NicoleLynch

Hi there! I am 28, a mom of 2 little girls and just got accepted into an ADN program in Washington state, although I am from Idaho. I am definitely a non-traditional student and would love to be part of the group to support each other!

Oh no, you're not alone! I'm riding that emotional roller coaster myself! I just got accepted to my school's nursing program, which starts at the end of September. I'm excited, nervous, scared, happy, and basically just all over the place about it. I have 2 daughters who will be 3 and 1 at the time that school starts, so it's going to be a lot to juggle.

Cool! Just downloaded it to my phone. Thanks!

Is that right? I guess it's a good thing I decided to do the bridge program elsewhere then. I am going to WWCC right now actually and will be applying to the nursing program in January. Thanks for the input!

First of all, congratulations! Yes, I did have my daughter at the hospital I worked in and had a wonderful experience. Everyone was very kind and professional. I chose to go there because it was the closest hospital, but also because I knew that we would be well taken care of.

27, wife, mother of one and one on the way. Hoping to go to nursing school next fall. Working on pre-req's right now. :)

I also had to read the original post for the back-story. What a wonderful thing you did for this girl. It sounds like she's grown up to be a wonderful woman!

How inspiring! I'm so glad you never gave up on your dreams and you were able to overcome a very difficult situation! Cheers to you! :)

Thanks for sharing your story, DosmoRN! You sound a lot like me, which makes sense if we're both ISTJ. I don't get consumed with gossip or rumors and try to avoid them, in fact. I have a small handful of friends who are wonderful and could give or take acquaintances. I've never been a "leader" and have always been more inclined to follow, and much more comfortable. I don't see that as a bad thing but it seems that leadership is something a lot of employers look for when hiring new employees. I think, like you, a perfect nursing job for me when I eventually get there would be to do something like the nurse consultant job that you mentioned. Being able to essentially work for myself would be amazing and right up my alley. Thanks for your words of support! Very much appreciated! :)

My only issue working night shift is that I am not a night person whatsoever. Always have been a morning person. I did work one night shift on my CNA orientation and I really enjoyed it other than it completely threw off my normal rhythm for the next few days. However, the atmosphere was a lot friendlier. The nurses on night shift worked together all the time so they were all super friendly with each other and with me as the newcomer. I liked that.

I know what you mean. My husband is very much an extrovert and doesn't always understand when I need alone time. He tries though and is getting better but I often have to remind him that I need to be alone for a little while and nobody gets hurt. Hard to explain that to a 2-year-old though.

Thanks for the link, akulahawk. I took the test and got ISTJ. Introvert(100%) Sensing(12%) Thinking(12%) Judging(100%) You have strong preference of Introversion over Extraversion (100%) You have slight preference of Sensing over Intuition (12%) You have slight preference of Thinking over Feeling (12%) You have strong preference of Judging over Perceiving (100%) Very interesting! It's nice to see that you all are introverted as well and are making it work for you. I was honestly worrying about how I'd deal with it so your stories are comforting. :)

Thanks for the feedback! Forgive me for sounding ignorant, but is there a website or somewhere I can test myself to see just what type of introvert I am? I'm interested to find out.

Hopefully this is the right place to ask this question. Do you consider yourself introverted and does it affect your job performance in a high-stress area, like a med/surg floor? How do you cope? I worked on a med/surg floor briefly as a CNA and always got along well with my patients and most of the nurses. What I had a hard time with was the "atmosphere" for lack of a better word. The stressed out nurses who could be less than friendly, the doctors who were intimidating, the general go-go-go of the place... I admit that it made the day go quicker and I learned a lot, but I am just not sure that that is somewhere I want to end up when I do become an RN. I am a text book introvert. I love peace and quiet, or at least a more relaxed environment. I can handle stress, but it takes its toll on me by the end of the day and I have to go be by myself for awhile to recharge the ol' batteries. I am a people person when I want to be, and genuinely loved my patients when I was working there, but I prefer to either be alone or work in a small group of people. I am just curious if there are introverted nurses who deal with this daily or if anyone can give advice about other possible nursing areas to pursue? I actually really want to work in hospice, but I'm thinking I'll have to do at least a year on a med/surg floor for experience first. Thanks!

I can attest to children boosting GPA's as well! Before I had kids, I went to school at a different college for a different major and I just did not care. I had no incentive to make me do the best I possibly could, and I hated what I was doing. My GPA was in the toilet and I thought I was too stupid to ever turn it around. Having a family at home who depends on me doing well in school is such an inspiration for what I'm doing now. Not only has it proven to me that I am not stupid at all, but that I can do whatever I set out to do! Thanks, OP, for recognizing the students in nursing school (and finishing pre-req's) that are busting their butts to better their families! And like SleeepyRN said, everyone is going through some sort of difficulty in their lives. The fact that any of us go to school and totally rock it is an accomplishment!