TIMDICKERSON

This is the very first note I've posted on all nurses, so I'm going to dump some things that have been on my mind. I'm praying that the Pearson-Vue trick still works (got the good pop up). My entire working life (over twenty five years), I've always done something other than what I really felt in my heart I should be doing. I'm not going into this with rose colored glasses on. I have numerous family members in the medical profession (nurses, doctors, PTs, etc.) so I know about the warts, too. I read somewhere that life knows how to put an appropriate price on things. Nursing has a great number of challenges (part of the price), but also a great number of rewards to offset that price. Part of the reason I went into nursing was because of the experiences I've had with my own health. One of the best examples of these experiences is my spending two weeks at the Mayo clinic undergoing a massive number of tests (by virtually every major specialty). This was after having been ill for eight years. I was told by the team of doctors who turned me inside out that there was nothing wrong with me. Two months later I correctly diagnosed myself and got treatment. My debt after insurance for a missed diagnosis was over $15,000 -- wasn't happy about that! I wanted to be more knowledgeable so it would be less likely that something like that wouldn't happen again and so I could help myself, family and friends when they were having medical difficulties. One of the best resources I've found, which played a part in my diagnosing myself is pubmed.gov. How great it will be (when I pass the NCLEX) to be a part of a profession that is so highly regarded. I hope my writing about things other than the NCLEX is not inappropriate.