What brought you to where you are now?

[MHDNURSE]

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 working at a level 1 trauma center per diem but getting antsy, as I do. I actually wanted to transfer departments to wound care, so I filed the paperwork and waited. In the meantime I noticed a small ad for a part time school nurse job not too far from me. I thought, Why not apply? The school nurse job called me back, I later found out that the open wound care job was filled. Ok. I'll try this. It was in a school specializing in the care of those with special needs. I loved it there. It was so rewarding to watch these kids learn and succeed. But Being a big picture person, I knew and I had to keep going, I finished my school nurse cert and eventially moved onto my first public school job where I worked a span of grades, mostly kinder and middle school, but a healthy amount of time in high school as well. Now I am settled in here - pk-8 and working on a masters in emergency and disaster management. Who knows what I'll do with it when I retire from here in about 15 yrs? Probably OEM somewhere or consulting.

OMG I would last about 30 seconds on an open wound unit, LOL

[Amethya]

It's a story of perseverance. Don't discredit your path! many people would have given up.

Thanks! :3

[Mavnurse17, BSN, RN]

I went to a 4 year college to get my BSN straight out of high school in 2013. Graduated May 2017 and got my license a month after that. Throughout RN school, I had been working in a cardiac PCU as a nurse tech at a major University hospital in my area, and I kept working there as a nurse. I had wanted to get into L&D (but knew I'd get in as a new grad as soon as I saw pigs flying ), so I decided I'd get my year of experience with LVADs, heart transplants, CABGs, etc, and then move on.

Except NO OTHER SPECIALTY wanted to hire a cardiac nurse for some reason. By the time I'd had about a year of experience, I started putting in applications into L&D, antepartum, school nursing, telehealth, and even an outpatient heart failure clinic (HELLO!! I did this inpatient full time!!), and either got a firm 'no' or no response at all. This went on for months, and I became more miserable at my job with each shift.

Finally one day 3 months ago I was perusing through Indeed as a last-ditch effort and found an opening for the school district I work for now. When I applied I thought, "there's no way this will work. I have no peds experience." But I got a call for an interview the next day and was signing my employment contract by the end of the week.

So here I am now This specialty comes with its own set of challenges, but I noticed an immediate positive change in my quality of life once I left the bedside.

[scuba nurse, BSN, MSN, RN]

I dont really have an interesting story. I worked med surg inpatient, then I went to BMT, then I became the BMT coordinator, and then I had kids. I was already working days as the coordinator, and commuting 2 hours each way, so when the kids started school, I wanted to be on their schedule, so I quit, and just subbed for a awhile, and then got a full time school nurse job. I think I always wanted school nursing because senior year in college we had to do a community clinical, and I was the ONLY one who did a school nurse clinical. So I guess I always liked it! LOL

[T-ROD, LPN]

I had no desire to do nursing school. I went for Radiology and ended up applying for nursing because it was a lot shorter. I told myself if I got in the first time I would try to pass. I did. So I graduated and started ASAP at a home for disabled kids. Goals were cardiac but after a few days with the kids my heart changed. I stayed there nearly 10 years. Decided then I would wait out a position here at my child's school. It was a long shot cause it has only opened up maybe 5 times in 40 years. Waited 1 year and it came up. I applied and here I am. I love every day here. School nursing is sure not for every one but it is right where I always wanted to be. Plus its 5 minutes from home as opposed to the 60 before.

[Neats, BSN]

Reading stories about teachers I am often mystified at how they can continue to work (much like another profession to include nursing).

Reading all those fun stories of how you all arrived at school nursing makes me feel better knowing there are some pretty smart people helping young minds. For that I am grateful to you all.

[Cattitude]

Graduated in 1996 (I'm a dinosaur). Did med/surg/ortho for 4 years then Surgical ICU for 3 years. Then Home Health for 12 ish years then back to bedside for a couple of years and landed in the public schools last year. I am at a PK-5 title one school and last year was fun/hectic. This year is a lot slower but I'm not complaining. I still do per diem at the hospital because of the pay cut I took. I am thrilled to be on my son's schedule and I feel like I could retire from this last choice in my career!

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

Graduated in 1996 (I'm a dinosaur). Did med/surg/ortho for 4 years then Surgical ICU for 3 years. Then Home Health for 12 ish years then back to bedside for a couple of years and landed in the public schools last year. I am at a PK-5 title one school and last year was fun/hectic. This year is a lot slower but I'm not complaining. I still do per diem at the hospital because of the pay cut I took. I am thrilled to be on my son's schedule and I feel like I could retire from this last choice in my career!

Hey, hey, easy there!!! I graduated in 83...

Hey, hey, easy there!!! I graduated in 83...

Ha! I am class of '95 and was thinking the same thing, LOL. But I AM a dinosaur compared to all the teachers. Many of them were not even born yet, the year I graduated.

[jnemartin, BSN, RN]

I worked in social services for many years. My favorite jobs were working with homeless people looking for housing and jobs as part of shelter wrap-around services and working as an international volunteer in very impoverished areas around the world as part of a UN program. I dreamed of one day returning to India and starting an NGO that focused on women and child health. As I continued in social work, I saw that my clients' health was a major impediment to their success in other areas. When discussing my career with my aunt, who is a nurse, she encouraged me to get a fast-track BSN. I was already considering changing fields simply because social workers are paid so little, and getting an MSW would not really help that issue. Plus, public and community health was a major interest of mine.

So I did the fast-track program, but it ended up taking me 4 years because I had to do ALL the science pre-reqs. I started working immediately after I got my license as a PRN nurse at a SNF, and shortly after that was hired FT on med-surg tele at a local hospital. I learned SO much as a bedside nurse, but it wasn't fulfilling in the way I had hoped nursing would be. On a whim, I applied over this summer to a school nurse job and was hired immediately.

I've found school nursing to be challenging in an enjoyable way (unlike the stressful challenges of floor nursing); I get to tackle interesting health issues relevant to a very particular community. I'm learning totally different skills and growing as a leader and clinician, and interdisciplinary team member. My principals are pretty hands-off and are allowing me to develop campaigns and programs for the school. It's truly been such a blessing in my life to fall into this job that parallels my personal interests and strengths, and mirrors those social work jobs I loved so much.

As an aside: I still work PRN at the SNF because the money is good, they are so flexible with my schedule, and it's nice to care for the same group of people over a long period of time as is the case in LTC. It is a reminder, though, that working bedside once in a while is fine, but it's really not my calling.

[Jacquipals]

I graduated with a communications degree right after high school, got married, and stayed home with the kids. By the time the youngest started kindergarten, I knew that nursing was something I wanted to pursue and so I did. I was working med-surg when I decided to try subbing at a high school. I hated every minute of it. A few months later, a quick surgical procedure left me with a punctured bowel and out of work for months thanks to a wound vac. I couldn't return to med surg because I was high risk of hernia. A local elementary school principal found me on LinkedIn. I interviewed and loved the job so much I got licensed in my state.

[Amethya]

Ha! I am class of '95 and was thinking the same thing, LOL. But I AM a dinosaur compared to all the teachers. Many of them were not even born yet, the year I graduated.

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