The Obstacles I Over Came to Become a Nurse

The prompt for Week 4 of #52 Weeks, #52 Ancestors is on Education.

     I have always wanted to be a nurse from a very young age. My Mom (Annette) was a nurse and that might have influenced my decision. I also knew I didn’t want to be a teacher, secretary, or telephone operator. Those were the only jobs available with good earning potential for women when I was graduating from high school in 1965. I was looking forward to living in a nursing dormitory and training in a hospital. My path to becoming a nurse wasn’t as easy as I dreamed.

    Mom never wanted me to be a nurse because nursing was hard work and she knew I don’t really like hard work unless it is something I enjoy. She wanted me to be a dental hygienist another field I didn’t want to work in. I knew nursing was hard work because I can remember how tired she was when she came home from work. She would take her uniform off and sitting in the chair in her full-length slip with her white nylon stocking rolled down to her ankles. This is the pre-panty hose era, so two separate stockings held up with either a girdle or gather belt. She would elevate her feet and be so grateful to be able to relax.

Mary at High School

    The next hurdle was my Catholic High School principal, Sister Carradine, who had the nerve to tell my parents I won’t graduate from high school when I was a freshman. But I persisted and made it to be a Senior. When I was a Senior and taking the entrance exam for two different Diploma Schools of Nursing, Sister Carradine had the audacity to tell me, “You are too stupid to be a nurse, compassionate enough to be a good one but not smart enough.” I was not accepted by the two Diploma schools of nursing I tested for; I was a C student and just missed the top half of my class by two people.

Mary LPN Graduation

    Now for the next challenge, I enrolled in the Broward Vocation School in the LPN program in September of 1965 at the age of 17. The nursing instructors made it very clear to me that I was the youngest student they had ever accepted, and they were not sure it was the right to accept me into the program. I think they pushed me harder than some of the other students.

    On October 13th I had an emergency appendectomy, it was a Wednesday night. I missed school on Thursday, Friday & Monday, which was a half day of testing for a scholarship. I walked into school on Tuesday, and I was asked what I was doing there; they had dropped me from the program. I told them they could not drop from the program because I had not missed 5 days of school; I had missed 3 days of school. They also questioned if I could physically do the work. My doctor had cleared me to do all activities. We weren’t doing patient care yet in the hospital. I do not remember thinking that was gutsy back then but in retrospect, it sure did take some guts to stand up to what I knew was right. I was able to finish the year-long program, but they made me make up two days of school at the end of the year. I spent my make time cleaning the classroom for the incoming class. My grades were straight A average and I was also nominated by my classmates as Student of the Year and was able to go to an LPN Nursing Convention and represent my school and class.

Mary RN Student

    Oh, I am not done, one more to go. In 1970 I enrolled in Broward Junior College back then, now a Community College for their nursing program to obtain high education to become an RN. During my first semester, I had an interview with the Dean of the School of Nursing. She reviewed my high school grades, and she didn’t think I would be accepted for those grades. I mentioned I was an A student and student of the year in my LPN program. Her comment was, “The LPN program is only equivalent to a 10th-grade education.” I am sitting there thinking it was a lot harder than high school, I am sure my jaw dropped at her comment. She would review my grades after I had completed a semester and if I had Cs in all my classes I would be accepted into the nursing program. In 1972 I graduated from BCC with a straight A average, was on the President's list, and was a member of the Honor Society.

    

    

RN Graduation

    After graduating from BCC and passing my Florida State Board of Nursing I enrolled in Florida International University in 1973. They accepted all my community college credits and I enrolled as a junior. In 1976 I graduated with my BSN and was on the Dean’s List. During my nursing education, I worked as a nurse. I felt like I was eating, drinking, and sleeping nursing for the five years it took me to earn my ASN and then a BSN, but it was worth it.

     In 1975 I attended my 10-year high school Reunion and was able to speak with Sister Carradine, I mentioned I had worked as an LPN for many years before getting my RN from a junior college and that I was one semester away from earning my BSN. Her comment to me was, “I knew you could do it, you just had to do it your way.” I never want to punch someone until that night, but I wanted to punch her! I pull my arm back and made a fist, I wanted to swing up and punch her right on her chin. But I didn’t.

    I guess the moral of the story is if you want it bad enough you will get it. The path that opened to me wasn’t the path I dreamed of as a kid. But it got me where I wanted to be. Many of my friends who went to diploma school had to repeat nursing 101 over again at a university level. I did have to start over in junior college, but it was more informative than what I had in the LPN program. I didn’t have to repeat any classes at the university level. Having my BSN opened many career doors for me, especially for jobs that required a BSN.

Retirement Dinner after a 47-year career as a nurse

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LPN = Licensed Practical Nurse. Jokingly referred to as Low Paid Nurse RN = Registered Nurse, not a Real Nurse ASN = Associate Degree in Nursing BSN = Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing