What brought you to where you are now?

Specialties School

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Just curious how we all ended up here. I am sure we all have some interesting stories :)

I always knew I wanted to be a nurse, for as long as I can remember. I applied to nursing school right out of high school and got my BSN at Boston College. I really wanted to work in Mother/Baby, but that was impossible as a new grad. I ended up working at an inner-city pediatric and maternal health clinic and was hired as the Pediatric Program Manager. LOVED my four years there, but got the itch to do more, so I left to attend NYU for a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program. Graduated from there and worked as a PNP and Nurse Manager in an outpatient pediatric unit at a major city hospital. LOVED that as well, but my husband had to do a fellowship for his medical specialty, so we moved and I had my two kids. I ended up staying home until my younger one was 5. I was asked to work at a Summer day camp in our town for three Summers in a row and I really enjoyed that. I looked into school nursing in the district where I live and was told that basically one of the current nurses has to die or retire for a job to open, LOL. I ended up finding out about my current job (in year four now) from a parent who was in their HR office and was recruiting for the school nurse. So here I am. I love my kids, the teachers, etc. The regional admin politics and red tape are starting to get old, so I am considering subbing next year. I guess we will see what happens.

I was encouraged to apply as a Substitute Health Assistant by the Former Health Services Coordinator of my local School District at the time. We were doing our School Health rotation which involved health screenings. After I graduated LPN school, I applied as a Sub Health Assistant and did all of the paperwork while the students were on Winter Break. My first day of training was the first day students returned to classes. Fast forward 2 weeks and I was between 2 different schools every day. In the long run, both Principals wanted someone consistent so that the students could build relationships with that person. I ended up as a long term Sub Health Assistant for the remainder of the school year and the first month of the next school year. I found out that my position was open and I applied. I interviewed for it and ended up getting that position. Fast Forward 4 years, I left that school that really taught me alot about school nursing and went to a Charter School as there School Nurse. I was not looking at the time but the Nurse that was leaving the Charter School called me and asked me to send her my resume and spoke very highly of my to the Principal. I interviewed that same day and was offered the position less than 2 hours after my interview. I love my new school and the challenges it brings. I went from grades 6-8 to a school with K-8. No two days are ever the same and I truly feel like I made the school move for the better. We are a true family here and everyone helps each other out. I love being able to connect with the kids and their parents on a daily basis and learning all the curves the elementary kids will bring my way.

Specializes in School Nursing.
Sometimes I forget I might the youngest here in this subforum. (I was 4 in '95.)

Same!

Specializes in Lie detection.
Hey, hey, easy there!!! I graduated in 83...

Let me add that I graduated from nursing school in 1996. I graduated from High School in 1986. I'm just glad to see fellow dino members here LOL.

Specializes in School Nursing, Ambulatory Care, etc..

I guess "a lifetime of questionable decisions and mild alcoholism" isn't the answer you're looking for?

Seriously, I started college thinking I wanted to do elementary ed - lets just say for both me and children everywhere, everybody should be happy that plan didn't work out. So, after working in the travel industry for several years, I went to nursing school after the Army moved us to a small town in Texas. That particular school requires you get an ADN prior to going into the BSN program, so I got my ADN and worked ICU and Step-down for two years then went into Primary Care with the military health care system for a couple of months and then moved back to Texas and got my first school nursing job. Been back and forth between the military health care system and school nursing for 10 years now.

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