Nursing is a profession that I’ve forever been interested in. My parents always thought it was weird that I would come home from elementary school and watch Untold Stories of the ER, instead of the Family Channel. I had a knack for trauma, my stomach never turned at the sight of blood, and I annoyed my doctors with all my questions when I was sick. Throughout high school I lost confidence in myself, and lost confidence in my ability to be good at science and carry out in attempts at a health care profession. So after a few years at UVic in Social Sciences for Elementary School Teaching, and realizing that I absolutely hated it, I decided to take an anatomy course as an elective and re fell in love with science all over again. I looked into schools that offer RN programs while I re did some of my highschool classes to better my GPA. At this point in my life, the RN programs looked overwhelming for me. I knew nursing was tough program, and being realistic with myself, I was unsure again if I was able to do it. It wasn’t until my grandpa told me about Stenberg that I considered going into the LPN route. In September of 2014 I had my interview with the school, and I began classes in October of 2014, and I have been loving it ever since.
So far the Practical Nursing program has been amazing. I’ve met so many like-minded people, & we’ve almost become like a little family. First semester was challenging in ways. After getting past A&P, was much easier to get into the groove of schoolwork, though closer to the end of the semester (where all the hard exams are kept), everything is heavily weighted. I learned that it was very important to make a schedule and to prioritize my time. It is important always do your homework and readings and do them well so you don’t have to cram for midterms or exams. Also to get ahead while you can. The teachers we’ve had so far have been great as well. I always feel comfortable raising my hand and asking questions in class. They’re also always accommodating with times to meet and talk about the course or problems you’re having, and are always very fast at emailing you back.
Now that second term has started and we have our first clinical under our belt, our whole cohort is extremely motivated. We have so much more to learn and to experience, and we all know that this is only the beginning. My goal for this semester is to maintain my GPA, stay calm and ahead in my work and to keep learning as much as I can. I am nervous for a few exams this semester (medication administration testing, and case studies), as I have been told that this term is the hardest of the whole program. Most importantly, I want to enjoy the experience because it has already gone by so quickly. I can’t wait for what this program has in store for me next!
Check out this video of our Practical Nursing Program.
