had God not chosen this career for me. That is how I became a nurse. And, it’s a good thing.
Follow this blog, Nursing Niche, on the 1st & 15th of every month, as I talk about all the various areas of nursing, what it’s actually like, how to get into them, and other tidbits on nursing in general.
