It’s been one year since I got the results of my NCLEX examination and earned the “RN” after my name. I took the exam on July 18th last year, and when the anniversary of that day rolled around I found myself thinking, “wow, I’ve been a nurse for one year!” It felt strange to think that, though, because I still feel so new. And really, I’ve been at my job now for about 5 months, so I’ve only been working as a nurse for that amount of time. Then again, I graduated with my BSN last May, and my pinning ceremony was last April, so maybe one of those days is the day I actually became a nurse?
Truthfully, I don’t think any one of those anniversaries captures the moment I became a nurse. I can’t think of one day when, all of a sudden, I went from “not a nurse” to “a nurse”. It was a transformation. I’m still transforming. There are still so many things that I need help with at work, so many ways I can feel myself improving and so many more ways that I can continue to improve. Yes, I am a nurse now, but I didn’t become one overnight.
Even with the degree, with the board certification, and with the job, there were moments when I still didn’t feel like a full fledged nurse. Many of my patients during my first month or so on the floor would ask when I was graduating from nursing school. It was frustrating. Between looking young for my age though, and my nervous demeanor, I can understand where my patients were coming from. I can’t remember an exact day when patients stopped asking me that (and every once in a while now, patients still ask how long I’ve been a nurse), but I think finally “appearing nurse-like” is just as important as the day I got a piece of paper with my name with an RN beside it. It’s a growth process, and I’m still growing.
Newly a Nurse 