^^ yep! c/o pinterest ^^
Inspired by a fellow Vancouverite, mom blogger, and RN Andrea from Mama in the City!
You may be surprised to hear this, but nursing was never a dream of mine. I never had much of an exposure to the hospital or heck even the profession as a child- born 1982, broke my leg in the early 90's, and...well...that's basically it! Unlike many Filipino's you may know of, no one in my family were nurses! Bottom line, I had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what nurses did when I applied for nursing school.
In the Spring of 2000, i was 'forced highly encouraged' to choose a path in life at the wee age of 17. I distinctly remember sitting by the lockers with my friends with our Uni applications in hand and trying to decide what in the hell i was going to be when I grew up. Like the typical child of first generation Canadian immigrants, I wasn't to "waste" time and money on the Arts. Moreover, it was unheard of to waste time, money, and momentum on a year off to travel and perhaps discover myself! A child of first generation immigrants was to know what they were going to be, graduate at the fastest amount of time possible, and get a job that is not only a lifetime career, but must be well paid- i know this situation was/is not unique to me, but I digress...
Anyhow, i was sitting in front of the lockers with friends; didnt want to apply for Arts or Science or Forestry (can't remember the other options). Nursing was a small little inconspicuous box, with prerequisites I had already completed. Again, no idea what nurses did despite the Uni's presentation on the faculty, but whatever...I applied! One school, one program, nothing else interested me. Fast forward to late Summer, i got into Nursing school! Whoop whoop (!!) and to my great relief, phew!
The 4 year degree went by super fast. When I graduated, I still hadn't grasped what nurses did! the first 2 years of our degree was to take whatever classes we wanted- possibly to 'grow up.' The last two years went through the summer and we were in the hospital along with needing to attend lectures and labs. I had terms/experiences in many fields and what interested me most was dabbling in a little bit of everything and learning as much acute care as I can so I had the skills to save my family (yes, i really thought this haha).
I spent 2004-2011 in acute care at one of Vancouver's biggest hospitals- here, in the front line, i learned the scope of registered nursing, how hard they worked and how under appreciated they are. Yet, I loved the skills i learned, love the pace (most of the time), loved the organizing skills and the multitasking abilities i acquired, and most of all the people I met. I did stints in nursing preceptorship, nursing education, and nursing leadership- but at the end of it all, bedside nursing hands on work was my calling. In 2013, I moved up and onto palliative care and completed my Canadian Nurses Association specialty certification. Trust me when I say Palliative care is not all sadness, tears, and suffering. I really appreciate and feel honoured to be at the bedside of someone in the last stages of their life with access to drugs and interventions to alleviate pain and suffering from their illness (pain and suffering due to the actions of a family member(s) is another story!). Also, by being in palliative care i am much more sensitive to the importance of quality of life; individually defined of course. when i go home, i don't bring stress and sadness with me. My children make me appreciate what i have so much more deeply, they exude life (I'm also guilty of excessive shopping because hey, it makes me feel good too ha).
In summary, although I didnt actively choose to be a nurse, I chose academic paths and had interests that led me to this career. If I had to do it over again, i'd do the exact same thing and heck, maybe actively/inactively inspire one of my children to become one too!
hi, my name is Mitzi, and ill be your nurse- maybe one day!
Happy nursing week!
