Congratulations to Nicole who graduated from the Psychiatric Nursing Program! We thank her for her hard work on the blog and wish her the best of luck in her new career. Questions and comments will now be disabled. Please watch out for a new Psychiatric Nursing Student Blogger in the near future!
Hi everyone!
My name is Nicole and I am a first year student in the Regional Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing Program (RDPN). My studies take up a huge part of my life right now, but I could not be happier!
I graduated from high school in the small town of Didsbury, Alberta, about an hour north of Calgary. Two days after graduation I moved back home to Penticton and enrolled in a local college with the hopes of becoming a languages teacher. Plans quickly fell through once I realized that my heart just wasn’t in it, so I took an express Medical Office Assistant program, and began working at Penticton Regional Hospital at the age of 18. One year later, I was back in college, studying to become a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist. I realized that to get there, a Bachelor of Arts was in the cards for me, and I quickly lost interest. A close friend of mine sat me down one day and said Nicole, you love healthcare, you want to help people, you are fascinated by Psychiatry… have you ever considered becoming a Psychiatric Nurse? She recommended Stenberg College and I was intrigued by the fact that I could keep working at the hospital while going to school online. I went through the application process right away, was accepted, and began my journey in October 2012.
Stenberg has proved to be the right choice for me. I am able to be a full time student, working three jobs, and spending time with family and friends, all thanks to the power of online learning! My passion for Psychiatry stems from having struggled with depression and anxiety as a young child; I know how prevalent mental health issues can be for people of all ages, and I believe educating ourselves about mental wellness is so important.
My short term career goals include working Acute Care Psychiatry to gain some experience, in someplace like Hawaii or California (I’m a dreamer!). Then I would like to work in Mental Health Emergency Services, because I love the hubbub of the ER and enjoy the specifics of the job. Long term, I hope to go to medical school someday, but for now, I’m taking things ‘slowly’!
When I’m not doing schoolwork or running around the hospital between my jobs, I am at home with my family or out with friends. I do not have a lot of time to do all the things I love, so the one hobby I put the most time into is exercising. I enjoy the gym very frequently and as the weather is heating up, I will be hiking around the beautiful Okanagan Valley.
Currently, my cohort (RDPN 1012) is in Semester 2; time is flying by! Our courses include Gerontology, Pharmacology, Pathophysiology, Psychodrama, and Aboriginal Studies. On top of a full course load, we are in our first few weeks of clinical, which has been nerve-racking and exciting! More to come about our experiences next blog…!
I hope everyone enjoys reading my blog throughout the course; any questions or comments, feel free to connect with me via my posts, and I will do my best to help! This journey into healthcare is so important to me, and I hope to inspire people with my stories along the way.
Cheers!
