April 26, 2011
One Saturday afternoon, while I was reading the newspaper, my seven year old daughter approached me and said “Mommy, can I borrow your thingy?” She was holding up with her hands my black stethoscope. She said she wanted to play nurse with her white bunny toy. I grinned to myself as I recalled about 25 years ago that it all started as a play pretend for me too.
I remember that I played with my raggedy brown teddy bear--- mending its tattered arm and giving it with lots of hugs and kisses to soothe its pain away. I would dangle a shoelace around my shoulder (my stethoscope) and use a stick (my syringe) as my tools. Memories I’d thought were just a play scenario that most children go through as part of growing up. It was etched on my high school yearbook that my favorite saying was “Anything I touch, might turn into gold.” Why I chose that? I thought it was magical!! Little did I know that I would understand its true meaning someday. I vividly remember telling my mother that I aspired to be a flight stewardess so we could travel around the world--thinking that would make us happy and content with life. Yet, that dream did not transpire as I‘d hoped. Instead, I pursued a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and worked in the media industry. Since then, I’ve had odd and good jobs. I was satisfied, yet, I felt a void deep down in me and my life seemed clueless for years.
Then seven years ago, I was looking at some classified ads and noticed that the nursing field had over two pages full of “wanted ads”. I said this must be a gratifying and in-demand career. And history has it; I went back to school and finished an associate’s degree in Vocational Nursing. I’ve worked in the Skilled Nursing Facility for five years with the geriatric population and got to know them not only as patients but as people with intricate life stories. Now, for over four years, I’ve worked at a Charity Clinic surrounded by the needy and disadvantaged group of society, providing the utmost care and empathy.
Then seven years ago, I was looking at some classified ads and noticed that the nursing field had over two pages full of “wanted ads”. I said this must be a gratifying and in-demand career. And history has it; I went back to school and finished an associate’s degree in Vocational Nursing. I’ve worked in the Skilled Nursing Facility for five years with the geriatric population and got to know them not only as patients but as people with intricate life stories. Now, for over four years, I’ve worked at a Charity Clinic surrounded by the needy and disadvantaged group of society, providing the utmost care and empathy.
Since then I’ve been returning to school
finishing my pre-requisite classes in night school to prepare myself for the RN program. For it is with education, that aspirations for a better career can be attained. I’m no longer a play-pretend nurse, nor just magical with my hands. I am now a real nurse, an LVN. I have integrated my knowledge, skills, love, care, and compassion to my patients. I have touched their lives by being a part of the healthcare team. That in is more valuable than gold.
finishing my pre-requisite classes in night school to prepare myself for the RN program. For it is with education, that aspirations for a better career can be attained. I’m no longer a play-pretend nurse, nor just magical with my hands. I am now a real nurse, an LVN. I have integrated my knowledge, skills, love, care, and compassion to my patients. I have touched their lives by being a part of the healthcare team. That in is more valuable than gold.
- Nanette
