On the road....

My final destination is to be a Nurse Practitioner. Obviously, I have quite the road ahead of me. I try not to focus too far down the road. My only goal is to finish the current plate of classes on the table in front of me.

I have been accepted into the RN program with Western Oklahoma State College. At the same time, I'm completing all the prerequisites I'll need to begin my BSN with the University of Oklahoma immediately after graduation from WOSC. To say the least, my academic life is busy. As I post this, my husband and daughters are in Chicago for a week without me while I take Statistics and Developmental Psychology. Sacrifices have become commonplace in my journey toward higher education.

June 9 was the beginning of the beginning. The Class of 2010 attended Orientation and was promptly given a laundry list of to-do's before the fall semester begins. From ordering scrubs to finding out that we need to give a king's ransom in blood for testing, we were completely immersed in what will be our new culture, our new version of 'normal', our new profession...

I find myself feeling simultaneously effervescing with giddy anticipation and filled with self-doubt. While my focus and determination for my ultimate goal have not wavered, one has to question one's self in a situation such as entering nursing school as a 'non-traditional student'.

As I sat in the orientation listening to countless instructors, administrators, and staff rattle off what we needed to do, say, buy, and complete before class, I wondered silently if anyone else was feeling information overload.

I never question whether I am doing the right/wrong thing. That's not it.
I know that this is what I'm supposed to do. I love the science behind it, the logic required, the skills I'll need, and the people I'll meet and get to know along the way.