- I haven't dropped hundreds of dollars on books.
- I'm not stressed beyond belief.
- I don't have papers to write, chapters to read or homework to do.
- I'm not feverishly organizing my planner for an entire semester to make sure I don't miss any little test or assignment.
I did my time with all of these things. I know what it is like. Not doing it this year is nice, but...
- I also no longer spend several days a week walking around the Lord's beautiful university.
- I don't get to run into and embrace old friends on campus as we pass between the Eyring Science Center and the SWKT.
- I don't get to reunite with my nursing girlfriends as we gather back in 270 SWKT or 2111 JKB. No more catching up on who's newly engaged, married, or pregnant. I miss them, a lot.
- Gone are the days of sitting down in a classroom filled with college coeds present to learn from an able professor who is eager to instill knowledge in young and ready minds.
I will miss all of those things. College is such a cool time of life. A time to be independent, have fun, and study something so specific, something that you get to choose for yourself, something that you can use for the rest of your life! Hopefully its also something that brings you joy and satisfaction. In some ways it feels like yesterday that I arrived at BYU so full of excitement and anticipation! I loved school. I loved learning how to be a nurse. I loved the environment of a university in general. I'll admit, there have been times over the last four years that I have felt so loaded down and overrun that I just couldn't wait until my college days were over and I could be done with school forever. Now, college is over, and I really am done with school forever.
I am very happy to share with those of you who do not already know that I am employed! A little over two months ago I accepted a job as an RN at Aspen Ridge West Transitional Rehab. It is an Advance Health Care five-star facility with locations throughout Utah, Kansas, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. I work at the location in Murray, Utah. Usually the majority of our patients have recently had major orthopedic surgery and need further care that doesn't necessarily require a longer hospital stay, but is more than can be handled at home. We also take medical patients (example: pneumonia, cancer, generalized weakness) who need the kind of cares that our facility can provide. This is not really considered a long-term care facility, but rather a place to participate in lots of therapy and regain strength enough to return home. Essentially my position is that of a med/surg nurse. I administer medications, injections, monitor insulin levels, inspect and change dressings, pull labs, and more. Basically anything that any of my patients need in any given moment, I help provide. Our facility holds up to 38 patients. On a day to day basis, I am responsible for 18-20 patients by myself, with CNAs as my helpers (thank goodness for them, or else I would die!!). At this particular facility, every nurse takes turns working every shift. That means that I work mornings, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. Flexibility is definitely a must. Thankfully, I get my schedule a month in advance and can plan accordingly around it. Though I started out part-time, I have already by granted a full-time position. I love the people I work with, I highly respect my bosses, and my work environment can't be beat. After a mere month of training, I was set loose to work on my own. But there is never a time when I can't find someone to answer questions or take a minute to help me out. I cannot imagine a better atmosphere for learning and gaining experience as a new nurse.
I feel like I need to tell y'all how I got this job now. At the very end of April right before graduation, I made the decision not to move to Texas. Staying in Utah meant having to find last minute housing, and starting the job search somewhere between Provo and Salt Lake. Thankfully, my angel friend Kristin invited me to share her apartment for the Summer while her husband was away doing sales. That gave me the time to save up some money and also look for a new place to live once fall rolled around. Finding a job in Utah as a nurse is... not the most fun thing i've ever attempted. I didn't enjoy my Capstone semester very much, and that is usually the #1 source for getting a job as a new grad. Everyone else wants at least one year of experience before they hire you... well how is any new grad supposed to get their one year of experience if no one will hire them to get that one year of experience?! I probably applied for over 50 nursing positions within the time period of a few weeks, and immediately HR rejected my application just because I didn't have the box checked indication that I had experience. Ugggg, so frustrating! I'll tell ya what my friends, without a doubt its all about who you know and what connections you have. Well... one day I accepted Matt's invitation to attend an institute class at UVU with with him, and that evening the instructor had us stand up and walk around to meet new people. And that's when we met Jack. Jack found out that I had just graduated from nursing school, that I was studying to take my boards, and that I still didn't have a job lined up. He pulled a business card out of his wallet (the only one he had), handed it to me and said, "I work as a CNA at this place. My mom is the Director of Nursing. She will be needing to hire some nurses soon and loves to hire new grads. You should give her a call." Cue the jaw drop, the tingling feeling in my head and stomach, and the surging hope I suddenly felt because I had just made a connection. Fast forward through one long phone call with the Aspen Ridge west DON, passing my boards, another few phone calls and a great interview, and now here I am, an employed woman.
Every day I get to put on a name take that says Jannette, RN. I get to work with amazing people who make me feel good about myself and my abilities. I constantly get to learn new things, and my skills only solidify more and more as I gain more experience and get more practice. I love my big girl job! Right now, this is my dream job. However, it is not my end-all be-all. I've decided I want to be one of those nurses who dabbles in lots of different specialties. Med-surg a little here, labor and delivery a little there, maybe a little endoscopy or OR on the side somewhere? Some time in a doctor's office maybe? A few years in ICU? Home health? Hospice? Sure! Honestly, I don't know that I ever want to fully settle down within my profession, and that is truly a beauty of nursing. I can jump around and try new things. I can use my abilities in many different areas. And you know what else? I can always be learning. My formal schooling may be complete, but my education will never be done, and I will never stop learning.
I know that my Heavenly Father is aware of me. It is absolutely undeniable. No way that all of my blessings have been mere coincidences. He helped me get into BYU, my dream school. He helped me make it into the nursing program. He helped me pass each class even when it seemed impossible (can someone say Pharmacology?). He helped me decide to stay in Utah, and then he blessed me for doing so. He helped me find a place to live. He helped me go to Institute one night, and he helped me talk to a new friend named Jack (who now jokingly calls me boss and helps me with my patients). He helped me pass my boards and follow through with getting an interview. Now, he helps me every time I dress in my scrubs, drive to work, and work with the patients who need me. I am never alone, and I am forever grateful for His love.
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