The Rocky Road Nurse

posted: Monday, November 17, 2008


The road to become a nurse is not that easy. I may describe it as "rocky road". There are so many hardships to take, from being a nursing student until you become a full fledged nurse.

Why?

Well, a typical undergraduate nursing student gives importance to basic knowledge and skills. She studies every bit of human's anatomy, from the single cell to the organs, the organ systems until it forms a human organism. The exams she takes on his college years are only a part of where her knowledge is tested; these exams, which are made with competence and difficulty. However, the other part which tests the aspiring nurse of her competence is the return demonstrations. These return demonstrations test the aspiring nurse's skills, a very much important critical aspect of nursing. The skills are learned in time, and not memorized through books. The skills are important for a nurse to be successful in her chosen field.

After going through 4 years of studying, memorizing concepts, learning the necessary skills, the undergraduate now graduates and has to take the most critical examination to become a registered nurse, that is the "Licensure examinations". And i may conclude again that taking this examination takes much effort.

The Graduate nurse, having successfully passed the nursing licensure examinations, is now bound to make a difference to the world, "get a nursing job". And quite dissapointing however, nursing jobs these past few months are hard to find. Another part of the rocks in the road where a nurse takes. With the increasing number of nursing graduates every year, a graduate registered nurse, "R.N", has to take all the possible opportunities available to improve her competence, which may be through hospital or health clinic experiences, or seminars. These will give her edge among the other new R.N.'s.

Nurses have a really wide range of opportunities just as other professions. If you want to spread and improve your experience, you can work abroad for professional growth. But just as the difficulty of making it here locally, an R.N. has to go through the difficult part of passing the examination needed to be registered abroad. Let's take the California Board of Nursing, for an example, which most Philippine R.N.s are applying to. The NCLEX examinations for California, takes timely preparation and financial stability. For reason, the application for this state takes around 4-6 months of waiting before you get your eligibility to take the examination. Then, you are to pay again for, and wait for your Authorization to Test (ATT) after 2-3 weeks. Scheduling your examinations is easy, through calling pearson call centers such as Malaysia, and pay for another fees to settle your examination date. And so, while waiting, the R.N then prepares herself through enrolling in review centers, and taking self-help exams, which she pays for another thousands.

It really takes so much to enhance one's professional growth, as other profession also implies. However, the Nurse's path is as challenging as it gets more professional competence. A Nurse must possess not only the physical stability, and the adequate knowledge and skills to work with the challenges she has to face, but more importantly, an inspiring and more productive Nurse has to be strong, determined, and passionate on her chosen career. And that even with the rocky roads of a nurse's path, a passionate commitment will make her continue to strive for more professional integrity and excellence.

Reality Check

Reality Check. Its March. After reading some books, researching some stuff about soulmates, destiny, and fate, I have come up with so many realizations. [Probably, this is a part of the grieving process. =)] Its a learning process. A friend said to me, "Maybe this was meant to make you realize what you really want."

Reality check. Time is very precious to think of things that is already gone. Just let it go and think of more important things like building yourself to be better.

Another friend just told me to focus on building my career. He said, "Don't settle for doing good, instead think of ways to make it better; and if it becomes better, think of ways to make it the best."

Reality check. I have so much to prepare for. I still have a career to build. Right now, I have been reviewing for my IELTS examinations. Hopefully, i will pass this last week of April.