Just completed my first class!

Well...this is it. I've just completed my first seven week "mini-mester" of the BSRN program! I have so many emotions about having finally started. First of all, I can't believe how fast the first class went. Second of all, the level of writing that was expected was a little of a shock after not writing for SO long!
But most of all, I have a deep sense of accomplishment. I love knowing that there are others in my same boat that are both fearful of the long road ahead but confident enough to actually begin this endeavor.
When I decided to sign up for the BSRN program, I decided on a Friday morning, got my paperwork together over the weekend, picked up my sealed transcripts, and went over to Scott Fortner's office. I decided that if I was ever going to get that Bachelor's in nursing, I needed to sign up right away or the confidence to actually do it, might be gone by the next day.
This is a 2 year process, but you know what they say....How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. The first bite was delicious:)

"Personal Philosophy": Transitions to Professional Nursing

My entry into nursing came in my early 30's. I'd recently had my second child and had been out of my original field long enough that it had left me behind, turning from drafting on paper and model building by hand to computer aided design. I needed something different and something much more fulfilling. I'd always felt that the world of architectural design was a world that was superficial and kind of alien to me. I knew when I got my first bachelor's in design that it wasn't really for me, but I was young and stubborn and just wanted to finish college and get out and start working.
2 children later at the age of 32 I enrolled in Santa Fe to earn my nursing degree. It was during my first clinical day at AGH that I knew that I'd chosen the right career path. Every mundane task I performed that day from getting a cup of coffee for a patient whose nurse was busy, to giving a bedbath seemed so incredibly important to me. I felt so fulfilled. So useful. So incredibly important to someone who was suffering and unable to do simple tasks of daily living for themselves. I cried in my car on the way home. I was so happy. I thanked God for opening up a career and life to me that finally meant something and was going to make a difference.
I haven't found the words yet to summarize my philosophy of nursing but I'll try.
People matter. People in need, need others. Caring for others matters and makes the world a better place. Caregiving makes the world feel safer to be in knowing that there are others who simply want to make it better for you when you're suffering, when you're hurting, when the unthinkable has happened. Nurses are there. Nurses care. Nurses may not be able to change your circumstances, but we can ease your suffering. And if only for my shift....I'll share your burden.