Welcome to my Journey
I had no idea I'd get to this point this fast in life. Switching my major from Pharmacy to Nursing was tough. I was waitlisted initially and the other schools I applied to wouldn't allow me to graduate til' 2014.
I was lost for awhile, trying to get my life together. Should I even do nursing? What about medicine? Endocrinology? Yikes. I decided to venture out further from home and was accepted to a BSN program with an anticipated graduation date of December 2013. I was a semester late and a dollar short (it was a private college), but I graduated magna cum laude, president of my class and had a job offer in the CVICU waiting for me.
I was a semester late and a dollar short (it was a private college), but I graduated magna cum laude, president of my class and had a job offer in the CVICU waiting for me.
I passed the NCLEX in 99 questions (go ahead, and sing it, "I got 99 problems but the NCLEX ain't one!") and I realized I was right on track to go to CRNA school.
Let's rewind for a moment though.
CRNA school wasn't something that I've always wanted to do since I was a child. Let's be honest, I didn't know what a CRNA was until I overheard some of my fellow Pharmacy majors talk about it as we were leaving our Microbiology class that I unfortunately got a C+ in. I figured that would be cool, didn't do much research on it, but it was always in the back of my mind.
As a new grad in the CVICU, I tried my best to get trained on all of the devices, take care of the sickest patients and develop my communication skills, autonomy, and critical thinking.
Briefly, I doubted myself. While NP school is still challenging, I thought that it would be better for me because I didn't think I was smart enough for CRNA school.
I wanted to give back and I thought I may not be able to do that as a CRNA. Sure, I would be taking care of patients at one of the most vulnerable point of their lives, but I thought, "As a NP I can open up my own clinic and directly address health disparities to fix the problem upfront."
Even as a CRNA student, my early papers were on developing screening tools for high blood pressure in African American women. But, the deciding factor for me was the fact that I still had this intense love for pharmacology.
I wanted to administer anesthesia and my profession not be centered around diagnosing and treating.
I started my blog in 2014 and found that I could make a difference in MULTIPLE ways. I thought about how I was the only African American nurse on my unit. How I was constantly mistaken for a nurses aide. How I didn't even know a black CRNA.
I started doing some research and there weren't many black voices of CRNAs to be heard. Although I was not a fan of social media, or taking pictures or recording myself (surprising right?), I decided to step out of my comfort zone and utilize social media as my platform to change the face of the profession.
So, this is my journey.