“Mom, can you help me fill out this sheet for the Certified Nursing Assistant class?” This was the beginning. The first day of junior year was over. Yet I still had more school. For the next three months, every Tuesday and Saturday, I went to class at Waukesha County Technical College. This was where I started my passion?? nursing.

At the beginning it was tedious, I didn’t look forward to going to class some days. All the material we learned was things I already knew or easy information to know. But then clinicals started. And everything changed. I was excited to go back to class those days. It was no longer boring but exciting and different each day. I got the chance to actually transfer a resident, instead of reading about it in my book. I got to put the tedious skills I learned into use. It was the last day of the class and I couldn’t imagine that I made it. All of the memorizing was worth it in the end. I knew that the medical field was where I wanted to be. I could tell that I had a passion to continue what I started. I wanted to learn more about medicine and all of the information it has to offer.

I passed the class, but I still had to take the state test. I scheduled the test, for a Friday. That day, I woke up and I was nervous right away. All I could think about was if I was going to pass…or fail. I took the writing portion first. It went well, I passed. It was easier than I imagined. I learned that if I focus on particular information I can do it. For example I focused myself on the exam and I was less nervous because I knew that I knew what I had to do. The next part was the skills part. I had to show the instructor what I learned.

I wasn’t nervous anymore after I finished the first task. I just have to focus myself. I passed and the next step was getting the Certified Nursing Assistant job…my first job.

The one of the many places I applied to that had the best organization called me. It was Presbyterian Homes and Services. I was nervous when I got that call. I had to make this work. She scheduled an interview. I shook the whole time and they could hear it in my voice. She told me I would get the call in a few days saying if I got the job or not. My phone rang and I grabbed the phone out of my pocket…I got the job.

All my worrying stopped. I have changed since I first signed those papers. I was nervous that maybe the nursing program was too far out of reach. I doubted myself but now I know I can do it, if I want to. This was the big step to it all. “Yes Haley, I’ll help you when you get stuck.”