Um…hey! It's been about 2 years since I last blogged. TWO YEARS (insert face of horror)?!?
First things first, I'm not dead. I know that an unexplained two year absence is not a good sign, but I am still here, alive and well!
Second things second (that's not a real saying), I have to do a quick run down of the past two years so that I can be all caught up!
1) 2012-2015 = The Nursing School Years
I attended Baptist Health School of Nursing to pursue my dream of becoming an RN. It was the hardest three years of my life. I did the traditional 3 year track, the first year was called "pre-professional" and I kind of dipped my toes in the water, just to see if I was really going to like this whole nursing thing. The second year included Freshman/Sophomore semesters which brought along tough teachers and (seemingly) increasingly tougher exams and clinicals. The third and final year, which probably was the longest, most difficult, and busiest year of my life so far, consisted of my Junior/Senior semesters. My junior semester had me enrolled in classes covering Pediatrics, Women's Health, and of course the dreaded Med-Surg. Once I conquered those courses, I knew that I could finish nursing school. Senior semester was a blur, full of Critical care exams, drama, and excitement.
I made some great friends, learned hard lessons, and I think I have changed for the better as a person.
My girls! 2 CCU RNs, 1 NICU RN, 1 ER RN, & 1 OR RN
2) CONWAY, AR - We bought a brand new house in Conway in December of 2013. We moved in with the help of our families and we love our little house! It's a 3 bedroom/2 bath in a small new(ish) neighborhood in Conway.
It's cute, no?
3) I graduated from nursing school on June 15, 2015. I had the support of my whole family, including Logan & Morgan who were there in spirit!
4) In April of 2015, I decided to stick my neck out and apply for a night shift RN position at Baptist Health Medical Center in the NICU. I had two friends that were currently working there and they just GUSHED about how wonderful it was. I knew my junior semester of nursing school that I wanted to pursue a career in Pediatric nursing. All my friends cringed at the idea of peds, but I just knew in my heart that peds is where I am supposed to be, for now. So after a few weeks of waiting, I got a call to come in for an interview (EEK!)!!! Before the interview, my mom, brother Joshua, and I came into LR early because I had NO clothes that were business attire, so we did a little shopping. I came in for an interview with the nursing supervisor of the NICU and I felt that I did my best and that it went well! I was asked to come back in for another interview with the night shift personnel in a few days. That interview went well, despite the fact that they were busy that night and kind of forgot I was coming.
post-interview #1
So about a week later, I got a phone call while I was in clinical, so I checked my phone at lunch and called the number back…it was the nursing supervisor from the NICU offering me a job!!!! I was ecstatic to say the least. And the news only got better, even though I had interviewed for a night shift position, she offered me a DAY position!!!! Talk about an answered prayer!
5) Last but certainly not least, the DREADED NCLEX. After weeks (felt more like months) of waiting, I finally got my ATT (authorization to test) for the NCLEX. The NCLEX is the board exam that nurses have to take to become licensed. I scheduled my NCLEX for August 14th and studied like a mad woman for several weeks. I prayed and prayed and decided to give it all to God. HE brought me through nursing school and I knew that He would bring me through the NCLEX. I did my part (the studying) and He brought His peace over me. I sat through that test, in a room so filled with anxiety that a person could literally choke on the air, and prayed before every single question. I had such peace about that exam. I mean, yes, I was still very nervous about it because it was a big test, but over-all I was calm. When my test hit question 74, the screen went blue and my stomach dropped for half of a second, until I realized that it was just the 2 hour break that the test gives you the option of taking. I said "no" I did not want to take the break, so I went on to the next question, number 75. After submitting my answer, I held my breath and the screen went blue again, meaning that my test was OVER. I left the testing center with SUCH a weight off of my shoulders. I may have even been smiling. Not because I was overly confident that I had passed (although I DID feel pretty good about it), but because I was relieved it was over and that peace that God had laid over me was still very much there. With the NCLEX, you can take 75 questions minimum or up to 265 questions maximum. So taking 75 means you did really well or really poorly, and taking 265 does not necessarily mean that you won't pass.
I took my exam on a Friday morning, so I thought I might find out over the weekend, but surely by Monday morning, as the testing center says that it takes 48 hours for results to post. Well, after waiting what seemed like FOR-EH-VER, Monday morning rolled around, and NO results had posted. I spent Monday checking all the result sites I could check, every hour, all day long. Tuesday morning at 5 something in the morning, my bladder woke me up, so I grabbed my phone to use as a flashlight and made my way to the restroom. Normally, I'm not a "take your phone into the bathroom" kind of person, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to check the result sites while I was already up. Wouldn't you know it that I saw my name with the RN License behind it and I was screaming (on the inside) because, again, it was 5 in the morning. The funny thing was, as I was leaving my bathroom, I got a text from my friend Brittany (nursing school buddy) and she was congratulating me on passing! She was already up getting ready for work (she passed her NCLEX at the end of July) and she knew I was still awaiting my results so she decided to check too! I got back into bed, wide awake from excitement, so I decided to nudge Aaron to see if he was awake, and when he opened his eyes, I told him my news. He was so happy, but SO sleepy :) He wrapped his arms around me and said he was so proud of me, aaaand then he promptly fell back asleep. Can't blame him. ;)
So much more has happened, especially this year, but I think this blog post is already long enough on it's own!
Holly Nicholson, RN
Tis the Season,
Holly
