NURSING SCHOOL, PART 1

It's been rather quiet here at the blog. Life's been....interesting.

A month and a half ago, I shared how a friend challenged to me to imagine possibilities, rather than to think only in terms of impossibilities. (You can read that post here: UN-LEARNING "NO".) So, I've been imagining possibilities, and pushing into them. Today, and in the next few posts, I want to share some of what that process has looked like for me.

* * *

Beth had heard about my new job at the hospital, working as an assistant in the lab. "How's that going?" she asked.

"I absolutely LOVE it!" I exclaimed. "Even on my worst days, I still think, Man, I love my job!"

"So, have you given any thought to doing more, taking this job to the next level?" she asked. "Have you thought about maybe going back to school?"

"At my age?" I looked at Beth in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

I have never felt like a college degree was necessary for my success or happiness. Nor have I ever entertained any desire to pursue a professional career. I'm a mom and a writer; I am truly happy with that. Now, I also work at the lab; I like that, too. That really is enough for me. Besides, if I went back to school, I'd be nearly 60 years old by the time I graduated - ridiculous!

That's when Beth challenged me to think in terms of possibilities, instead of dismissively insisting that further education was ridiculous and impossible.

Beth's suggestion incubated several days before I gave it serious thought. Hmmm, what might I be interested in studying, IF I went back to school? What kind of programs are available in my area? How long do they take? How much do they cost? What difference would a degree make in my job options, my quality of life, etc.?

I prayed. "God, this idea is completely ludicrous. If this is something you want me to pursue, you are going to have to make that perfectly clear to me. And, you are going to have to work out all the details."

I started poking around online, made some phone calls to schools, talked to coworkers at the hospital. A seed began to grow. "IF I went back to school, given education options available locally, I think I might want to study nursing. BUT..."

And I had a long list of Buts.

First hurdle: could I go to school AND continue working at the lab? If my work schedule did not allow time for classes at the local university - or - if my class schedule did not allow me to be a useful employee at the lab, school was a No-Go. I seriously love my job - I am not quitting my job to attend classes, no way.

I needed to talk to my supervisor at work. I knocked on Mrs. Linda's door, certain she would think I was out of my ever-loving mind. "Mrs. Linda, can I talk to you about something?"

Well, not only did Linda NOT think I was crazy for entertaining the notion of going back to school, she encouraged the idea enthusiastically! She assured me that schedule conflicts would not be an issue: "When you know your class schedule, get back with me and we'll figure out a compatible work schedule. I'm really excited for you!"

But the work-school hurdle was only the first of many hurdles. School was still a long way from GO.

Second hurdle: would the university credit previous coursework from when I was a teenage college student, way back in the Paleolithic Age? I have 169 credit hours of college classes, folks, and I absolutely refuse to take another English composition, world history, or calculus class. If the university would not apply previous general education credits, school would be a No-Go. "God, if this is something you want me to do, you are going to have to work out the details concerning my previous coursework."

I met with an adviser at the University, who looked over my written-with-a-quill-pen-on-parchment transcripts. "Mmmm. Well, before you apply for our program, it looks like you'll need to take..."

We haggled. We pulled up college catalogs from the archive databases of schools I previously attended. I developed a tense online relationship with folks at the registrar's office.

After a harangue of transcript evaluations, emails, and phone calls, I received the university's verdict: all of my previous coursework relevant to the university's nursing program would be credited toward my.degree. The only classes I needed in order to be eligible to apply to the nursing program were two semesters of anatomy & physiology and one semester of microbiology.

"You can take those classes next year, take your admission test next winter, then possibly enter our nursing program the fall of 2020," my adviser suggested.

Hurdle #3: if I have to wait a year and a half to begin, school is a No-Go. I am no spring chicken, friend, and I'm not getting any younger. If the ball doesn't start rolling right away, there's a good chance I'll die of old age before I have time to complete a degree!

"What if I take A&P1 and Micro in the spring, then A&P2 in the summer?" I asked my adviser. "If I do that, I can begin the nursing program next fall."

She wasn't optimistic. "A&P is not always offered during summer term. Besides, you'd still have to take the nursing school entrance exam. For admission fall 2019, the entrance exam is next month. Slots fill up quickly, and there may not be any spots left."

I checked with the biology department. Yes, they were planning to offer A&P2 during the summer 2019 session. That left...

Hurdle #4: Nursing School Entrance Exam. I haven't taken an exam in almost 30 years, so this hurdle kind of freaked me out. I looked at sample exams online: the English and math components would be a piece of cake, thanks to homeschooling my kids; the science component, however, was heavily A&P-based, and this was a class I had never taken.

I clicked on the link to register for the exam online: one slot available in December, and it just happened to be on a day I wasn't scheduled to work at the hospital. "God, you got this covered, too?" I paid the fee, but a knot of doubt tightened in my stomach.

God laid that doubt to rest: I scored well above the cut-off score required for admission to the nursing program. Relieved and elated, I ran from the testing center straight to my adviser's office and laid the test results on her desk. She looked up at me and smiled.

Now, only one hurdle left...