Like most new professionals, I had a vague acquaintance and a decent vocabulary my first day on the job. The hospital educator took me for coffee first thing, a promising start. In less than five minutes, she’d dumped a cup of coffee on my lap, not such a good look for my pristine white uniform. It looked like I’d peed myself. It was a terrible, though perhaps apropos look for the confidence I brought to the job that day.
I dreaded starting work. Unlike the nurses I’d graduated with who bragged of their vast knowledge and heroic saves, I understood I knew next to nothing. Fortunately, I was never unmonitored. My nursing preceptor fully understood my capabilities and made sure I didn’t get in over my head. After all, she was responsible for me. She made sure I’d mastered simple tasks before moving me on. She was a Godsend. Even so, I managed to bungle things often enough. Many, many days I drove home swearing, “I can’t go back. I’ll never get it!” Finally, I started having a few good days. The work was hard, but the finest I could have chosen.
Over my long career, I trained and mentored many wonderful nurses. I recruited many of my family and friends into nurses., including my husband, sister, and numerous nieces. I also made it a point to recognize and recruit talented nursing assistants and other healthcare workers into nursing. So many people have no idea they qualify for tuition assistance from their healthcare institutions or of the wide range of scholarships available. Not only that, many don’t know hard work and drive go a long way toward becoming a nurse.
I will always admire to my nursing mentor and be grateful for her knowledge, kindness, and patience. We are still friends today, forty years later.
Nutsrok 