Finally done!

Well, after 3 long years, I am finally done with school and am moving on to looking for a position in my new profession. Yesterday, I attended my pinning ceremony, in which nursing students are honored for their accomplishments and move from student nurses to graduate nurses (we all still have to take our state boards in the upcoming month before becoming licensed Registered Nurses).

I started this journey in 2008, after toying with it for most of my adult life. I have a bachelor's of arts in journalism and was a newspaper editor for 10 years before deciding in June 2008 to leave my position and return to school full time. Of course, five days after my last day of work at the paper, I learned that I was very unexpectedly pregnant, and single. But, I signed up and completed a full load of classes that first semester, went part-time second semester (scheduling my c-section over spring break so as not to miss exams) and continued with that semester of clinicals in the fall, pumping milk for my infant daughter on breaks. That next spring I was back at it full-time and have been since. I was very close to graduating last May, but an unexpected medication error caused me to have to repeat the final clinical, which I did this fall. It was a hard lesson with a long fall, but it taught me a great deal about grace and dignity and in the end, made me a much stronger person. And yesterday, the whole three years wrapped up with an hour-long ceremony, followed by hugs from family and the faculty - all who have watched us struggle and fight though long hours of homework, crazy clinical days, terrible anxiety and the overall upheaval of our previously known lives.

And in the end, everything ... absolutely everything, was worth it. I am presently looking for a graduate nurse position and studying for my upcoming boards. I am also planning on returning to school - sometime in the near future - to get my bachelor's of science in nursing. Being that I already hold a bachelor's degree, I should be able to complete that in two semesters.

My mom was able to come up and celebrate with me, which meant so much to me, as she and my step-father have been some of my strongest support (along with my husband) through this experience. She brought a wonderful basket of wine, chocolates, fresh fruit, artisan cheeses, crackers and even fig spread, which we enjoyed together the night before graduation. She also got me another graduation present, which deserves a post of it's own ... so look for that soon!