Born To Be

A few months back I mentioned I would discuss nursing and my call into the profession, now with school being over and having recently become registered, it only makes sense that is time to share this story.

I was once told that there are always signs in ones childhood when someone goes into nursing that point to that choice. My mom would say that in my case the story begins when my grandfather got sick when I was 13 years old. We would go to visit every weekend, take some of the caregiver burden off my grandmother and spend some time with him since he was given less than a year from his diagnosis. I would sit with him and read him the newspaper, as he has gone blind, and just chat. Those were such cherished moments and it was something I did willingly. There is one thing that he said that has always stuck out for me. During the few months shortly after his diagnosis that he spent in the hospital, it was the nurses that made the experience bearable. He was a chatter and they would listen and care for him and that was something that put a smile on his face despite knowing he was dying. As predicted, less than a year later he died and the idea of nursing and nurses slipped from my mind.

That is until December of my grade 12 year when one of my classmates suggested I should be a nurse. I had never wanted shift work, I was terrified of the idea of giving people needles and I really didn't know what nurses even did. That friend though, she knew me well and she really encouraged the idea. No teacher or guidance counselor had ever suggested it because I thrived in the hard sciences, so despite applying to one nursing program, my path took me into my biomedical science degree that I completed in 2016.

While I was in that degree, I met my best friend who for the next 3 years would say "you should be a nurse" because she too was in nursing. Her persistence got to me and as she told me more about nursing the more that I knew that this was part of my journey. So in 2016 I started my nursing degree, a degree that my mom had once boasted would not be challenging enough for me. I would say that nursing school is what you make of it. I faced many challenges along the way - our colleges (I was in a college/university collaborative program) went on strike for 5 weeks, and of course in the final days of my degree the world was stricken by the COVID-19 global pandemic. I still thrived no matter the challenges that faced me, I was encouraged by amazing friends and family and I was taught by some amazing nurses.

I'm sure there is no surprise when I say that I owe none of my success to my own ability but to God who had laid this purpose out for me since the very beginning. He always found a way to get me back on the path to nursing and when I made the choice to pour more time into Him even when time was tight, He blessed me further. I did well in nursing school both academically and in practice, undoubtedly I thrived and I give all the credit to God. The things I once feared are the skills that excite me most and the places I said I would practice in first year are not where I love to nurse now. Through all of this I learned that my planning is inferior to God's plan and I am better to trust then to think I have it figured out.

So my final triumph came only days ago. You are not a nurse until you complete the registration exam. I studied for just shy of two months, listening to myself and taking breaks when I needed. A few days ago I wrote the NCLEX-RN exam and passed in 60 questions. I had jokingly said many times I wanted to pass in the minimum number of questions but I don't think I believed it would happen until there I was with my screen gone blank after question 60. There was still no guarantee that I had passed until I got the confirmation email 22 hours later but now I can proudly say that I am a registered nurse. It was not without hard work but it was definitely worth it!