McKindi海曼
The day I toured Herzing大学’s 麦迪逊 campus, I was supposed to sign a lease in another town to attend a different university for elementary education. At the time, I was working as a CNA 和 med passer for a small memory care facility. 我喜欢我所做的事情, 但我想做一些我可以终身从事的事情, 所以我最终决定做护士是适合我的.
Herzing校区很小, 这意味着班级规模更小, 这对我的学习方式来说是完美的. I also liked that the education was year-round, which gave me the chance to complete my degree in three years. 所有 of these factors combined to convince me to attend Herzing instead, 和 I’m glad I did.
I chose to become a registered nurse because I have always wanted the chance to provide compassion 和 caring to those in need. 能让别人脸上露出笑容, 在他们的舌头上笑, or even just make their day a little brighter during a time of sickness makes me so happy!
Herzing’s year-round schooling kept me motivated 和 in touch with my academic side. 学校已经为你安排好了课程表, so you don't have to fight to get into the class you want each semester. This made it really easy to get into the classes I needed, including my clinical.
到了临床的时候, I found every single learning opportunity presented was valuable to me. 我学会了静脉注射, 导管, 注射等等, but it was the patient-nurse interactions that prepared me most for my career. 在这些相互作用中, I learned how to perfect my therapeutic communication skills 和 my active listening skills, which will definitely be necessary to have as an RN.
除了临床, I found that the NCLEX prep course did an excellent job at preparing me to pass the NCLEX leading up to graduation. That was a huge help, as passing is a key part of becoming a nurse.
Unfortunately, my academic journey wasn’t always so easy. In June 2019, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. This was the hardest time for me to continue in my education, especially since I was learning about cancer in my classes at the time! 我妈妈做了手术, chemotherapy 和 radiation 和 I am so proud of her for being so resilient. If it wasn't for her constant push 和 belief in me, I would not have made it to graduation today. I hope to be as great of an RN as the one caring for my mom throughout her entire cancer treatments was. 这是给你的，妈妈!
在赫兹有很多人帮助过我. Debbie Gannon in the financial aid office was always willing to meet with me to go over my loans 和 any other questions I had. She would email scholarships 和 job opportunities as well which was always nice! I enjoyed my clinical instructor Jennifer Lange because she enhanced my confidence 和 helped me excel as a nursing student!
我今天能站在这里真是不可思议! 说真的，护士学校太难了! I always knew I could do it 和 I just have to say this to those thinking about starting nursing school: DO IT! The tears, the late nights 和 exams are all worth it. There is no greater feeling than accomplishing a new skill, 让另一个病人微笑, 或者通过考试! 继续前进，你会成功的!
我已经接受了一些职位, 和 they are all quite different due to me having a multitude of interests! I have accepted a position in a hospital on an ortho/neuro unit, a home health position 和 another position in a clinic doing a residency. I know wherever I end up I will love it 和 can’t wait to see what the future brings!
