Nursing and me

I am enjoying my short sweet winter break now. A part of me knows this was a much needed break after the semester and before nursing school starts but a part of me is missing school too. Is it weird that I miss school? I have enjoyed school the second time around because I am just so much enjoying learning this time. I actually understand and get stuff and this is just pushing me to be on top of my game.
For those of you who do not know, here is a little background.
I did my undergrad in Electronics Engineering, then got my Master's in Computer Science and worked in the software field for a few years. All along I had been majorly unhappy and dissatisfied. I never felt like I appreciated my potential. Thankfully I got a very good opportunity to finally try to explore some careers I thought would suit me better.
I will be lying if I said nursing was my number one alternative or even that I got into nursing because I just have so much compassion and love for helping people. No, I am sorry. I am sorry that I did not get into nursing thinking of all these noble causes. I just knew that I loved biology, the human body and I knew I had a side to me that would do good with people's inherent goodness and kindness. Something quite frankly I do not see that often these days. People boggle me, people drive me crazy and people will say and do things that will make you question your sanity. But all said and done, I know not everyone is like that. There are people whose innocence and kindness make me melt, make me really want to be a better human-being and make me want to reach out and help others. I want to be somebody good in their lives as well.
I sometimes wonder what would my answer be if somebody were to ask me "Why nursing?". Well, it will be somewhat on these lines.
One needs to feel connected with humanity on some levels in order to be a nurse. One needs to have faith that despite all the ugliness and coldness, there is warmth and tenderness and a desire to better oneself.

I do not know where am I going with all this. I plan on blogging a bit more frequently once school actually starts and I get into the throes of school. I will share some of the nurse-y stuff and if I could help just one crazy excited nursing student like me, I will be golden.

word of mouth

Everyone, and I seriously mean everyone, has been telling me about how hard nursing school is going to be and how it will leave you with no time for anyone or anything. To an extent I am buying this 'That's it, it is the end of social life' claim to nursing school. I have seen some folks from work, read a lot, a lot of blogs, nursing sites and I am fairly intelligent enough to get that the stuff we will be dabbling in will need to be tough so that we can go out there and save lives.
But (there is always a but) I also have a small part of me that thinks may be some people might be overdoing this. Well, sure people differ and what might be extremely difficult for someone might not be as bad for the other person. I get that. Just that a year back when I took Anatomy and Physiology under this highly reputable professor, I was told similar stuff. Obviously not on the same scale as nursing school but just that how this class is one of the hardest ever, too much to remember, you will be studying all the time and are you crazy to register under THAT professor kinda stuff. So, I approached the class with tons of self-doubts already and had decided I am going to give it my all for a B. Yes, I was going to be happy with a B. As the class progressed, I realized how great of a teacher he was/is.  His teaching style was just fabulous. He would actually want you to understand how the heart worked, how the muscles contracted, why Sodium and Potassium ions were so important and to not just memorize it. I might need to refresh my memory now but if I skimmed through my notes, I would have no doubt I can explain all that to you. Yes, there was a lot of memorization involved too. Heck! It is Anatomy and Physiology afterall. It was not a easy class and so yes, everyone was right. But it was not that terrible either. I worked hard for all the As in my exams. I worked my butt off and I remember studying a lot. But I was not struggling at any point. I really enjoyed it too. So, maybe that helped.
The point of all this is that I am starting to wonder if it will be the same deal with nursing school, although on a much different scale. Like, yes I will have to work hard and may be study a lot more but it might not necessarily mean the end of my 'other' life.
Also, secretly I have really enjoyed this process all along. I enjoy being in school, studying and learning interesting things and being the most motivated I have ever been in my life. So, even if I am proved wrong, it will not be that bad a thing either.

My first post. Finally.

         I am bouncing with ideas and energy. I feel restless and super-motivated. I could not keep this to myself any longer, so I decided to blog about this new nursing career I am going to embark on. Yet when it comes to actually writing about that restlessness, I am drawing a complete blank. I read so many nursing blogs, adore the way they are able to write a fun, informative and honest post without much obvious struggle. Atleast, it looks like that to me. But I am finding this seemingly easy task extremely overwhelming.
But let me try.
        I start nursing school next month. I got accepted into a local community college's ADN program. It is a highly sought after and competitive program and it took me two years to finish all my prerequisites to get accepted. I am still finishing up my last two pre-reqs and since that is what is going on presently in my life, besides the restless wait for the actual nursing program to begin, I will start my very first post talking about this.
      This semester I am finishing up Microbiology and a very dull Humanities class. No offense Humanities lovers, but this class as a prerequisite for nursing school just does not make any sense to me. I love learning new things and reading for pleasure, even though that has not happened in a long time. But to be graded for this class is just sucking the life force out of me. Microbiology on the other hand is just so darn interesting. All the organisms, their ubiquitousness, their virulence, the sheer luck that you, yes you, have somehow not been affected by Staphylococcus aureus despite your Walmart trip and how no matter the amount of hand-washing we do, it just seems like the cards are stacked in their favor- is just so, so interesting and eye-opening.
       I will say, after being in this class for 4 months now, I do not judge germaphobes so much anymore. I also have developed a fear of eating out. I pay more attention to the local news segment that deals with restaurant ratings. That stuff is scary if you were to ever find out. Ignorance is bliss if you are lucky, if not, it is diarrhea, fever, vomiting and a messed up immune system my friends.