Jellicoe13

I grew in Syracuse area, and still go back to visit my family who still live there. I am white, but yes, Syracuse is probably the most racist place I have seen. I remember being a teen in the 1980's and shopping with my best friend (who happens to be black)...neither of us looked criminal, but it was so sad how they would follow us around in the store like we were going to steal something. She also was constantly pulled over for nothing (I should have been the one getting pulled over...I drove like a maniac back then) and was just generally made to feel unwelcome when she visited me in the suburban area I grew up in. I have since moved out of Syracuse--I miss the weather and my family but don't miss the 1950's attitudes towards race relations. My black friend moved out as soon as she graduated college and ended up moving the rest of her family out of the area to a much more progressive state. You have my sympathies....I hope you have the opportunity to move out of there!

It doesn't sound like you have ruined your life...you've made a couple of mistakes and had some serious personal issues that were interfering with your goals....I think all of us have had similar issues at one point or another in our lives, myself included. It's not rare for people to switch majors and/or careers...I've worked 3 different careers, and now I am in college again taking nursing. Sometimes you have to try different things to see what fits, and at least now you know what you want to do for a career. It is possible for you to still become a nurse; it's even likely that many of the general education requirements you need for nursing program entry have been fulfilled since you are so close to the degree you are working on. My advice would be to visit several schools that offer nursing, see what their academic requirements are for admission, and also visit an admissions counselor to see what you could transfer into the nursing program. Your GPA isn't necessarily going to rule out admission to a nursing program though you might want to see if you can increase it a bit. Also, I should point out that most nursing schools interview applicants, and this would be your chance to explain how you have overcome your past issues and intend on putting full effort into being a nurse. You are still young, and you have lots of time to correct the minor mistakes you have made. I would also make sure that you find a new strategy for stress management (nursing school can be demanding, esp. if you are working FT like me) and stay away from the alcohol. I've been there/done that with drinking problems as well, and am happy to say that I did overcome it and now handle stress through exercise, meditation, and walking it off. It sounds like that advisor was pretty harsh...most of the nursing schools accept someone with a 3.0 GPA pretty easily, and I am sorry she beat you up over the GPA (which actually is not bad!). It's a shame that some people have to be this way---but if the admissions person was like this, then maybe this college might not have been the best to attend anyhow if that is how they treat potential students! I would fully encourage you to go to nursing and pursue your dreams; your post indicates that you are a very intelligent person and that you have the right reasons to want to become a nurse. Go for it!

I know several male nurses, and all of them are fine working in a mostly-female field. Two of them work as ER nurses; they love the excitement in the ER and enjoy working with trauma cases in their hospital in Chicago, IL. There are actually quite a few male ER nurses in this particular hospital. My other male nurse friend works as a Primary Care NP in a small rural setting here in Kentucky....people always assume he's a doctor since he's a guy, but he works mostly with women and doesn't mind it. It all pretty much depends on how comfortable you are working in a non-traditional field...there are not a lot of male nurses here where I live, but there are quite a few males in the NP programs here so I expect that we'll see more men going into nursing. If you like fast-paced work or challenging work, then ER nursing can be pretty rewarding. I've also been told that psychiatric nursing also is interesting and challenging, and I would encourage you to learn more about various nursing specialties by talking with others in the field or researching.

Most of the friends I have that do have a problem with weight have been on various diets and find themselves kind of depressed because the weight does not stay off and like you, they enjoy eating. There are some ways to lose the weight without starving yourself or doing the various diets that are available: drinking lots of water is very filling, and those chewable fibre supplements they sell OTC have also helped some of my friends feel full longer than they normally would. It can also be a matter of metabolism--you've probably already done this, but do get your thyroid hormones checked out. Regular exercise can also help; the trick is finding something that you like and sticking with it. I walk several miles per day and on my off days, do strength and flexibility training. You don't need to be skinny to be fit and healthy. I know plenty of full-figured women who are just as fit and healthy as I am. You're right about food being everywhere...at least when I quit drinking I was able to avoid it by simply staying away from bars and liquor stores. Hopefully some of this helps you out.

You don't need to be a nurse (or other trained medical professional) to see in the video that this man is obviously injured pretty seriously and is in a lot of pain. While the jail blamed it on the "langauge barrier", that doesn't excuse them ignoring the universal signs of distress/pain this man showed...sickening.