Everything is in! I met the deadline through much procrastination but I managed to get all my tests and documents in to the nursing office! I have been poked and prodded, proving that I can't get or give tuberculosis, measles, mumps, rubella, or chicken pox.I have been certified as a professional rescuer, and I have the crappiest health insurance ( high deductible, no copay) just so that I have proof of insurance. But I am officially ready for school.
So now, I am going to enjoy the rest of summer, read some good books, and take as many naps as I can. Because my life is going to get crazy in three weeks.
For example, look at all the books I had to buy for first semester!



So, you probably won't hear much from me til school starts because I am going to be lazy and do nothing!

Rule number 1: Don't be weird

I was talking to my friend this morning about her hospital experience after giving birth and she left me a voicemail describing her student nurse. The first thing I thought was,"oh no, what did she do?!" Immediately my mind goes to making excuses for her. "Well, maybe her instructor made her, maybe it was on her must do list, maybe you mistook her intentions...." Why? Because this nurse undoubtedly could have been me!
My number one fear, other than the fear of getting shot or going to jail when it's not my fault, is not getting a hint and being that super annoying person. I know you are thinking,"there are much more important things to be worried about" but I don't worry so much about the workload of school or the exams or passing, I worry about clinicals and the responsibility of taking care of someone in the hospital who doesn't need to worry that their student nurse is going to be annoying, awkward, or just plain weird! I may not be weird but I most certainly find myself in some awkward situations or conversations where I just want to make a beeline for the door.
So, I welcome the stories of the students who won't leave your room, or who offer unsolicited advice, or sound like walking computers because it is a heads up for me to not be those things.
Remember the number one rule: DON'T BE WEIRD!

Why Nursing?

So a lot of people probably wonder why I would go from a music career to nursing. Let me start by quoting one of my favorite lines from the show "Scrubs". Sarah Chalke's character turns to a nurse (they were dealing with doctor-nurse relationships) and she berated her by saying,"At least I didn't go to nursing school after a failed singing career." When I heard that I about spit out my water laughing because I'm sure that while we had a very successful career many people wonder if this is my fallback career.Yes, in the sense that I started school during the last years of our career with the intention of going to nursing school, but it was actually not the first attempt at school. I am what you would consider a bonafide nerd. Not the cool, intellectual type that will debate for hours about art and politics or even medical issues in the media, but rather I used to be on our tour bus studying algebra for fun or trying to teach myself spanish for the umpteenth time. More recently I wait till my kids go to bed to play the piano for an hour. Totally useless intelligence. (Who uses Algebra in everyday life?)
I'm saying this because I have wanted to be in the medical profession for as long as I can remember. My life plan was to go to Emory University after high school and become a doctor. God had other plans. I have loved, loved , loved singing and all the experiences I have had over the years, but I have always secretly wanted to get an education in the medical field. I even applied to a university right before one of our cds came out but quickly realized that at the time, school would never work. I could imagine myself saying,"I can't make finals because I'll be in Amsterdam for the thousandth time."

So, anyway,(this is really long). I finally realized that I wasn't born into the wrong family and that maybe this nursing thing is actually in my blood. My cousin recently shared with me that my great aunt Carolease was actually one of the first black nurses in Richmond.


She worked as a nurse in public health and her career spanned 45 years. She received her master's in nursing and was a nurse educator the last years of her career. She will be my inspiration when nursing school gets really tough and I want to say,"Never mind."And so will my grandmother who recently passed away, who pushed me to finish my schooling even though we were to busy to go to school due to the demands of traveling. I was so pleased to tell her before she died that I had been accepted to nursing school. I just wish she could have seen me graduate.I am going to go to school and finish because I know that it is in me. I am doing this in honor of them and to make my family proud.