When
I was 6 or 7, I asked my mother, “What should I be when I grow up?” My mother
thought a little and then replied, “Maybe you could be a nurse!”
Me,
a nurse? Didn’t that mean carrying around lots of bottles and changing sheets
all day? The idea seemed silly to me, so I didn’t seriously revisit it until
two years ago, during my junior year of high school. By then, I understood more
about nursing and my own interests, and the two seemed to mesh perfectly.
For
practical reasons, a nursing career seems to fit my goals. Like most people, I
would like a steady job that’s in high demand and provides decent pay, all of
which nursing supposedly offers. Since a BSN usually requires four years of
schooling, I hope to start my career without needing postgraduate education,
thereby avoiding unnecessary debt. These mercenary reasons, however, are not my
only incentive for going into nursing.
Nursing
will be a good job for me because I love interacting with people. Also, I am a
high-energy person who doesn’t mind busy schedules or standing all day. I have
also noticed that I enjoy dealing with crises. As odd as it may sound, tackling
a critical, surprising situation leaves me calm and focused. I hope that, as a
nurse, I will respond the same way in an emergency situation!
Finally,
nursing will give me the tools to do the overseas missions in which I hope,
ultimately, to be involved. Based on how my parents and teachers perceive me, as
well as my own perceptions, I think nursing—eventually midwifery—will be an
ideal career.
A
year ago, I was working wildly on academic applications, trying (sometimes
unsuccessfully) to remember deadlines, comparing curricula, and visiting
schools. The school I chose, Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, was
not my first choice initially, because I had practically grown up on its campus
and thought that, by living at home, I would get less of a “college experience.”
As I began to research ODU’s nursing program, however, I learned that the
school has a phenomenal pass rate for the NCLEX and, when given a tour of the
educational facilities, I was amazed by the mock exam rooms, complex learning
aids, and very friendly staff. Therefore, when ODU accepted me and offered
financial aid, I was firmly convinced it was the right school and accepted the offer.
So
today, I find myself a freshman at Old Dominion University, enrolled in the
nursing program and eagerly awaiting a sophomore year of clinicals,
microbiology, and more.
For
Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of
Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.
