RN Graduation!

I GRADUATED NURSING SCHOOL! 

That's right! I did it! I graduated nursing school on April 26th! All I have to do is take my state boards... once again... and I will be a Registered Nurse! I am so excited to finally be done with nursing school and to have this title! I applied for the BSN (Bachelor's of Science in Nursing) program in January and just found out that I was accepted. There were around 270 applicants and only 130 got accepted, so I am very lucky. I was not going to do this extra degree that I don't necessarily NEED... but I figured it is all online, no exams, only two semesters, and no clinicals. SUPER EASY. So I might as well get it over with. People ask me why get my BSN and what the difference is. Honestly, I am still an RN and I don't get an increase in pay. But with a Bachelor's degree you get to be picked for management positions and have a better opportunity being hired in magnet status hospitals as well. I know that once I have kids I will never go back to school, so if I can just get these two semesters over with I will literally be done with school for the rest of my life. When I start having kids or when I am older and can't/don't want to work the long 12 hour days, I will have the option to work M-F 8-5 management or some easier office position instead of being on the floor. Also, if we move out of state, most hospitals encourage a BSN. I have a friend who just moved to California who can't get a job in a long term facility (where I work currently) because they only hire LPN's (because they can do the same work but are a lot cheaper) and the hospitals only would hire an RN with a BSN... so she is out of job options because she is just an RN with her AS degree. I know this is a great decision and will be good for me to have in my future.

My mom & KC, dad & Sharon, and Grandparents on my mom's side all went in on a sewing machine for my graduation present. It is a nice brand new electronic one that is going to be awesome for me to have in our new house. I have pinned so many things on Pinterest to sew our curtains, shower curtains, and other things that I am excited to have a sewing machine for! Brad & Susie got me a heart rate monitor watch and chest strap that I have ALWAYS wanted to count my calories and monitor my HR while I am working out at home, I used it the next day and love it! Ever since I started nursing school a couple years ago, I have always told Josh that I wanted a band to go with my wedding ring that I could wear to work. We went looking for rings in March just to see a price range, and actually found the perfect ring and Kay was also having a huge blowout sale so we got an amazing deal on it! Josh had to hide it from me for the next month so I didn't wear it :)  I decided to get it sautered to my wedding ring because Josh specially designed my wedding ring without prongs so that I could easily wear it at work without it catching on my gloves or scratching my residents. Also with me getting them sautered together, I get free lifetime cleanings and rhodium platings on the rings anytime I want. It is the most beautiful ring ever!

My LPN Cohort

 My buddy Kayli.. we have been in school since the very beginning together!!

 RN Cohort