Bachelor of Science in Nursing// RN [a metaphor]

As I reflect back I realize that the blog posts from the month of May onward there are a lot of details left out of events in my life. Now that I have more time on my hands, I mean... I feel that now is an appropriate time as any to share some pictures from the past months leading up to now, especially today, where I am officially able to say, "I am a nurse".

The above photograph is the picture taken of me before my undergraduate baccalaureate pinning ceremony in front of the entrance to the chapel on campus. I did have one post mentioning pinning ceremony {here}. 

Nursing school, and really the entire undergraduate college experience is a chapter of life that is very unique and like no other I have experienced thus far. In regards to being a nursing student it really feels like the iron man triathlon race made up of three parts the swimming portion, biking portion, and ends with a marathon (running 26.2 miles). However, the race really began before the getting to the "starting line" - with a lot of preparation and practice. 

Metaphor   

Sign-Up: For me this was before I even started college and was embedded in my process to choose a university. Which really is probably a separate post in itself. However, for both the iron man and nursing school step one is to choose to sign-up and put your name on the dotted line that says, "Yes. This is what I want to do!"

Practice makes perfect: Once you commit, you gotta do it! Both with athletics and nursing school it's not about the one day you wake up and you're ready to race, you gotta prepare yourself for what's to come. In nursing school this means (at least) two years of prerequisite courses in math, social sciences, lab sciences, and other liberal arts required courses (for me this took 3 years). This is the part of school where you learn, or after not-learning, learn again how to study, perform on tests, and memorize an obscene amount of facts that at the time just seem unnecessary. This is where I had to prove to my university and the nursing department that I was an eligible student for their program. 

First year of nursing school// swimming: You start out nursing school feeling on top of the world! I had just gotten accepted into the program I wanted (and felt like I deserved) and was ready to race through the next two years and be done with it!....well as you may imagine I was quickly taught a lesson in humility because this "race" is long and requires a lot of patience, hard-work, and perseverance. If I was going to be successful in nursing school I needed to take it one week, one day, and sometimes even one assignment at a time. Along the way I was introduced to some very crucial professors and friends that helped me up when I was down, and were my cheer leaders when I really needed (because they knew exactly what I was going through).  It was a combination of my stubborn nature, and determination that really got me through this first year of nursing school.

Second year// biking: This is the part of a triathlon that I think sneaks up on you, has potential for wipe-outs, and is the first test of endurance. I went into my second year of nursing school feeling confident, being told that the first year was the hardest and thinking in my head that it would be all "down-hill" from here...oh boi was I wrong! I to this day will tell anyone who asks, I LOVED the first year of nursing (well-it's all a mater of perspective). Put nicely, the second year was rough. BUT, I learned a lot about myself, what capacity I have, and solidified that nursing was the right career choice for me.

I have a feeling (never attempting a triathlon myself) that after biking you want to be able to celebrate a moment, over halfway!...but then again, that one part left is really the most important one, ...the ultimate test of the preparation and hard work you've done to get to where you are. So celebrations are short-lived, like graduation and pinning rehearsal I felt like I could only allow myself to celebrate within reason knowing what was yet to come.

Preparing for NCLEX// marathon: This parallel of comparing NCLEX to a marathon was introduced to our nursing class quite early on in the second year of nursing school. NCLEX-RN is an exam that was going to take an immense amount of effort, emotional perseverance, and time. Preparation for this exam would need to be done in small pieces over a long-period of time, like running a marathon (it really takes a long time!). Every time a teacher said this my stomach turned. I am for one NOT a test-taker, testing and Ashley just do not mix. Yes, I knew that at the end of my schooling I would need to take an exam but up until this point ignorance was very much bliss. This is my identical feeling to running, I hate it, and for sure not in a million years would willingly sign up for running a marathon, let alone an iron man...but I wanted and felt that it is my call in my life to be a nurse...so I had to keep going; so I did. I studied starting the Tuesday after graduation up until the day before the exam. For this very reason is why today I can say I not only passed my exam, but passed it on the first time. Not because it was easy, not because testing is my thing, but because I worked and worked my ass off to pass giving up a lot for the month of June to make taking this exam a once-and-a-lifetime experience. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Woah, that's a lot of words...I apologize for being long-winded (hopefully it makes up for a lack of blog-posts in June). Even now as I look back over the past 5+ years, I know this isn't the only..and probably not going to be the hardest "race" in my life, but it is certainly one I will never forget. It's these experiences in life that test our tenacity, perseverance, and ethic that can make the most impact. Even though it has been a few days since I found out I passed I still find myself reflecting back over the experience and the journey which is what made the "end" so special.

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As I start the next "chapter" in my life as a "young-adult"/ "20-something", there is a lot of unknowns and still a lot of learning and growing to be done.The next which I will begin relatively soon will be applying for my first professional job that will be the start to my life-long career in nursing. I don't know how long or how short it will take to find a job, but I pray that whatever comes ahead of me is the right fit for me right now in this time in my life.

As I sit and type this all out, I really once again am filled with so much appreciation and gratitude of all the people in my life that have supported, loved, and cheered for me along the way to make this whole journey a success. I will be forever grateful and in awe of how God provides exactly what I need when I need it.

I say thank you to you -if you are reading this and were apart of making this happen. Whether you were my elementary school teacher, boss, co-worker, teammate, friend, or family member, I am so thankful for having you in my life. This is also an invitation to get a cup of coffee, go to the beach, and spend time together...well one because I have a lot more time on my hands than I have ever in my life, and two because I want to be able to be there for you too!

What got me through nursing school especially was a quote I found early on in my college career;
Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense"

The blog-posts for the remainder of this week will be mostly filled with pictures of celebrations and happenings surrounding pinning, graduation, and NCLEX
{Consider this your warning ;-)}