Why I Chose Nursing

Note: Before I begin, for anyone not familiar with the education system in Canada, specifically Quebec, we have 5 years of high school, followed by CEGEP (2 years for a pre-university program or 3 years for a career program), and then university.

Why did I choose Nursing. It's a question at least one teacher a semester asks us to share with the class to get to know us. It's a question friends, family and acquaintances ask me all the time. It's a question I ask myself when I'm up at 4am studying or dealing with a particularly difficult clinical assignment. The past year and a half has been a total whirlwind of confusion, leading to choosing this career path, leading to the intense studying that comes with it. So why did I choose Nursing?

Like the majority of people my age, I was totally lost. Growing up, I was always that kid who would "probably end up in medical school". I wasn't even sure myself but figured I'd end up doing something in the sciences. Until my final year of high school where I took chemistry and physics and was completely miserable. Usually excelling in Biology and general Science classes, it was completely discouraging to go through (AKA struggle through) these classes and I started to question my post secondary education path. I most definitely did not want to subject myself to another 2 years of this torture in CEGEP, so a Science program was completely out of the question. So now what?

Lost and confused as I was, I chose to go into Social Sciences, where at least I'd be able to take a variety of courses ranging from Psychology to Business to History, and hopefully be able to figure out what I really liked. And in a way, I did. Out of all the courses I ended up taking in that two year period, my Psychology classes were my absolute favourites and while I wasn't 100% certain, I finally felt like I "sort of" had an idea of where I was going in the future.

As university application deadlines drew near though, I started to get nervous. As nice as studying Psychology sounded, I still needed to be realistic. Psychology is a hugely popular program here and there are TONS of students currently pursuing it. However I was still not crystal clear on some things; would there be a job for me when I graduated? How long would I have to study before I got a job? Would I be able to use my degree in the meantime while I worked towards a higher one? And once again, while I was not as lost as I was before, I was still confused.

Around the same time this existential crisis was going, I was speaking to a new friend of mine (my now boyfriend) about our CEGEP programs and found out that he was going into Nursing, which sort of gave me that kind of "oh shit" kind of moment where I realized, "hey, that sounds kind of interesting, why did I never think about that?". So in my further confusion, I looked at course calendars for Nursing (loving what I saw of course, no physics or math, but lots of biology!!) while also debating on university Psychology courses, with the deadline drawing nearer and nearer.

Finally, completely confused and bordering on total meltdown, I visited a career counsellor at my college to see if I could figure things out. To make a long story short, I found out that to do what I would want to do in Psychology, it would require a minimum of 8 years of study and no guaranteed job, and no job in my field within those 8 years besides maybe a research assistant position. Completely discouraged, I brought up the idea of taking Nursing, and I liked what I learned. Not only did all the courses sound like ones I would completely love taking, but there were also so many fields in which I could incorporate Psychology as a Nurse. I was sold. I made the switch.

Fast forward 2 semesters and here I am. While some days its a struggle, and the workload is intense, and while I often get frustrated, discouraged and exhausted, I am completely happy and satisfied with my decision to go down this career path. I can honestly say I show up to class excited for what I'm going to learn that day, and I constantly feel challenged in the very best way. And while I still have a long way to go, I'm no longer confused, discouraged or lost. I know where I'm going, and I'm so excited to get there.

The BEST and EASIEST Waffle Recipe! (Blogmas Day 9)

When it starts to get chilly out, I find myself making waffles pretty often. In fact, our Sunday breakfast usually consists of waffles of some kind. And in my house, I'm the designated waffle chef. I have the best recipe for waffles that are truly delicious AND any lazy chefs dream; its all done in one bowl, with ingredients everyone has in their kitchen. Literally foolproof and delicious. Perfect for Christmas morning! Makes anywhere from 8-12 waffles, depending on the size of your waffle iron. Ingredients: 2 cups of All-Purpose flour 1 tablespoon of baking powder 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar 1/4 teaspoon of salt 2 eggs (beaten) 1 teaspoon of vanilla (but you can add another 1/2 teaspoon if you want a stronger vanilla taste!) 1-3/4 cups of milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil Directions: 1) In a big bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar and salt) 2) Create a well in the center of your dry ingredients and add your wet ingredients 3) Mix

1 Year of Covid-19: A reflection

It feels like just yesterday we were all feeling the anxiety and uncertainty of a new disease that was spreading quickly around the world that no one truly understood yet. We were facing the first wave of cases, the fear of going outside and being around people and the first round of quarantines and restrictions. It feels like just yesterday, but also so long ago. I, and I am sure many others, am feeling a mix of emotions. Sad for the loss of comfort we once had. Grief for all the lives lost and permanently changed. Thankful for my health and that of my family. Gratitude for the scientists and frontline workers alike, working tirelessly behind the scenes I hope that one day we can return to a new normal. I hope that one day I'll be able to go to work and not feel afraid to get too close to my coworkers and patients. I hope that no one will ever again have to face the end of their lives all alone. I hope that no one has their life cut short because of an insidious virus that

Blogilates Beginner's Calendar 2.0: Review & Final Update

I've officially completed all 28 days of the Blogilates Beginner's Calendar and firstly, I have to say that I'm pretty damn proud of myself, because it was pretty difficult but I stuck with it until the end. And I had fun in the process! So, how much of a difference does this calendar really make? Does it work? Here are my final thoughts. This workout program really works, but you need to work at it too. If you're going to half ass the workouts, eat badly and skip days, you really won't see a huge difference. I really did my best to stick with it and work hard at it and I really have seen a difference. The thing about Blogilates that I enjoyed is that you won't just see a difference in your body, you'll see a difference in your mindset and motivation as well. Physically, since I began the calendar, I lost 10 pounds and I feel so much stronger than I was before. My muscles, especially my legs are so much more defined than they used to be. Cassey als

Love Letters and Lace

Search This Blog