About

Thank you for checking out my blog. I’d like to tell you a bit about myself. I, like many others, came into the nursing arena later in life. Nursing was not my first choice. My working career began as an elementary school teacher of religious studies. Teaching fulfilled a childhood dream. I felt that the world was becoming a better place because of me. I got a certain satisfaction knowing that another person in the world was going to have a better life because of me.

It was great for a few years. Then I got married and started a family. I realized that to support a family you actually need to earn a living. So began my journey in college. I began with a major in liberal arts in a community college with the goal of eventually becoming a certified teacher. It wasn’t religious studies but I figured I’d still be teaching values and sculpting the future of our society.

At some point my wife suggested that I join the volunteer ambulance squad. As soon as I started, something inside me clicked. I immediately fell in love with the health care field. It gave me the satisfaction of helping people on a whole new level. So I changed my major, and thus began my trek into medicine.

I started as an emergency medical technician (EMT), because the ambulance company that I volunteered at was paying for the program. I quickly realized that patient centered care fits my ideals most suitably.  Although it definitely felt productive practicing medicine even on a basic level, I was not satisfied. I felt I had something more to contribute.

I went back to school and became a paramedic. I was then on a level at which I could give comprehensive care while still focusing on the individual. Being on the scene, stabilizing, and transporting the patient, I dealt with the whole patient. My job involved calming the patient and his/her family, treating the medical issues at hand, as well as providing education and tools for prevention of injury and disease.  As satisfying as it was, I still longed for something more.

I wanted to be in a position where I would be able to reach my maximum potential in patient care.  But I knew that it had to be the type of medicine that I agree with. I believe in treating the patient rather than the disease.  The whole patient must be considered including his/her education level, resources available, as well as the patient’s environment.  This requires a holistic approach in which each patient is given sufficient time.

That is why I chose nursing as the next step in my journey.  I continued in school and took on a full class schedule despite holding a full time job. Juggling my full load of classes, a rigorous full time job, all while raising two children, was definitely a challenge. I learned the art of prioritizing my obligations.  Time management became second nature.  Thanks to my medical background and critical thinking ability, I was able to take exams proving my knowledge and skip the first two semesters of the nursing program.  I graduated and was the first in my class to become a registered nurse.

As much discipline as it took to receive my Associate of Science in Nursing, getting my bachelor degree online required a whole new set of skills. I scheduled my online time so as not to conflict with my job or my family time.  Coordinating my responsibilities, adherence to a fully loaded schedule, and dealing with the pressure of deadlines became my personal governance. After a year in an accelerated program, I graduated with my bachelor degree in nursing.

Today I am continuing my education in a family nurse practitioner program. I enjoy my jobs that deal with a broad range of clients, and I especially enjoy helping others who could use some advice.

The purpose of this blog is to offer information to those who would appreciate advice from an experienced RN.