Intro to my Nursing Blog...

Hello everyone out there in web land.  Those of you who are reading this are either a) my friends b) my family c) nursing school students ( future/current/graduate) or d) none of the above and are just curious about what I am up to.  So those who don't know who I am here a little background of who I am and why I ended up getting into nursing school.

Lets start with the basic info:
Name: Amanda
Age:29
Status: Happily Married for 5 years now
Location: Florida but I'm a Jersey girl ;)

Now that you have that info lets get down to the question at hand..... " Amanda your almost 30 why do nursing school now?". Well it all started as a kid. Short story I love the medical field.  Always fascinated by new techniques, meds, treatments, etc.  As a kid I always watch the late night OR/ER shows and the Discover Channel shows that showed the latest trend in medicine. 

In High School I helped start the Doctors of Tomorrow club were we would go on field trips to the big medical centers in Florida, volunteer at clinics and even go to seminars about the medical profession.  After high school I bounced around from sooooooooo many fields (marine bio, psychology, child psych, teaching, art) just to name a few.  I finally in 2009 I decided to go become a Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and loved it.  The rush and craziness of a hospital was were I wanted to be.  Helping people was a calling.  Sadly the hospital job market was saturated and to become a female fire fighter in SFL is really hard not to mention your insurance rates sky rocket because it is a high risk field.  So at the time I looked into Nursing school...... and the tuition at the time made it out of reach.  So over the years I just pieced together my medical education. I took PCN classes, Phlebotomy, Pharmacy Tech, Medical Term etc. 

In summer of 2011 I fond out my father was very sick with brain cancer.  At this point I took off of work and school to help him out.  He was getting surgeries and his treatments up north in NYC at a place called Memorial Sloan and Kettering.  It was while taking care of him and getting to know the staff that I realized that I had the same passion to help other like they did.  Sadly after 3 surgeries, numerous trial treatments my father lost his battle to Brain Cancer on Sept 13, 2012 at 3am (his birthday as well).  I take comfort in knowing that myself, my family and the nurses who stayed at the house with us helped made him comfy and happy in his last days. 

When my father passed I promised him I would follow my dreams and become a nurse and help others when they need it most. 
So I did I went around looking at school after school trying to find the right fit and I eventually did Jersey College of nursing.  They of course originate in New Jersey and they also have three campuses in Florida as well.  They worked for me because they offered small class sizes, easy to transfer to NJ if we decide to more up north, National and State licensing, plus they have the highest pass rate for the exam, plus a whole bunch of other things. 

I will be honest I am nervous about going back to school full time but this is an investment into not only my future but my families as well.  SO starting December 30th I will be packing my backpack and sporting a new uniform and ready to take on the world.  While in school I am also going to strive to get in to Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.  You have to be in a certain percentage of your class and maintain a 3.0 gpa.  I am setting the bar high.

So what is the point of this Blog well I will tell you.  As a nursing student I want to show others that your able to accomplish dreams, just to update on what goes on in school for future people, and also to hear your questions, suggestions and just to rant and rave if needed.  There it is guys my first serious blog entry. 

Please feel free to leave comments questions or what ever. 


~ Amanda