What do you do when you’ve been a registered nurse for 10 years and that is all you know? How do you move on from a position that you did not want to leave? How do you justify the amount of dollars spent on an education that you cannot put into use?
Becoming a registered nurse was one of the proudest moments of my life. I can still remember the exact feeling I had when I found out that I passed my boards. I had wanted to be a registered nurse for as long as I could remember.
Here you are going to learn how putting all of your eggs into one basket or in my case, devoting my adult life to being a registered nurse, can have major consequences. I am hopeful that after reading this post, you will be better prepared to navigate life’s uncertainties.
This post is all about a registered nurse who is on a journey of discovery and learning to embrace change!
Past:
The back story:
To give you guys a little background into my story, I have always had medical issues. I have had chronic medical complications since birth. To be honest, it is the very reason I decided I wanted to be a nurse. In my mind, I would be “paying it forward”.
There were two nurses that I have had the pleasure of knowing, that really made me feel like I could do anything. The amount of passion and empathy they showed for the profession and me, was top tier. Their smiles resonated with me the most. I wanted to be just like them. One was a pediatric neurology nurse, and the other was my school nurse.
I eventually went on to become a Certified School Nurse (CSN), myself. I mean who wouldn’t want summers off, extended holiday vacations, paid sick days, a pension, and a host of other amazing benefits, right?! Nevertheless, working became my life. I was the sole nurse at my previous job, that housed students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.
I have been immunocompromised all of my life, but did not know Covid, would be just around the corner. School nursing became tough. But my health, became worse. It is funny, because I have never had Covid (knock on wood). I think the stress of work, and not wanting to call off because I was the only nurse took a significant toll on my health.
In any case, I contracted a cold (no typo here… a freaking COLD) in September of 2021 and ended up being hospitalized. I had been suffering from that cold for quite some time, but continued to go into work and just wore a mask. In my eyes the district needed me, and my students relied on me. Ignoring what my body was trying to tell me, it fixed me and shut me all the way down.
Recent News:
In turn, I was on medical leave for 2 years. Undergoing physical therapy and pulmonary rehab. Welp, fast forward to October 19, 2023. Today was the day that I was going to get the news I had been waiting for. I was going to finally be cleared to go back to work. Wrooongggg!!! Since, I had multiple flare-ups while on high doses of certain medications, my medical provider does not want me to put myself at risk, as it could be fatal. I felt the consequences of a cold, imagine what the flu or God-forbid, Covid could do.
What do I do now?! This can’t be my only option. My nurse practitioner suggested that I apply for disability. Like seriously, is this really what my life had come to?!
What do I do about school? I was enrolled in my second semester of nurse practitioner school, and of course I couldn’t get my money back. With over $70,000 in student loan debt, I have absolutely nothing to show for it.
I had been applying to work from home jobs for two years with no success. The thoughts that ran through my mind were so disheartening. The fact that there is only $200 in my savings, with 3 kids, a mortgage, and Christmas right around the corner was hard to stomach. How were we going to survive?
My husband has been carrying the burden of a two-income household for almost two years now. He’d never complain, but it breaks my heart that it is all on him. Leave it up to a man to carry the burden of his household, they say.
Present:
Changing my tune:
Well today I am throwing out that “why me” narrative. I have so many things to be thankful for, and I can honestly say that I am truly blessed. I came across a book that really shifted my perspective. To think that I lost myself, in the false security of a job. My profession had ultimately defined me, and I forgot who I was without it.
For some reason, I had allowed it to come before my health, my family and my future. Never again! I am sharing my story because I want you guys to hold me accountable. As of this day, I am embracing my life as a stay-at-home mom (SAHM). Yes, I will still be looking for work from home positions, but I am open to learn new things and try out various roles.
I have reached out to a few friends, so that they could me update my resume. No matter what life has in store for me, I will never depend on any other business, but my own. I will be testing out a few side hustles and taking you all on this journey with me.
A new mindset:
In the meantime, I am rediscovering things that I am passionate about. I am finding that I have a passion for all things feminine and beautiful. I enjoy making my house a home and being able to share this space with the ones that I love. It’s funny because my friends call me bougie, or jokingly say that I am prissy (hence the name). Hey, what girl doesn’t love a splash of femininity, right?! Whether that be expressing myself through home decor and fashion, cooking family meals, or even having a family craft night, I’ll be taking you all on my journey, the naturally prissy way.
With that being said, a few things that have helped me along the way are books, planners, setting goals and an early start time. These four things have been crucial in getting me out of my funk. I look forward to sharing these tips and tricks with you all. Hopefully, on my path to helping myself, I’ll help at least one of you.
Future:
I will be pursuing my own endeavors from now on. Not being able to work in my profession may have been a blessing in disguise, after all. I plan to enjoy this extra time that I have with my family and soak up the memories that we are making.
If you are going through something similar, I want you to know that this is not the end… Everything happens for a reason, and it was just time for us to move on. The world is always evolving, and we have to evolve as well or we will get left behind. Sometimes “security” can equate to stagnation, and we just needed a little nudge to get us moving in the right direction.
It is ok to be sad, it is okay to grieve the past, but now we have to bask in the now. Develop a plan and stick to it. Success doesn’t come over night, but together we got this!
Here is to the start of new beginnings! Stay tuned for more home decor, fashion, DIYs and lifestyle hacks on my blog.
This post was all about the struggles of a registered nurse, and how I plan to overcome them.
