hired: June 2011

Friday night I had applied for a RN position in the Perinatal Special Care Unit. Monday night I received a call from their manager. She scheduled me for an interview the next day at 1:30.
I spent the morning at Kinko's putting final touches on my portfolio. I sat for a panel interview with 4 professional women firing questions about myself, clinical situations, ethical situations, and interpretations of fetal heart strips. I went home feeling good, and uncertain.
The next day I sent off thank-you cards. Wednesday I was called by the enthusiastic manager. "You put here on your resume that you are enrolled in the Summer Session of the Regional Perinatal Systems Course. We just called them and found out you're fourth on the wait list."
I had just found that out too, earlier that day when they called to tell me that.
"So we really want to offer you the position, but you have to be enrolled in that class first. Try to see if there is some way they can guarantee you a spot and then we can guarantee you a job. Oh and side note, when are you scheduled to take the boards?"
"In a month and a half." I said.
"Okay well I reccommend you reschedule that. To process new hire paperwork you'll have to take them in the next 2 weeks. Okay?"
"No problem."
"Great."

I spent all hours of the next week and half studying for what I thought I had a month and a half to do. I sat for the nursing boards and passed. The elation of becoming an RN was unlike any high I have ever experienced. I jumped up and down in my living room and screamed at the top of my lungs. I hyperventilated a little. I screamed some more. Then I focused in on pestering the coordinator of the Regional Perinatal Systems course. I brought her a portfolio and tried to convince her of my absolute need to get into the class. I think there was a group of us waitlisters doing the same thing because she completely restructured this 2 month (16 hours a week) course by increasing the class capacity to 70 and moving it into the Medicine Lecture Halls on the UCSD campus, which meant, I was in.

Finally, after what felt like years and years of desire and work and struggle and blessings- I was taking the next big step. I accepted a position as a registered nurse on a unit specializing in treating women with high-risk pregnancy. I couldn't be happier.