Dog Days

It has been four days since the last day of the Nursing Licensure Examination and I am bummed around the house. I submitted my first set of job application requirements online (thank you again there, Technology) instead of submitting them personally due to a lack of a genuine inspiration for the position. I might sound like I someone who doesn't want to get a job but I am seriously in dire need of one! At least before the results of the exams show up and (with sky-high hopes) apply for my license and start my practice. I am that altruistic of my future and only shows how much I have to gear myself up to protect this weakling of an ego from the unceasing insults bombarded in a regular, daily basis. Or beef it up to become numb from them. Either way, I have to prepare myself to the 'real world'. And I believe by saying it, it is worse than college (even from my college alma mater). Imagine the things you have to worry like taxes, bills, living on your own, working with colleagues not of your age, amongst others. These things overwhelm me, even right before I start partaking a piece of adult-life pie.

As I was dilly-dallying the time away, a part of this future-seeking me suddenly pinged 'STUDY ABROAD!' to my brain and immediately went on Google mode to pursue my dream of becoming a nurse practitioner. Sadly, facilities are not yet in place in the nursing arena in the country to make Filipino nurse practitioners actually practice the art in the country (although one of my professors in nursing research is a front-liner in ushering APN in the Philippines, and I am one proud student here, ma'am!). Hence, the need to seek for a greener pasture.

I found myself in the website of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and I started browsing the page. Several links later and I found the search database for the institutions offering NP programs. First, I searched using geographical parameters: Texas first so I can probably stay with my sister when I decided to pursue continuing education in the field of nursing. None showed up that is actually near her place. Then a sudden bright idea came into light. A freaking Eureka moment. I have a cousin living in Maryland so I searched him up in Facebook and, boy, did my jaw drop. He's currently enrolled in a MS Nurse Anesthesia program in one of the universities in the state. Hyperventilation period ensued. So I used Maryland as the parameter and - for a moment I thought the Heavens opened up and all the Host of Angels sang Hallelujah for me - one of the universities that offers BSN-Entry NP Programs is *drum roll please* Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing! It was my dream international school even when I was still an undergrad, taking up the nursing program. Kussmaul breathing ensued.

With a little more clicking here and there and I have a separate window for other graduate programs offered by the School of Nursing of JHU, how to get a Maryland nursing license, how to have my grades evaluated using international standards, taking up an English Proficiency Exam required for international students and many more. Heck, I was tweeting how giddy I was and still am about this late night surprise. As a matter of fact, I just wrote this entry so I can have a channel of my overwhelming feelings for this path that suddenly revealed itself before me, rather posting a very character-restricted tweet or a word count-restricted status. As I enlighten myself more on the prospect of studying again - this time, overseas - I acknowledge more the reason why I decided to plan my life like this. And that is to one day, come back to my country, help my fellowmen by pushing the nursing status of the country several notches up the scale to be at par with the developed countries. My alma mater has not only helped me love nursing but it inculcated unto me a sense of patriotism not manifested in joining in rallies, rather help push your field of practice to modern and quality standards. To wage a war not on the streets but inside conference rooms and during health policy meetings. To be an advocate of the client, that is to be a nurse for me. 

Gotta end this drama-shiz and get back to being a fanboy of JHU.