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Fateful decision: 'Why I went back to school'

Stressed Out Nurses Weekly, January 15, 2007

Nursing school is no cake walk. There's nothing easy about the classes, nothing easy about the studying, and nothing easy about the finals. After conquering all the stress that comes with it, you pass your boards, get a good job, and ride off into the nursing sunset, right? Well, not all the time. More and more nurses are making the fateful choice to return to academia. Below, one student shares her story with us.

My name is Debbie Buchwach. I graduated in 1998 with my BSN from the Oregon Health and Sciences University. My career has always been an interesting one in that I never knew what I wanted to do. I enjoyed all aspects of nursing care from post-partum to cardiac, to pediatrics, to psychiatry. That's why I decided to work in the medical-surgical float pool. I was able to use all of the skills I learned in nursing school. I worked in the float pool for four years before I began to look for a home unit.

It was at this time that a nurse educator position was posted. The position was a house-wide centralized educator position, which fit in nicely with my global interests. I have been in this position for four years. I provide education to nursing across the organization. I coordinate things such as the preceptor program, new graduate nurse residency program, nursing conferences, and house-wide education on new policies, procedures, and equipment.

I decided to return to school to pursue my graduate degree in the fall of 2006. There's never a good time to go back to school-just as there's never a good time to buy a house or to get a new puppy. When I graduated with my BSN, I set a goal of returning to graduate school by 2006 at the latest. If I hadn't set this goal, I am sure I would have continued to put it off and may have never returned to school.

For the rest of the story (plus a whole lot more!), please click here.

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