Accomplished

It has been an arduous 2 years....it is an understatement to say nursing school is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But I am getting it done...the hard part is over. For 2 years, I have gone to bed many a night with butterflies in my stomach and nerves of limp spaghetti, as I waited for another dreaded exam to be thrown my way. Today, I took my last one. All I face now is a final round of clinical in the fall semester, and pass my boards and my journey to RN is complete.

Today is a day of greatly mixed emotions for me. I am thrilled to be where I am, yet sad for where I could be all at the same time. See, this was supposed to be the final hurdle, and it is not. And while the choices I have made have helped me to get where I stand today, they also hold me back from realizing my original plan. I am also so very happy for all of my friends who DID cross that proverbial finish line today. We all came to nursing school for different reasons. Some right out of high school, some who started college but never finished, some with military backgrounds, some who need to support their families financially....I do not fit any of these molds. I was bored and needed a change. And a change I got. So no matter if my diploma says May or December, I DID this!

I am also humbled by how much knowledge has been instilled into my seemingly saturated brain. This is no ordinary 2-year degree. They cram stuff in until the gyri and sulci (those are your brain folds) seem to come undone and then they keep going....I felt like I was about to explode. And I did. All over today's final exam. And most of it came out right!

A few weeks ago we took a 180 question exam which was a comprehensive exam based on what our board exam will be like. I was fully impressed with how much I know!! What a great feeling it is to feel confident that not only have you chosen something you enjoy, but something that comes with such great and vast knowledge, that it just pours out of you when you need it. I guess those 'gate keepers,' as good friend of mine refers to them as, really do know what is best for us.

I am thankful for every tear I have shed over this time. Whether they were of sheer terror or joy, they helped shape me in some way. We could probably fashion a pretty good sized pond with all the tears the 100 +/- of us have shed over this time. Nobody told us this would be easy. We stuck together and held our heads high. Those of us who took the high road, will now reap the benefits of this new and exciting chapter...for me, it means going back to work and finishing up school, for some it means continuing onto the BSN, some getting a job and some just taking a well-earned break.

Whatever it means to each personally, it also means this leg of your journey is complete. And you never stand alone. There will always be a class of people who went through this with you. And they will always understand what it was like and how you ROCKED IT!!!