Growing Up in a household with a mother for a nurse was interesting.
I hardly ever got to stay home from school if I didn’t feel good. If I didn’t have a fever or wasn’t actively throwing up, I had to go to school.
It did teach me that, even if you didn’t feel good, you just gotta get up and go.
Sitting at the dinner table I did hear some interesting stories from my mom about patient care and other health care stories. At that point I wasn’t interested in healthcare at all.
I graduated high school in 1997. I felt like I had no direction. I had no idea what I wanted to do. My dad was in computers, and I thought maybe I would enjoy that. I signed up for college classes, I think I went to two classes and never went back.
In 1998 I signed up for the US Navy. When I took my ASVAB (this is the entrance exam you take when you first enlist) my scores were horrible, I did not do very well. In high school I was not the best student either. So, I went in as an undesignated seaman, basically a grunt, they called us paint chippers. I went through boot camp and at my first duty station I was sent to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit command in Little Creek Virginia. At first, I worked in transportation, they taught me how to drive a forklift, how to check the oil in boats, and had to stand watch.
About 6 months in they asked me what direction I wanted to go in. I still didn’t know. They put me in the medical department checking medical records for deployment readiness. I had to do inventory on medical supplies to check for expiration dates. They had me study to become a hospital corpsman. I had about a 300-page book that I had to read and take little tests in. When I was done, I had to submit that to get into Hospital Corpsman School. I flew through the book. It was the easiest thing I had ever done. I was really excited for my new adventure.
Having not done very well in high school or on my ASVAB, I was surprised at how enjoyable and easy Hospital Corpsman School was. I graduated top of my class and got to pick my duty station. I chose Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia. When I got there, I was assigned to a pediatric clinic. I checked in infants, got their weights, their vitals, and did infant immunizations. I worked in the adolescent clinic and the pediatric cardiologist. I had to get EKGs on the little babies, and I got really good at all of it. I was assigned to a specialty pediatric clinic. I worked with pediatric psychologist, physical therapist, speech therapist, and occupational therapist. I did secretarial work while I was there. Scheduling appointments, filing papers, updating medical records, and making orthotic cast molds of children’s legs that had cerebral palsy. Those molds were then sent out to make braces for their legs.
That was all very enjoyable. I absolutely love doing patient care. From there I went to Guam Naval Hospital. My first year there I worked a medical surgical inpatient care. This was a huge eye-opening experience. Learning how to deal with different personalities, different diagnosis and it’s also where I saw my first patient pass away. It was hard watching that patient die. In a room full of their family members, maybe 20 to 30, I felt as though I was part of that family. The patient was old and ready to go and they went very peacefully. I walked out of the room with tears in my eyes as it was emotional. I can remember my commander taking me into his office and telling me I had to control myself and not get emotionally attached to the patients and families. I knew right then that military nursing was not for me. However, this was when nursing became one of the biggest loves of my life.
When I was still in Guam, after that first year in Med Surg, I ended up in a labor and delivery unit. I saw vaginal births, C sections, stillbirths, had to set up sterile fields, assist with circumcisions, and took care of the postpartum mothers. It was very enjoyable as well. A little more heartfelt than Med surg.
While in Guam it became the end of my military enlistment. At this time, I had gotten married, and we were moving to Jacksonville FL, and this was where I started taking college courses. I got all my prerequisites done for nursing school and also had two kids under two. I felt like I had direction. I had a passion.
When my boys were about two and a half years old and six months old, we moved to Panama City FL. This is where I started my Registered nursing classes. It’s also where I met my besties. I’ll get into that another time, but I met some amazing women. We now live on all edges of the country and hardly ever see each other, but I know that they’re always there.
I graduated nursing school in 2011 in Florida. My husband was able to get orders, as he was still active duty, to go to Michigan at a recruiting station. I got my first job on a cardiac progressive care unit. I had amazing preceptors as a new nurse. Keshia and Karis. I will remember them forever. They were so patient and caring and compassionate. Great mentors to look up to.
I worked on the Cardiac Progressive care unit for about 4 or 5 years. I had my third child during this time. I loved it but having that 3rd child and having a almost an hour commute to get to work, I felt like I needed to be closer to home.
I got a job a little closer to home, actually two jobs. One was at a long-term care facility. I would have upwards of 20 or more patients. I took care of the elderly that were there because they could no longer care for themselves and had no one at home to help. I had younger patients as well. Most of them were bedridden with tracheostomies and breathing tubes and feeding tubes. There was always limited staff, and they could never keep people hired there because it was such hard work. Having said that, the people I worked with and the people who we took care of, they were all incredible souls.
The other job I got was at a fertility clinic. It wasn’t something that was taught in nursing school in depth. It was actually quite interesting. While trying to conceive my own children we were told that we had fertility issues and had to do fertility treatments. We didn’t actually need to do treatments, we conceived on our own three times. I do remember feeling extremely devastated when we were told we couldn’t have kids easily. So, I could empathize with those women going through that. I learned how to do vaginal inseminations and was very successful at getting many women pregnant. I also assisted in doing egg retrievals while the patients were under anesthesia. Unfortunately, the doctor that I worked for didn’t have the best work ethic. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
After my divorce I did move and was closer to the hospital I worked at in 2011 on the cardiac progressive care unit. I called my old manager and asked her if I could come back. She said absolutely, when can you start? That was in 2019. I believe I started around October. Then just a few months later 2020 hit. Covid hit. It was a different kind of nursing. I still love it and I have been there ever since. In 2022 I went back to school and obtained my bachelor’s degree in nursing. I am an impatient floor nurse, charge nurse, and new nurse preceptor. I have become a positive and helpful mentor to all my coworkers. At least I think I am. I get lots of questions from new and old nurses. I always tell them the only stupid questions are the ones you don’t ask. If someone makes you feel stupid for asking any question, then find someone else to ask.
I have done so much in my healthcare career from creating life to holding the hand of someone who is taking their last breath at 100 years old.
I hope you all find something you enjoy doing for the long haul. It could be something unexpected that you never thought you would do. It’s never too late. I didn’t go to nursing school until I was 30 years old and didn’t get my BSN until I was in my 40’s.
I’m not sure what my next nursing path will be. I can see myself joining a hospice team or becoming a clinical instructor. As for now, I have no plans to leave the bedside. After 27 years of either working towards my education for health care or working in it I still love what I do.