By Lifestyle Changes
Let’s get real for a moment. Nursing will provide you with the opportunity to pay bills, pamper yourself regularly, move out, travel more frequently, and maybe even buy a new car. Your life is going to change. Nursing placed me in a new tax bracket. Prepare to really learn how disciplined you are with your finances- and get help if needed.
Helping beyond the hospital floor
When your skills are strong and critical thinking on point, you may want to participate in mission trips. Operation Smile is definitely on my list. These are the types of opportunities a lot of people don’t get to have. You will be/are a part of a profession where you can literally change someone’s life in a day. This couples two of my favorite things- travel and helping people. What could be better than that? Utilize your license to transform lives, communities, and countries (we dream BIG around here). You could become a nursing mentor, you could go back to school and become a nursing educator/faculty. You can open a clinic in an underserved area. The possibilities are endless.
Those are some of my tips on how to maximize this nursing life and career. Don’t let the overwhelming feeling of being a nurse make you miss out on the opportunities you can take advantage of within the profession. Make nursing fit the vision of what you want your life to look like. It’s totally possible. I believe in you!
Amanda White is a registered nurse pursuing her post-masters certificate to become women’s health nurse practitioner. She received her B.A in Liberal Studies, with a specialization in Biology/Chemistry from Cal State Univ., Northridge. She then went on to obtain her entry-level masters from Charles R. Drew University. She has worked primarily in cardiac and outpatient services. She is an avid traveler, lover of food, dancing machine, and thrift store addict who enjoys playing with power tools when time permits.
