Thursday, May 1, 2014

29 years and counting




No, I'm now pretending that I'm 29, In fact I would not be 29 again if you paid me BIG money. The 29 I speak of refers to my years as a registered nurse.

I graduated in 1985 from Rapid City Regional Hospital School of Nursing. Good ol'  RCRHSON. We were the very last class of that nursing school, a three year diploma program. This means I have neither my Associates Degree (2 year) nor my Bachelors Degree (3 year), I am somewhere in between.

Diploma nursing programs were very popular in the 60's, 70's but were phased out in the 80's which I believe was a bad thing. Diploma nurses got so much more. Not only did we get a large amount of lecture time we were blessed with many, many MANY hours of clinical time and our last semester we had to handle full patient loads 6-8 patients. None of this 1-2 patient mamby pamby stuff.

I am so one of those nurses. :)

Now, it's 29 years later. My first 3 years were on the brand new oncology unit at RCRH in South Dakota. After that I moved back to Illinois and worked a few months at Mennonite Hospital in Bloomington in their inpatient unit, when I saw an ad looking for a hospice director in Pontiac.

I had been out of nursing school just three years, had no management experience, had two young children but applied anyway.

I got the job.

The next eleven years were the hardest, most wonderful of all my years in nursing. I started out as the only hospice employee (SURPRISE!) but as patients were admitted staff was added, amazing staff who I will always treasure.  When I left I was managing 55.  I loved hospice but the hours required to do the job well meant much less time to do my job well as mother and wife. Serving two Gods is never a good idea.

I took a part time weekend job as staff RN at a small community hospital. My oldest children were on their way out of the house but my younger two were able to benefit from my increased hours at home. Well, I thought they benefited, they swear I was overbearing and controlling and think the older two had it made because I wasn't home so much. Oh well...

After 10 years working nights every weekend, developing another great relationship with even more amazing colleagues (who traveled with me to Ireland twice) I came home in 2010 to work on the farm full time.

A couple of days ago, I renewed my nursing license even though I haven't worked in a hospital in almost 4 years. Even though I have no plans to go back to nursing and have taken the road way less traveled by going back to college this fall for a degree in creative writing. Even though my daughter is an RN, a very capable ER certified RN, who has been  practicing for 13 years and more than qualified to answer all our families medical questions the way I used to.

Even though.

I guess I'm just waiting for next year to roll around...when I'll have been an RN for 30 years instead of just 29. Maybe then I'll be willing to let my license go "inactive." I like even numbers so much better than odd ones.

15 comments:

  1. I have HUGE respect for nurses; what little dealing I've had with them has always been so much more positive than with doctors!!

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    1. You wait until you get dumped in a British care-home....

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    2. I of course must agree, however the three different hospice physicians I worked with over the years were outstanding. One made home visits on his Harley!

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  2. YES~ It is time for even numbers, 4 year degree in creative writing, 2 year Master Degree in creative writing. When He closes the door on nursing, he is opening the gates on writing; walk thru and let the journey begin! Game on!
    ~ Maggie

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    1. All these "journeys" and still I forgot to hire a good guide with a decent compass.

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    2. See you are already forgetting. You are the guide, remember? You always drive. Thank Goodness!!

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  3. Yeah, it's hard to let go. Even when I stopped writing for a living, I kept my dues paid up in the Dramatist's Guild. Then, one year, I didn't. Thing is, I can practice my writing craft whenever I want, but - somehow - that membership card made me 'official'.

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    1. The Dramatist Guild...sounds very important AND dramatic. Must check them out.

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  4. I'm one of those, too. I have a diploma degree from 1979. In 1980 my school closed. Such a shame.

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    1. Woo hoo Karen!! We diploma nurses ROCK, some of us literally in the rocking chairs on the front porch of the nursing homes , but as long as we are not going to the British care Homes (See Tom above) we should be OK.

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  5. One of my colleagues, in Canada, is a diploma nurse, too. thanks for explaining what it means. She explained it as, "I don't have the BS, but i know just as much if not more." I just know that i enjoy working with her because she's got a lot of experience and is a no-nonsense kind of gal.

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    1. We diploma nurse are pretty full of ourselves...this is true. Your friend sounds like someone I'd love to work with too!

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  6. I think I am always 28
    Near enough x

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    1. Not all of us can look as grand as you do John...but we'll keep trying !

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  7. You.....still complete me as a nurse. You taught me more than any "program" and I can't wait to go back to Ireland with you!!

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