I am here to share my journey of how in the blink of an eye, I went FULL SPEED ahead into my #nursing #career without ever looking back! #becominganRN #myjourney
My name is Melissa Sweet. I live in #Florida, and this is my very first #BLOG so Welcome & Thank you for joining ME! As far as my life in #healthcare goes, it was quite the #journey.. but I hope that my journey can help you along yours!
I graduated high school in 2003, not really knowing what I wanted to do as far as a career went I attended the community college like everyone else. I went for a few semesters until I got bored and decided to quit school to work full-time as a hostess at the popular restaurant in town.
Do MOST of us nurses start in hospitality? As far a I can tell, it definitely seems to be the trend. Ask around!
My mother is a nurse, and she did not appreciate me quitting #school to spend most of my time working double shifts at the restaurant. To say the least, she ensured her #frustrations were known.
One day I’m at work, at the hostess stand of course, and in walks my mother. She said she had registered me for certified nursing assistant or #CNA #classes and that it was already paid for so.. I had to go. She was my #1 reason for starting my nursing career!
Let's see how it went.
I was actually #nervous to take the classes. You see, my mother had worked in healthcare for as long as I could remember. She also always worked long back breaking hours caring for patients. Although I knew she loved it, I also knew it wasn’t easy. Especially the idea of taking a state exam made me even more nervous! At the time, I enjoyed work, fun work, like the fun I had at the restaurant. I mean, come one, FREE FOOD every shift #Winning!
So just like that, I attended the CNA classes, and enjoyed it enough to quit my job at the restaurant (left what I thought was my #comfort #zone). I took my #state #exam (which wasn't terrible at all) and went job hunting for my first job as a CNA. I went to the assisted living facility or ALF near my home with my resume showing my mall retail store and restaurant experience in hand, asking to speak to a manager. I said,
“I do not have experience as a CNA, but I am a quick learner and I can promise, you will not regret hiring me.” I got the JOB!
I would say that was the best first #healthcare #job I ever had, and starting off in an ALF is a great idea for someone just getting into healthcare #wink #wink! (I will dive further into this in another post - stay tuned). But after that first job, I knew I felt #passionate about the nursing field!
I knew I wanted to work in the ER. I just had this deep feeling literally in my soul that knew I wanted to be in an ever-changing environment of chaos to say the least. Although I loved working at the ALF, it became difficult to see patients come and go after I had become so attached to them over time.
I showed up to the emergency room or ER with my resume showing experience of my ALF.
I said with more confidence than the last, "I do not have experience as an er tech, but I am a quick learner and I can promise, you will not regret hiring me.” I got the JOB! - January 2006.
Let us fast-forward to 2 years later, I remained a tech in that ER while I attended school to become a #licensed practical nurse or #LPN. Once I finished school and received my nursing license, the ER was no longer hiring LPNs (this was one of the best things that happened to me). I then took my experience to the magnet, Level 1 #Trauma center in #Tampa.
I did what I knew worked for me before, I made my #resume as fancy as I could with my ER experience now on it. I applied for the ER LPN job. Although as a requirement, they wanted at least 1 year experience, I called the ER and asked to speak to the manager. With full confidence this time, I told him, “I do not have experience as an LPN but, I am a quick learner and I can promise, you will not regret hiring me.” He set up an in person interview, and I got the JOB! - September 2009. See the trend?
At that point I loved the #ER. Everyday was different, and the people I worked with were quite the interesting characters. It’s like, in order to work in an environment that involves life and death, you have to have a certain type of #personality and #humor to get through the shift. It’s a bonding #experience that you can’t have with family, nor can you even explain the bond that is built because it is truly #unique!
The ER crew became my family. A family I wanted to grow with. So, in 2013 I began to transition from LPN to Registered Nurse or RN. I graduated from that program in June 2014. Once I found out I passed my state licensing exam, I immediately cried of course, who doesn't? I had a flash back of where I started and what a bigger difference I was going to be able to make as an RN. The money of course helped too, I can’t deny that.
I stayed in my RN role there for 2 years and even completed the critical care rotation to see if I could work in the Intensive Care Unit or ICU for a change of specialty. To say the least, it was not for me. It reminded me about working in the ALF and how caring for the same patients day in and day out was too difficult for me because of the attachment it involved.
I missed the fast pace and different faces of patients in the ER. That experience certainly did give me so much MORE #respect for the ICU nurses. As an #ERnurse, I truly try to dot all of my I’s and cross my T’s before sending patients to them, even in a gown if possible!
Long story short.. It truly helped having a family member in healthcare that believed in me, to push me to make the first step!
Once you build confidence in yourself, you can ACHIEVE ANYTHING!
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