I Got A Job!

I graduate from college in 2 weeks and have been applying at hospitals all over the Memphis area in hopes that I would find the right position and place for me as I begin my nursing career.

Of the 7 - yes 7 - hospitals I applied to, 4 actually replied to my online application in a timely manner, and I was able to visit these hospitals and begin the interviewing process.

My interest in the nursing profession started a long time ago. I have always been interested in working in the medical field. When I was a kid I wanted to be a dermatologist then a veterinarian, and finally a "woman" doctor. My passion for a social life in high school severely affected my grades and I barely graduated high school with the required 2.6 GPA (I think that was the cut off point, I really don't remember). After high school, I blindly attended a community college - still searching for a social life and a "man" to marry - with no idea what I wanted to do with my life. The idea of nursing crossed my mind, but discouraging words, rumors that the waiting list for nursing school was too long, and a lack of motivation because - remember, my number one priority was finding a man - temporarily stunted that dream.

So I spent a couple of years, and thousands of dollars I did not have, taking dance classes, failing math classes (only because I didn't do the homework - oh and by the way when I went back to school here in Tennessee I kept a 4.0 up until nursing school) and basically WAITING for something to happen in my life. Not that it wasn't fun, but I wasn't going anywhere when everyone around me was moving on - very depressing.

I eventually stopped spending money on schooling that wasn't going anywhere and that wasn't doing anything but putting me further in debt. I got a job doing customer service for "internet on your TV" and then later for Hunter Douglas taking orders for window treatments from dealers. I loved my jobs but I was still sinking slowly into debt as I would spend money I did not have on an attempt to look better (I had way too many shoes at this time in my life).

***Credit cards in the hands of young, impressionable women who were never taught how to budget or be financially stable are a dangerous thing my friends***

I finally found my soulmate in the oddest place imaginable - the Internet. It was very unplanned and unexpected. My husband Paul is one of the most "together," smart, and spiritually "in tune" people I have ever met. The life that we are making together is one of which I have always dreamed. This oneness of purpose is something that I have never experienced, and I am certain that it is rare. I have been blessed beyond my ability to fathom, and I realize this every day of my life. I know that we were made for one another.

In the 5 years we have been married, I have grown in many ways. I have learned much about who I am and what I want in my life... what kind of person I want to be. It took me a while, but I feel like I actually know who I am. Among the many opportunities I have had since my marriage, I was given the chance to go back to school and do something with my life!

I ate up everything I was learning. I LOVED math. I LOVED English, Sociology, Art History, Nutrition, Anatomy and physiology, Chemistry, and even Microbiology! It was almost as if my brain had been starving for 24 years and had finally discovered a smorgusborg of knowledge. It was divine!

Now, here I sit, about to graduate from college with my Bachelors degree in Nursing. It is a proud day in my life. A monumental day.

After much contemplation, consideration, and deep and serious thought, today I accepted a job at a great hospital here in Memphis as a perioperative nurse. I start May 21st, and will have 8-9 months of orientation and training learning everything about perioperative nursing.

It was a big decision for me, and it took a long time. I was actually offered 3 jobs - all of which were amazing - but I picked the one that I felt the best about.

In the end, if you follow your gut feelings about something, you will never fail. I love my life.