L&D Clinical Rotation Starts Today!!!!!!!!!

Today will be my first shift in Labour & Delivery.  At the same hospital where I gave birth to all my children, and the same hospital where I let nursing students examine me as part of their post-partum assessment skills. 

Its the same hospital where I told the clinical instructor, that I so wished I could switch careers and go to nursing school.  She didn't hesitate when encouraging me to do so.  And here I am, today, at that very same nursing school, being the nursing student, and not the new mom. 

I have so long dreamed of being a nurse, and for the past decade or so, its specifically been a L&D nurse I've dreamed of being.

Today, it feels like its come full-circle, and I get to start my training as a L&D nurse.  Pediatrics still has an extremely strong grasp on me, and I know I need to work in that specialization, but I know I'll also love L&D with my whole heart too. 

I'll need to find a way to combine the two areas.  I'll work on that later.

Today, I'm going to Labour & Delivery, and I'm not having contractions!!!  ;-)

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be living this dream.

Kate

Lessons on Living, from the Dying

I came across an article recently in a French magazine, that talked about a palliative care nurse, Bronnie Ware, who came up with her list of what the top five regrets were of dying people she was working with. I was going to translate the five regrets into English and post them, but today I found an English version of the article.

I believe there is so much truth to the five statements.  Personally, the first regret puts my career change in perspective.  That it truly was 'ok' to change careers even though I already had a great one going, and that ultimately, its 'ok' to be happy.  It's truly OK.  Really!

The five regrets are as follows:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

If I were to add one more to the list, I'd say, "I wish I'd been more grateful for what I already have."  I mean, its great to keep dreaming, growing, learning and experiencing new things. That's very important.  But at the same time, I think its also important to periodically look at just where you are in life, who is in your life, and what you already have, and just simply be grateful for it all.  I think most people are more blessed than they realize.

The link to the full article is here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying

If you're interested, Ms. Ware wrote a book the topic:

The Art of Writing Nursing Notes

I feel I am learning a new language, and learning how to write, both at the same time! 

I already speak five languages, and can muddle my way through a couple others, that are very similar to the ones I know.   I love languages, and was lucky enough to live in several countries where I got to truly learn the languages.  Now I'm learning a new language from a textbook in simulation lab...certainly a new experience!

I also already have a MA in Communications, and spent the vast majority of my government career writing and in strategic communications.  Writing was one of my core strengths in my job...I wrote, planned and project managed for a living.  Writing was so easy, so natural. I knew all the governmentese lingo.  I was fluent in it.  Not anymore!  Now I read my nursing notes and feel like they were written by a five year old.

What a learning curve it is for me to write succinct, yet descriptive medical notes that touch on all the important points that need to be addressed with each patient. The sentences are so intricate.  Medical writing fascinates me, as to how a simple sentence can convery so much information. 

The medical lingo in itself is mostly new. And learning what to include, what is "note worthy" and what is secondary, is currently the biggest hurdle.  Further, today I learned that something as simple as a carelessly written number could make or break a court case, as my nursing notes could be considered invalid evidence. The pressure!

What makes it particularly daunting, is that somebody's life may be on the line.  That was NEVER a factor in any of my previous writing.  Ever.  Now, if I miss documenting something that was, in hindsight, a vital clue for that person's diagnosis, or even if I don't ask the right questions in an interview, the results truly could be life and death. 

I'm not trying to sound melodramatic here.  It's simply coming to realize the full implications of writing in my new career reality.  I never before fully appreciated just how important the writing component is.

That's a lot of responsibility.  I'm up for the challenge, and am reading and practicing as much as I can (yes, I've mentioned before I am somewhat of a 'keener' -- but all joking aside, this is really very important to me to learn to do as best as I can, as quickly as I can.)

I'm hoping it will come more naturally over time and from practice, and most importantly, from experience.  That last factor is probably 'the' most important piece of the puzzle.  We are still only in simulation lab.  Lots of practice and real-life experience, where I can read 'real' nursing notes is bound to help with the learning process.

Any suggestions of books or website that people have found useful in learning this craft would be greatly appreciated.

Have I mentioned recently just how much I'm LOVIN' this career change!?!?!

Happy Future Nurse Kate!!!

Second year nursing school - starts today!

Well, technically, I went to a classroom yesterday, given that the schedule indicated yesterday as the start day...but that class actually starts a week from yesterday.  However, I wasn't the only one present, and had a chance to chat with a few classmates and meet new ones.

So here I am -- second year nursing school about to begin (for real!) later today.  What a difference a year makes!  This time last year, I was a nervous wreck. Well, only part of me was nervous about starting university classes again, this time as a (ahem!) "mature student".  The other part of me was in almost complete disbelief that I was actually starting nursing school classes.  That latter sensation partially lingered throughout the whole of first year, mostly due to the fact, that all the classes were lectures.  Had clinicals or some form of labs started first year, that vague feeling of disbelief of truly being in nursing school would have dissipated quickly.  I should also add that, typical for me, I worked at my job until the very last day before classes started, not leaving a bit of time to transition psychologically.  Live and learn.

Now, at the start of second year, my approach to nursing school is completely different.  I am looking forward to starting classes, to getting more credits completed to getting that BScN, and to getting out working again (6 more semesters --72 more weeks -- bring it on!).  I now know many of my classmates, I know that I am not the only non-18 year old in my classes, and I think this year I'll be getting to know even more of my classmates, as the labs start, and we're put in a situation where we have to interract more with random strangers who are our classmates. 

Last year I was so hung up about my age and being back in a first year university environment, especially after being in a professional workforce for so long.  But we have a diverse enough mix of students in the nursing class (like many nursing school classes, from what I've read about), that I don't feel overly old.  When doing my first degree, I remember vividly how the 'mature students' looked through my 18-year old eyes...so now I am keenly aware of how ancient I must look to them!  And to an 18-year old, anyone over 26 looked positively ancient.  I must admit that I truly don't feel my age at all.  I definitely don't feel like an 18 year old anymore, but more like I did in my late 20s-early 30s.  Maybe this is the 'young at heart' feeling I've heard about.  I'd certainly like to keep that feeling, attitude and approach to life forever!!!

But as I start second year, I know I'm not alone as a second-career nursing student.  I hope that the high school kids have had a year of exposure to university life, and realize that it's not a homogenous group like high school was.  It's called reality, and is a situation they'll be faced with for the rest of their lives.  And frankly, I fully realize that I'm not there to 'fit in' as I did when I was doing my first degree.  My reality and life experiences are completely different.  All I hope to achieve from the younger set is a mutual respect as classmates, to co-operate and work together, and possibly even have some fun while at it.

The nursing school reality will set it later this week.  I'm researching stethoscopes ("toys" are fun!) in order to buy one, and figuring out what scrubs and lab coats we'll need for this semester.  Yes, I am now truly a nursing student.  Yay!!!

My self-proclaimed fitness challenge is going exceedingly well.  I am really pleased with that accomplishment, and fully intend to continue it.  It completely amazes me that I am able, within the span of just under two weeks, to go from mostly sedentary to running 4 km in 32 minutes.  I started running gradually, didn't overdo it, nothing hurt, and I was able to keep upping the distance and time.  I feel great, and am thoroughly enjoying that so-called 'runners high' feeling, that keeps circulating for hours after a run.

I'm starting to think about setting some running goals, a 5 km race, in the coming couple months.  But more about that later!

Onward and upward -- here's to second year!!!

Future Nurse Kate

Summer blogging - health communication and more!

So here I am, back in the corporate world for almost a month now, continuing my professional career.  My first year of nursing school is finished, and school will resume in September.  That leaves a few months to fill, where I don't have nursing school to write about. 

I really enjoy writing, and don't want to stop updating my blog over the summer.  Therefore, I've decided that in the coming months, I will write about health.  I am a so-called 'communications professional' -- I've been in the communications field my entire career.  I've mentioned before that I love the idea of combining my communications skills with the medical field.  So I will be a "medical communicator" writer over the summer.  There is so much medical information that I want people to be aware of, and here is my platform.

Also, I am planning to write about a topic that is consistent with this blog's purpose -- to help encourage people who want to make a mid-life career change.  I seem to constantly be coming across interesting articles and blogs that talk about the issues involved about making a career change.  About personal satisfaction in what you do, (or at least liking and enjoying what your work is!).  About gathering up the courage, despite the 'golden handcuffs', that keep so many people from making a change.  About the fear of transition and the unknown, and staying put, even though one may be profoundly unhappy where they're at, and about the negative health effects such a scenario that can bring on.

Finally, I also plan to write about gratitude.  About voluntary simplicity.  About enjoying life, not just planning to live, or wanting to change -- but simply about enjoying what you have, right here, right now.

So stay tuned.  There are many interesting blog entries to come over the summer.

Some good questions to ask yourself

It seems that in my recent browsings on the Net, I've come across a number of interesting pieces and sites about career change, and that friends have been sending me interesting articles as well.

My latest find is an article from the Oprah site.  While I have never really been on the Oprah bandwagon, I certainly readily admit that she has done amazing work in having people "wake up" to living their lives mindfully and helping inspire people (as well as giving practical advice how) to make the decision to live their lives to the fullest, best, most content level possible. Her web site is an excellent resource for articles and interviews on these themes, and clearly, many, many more. 

The link and credit to the full article is here: (drives me crazy that the articles are never available on a single page)
http://www.oprah.com/money/Get-Out-of-a-Job-Rut-Suzy-Welchs-Career-Advice

However, the main premise of the article is to ask yourself five key questions about the direction, state and environment of your job/career, and to use the answers as the basis of your thinking about future plans, goals and objectives.

The five key questions are:

Question 1Does this job allow me to work with "my people"—individuals who share my sensibilities about life—or do I have to put on a persona to get through the day?

Question 2
Does this job challenge, stretch, change, and otherwise make me smarter—or does it leave my brain in neutral?

Question 3Does this job, because of the company's "brand" or my level of responsibility, open the door to future jobs?

Question 4Does this job represent a considerable compromise for the sake of my family and if so, do I sincerely accept that deal with all of its consequences?

Question 5
Does this job—the stuff I actually do day-to-day—touch my heart and feed my soul in meaningful ways?

So I'm just putting this out there, as I think they are strong and valid questions to ask oneself, regardless if a career change is brewing on the horizon or not.  "Job" could be any situation you find yourself in, from present career situation to volunteer work.

 

"You Should Probably Quit Your Job" (article)

A friend sent me the following article, that she found in a Canadian newspaper.  Clearly, the author is a like-minded individual to myself!

Only one and a half more weeks to go until classes start, and only 5 more days at my job next week.  Only 11 more commutes to/from work.  I'm good at countdowns. :-)

THEN, the focus of my writing will most certainly be focused on school, rather than the media and thinking up various scenarios of what school will be like this time 'round.

I must admit that this upcoming career change still seems completely and utterly surreal at this point.  I'm doing what in a couple weeks???!!! 

********************************************

You Should Probably Quit Your Job

Life is short. It's "go to bed worrying about your English final, wake up with grey hair and three kids" short.

And shorter yet are the "productive years"; that period in your life when you can make a difference, when your knowledge, experience, and influence add up to something.

Those productive years are fabled. They represent the Promised Land where, one day, we'll start doing something meaningful. I know an investment banker. "One day," he tells me, "I'm going to get out and do something worthwhile, make a difference." A friend told me yesterday, "One day, I'd like to move to Montreal."

Even my five-year-old daughter is craning her neck towards this Promised Land. She tells me, "I'll be a vet one day."

But the banker won't change jobs, my friend will not move to Montreal, and I doubt my daughter will be a vet.

One day never arrives. It never arrives because our short lives move so fast, and we have so much to do. There are too many phone calls to be answered, e-mails to be read, payments to be made. They pile up in front of us, a small mountain of immediate problems, blocking our view, preventing us from seeing beyond the next few months.

But occasionally someone remembers that our lives are so short, the time is so precious, and they push aside the pile to look again on the "Promised Land." And then they do something important. They quit their job.

This happened to Kai Nagata this week. Kai was a Canadian TV reporter who suddenly resigned because he realized he could be doing more if he was doing something else. In his words:

"I quit my job because the idea burrowed into my mind that, on the long list of things I could be doing, television news is not the best use of my short life."

The public reaction was electric. Kai's blog post announcing the decision went viral, Roger Ebert tweeted about it, the Huffington Post reported on it, and it made news across Canada. People didn't care that much about a reporter in Quebec, but they did see themselves in Kai and they realized they would never be brave enough to do the same thing.

Another example of this is John Wood. Working at Microsoft, he was locked in to a solid management career. But one day he realized he could do more, that his productive years could be better spent on something more meaningful to himself and to others. So he quit, and launched Room to Read, a charity that increases literacy in some of the world's poorest nations. By any measure, his decision to quit has allowed him to do something meaningful for himself and others.

Take an honest minute and think about your job. Is it making a difference? Is it making you happy? Is it as valuable to you as the few short years you have on this planet? Some of you can say yes. Most of us, if we are truthful, cannot.

Most of us, if we are honest, know our jobs are simply a means towards a prosaic end. It pays the bills. We tell ourselves "There's nothing else I'm qualified to do." Or "The economy's so bad I couldn't find another job." In truth, everyone could be doing something else, even in tough times like this.

Sadly, though, we are so focused on the pile of immediate problems that we fail to see what Kai and John saw, which is life is too short to be wasted on meaningless work. We all should be doing something important for ourselves, our community, our children, the environment, poverty, or our nation. Remember how you, too, wanted to be a vet? It's not too late.

You should quit your job. But, sadly, you probably won't.

Scott Gilmore started Peace Dividend Trust (after quitting a really good job).

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/should+probably+quit+your/5093085/story.html#ixzz1S0CfwvOm

The purpose of this blog

So, last week was a major crisis in confidence about this mid-career change to nursing.  All my insecurities about making this change came to the surface again, namely leaving the known for the unknown, given family responsibilities I should perhaps just suck it up and put in the time for the next 25 years, and age.  This week, the mindset is better.

This leads me to why I am actually writing this blog in the first place.  Last fall, when I finally applied for nursing school, I looked and looked on the web to try to find a blog about somebody who had started nursing school as a second career (found a number of those) AND someone who voluntarily left a (seemingly) great job. 

There were many blogs of people returning to school after having been home with the kids for many years, there were blogs of people who were laid off or whose chosen career was unstable, there were people who were in dead-end jobs and who wanted to improve their careers, etc etc.  I even branched out my search, thinking perhaps I could find something where one started in a new second career in a field other than nursing.  But I could not find a single blog or article about somebody who willingly left a good job to pursue something different.  No luck.

I couldn't find any information at all about the process one goes through, when taking the initiative on leaving a great position.  So that's why I decided to start my own blog, to document this process.  They certainly don't call this situation the 'golden handcuffs' for nothing!

I still maintain that being in transition is making this process more difficult.  Once the change is real, and I am focusing on classes and clinicals, then it will be easier.  In my experience, it is always easier to deal with the tangible, rather then the theoretical. 

This week it seems I am mostly back on track.  I know I want to do this, I know I can do this.  In a nutshell, I am called to do this work.  Ever since I can remember, and even before that (so I'm told) I've been running to help people who were injured.  This switch to a nursing career isn't something that I've dreamed up lately seeing as my current career isn't particularly satisfying or interesting.  Rather, this is my calling and passion, and I am finally letting myself follow this career path (long and convoluted story there).

And I am so lucky and grateful to have the unconditional support and love of my dear husband, who has so patiently listened to me talk about nursing for over the past decade.  He has spent hours listening, discussing and convincing me that we are OK to do this financially, and that happiness is far more important than going to a job that gives little, if any, satisfaction - intellectual or personal - for the next 25 years.  And happiness and a paying job in a field that I love, priceless.  That man deserves an award!

Onwards and upwards!

Major crisis of conscience and confidence this week

The title says it all.  It has been a very tough week, emotionally, as I am once again totally 'on the fence' and teetering (planking???) about this whole idea.  I seem to have lost all confidence for this venture, and the logical side of the brain is firing like crazy. 

I mean, who willingly leaves a successful and well-paying, stable, great pension & benefits job in today's economic market, particularly when one has a few kids to look after?  It seems somewhat insane to be doing this, at this stage in my life.

This would be so simple if I was laid off from my job, but my job is way to secure for that.  The odds of that happening are quite remote -- not impossible -- but very remote.

How much is 'happiness' worth?  Job satisfaction? It rings pretty shallow and selfish when confronted with one has home responsibilities.

We have discussed this at length as a couple, and my dear husband is incredibly and completely supportive of this venture.  We have gone over our financial situation, looked at various scenarios and options, and it is very feasible to do this.  It would make our family life more balanced, as I'd be home more (OK, I could potentially just work PT in my current job, if they let me).  He is a big believer in the importance and value of happiness and satisfaction.  Money is important too, of course, but this idea is do-able.

The medical field has been my passion as long as I can remember.  It is a true career calling.  I used to volunteer with the St. John Ambulance Brigade, and even though I loved it, I had to quit doing that work.  I had to quit because even though I loved the work, it was too painful inside to be so restricted in what medical work I was able to do, and constantly reminded that I wasn't in the medical field.  During every training session (and there were many refresher session for the Brigade members), they always pointed out that 'we' Brigade members were only allowed to do X in a particular situation, but if you're a nurse or other medical professional, you could do X, Y and Z in that same situation.  It just reminded me on every shift how much I love doing this, and that there are many people out there getting paid to do the work I was yearning to do. Just not me.

Now I have the opportunity presented to me, even a schedule drawn up, but I'm hesitating to take it, as it means giving up so much security, for me and my family.  I'm a Taurus...we're known for our love of security and stability (if there is any truth to that!)

I just don't know what to do.  I know what I want to do, but I don't know what I should do. 

It just seems that I've blown it, I've made my career decisions (kinda by default to get where I am, trying to please other people -- long, convoluted story that if I had to do over, would certainly do differently), and now I should just suck it up, as it isn't so bad on the logical level.  Many people would love to have the job where I am wanting to leave.  Toss in the reality of being exposed to much sickness, death, pain, agony, heartbreak and the chance of contracting some illness at work and/or bringing some bug home to the family, dealing with 'less than appealing' tasks at times, and the uncertain job market for new nurses, and it make the boring, unfulfilling, but safe, desk job seem OK. 

But I love the medical field.  As a nurse friend of mine said to me just last week, that even when she's having a horrible day at work, someone says 'thank you' and it makes it all seem worthwhile.  (On a positive note, which this post desparately needs, this same friend was mentioning that many students come through her unit, and how much fun they have working there -- and that I should definitely remember her when I'm looking to be placed for my clinicals!)

It just seems too late to be starting over.  What a mess.