Why I Added RN to My Name

[handersRN]

Hello!

I just recently graduated from nursing school and passed my NCLEX. I am now a registered nurse. I just accepted my first job as an ICU nurse and I will be starting the residency program this summer.

Since graduating and becoming an RN, I find myself reflecting on my journey.

Growing up, I loved caring for my family and friends. I remember when my dad had knee surgery, I was probably only 6 years old. He came home from the surgery and I greeted him with a little blue whistle. I told him to make sure to use the whistle if he needed anything at all. Though he probably didn't need me, he still blew on that whistle.

I graduated high school in 2013 and started college that August. I still didn't know what I wanted to do, so I was taking some random classes that looked like they would be fun to take.

In October of that same year, I got a phone call that my dad had passed away suddenly from a heart attack. At the time, he was living in Florida and I was living in Texas. I was only 18 years old when he passed away and I was devastated. I had never experienced such a loss.

Through time, I was able to heal a little. I learned to focus on sweet memories, rather than think about all the things he was going to miss.

In January of 2016, I decided I wanted to pursue nursing. I remember the day perfectly. I was sitting at a Jason's Deli eating lunch with my boyfriend. We were talking a bit about our futures and it was then that everything kind of clicked into place. I decided to look into the nursing programs within my area and the prerequisites they required. To my surprise, I only needed to take 3 courses to be able to apply to the program.

I quickly enrolled in time to start two of the required courses during that spring 2016 semester. I took microbiology and anatomy and physiology together. I was so excited to finally have a plan for my future, I didn't mind the workload of those two major courses. I finished both classes with A's.

In May of 2016, I got a phone call from my sister. She told me that our mama was being rushed to the hospital. At this time, I was still living in Texas, and my mama and siblings were living in Kansas. I was scared, but there was no word on why she was going to the hospital. My sister called me again within 30 minutes to tell me that my mama was having a heart attack. When I heard those two words, I nearly fell to my knees. I was so scared. Even writing this now, my hands are shaking.

My mama died the next morning.

By the age of 21, I had lost both of my parents.

I was heart b r o k e n.

I was lost.

The best way I knew how to heal was to continue on my journey. I still had one class that I needed to take in order to apply for the nursing program in August.

I enrolled in that last class in June of 2016, only one month after losing my sweet mama.

I put all I had into that last class and because it was taken in the summer, it was only 6 weeks long.

With a lot of effort, I received a B in that class.

I applied to the nursing program in August and I was accepted into the program the very next month.

January 2017 was the start of my nursing journey and though I had so much taken from me, I still have so much to give.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Congrats on passing NCLEX. Welcome to the nursing profession!.

Thanks for sharing your journey. The experiences with loss of your parents at such a young age will be with you forever; lessons and wisdom learned from that difficult time may help you be prepared for future patient and family encounters..

Check out www.icufaqs.org --- great site with collection of FAQ word documents used to orient newbies for an ICU career; especially visit: Starting Out - New in the ICU

Good Luck with the new job.