Hello to all who deign to read this blog!
Isn’t it funny how we change over the course of our lives? When I was in high school (in the dark ages of the late 60s), I worked in a private nursing home that was attached to our local hospital. I started working in the dietary department right after I turned 16. Back then you HAD to keep your grades up and actually show your report card to the manager in order to keep your job and your hours. That was a great motivator to do a good job in school. I was one of eight children, so money was very sparse. If you wanted money, you had to go out and earn it.
Prior to starting my senior year of high school, I went to my school counselor to see about what classes I needed to take to get into college. At that time, my counselor asked me if I wanted to be a nurse. “A nurse? No, I don’t want to be a nurse!” He assumed that because I was working in a nursing home. Back then the nursing field was not all that great. It was assumed that women would become nurses, secretaries or teachers. But I was a rebel and decided I wanted to be a dietician. So off to Ball State I went in 1971. My fear of chemistry effectively killed that dream, and I ended up earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Teaching and an Associate’s degree in Food Management.
After college, I managed a restaurant for ten years. I married my high school sweetheart, had two beautiful children, and later divorced. As a single mother, I knew that I could not make it on my salary as a restaurant manager and raise my children in the way I wanted.
Once again I found myself back at Ball State in the Nursing program. It was a struggle to work full time, take classes full time, and raise a four-year old and a four-month old, but let me tell you every minute of struggle was worth it. If you are “hungry” enough, then you can achieve anything. I earned my Bachelor’s in Nursing and moved to Indianapolis to work in Neuro Critical Care. Guila Thompson was the manager that hired me and even though I had no idea what Neuro Critical care was, Guila made me feel at home - and that was all I wanted.
So, I guess if I had taken my counselor’s advice back in 1970, I would have become a nurse much sooner, but I don’t know that I would have appreciated it as much. Sometimes the struggle makes you savor it that much more.
We all have many paths in front of us to choose from, and each one takes us in a new direction, but some actually lead us back to the beginning - a bit worse for wear, but much wiser.
Happy Nursing.
Teri
To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nursing Opportunities Indiana.
Search for available Nursing Jobs at Clarian Health by Nurse Specialty.
Isn’t it funny how we change over the course of our lives? When I was in high school (in the dark ages of the late 60s), I worked in a private nursing home that was attached to our local hospital. I started working in the dietary department right after I turned 16. Back then you HAD to keep your grades up and actually show your report card to the manager in order to keep your job and your hours. That was a great motivator to do a good job in school. I was one of eight children, so money was very sparse. If you wanted money, you had to go out and earn it.
Prior to starting my senior year of high school, I went to my school counselor to see about what classes I needed to take to get into college. At that time, my counselor asked me if I wanted to be a nurse. “A nurse? No, I don’t want to be a nurse!” He assumed that because I was working in a nursing home. Back then the nursing field was not all that great. It was assumed that women would become nurses, secretaries or teachers. But I was a rebel and decided I wanted to be a dietician. So off to Ball State I went in 1971. My fear of chemistry effectively killed that dream, and I ended up earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics Teaching and an Associate’s degree in Food Management.
After college, I managed a restaurant for ten years. I married my high school sweetheart, had two beautiful children, and later divorced. As a single mother, I knew that I could not make it on my salary as a restaurant manager and raise my children in the way I wanted.
Once again I found myself back at Ball State in the Nursing program. It was a struggle to work full time, take classes full time, and raise a four-year old and a four-month old, but let me tell you every minute of struggle was worth it. If you are “hungry” enough, then you can achieve anything. I earned my Bachelor’s in Nursing and moved to Indianapolis to work in Neuro Critical Care. Guila Thompson was the manager that hired me and even though I had no idea what Neuro Critical care was, Guila made me feel at home - and that was all I wanted.
So, I guess if I had taken my counselor’s advice back in 1970, I would have become a nurse much sooner, but I don’t know that I would have appreciated it as much. Sometimes the struggle makes you savor it that much more.
We all have many paths in front of us to choose from, and each one takes us in a new direction, but some actually lead us back to the beginning - a bit worse for wear, but much wiser.
Happy Nursing.
Teri
To be a registered nurse at Clarian, visit Registered Nursing Opportunities Indiana.
Search for available Nursing Jobs at Clarian Health by Nurse Specialty.
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