This has been a long time coming (we won’t mention that our sweet family went through losing a brother, having a baby, Tom getting diagnosed again with the return of cancer, and 5 years to complete this degree)! I finally graduated Brenau University with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), and I’m a full RN! I passed boards, and I’m so glad that part is behind me. The Georgia Board of Nursing experienced computer issues with the only server they had failing, and it put getting my license a couple weeks longer than normal. I felt serious amounts of stress because my start date as an RN was quickly approaching. All is well! I was offered a full time position working on the Mother-Baby unit that I had previously worked as an extern. I’m very grateful for such a wonderful experience the hospital offered with that program, and I feel so much better prepared than my peers who did not work as an extern. It was a great networking experience, and it provided some of the best on the job training! I never thought that I would love a career as much as I do this one. Not every experience my patients have are wonderful and joyous, but it provides me great joy to help make an impact on each of their lives. I may be sleep deprived some days, but I look forward to going into work! If you ask the girls what I do at work, they will tell you I go to work to play with the babies- not entirely true! It’s only a perk of the job! I know that Paul and I will look back on the experience in a few years to see just how much better all our lives are even though this wasn’t the easiest journey we’ve been on. It took a small village to make it through school with having friends watch the kids, in-laws take over child care where we just could not be there, and a very supportive husband who moved his schedule around to accommodate mine (and his employers who supported us by allowing the accommodating schedule!). I’m beyond thankful for all the help my family and friends provided to help get me through this. I cannot wait to see what nursing has in store for me and my family!
Congratulations! It’s no small feat to start and finish college with kids and a marriage, but you pulled it off and I couldn’t be prouder. Not only have you helped our kids futures, but you’ve set a great example for them. I’m jealous how genuinely happy you are to be a nurse and work with babies and their families.