What have been your biggest sacrifice since starting nursing school ? Has it been work, sleep, money, relationships, or etc. ?
Well for me my biggest sacrifice is my job. Due to stress of working a non-flexible job and scheduling conflicts with clinical I'll will be leaving my great paying job steady job in May, in order to complete my nursing program in July of this year. So for 3 months I'll be living off 9 bucks in hour doing home health care as CNA and my student loans. Can I make it ??? I have no choice. I'm scared yet happy . When I tell my non-nursing student friends they think I'm crazy. They say " What ! let me get this straight... You're quitting your job in the midst of a recession just to finish nursing school " I reply " Yes I am, its a no brainer... Continue to work and stress my self out while going to school, or make a sacrifice that'll enable me to work less and have more flexible hours and become and nurse in 4 months."
These are just the sacrifices I have to make. Since the very first day of NS I wanted to quit working. However, I hung in the fight and kept going. Now, I know its time to make school not work a prioity. So now I need to formulate a budge for my next 2-3 pays and go from there. :zzzzz
Sigh- It'll all be worthed. May be busted broke now, but not forever !
wow, these are good to read because I realize I am not alone!!!
I feel fortunate after reading this that I am single and do not have kiddos... I cannot imagine how much more difficult this journey would be if I had kids and a husband to worry about too!
As for what I have sacrificed along the way to get to where I am (255 days away from RN pinning!!):
-a nice apartment in a great little town with my best pal as my roomie
-I now live in my parents itty bitty spare room (hey you try living with your mommy and daddy again when you are 35! LOL)
-my boyfriend... he lived an hour away and because I could never spare more than an hour here or there to see him he eventually became unwilling to put up with my schedule...
-what remained of my sanity.. but I gotta agree with an earlier post, sanity is boring anyway hehe
-money. I have been SO broke for the last 2 years it's unreal, on the positive side I have managed to get thru NS without student loans!
-freedom... my instructors now rule my existence LOL
-time with friends... fortunately they are cheering me on like crazy and we make due with phone calls during the drives to and from class and clinicals
-TV... granted it's not a huge sacrifice... but I haven't watched TV in 2 years
-good nutrition... I find myself living off whatever is cheap and easy that I can eat in the car
-good bladder health.. how many times have we been in clinical and not had time to pee? it's even worse when I am deep in studying or working on those endless care plans...
-my car..now I drive a beat up old corolla.. as I drive down the road the paint peels off in strips and blows away and the power steering screeches so loud it hurts my ears and scares bystanders hahahaha
-my two cats... when I moved out of my apartment to save money I couldn't bring them with me
-did I mention my sanity yet?
Things I have gained:
-a serious addiction to caffeine
-about 20 pounds
-perfectionism
-OCD
-super dry skin on my hands
-an ability to exist (and sometimes thrive) on very little sleep
-the ability to "hold it" for 8 hours at a time without getting a UTI
-a vast knowledge of poop and ways to clean it up
-the ability to talk about poop, pee, pus, blood, guts, etc... all over a gourmet meal
Why do we do it? Because of "those" moments... you know the ones. When you touch someone else's life in such a way that they will never forget you... when you clean someone up who is sitting in their own waste and do it in a way that they do not feel so completely humiliated... when you save a life... when you prolong a life...when you decrease suffering... when we show we care.... and in the end it is ALL worth it!!!!!!!!!!!
Hmm let's see.. the last couple of years have left me with and without many things..
Lost what i thought was the love of my life.. things happen for reasons.
Lost my job (layoff) a blessing in disguise - unemployment checks and extensions, more time to study, and get back a few hours of my life. -
Both my parents had cancer - Not the end of the world but just something else to add to the list of stressors.
I havent seen my best friend much or my family - i have "new" ones from school.
Had tennants not paying their rent - what a hassel, both legally and financialy.
But.. I've lost 52 pounds (30 of which I put on the first year of school r/t No time to exercise or eat right), quit smoking, Feb 13, this year, of all days, I met the greatest guy,- and i wasn't even looking, I have never felt better with out the full time job and only school to focus on I can run and ride my bike.
School for me has been a wild ride - alone, it can eat away at you - add in life, especially adult life, (bills, mortgage, taxes, insurance) sick parents, obligations of birthday parites and weddings, vacations.. you name it - some people just don't get it.. but 50 bucks here and there adds up fast.
so, I lost my honey & kept my grades up, lost my job & and got my sexy back, lost my social life & realized i really wasn't missing anything, kept my old clunker truck & paid some on student loans, and i have a job for after i graduate IN 3 WEEKS!!!! but even if i end up not in love with nursing (new career for me) i learned as much or more about myself in this program as i have text book, and clinical skills that I'm a better person - no matter what i decide to do becasue of nursing school. ALL the sacrifices and losses, and being damn near broke, and depressed and stressed, and sick has made realize a whole new me.. - hummm.30,000$ shrink, not covered by any HMO. ?? and well worth every penny - to me.
Best of eveything to all of you - it still amazes me just how much we all balance, and still keep on going.
I am a nursing student also.... Not once have any of you mentioned God, and the plans that he has for us. You may feel that you have lost all of these things, I myself included have "lost"many things along the way. But I also have gained so much along the way. Just think of this as a ministry that has been choosen for you.
We are under the impression that this is what WE have choosen but, this has been choosen for us. And consider this a blessing. Just keep keeping on.
Specializes in Urology, Gyn, Family Practice, HBO.
I am starting to feel like I got off a little easy. I have my LPN pinning in 8 weeks. My marriage is the same. My husband occasionally complains about feeling neglected, but not very often. My daughter is getting to the age that she is more interested in in spending time with her friends then me. My son is too little to really care. I have usually worked at night (not working now) and I go to class at night. Hubby and I worked out a deal that I am always there to get them up and off to school and he is always there to tuck them in at night. It really seems to work for us. The kids actually kind of enjoy it because when I am at school they get to play at their Grandma's house until my hubby gets off work.
Money has been very tight, but we are managing. That has been the biggest impact on us. Right now we are living on just one income. We both decided that it would be more benificial for my education to not work while going to school. I was just streched too thin. I couldn't fully concentrate on work or school. I need to keep my grades as high as possible so I can get into the bridge program for the University that I want to go to.
I knew that this would be hard before I started. I was warned. I just have to remember that when I am done this will all have been worth it.
Well, I am nearing the end of my first semester. I have sacrificed:
electricity--it has been off for the last week, but me and Lucky (my cat) just stay under the covers, burn the Bath and Bodyworks candles, and get by just fine!! LOL!! I feel like George Washington studying by candle light! LOL!
Water--it went off 2 weeks ago. Well, I did the calculations and realized that I need at least 6 1-gallon jugs per week, which is okay since I can get them for .76 cents apiece at WalMart. Who else can say they have Spring Water in their toilet? LOL! Oh, and as for that "area" of my life, I do what my parents in the country do, get a pot, line it with some scented trash bags, and put it in the trash every Thursday for garbage pick-up! I wash up in the bathroom sink and haven't been told I smell even once! LOL!
phone--Funny, this one was cut off on the same day as the water!! LOL! Oh, well, I just went out and bought a pay-per-minute until I can turn my BlackBerry back on!
Laptop--I am keeping this baby come hell or high water!! I have online classes, so on the days I don't work or have classes, I go to the public library and use their wi-fi! I feel like a farmer because I have to do everything while the sun is up! LOL!!
I work Fri, Sat, and Sun as a nurse tech. I obviously need to work more, but I tried that, and between Nur101, clinicals, Nutrition, and Pharmacology, my grades were starting to tank and I was NOT going to let that happen. So, after the end of the semester, I am picking up hours since I won't be going to summer school, and hopefully, I can come back to 2009!! LOL!
I really enjoy reading all of the entries on this thread and I commend everyone for the sacrifices you have made!
Oh, yeah...and I am not letting any of this get me down! I have a 98 average in Pharma and just got a 96 on my Nur101 Fundamentals test today! Also, I set my phone alarm for classes and clinicals, which by the way is tomorrow at 7 am. I am also doing double duty by recharging my phone and laptop in the school library right now!
I promised Lucky a nice house one day so I have got to do what I have got to do and SUCCEED!!!!
I love reading all the sacrifices everyone has made...it helps me to know I am so not alone! Like so many others, I have given up time with my toddlers who whine for Mommy, and time with my hubby who is a dear angel for supporting me so. I have given up all magazines and almost all TV time to read an study my nursing books! I have given up my 2 favorite hobbies of running and quilting and all the group activities that go along with them. I really miss those activities...they were "My" time. However, though I have lost touch with some of those friends (which I am sure I will reconnect with after 2 years..) I am now making new friends in NS that are turning out to be just as dear to me!
im starting nursing 3 this summer and i know its gonna be crazy im gonna have to sacrafice my job my 5 yr old son and boyfriend but hopefully it will not be so bad bc hes in school also....but as far as my son i might have to send him to my moms house for a while until he starts school again and thats gonna suck bc she lives 3 hrs away. the nursing scheduele is so crazy
I am a nursing student also.... Not once have any of you mentioned God, and the plans that he has for us. You may feel that you have lost all of these things, I myself included have "lost"many things along the way. But I also have gained so much along the way. Just think of this as a ministry that has been choosen for you.
We are under the impression that this is what WE have choosen but, this has been choosen for us. And consider this a blessing. Just keep keeping on.
God is on our side.
Hallelujah ! Amen. . God is my absolute everything and without him I wouldn't even be in this nursing program. You are right ! God does have a plan for me and for everyone else, and I do believe that nursing is a ministry as well. I'm glad he chose me to care for the world. God knows me better than I know myself, so he knows how compassionate I am about others. He is so awesome and I think him for getting me through every heartbreak, every near break down, every episode of anxiety, stress, depression, and so much more. Call me crazy but I know that I wouldn't be able to withstand these sacrifices without him. I love him ! :redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe
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nursgirl
129 Posts
wow, these are good to read because I realize I am not alone!!!
I feel fortunate after reading this that I am single and do not have kiddos... I cannot imagine how much more difficult this journey would be if I had kids and a husband to worry about too!
As for what I have sacrificed along the way to get to where I am (255 days away from RN pinning!!):
-a nice apartment in a great little town with my best pal as my roomie
-I now live in my parents itty bitty spare room (hey you try living with your mommy and daddy again when you are 35! LOL)
-my boyfriend... he lived an hour away and because I could never spare more than an hour here or there to see him he eventually became unwilling to put up with my schedule...
-what remained of my sanity.. but I gotta agree with an earlier post, sanity is boring anyway hehe
-money. I have been SO broke for the last 2 years it's unreal, on the positive side I have managed to get thru NS without student loans!
-freedom... my instructors now rule my existence LOL
-time with friends... fortunately they are cheering me on like crazy and we make due with phone calls during the drives to and from class and clinicals
-TV... granted it's not a huge sacrifice... but I haven't watched TV in 2 years
-good nutrition... I find myself living off whatever is cheap and easy that I can eat in the car
-good bladder health.. how many times have we been in clinical and not had time to pee? it's even worse when I am deep in studying or working on those endless care plans...
-my car..now I drive a beat up old corolla.. as I drive down the road the paint peels off in strips and blows away and the power steering screeches so loud it hurts my ears and scares bystanders hahahaha
-my two cats... when I moved out of my apartment to save money I couldn't bring them with me
-did I mention my sanity yet?
Things I have gained:
-a serious addiction to caffeine
-about 20 pounds
-perfectionism
-OCD
-super dry skin on my hands
-an ability to exist (and sometimes thrive) on very little sleep
-the ability to "hold it" for 8 hours at a time without getting a UTI
-a vast knowledge of poop and ways to clean it up
-the ability to talk about poop, pee, pus, blood, guts, etc... all over a gourmet meal
Why do we do it? Because of "those" moments... you know the ones. When you touch someone else's life in such a way that they will never forget you... when you clean someone up who is sitting in their own waste and do it in a way that they do not feel so completely humiliated... when you save a life... when you prolong a life...when you decrease suffering... when we show we care.... and in the end it is ALL worth it!!!!!!!!!!!