All I wanted to do on Monday was sleep in. After my weekend of working (mixed with boozing at the office holiday party), I needed rest more than anything in the world (including hummus). And yet, I still woke up at 8 am. Oh well, I’ll take all I can get.
I broke the fast with my latest obsession (cocoa coffee) and an apple and then got productive. Laundry done before 10 is impressive for a day off…and that’s not all! I did a few more Q&As, too.
Why did you choose nursing? How did you know you wanted to become an RN? If you weren’t in nursing, what would your second career choice be?
Well, this kinda overlaps with the previous question about my dream job. But I had SO many questions on my path to becoming a nurse that I think I’ll address that whole career move in more detail now. It’s hard to imagine doing anything other than nursing now, but back when I started college I thought I wanted to be a doctor. Yep, I was a bio/pre-med major at UCLA. But before I get ahead of myself, I’ll back up a bit.
Growing up with a physician for a father, I always knew I wanted to do something in the medical field. It wasn’t anything I was pressured into, I just loved it. Biology was always my favorite subject in school, so it only seemed natural that I should follow that path. Only problem was, being pre-med at UCLA was the most competitive, cut-throat, insane environment. Ever. Also, biology was only 1% of the major. As you can imagine, the appeal in being pre-med was gone faster than LaLohan’s sense of smell. Since I wasn’t exactly sure what that medical something I wanted to do was, I just forged ahead with the bio major knowing I would eventually figured it out. I’d already killed my GPA with all the lower division O chem grunt work, so I figured I might as well get the letters and the diploma that goes along with it.
Sure enough, I graduated, and still wasn’t too sure what I wanted to do with my BS. RN, PA, PT, how could I know without ever seeing what each did? To pass the time, I got a job in a hospital (mammography). My job had me doing a whole assortment of things, but BY FAR my favorite part was talking to patients. While taking their history, I felt I was able to make them way more comfortable (which was hard to do given that they were about to get their boobs smashed in a vice-like apparatus). This passion for making patients feel at ease and opening communication with them was my first clue that I wanted to go into nursing. Obviously nursing requires more than just chilling with patients, but you know what I mean…Nurses are the ones who are the bridge in communication between patients and their doctors. They explain things to the family, they are the advocate for the patient when he/she can’t be that person for himself, and they are the ones who the patient bonds with during what is often the most difficult time in a person’s life.
So, after doing some research, I decided to pursue nursing. Since I already had a bachelors in bio, I discovered almost all of the prerequisite classes were taken care of, and I could apply for an accelerated nursing program. Nowadays there are several such programs, but they weren’t as popular or well known when I was applying. I continued to work at the hospital while I applied to a few schools, and ultimately, I decided on an 11 month program in Philly.
I loved it. It was hard. But I did well, graduated, moved to NYC, and found a job in the cardiac ICU.
Did you always know you wanted to be a cardiac nurse? Do you think this job is forever?
No and probably not.
To be honest, I loved almost every clinical rotation I had in nursing school, so I had no clue what field I wanted to start in once I graduated. The best thing about nursing though, is that you don’t necessarily have to choose one field and stick with it. Unlike medicine, picking a specialty doesn’t mean you are stuck on a path of no return. I’m hoping to eventually return to school (some time in the distant future), and get my N.P. (Nurse Practitioner). Since the unit I currently work on is run by an NP, I am basically being trained for the job now. I love being proactive in patient care, determining the problem before it happens, and taking action to eliminate (or at least minimize) it. Being able to know how and what to do requires critical thinking, and that’s one of the best parts about my current position that I enjoy thrive on. Looking at the clinical picture as a whole is way more than just following orders, and I love knowing enough to call the shots. So, if I can bridge the role of the nurse (with the bedside manner and passion for putting the patient first) and the doctor (with the ability to diagnose and put pen to paper orders to scripts), I think I will have found my true calling.
Since those answers were so long winded, here’s a quick look at the rest of the days eats.
Home-made seitan, quinoa, and steamed broccoli.
This dish was such perfection, it needed no side dishes or anything. It held me over all through my hour and a half workout at the gym, too.
Please note the spoon in the hummus…because that’s how I roll 🙂
FAVE flavor!!!! I don’t like orange juice, oranges, or most orange flavored things…but for some reason, this is my favorite of all the Zevia flavors. Weird.
For dinner I met Kyle at WF. Hot date with the hot bar.
Hotness. Sorry about the cellphone pic. My bberry is on it’s last legs. The blur you don’t see above is: curry cauliflower (mouth on fire good), BBQ tempeh, balsamic tofu, steamed brocc, and dried cranz on a spinach bed.
I also had one pound of butternut squash with onions, currants, and two pounds of olive oil. The WF chefs could really lighten up on the EVOO.
After we got home, I had dessert while watching the 49ers win (yeah!!!).
mmm i’m making deej take me to wf on thurs after my finals. hot date hot bar? hahaha
i hope someday when i’m in a hospital for some random reason (probably cardiac arrest that deej has caused me from watching too mainly painful giants games with her) that you are my nurse. i’ll reward your fabo services with tubs of hummus. you can bring me starbs while i’m recovering and we’ll eat humdids and apples.
bbm friend meeeee
I made that butternut dish last night! I got the recipe from the Wegmans website… so yummy. I’m impressed by your restraint – only 1 pound! 😀
“They explain things to the family, they are the advocate for the patient when he/she can’t be that person for himself, and they are the ones who the patient bonds with during what is often the most difficult time in a person’s life.”
I cannot fully express how amazing the nurses were during my most recent experience at the hospital (father – heart attack leading to triple bypass). They were our lifeline to keeping us informed and “part of the family” instead of in the dark. We loved the level of communication with us and the communication with one another between shifts. Also how the nurses helped take care of us during a time when our minds were anything but working. So I am so grateful for people who chose to pursue nursing with the desire to be there for the patients and families – it means so much, so incredibly much.
I’ve only been to the hospital once, and my nurse was the BEST THING EVER. Doctor was an ass, nurse was the best. I have always had an enormous respect for what you do after that experience, it literally made ALL the difference in my time at the hospital. I love that you love your job. 🙂
my mom is a nurse too! she works with newborn babies and is SO passionate about it- i love that you are too..that is awesome..nursing is such a great way to let your heart shine through!
I’m still waiting to hear about the seitan 😉
<3 <3
Wow, your dishes always make me SO hungry. For some reason they are always exactly what I want at that moment. YUM!
And I loved reading more about you, it’s always fun to learn about other people, thanks for sharing.
Is using a spoon in hummus not what everyone does?! It is certainly the only way to do it at my place!
Courtney
You know I have a lot of reverence for what you do, and so I really enjoyed reading these answers! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing more insight about you and your career…I started pre-med, and now could never imagine being a doctor. I guess life takes us places we can never plan for 🙂
Love the hummus and apple idea, I really need to try that!
dude. being awake before 10 on a day off is good for me so props on the laundry! it was fun reading more about your career and what led you there. sounds like you are really passionate and that is awesome! if you have a second~email me your mailing address. pretty please 🙂
I read every single word about your path to being a nurse. You seem like such a wonderful asset to your hospital, I wish you were my grandma or my cousin’s nurses when they were in the cardiac unit!
Laundry by 10? Laundry is the worst chore ever so MAYJUH kudos to you!
thanks for giving us some insight into your life 🙂 i think it is reall interesting to hear about!
& jealous of your date w/ the whole foods bar 😉
xo
shelley
http://findinghappinessandhealth.wordpress.com
You help guide the way and I’m so grateful to have a friend like you. With the many ups and downs life throws at us, the blog and now with the newly incorporated Q&A help get me back to center, because frankly, I still have no clue what to do with this mcdb degree. =/ Did I tell you I spoke with Hoover recently? He’s been a positive inspiration too, except with the economy and the lack of Cali funds, there are like zero available pre-req classes to take at the CC level. But, just like your positivity and your passion for wanting to help patients and work in the medical field, onward I will continue to go and hopefully pursue something of the sort.
Oh, btw, just looked up what tempeh is…hehe. I’m learning so much from you! And kudos to that wonderfully sliced apple image you posted. I like the round shape. =)
You’re very lucky that you’ve always had an idea of what you wanted to do as a career – I still don’t know!
Since Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech alum) is now on the 49ers, Chris and I are unofficial fans now 🙂
Thanks for the insight into why your a nurse! I love hearin everyone’s backstory. It helps shed light on everything and I love it!
xoxo
MAMIII!!!! Are you going to be around next week at all??? A date needs to be had 🙂 Your WF date witchyo man reminded me that it’s definitely time.
LOVE YOU!!!
like father like daughter — my papa is an English teacher as well and I always knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps since I was a young tot. Thank goodness he wasn’t a garbage man — in which case I may have chosen my own path.
<3!
enjoyed reading about you becoming a nurse! i am a nursing major in college so it is nice to read your blog 🙂
great eats, especially the WF! i have yet to eat there but i really wanna!
jenna
Love your Q&A responses. I think I want to go into nursing at some point : )
Seitan…haven’t had any of that in awhile. So yummy in stir-fry! Your dinner looks great!!
Thanks for sharing this! I wondered myself why you chose that career. Homemade seitan! I really want to try some (i never had) but i dont even know where to start. Is it hard to make? I have a recipe in VCON but im just nerbous that ill screw it up somehow…
Ah, I love career stories! 🙂 I can totally see how you ended up where you are, and I’m sure your job suits you.
So impressed with your homemade seitan! That’s something I’d like to try. I do find it one of the tastier meat alternatives.
I love reading about what made you decide to become a nurse. I, too, went to college with one idea in mind (journalism in my case) and then decided nursing was what I wanted to do. I’m in an accelerated BSN/MSN program right now and love it! It sounds like you’re going to be an amazing NP someday since you’re already a fantastic nurse. I hope if I ever end up in NYC, I get to work with someone as awesome as you are!
Having spent a blechy amount of time chillin’ in hospitals I can say that when you care about and are committed to your work (and I can tell that you are!), it really shows. I’m so grateful to nurses I’ve met while hospitalized and know I DEF. won’t be forgetting them any time soon. So the next time you’re at work and living for the next cuppa Starbucks know that while some patients can be crazy making others totally see and appreciate how hard you work.
And I looove reading your Q&A responses!
Rachael*
P.S. This blog (http://rubyconverseandcurls.blogspot.com) is the one I’m using. I made the wordpress account above, but am soo not technology savvy enough to figure it out!
I love your blog and have been stalking around for a little bit 🙂 I’m actually in an accelerated nursing program right now. I graduate in April, yay!! How hard is it for you to maintain a life of exercise and good nutrition, plus a personal relationship with your fiance amongst the challenges that nursing has? Do you guys have different work schedules?
Staci
thanks for the sweet comment!!
it was really hard at first. i tried making several different changes to my schedule before realizing that exercising on the days i worked was just not possible. it was hard since i was always a 6 days a week kind of runner, but in the end, my body felt run down and completely unproductive when i pushed it so much. after a 12 hour shift there is nothing better for me than sleep, and my body definitely let me know that! i had no energy on my days off, and i never felt well rested, and always was playing catch up with my sleep, getting on odd-houred schedules…. it just wasnt a good first few months of work. i never realized how stress can tear you down. even when i didnt feel so mentally, in hindsight, it is easy for me to see how much i was dragging. some people can do the before work gym thing, but when you have to start work at 645 am, its crazy to try to work out before that. but again, this is just my own personal experience. maybe some nurses can do it all? although, i dont know any of my coworkers who work out, period. with the way i work now, i try to get in nice solid runs on my days off (6+ miles) and then rest for all the days i work. it gives my body time to repair itself, and i feel ready (psyched!) to go again on my days off.
my fiance is in finance, so his hours arent set. he usually goes to work after i do (7-8) and comes home around the same time i do. on my days off, hes obviously at work the entire day, but still tried to get home earlier since ill be there. unfortunately, we rarely eat together because of how infrequently our schedules overlap. so as you can imagine, its nice when i have weekends off because then we actually have the same schedule.
anyways, thanks again for reading 🙂