Yes, I have reactivated my blog! It has been a while. I have posted some vague ideas on Facebook and I thought instead of launching into a deep explanation on there, those who really cared could read about it here. I moved to Prescott, AZ in February to take a permanent job in the Emergency Room of Yavapai Regional Medical Center. It has decent benefits and it allowed me to accrue vacation time. The plan was that I was going to start nurse practitioner school. I did get accepted into the Acute Care program at the University of AZ in Tucson. It was mainly going to be an online learning environment, except for my clinical requirements. Well, little financial things started adding up. I missed some deadlines for important scholarships and the week of orientation wasn't included in the tuition price even though classes would be starting. So, more loans would be the name of the game. After prayerful consideration I decided to withdraw from the program. It was an unwise idea for me to take on additional debt to go to school with no guarantee of a great paying job when I got out. I have debt that I am trying to rid myself of now. My new plan is to continue to work full time and take on 2 additional part time jobs (one is an on-call job with a minimum of three 12-hour call shifts a month) to get myself out of debt faster. I think that Dave Ramsey would approve. They are both jobs that pad my resume and pay a reasonable rate for a nurse.
The next hurdle I need to overcome is how to pay for school without paying for it. I want someone else to pay for it. I guess I could go on a nation wide search for a "sugar-daddy" but the consequences of that may not sit well with me! :) I began to re-surface thoughts that I had since 2008 of joining the military. I made lots of inquiries and talked to recruiters and former medical military service members. Joining the military when you are a nurse with 2 college degrees is very different then enlisting at age 18 fresh out of high school, I assure you. Both the Army and the Navy jumped all over me. The downside right now is that I am not physically ready to get join. There are strict weight for height standards and I have to pass a physical fitness test. The biggest hurdle is running 2 miles in under 20 minutes. I really stressed about this in July because the Army wanted me to be ready in October. I put too much pressure on myself and got sick 3 times that month. I backed off. Made the decision to go with the Navy after talking to a Navy nurse who said that cut backs were happening across the board in the military. If I want to be a medical person in the military it is wise to make the decision to go with the branch that has nearly always been the medical hub of the military. I talked to the Navy medical recruiter for AZ again and asked some tough questions...he had to think about answers! I told him my situation and that I was still working hard to lose weight and by physically ready. He informed me that going to nurse practitioner school while in the Navy is a very competitive process. The Navy doesn't send many each year because it takes you out of active duty status. My initial thought was "ok, if I don't go to school while in the Navy, then I will give them 8 years and use my GI bill to go to school when I get out". Nurse practitioner school will always be there.
In the meantime, I had 5 people tell me that I should go to medical school. I've heard this before and haven't really taken much stock in it because as a nurse I didn't have the science requirements needed to get into medical school, so it would take me at least a full calendar year or 2 school years to complete the requirements to even think about applying to med school. Into this picture walks a friend that not only is 36 years old and going to paramedic school but he is also taking the med school prerequisite classes that I would need to take AND.....he is planning to have the Navy pay for medical school. He has 14 years of service already in the military between the Marines and the Army, so he knows what to expect. I asked the Navy recruiter about coming in as a nurse and then going to med school and he stated that it rarely happens because the nurse corps doesn't want to give up their nurses to the medical corps. I don't blame them....but why shouldn't I be a doctor? Why shouldn't I reap the benefits of having the government pay for it? Sure, I understand the time pay back requirements, but that doesn't phase me. I can retire from the Navy at around age 45-46, have no medical school debt, have full vet benefits and still be able to go into a private practice....how is that not a good deal? Plus the travel perks are good too. I have always wanted to do international work and the military will give me the "street credit" and opportunity I need to work for the UN or WHO. Besides, it has always been a long remote dream of mine to be the Surgeon General of the United States!!!
On the flip side of that coin, there is plenty of downside to being in the military. I have thought of this, but honestly this was my motivation to join. I have seen how the military advances medical technology to better treat our wounded warriors. This is where I want to be. Providing the best medical care either as a nurse or a doctor to our soldiers who give so much. Right now, I don't have a husband or kids to influence this decision. My parents and extended family will always be there for me. I just feel that there is supposed to be more to my life then just "being a nurse". There is a deeper purpose for me. This, with Jesus as my Protector and Guide, is what I plan to do.
I do hope this explains everything....now it is on to sit-ups and then off to my shift in the ER tonight.
