People ask me all the time, "what are you going to school for?" "Where are you going to school?" Honestly, the past few months with me and where I am attending school has been an inner battle. I'm sick of telling this story to a new person everyday. Although I appreciate the curiosity of all of you, I would rather talk about much more interesting things because there is a lot more to me than school and career goals. So I am telling this story once, read it if you want. Warning: this is a LONG post and the blogger format makes it look even longer! This is my story about my career choice and how I came upon it.
I'm weird. Just in case you didn't know, now you do. When I make up my mind, I go, whole heartedly, no hesitations. If you didn't know, I'm going to be a nurse. Yep, a nurse. I never wanted to be a nurse. I always wanted to be a school teacher, but let's be honest, I really wouldn't be good at that. I would play with the kids, not teach. Plus, school is not my thing. Then in junior high, I decided that my major was going to be music. Junior high does strange things to you. I am musical, I play the guitar, piano, and I don't like to say that I sing but I was in choir for 6 years, so you can interpret that however you want. Then I realized with a music major all you can really do is teach music or become a rock star. Teaching was already out. Now, come on, who doesn't want to be a rockstar? I would. Except, I don't have quite that much talent in the music world. Also, remember that thing about me doing stuff whole heartedly? Go big or go home? I would have to be a mega rockstar, and besides lacking in talent, I have this religion where I need to go to church every week and go to the temple regularly or I will fall into satan's trap and become something scary. It just wouldn't work. The music major thing was out. That led me to medical stuff. I would be a doctor, totally. But remember, I don't like school. Next up was nurse. Sometimes I get the intense desire to be a cop, yep a cop. Actually, an FBI specialist. But to be in the FBI, you can't really have a family. I mean you can, but remember I go big or go home? I would either be a workaholic or be all about my family. Just wouldn't work. My real passion is Anthropology (the study of cultures) and Sociology mixed with History, which coincide together. I would be a forensic anthropologist (dr. that works with fbi or ancient bodies and profiles them {have you seen the tv show Bones? It's just like that}) but all you can do with a Anthropology bachelor's degree is teach. No teaching on my part. And I'm not going to school to be a doctor, or I would totally be an Anthropologist. So I'm going to be a nurse. I feel good about my decision.
I've wanted to be a nurse for 3 years now and the idea never seems to get old.
I joined a club in high school called HOSA (Health Occupation's Students of America) and I competed my junior year and senior year at the state competitions. This club is huge-colleges and high schools sponsor it. There are various areas to compete in. My first year I did a career display and didn't win anything. My senior year I competed with a team that I helped put together in PSA (Public Service Announcement, it's like a informative commercial). We were given a topic and had to make our own commercial. With our awesome acting, creative thinking, and smooth editing skills we took 3rd in the state of Utah. Big deal. This club helped me get familiar with the medical field so I know that it is right for me. My senior year in high school I already had all of my required classes completed in my junior year. I could've taken any class that I wanted, but I was one of those nerds and took the hardest classes the school offered. I took Sports Medicine, Emergency Medicine Services, Anatomy and Physiology, English, Choir, Aerobics, Seminary, Anthropology, and Sociology. I loved it. LOVED it all. Learned so much. I also got certified through the American Red Cross to: administer oxygen, bloodborne pathogens training, first aid, cpr, deliver an emergency baby, and rescue breathing. My senior year rocked.
I applied and interviewed for a health council scholarship. I won. Full tuiton to UVU for a year(Utah Valley University). I used that scholarship. After much tribulation and mulling it over and over in my brain, after my first year of college I've decided that I will not be returning to UVU for my sophomore year. I will be taking another route. For many reasons: 1. It just wasn't right for me, it was right for a year and now it's not. I've prayed and prayed and it's not right for me. 2. The nursing program is RiDiCuLoUs! You can't get anything below a B+ or you have to retake the class. Once you complete all of your pre-requisites with a B+ or higher you can take your test. If you DO score high enough on the test, you can apply to the program. THEN, after all of that, you are put into a lottery at the end of the day. They draw 60 names a semester. If you get drawn, you're into the nursing program. If not, sorry. All of that, for nothing. You can re-apply or transfer schools. On average it takes 7 years to get a Bachelors of Science degree in Nursing from UVU. It's tough. UVU has the hardest nursing program in the state of Utah. I know I could do it. No doubt. It would be SO HARD but I could do it. I feel that it just isn't the right path for me to take. Not a fan of the program. The counselors are also very discouraging and not helpful-but that is another bone to pick, I will spare you.
With that, I will be attending MATC (a technical college) this fall. I will be taking an accelerated, 5 week, hard core, "I hope I survive this" CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) class. At the end of the course I should be certified with the state of Utah to be a nurse assistant. I will then work for 9 months as a CNA. I will then choose a school (probably provo college, stevens henegar, etc.) to get my associates in Nursing and become an RN. You have to have 6 months CNA experience to enter into one of these school's nursing program. After I am a RN (registered nurse) I will continue while working as an RN and get my bachelors degree. A lot of nurses are going this route now a days. I finally feel good about my decision. Good and confident. It's been 6 months of searching for an answer and I feel like this is the right decision. All it matters is that I feel right about it, I know that and I do. But other people have been giving me a hard time because I will not be going to a University. I feel like I got the most out of my scholarship while I attended a University. I took 16 credits my first semester and 12 my second, that is full time.
Like I said, I feel confident about my decision. This way I should be a RN with a degree in 2 years instead of 7. I will have the same qualifications, I just won't be attending a University. This doesn't make me any less of a person. My decision is my decision. I feel great about it.
WHEW, that is my story. If you read that marathon of reading, thanks. That is my story, so now you don't have to ask me. Because it is quite the spill. I will be a nurse, when I grow up. Thanks for lasting through that novel -long post! :)
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