The other day I looked at my college transcripts....

[touchhealth]

...and realized I took my first two nursing pre-requisites (Anatomy and Statistics) in 2004!! Wow, I hadn't realized I'd been plugging away at this that long. Next semester, I take my last pre-requisite and I'm on my way to actually applying to programs.

It's been a tough road so far. A lot of stops and starts for personal and financial reasons. A lot of considerations and misgivings about whether I could actually go back to school and achieve this goal.

I've also spent three years (WOW, I hadn't realized it had been that long either) volunteering at our local hospital. The first two as a Courtesy Visitor for risk management conducting surveys on patient satisfaction (mostly dissatisfation) with their care. I guess if that position didn't scare me off, then nothing should.

During that time I also go my massage therapy certification and for the past year have been volunteering at the same hospital offering massage therapy & healing touch to patients from every department: ICU to Post-partum to Peds to Med/Surg...The hands-on work really started getting me excited about getting my RN degree.

I've prowled around on this site a lot, and am so thankful for the support and the brutally honest responses on here. Many of your posts have helped me observe and understand more of what was going on around me in the hospital environment. This has been such a wonderful resource for me on this journey so far.

So thank you all for sharing your frustrations , exasperation , elation , hardships , burnouts , and caring stories :redbeathe.

It's surely not an easy job to do. But you're all contributing much to this diverse field!

Thanks again!!

[amjowens]

It sounds like you are going to be an excellent nurse. I like how you've been so thoughtful about your decision, yet you're gaining valuable exeriences at the same time. I think it would be great for all potential NS students to take a year or so to work in a field that exposes them to the realities of nursing/patient care. Keep it up, and in a couple of years you'll be looking at your NS transcript with similar thoughts as your pre-req thoughts!

[Keepstanding, ASN, RN]

good luck to you in all you want to accomplish. you are well on your way ! :bowingpur