Sometimes a leap of faith becomes a place of belonging. Our friend, Sherry, realized just that in her journey to becoming a nurse! Let's hear her story!
Why were you first interested in becoming a nurse?
Interestingly enough, I wasn’t. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a P.E. teacher or go into law enforcement, nursing was never something I planned to do. Towards the end of high school, I met my husband, and we got married, so I didn’t want to go back into school right away. After a few years of working at a factory, I decided that that stunk, so I started looking for something that I could make a living at, but that I wouldn’t have to do a full four-year degree. Back then, nursing was an associate’s degree, and I knew I could make a decent living, so that’s what I did, but God definitely knew that’s where I belonged!
By the end of my time in nursing school, I was pregnant with my oldest, and took the boards right before he was born! The exact day he was born is when I got my nursing license. My husband went home to clean up and when he checked the mail, it was there. He opened it up to make sure I passed (what a good husband!) and then brought it to me in the hospital. Obviously, we were celebrating, and as the nurses at the hospital were coming in and out and we were telling them I had just gotten my nursing license and were chatting about the job. About two weeks later I got a phone call from the OB department, and they offered me a job! I hadn’t applied, but they knew that I had just gotten my nursing license and had an open position. I accepted and did that for a year, and then moved over to family practice, where I’ve been for the last 21 years.
You wear a MudLOVE bracelet that says "determined" on it. What does this bracelet mean to you?
Originally, I got the bracelet when my son and I were training for a Spartan race. It goes along with my favorite Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 that says, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
As we were training, I was looking for some extra inspiration and grit, and the bracelet did just that! Though we didn’t end up doing the race for various reasons, I still wear it when I need to dig my heels in and get serious about something. I feel really pumped up when I wear it, so it graces my wrist often!
How has your bracelet impacted your work in nursing?
It’s generally just a really encouraging bracelet! Nursing is a challenging profession in a lot of ways. Everyone is understaffed right now, including family practice. It’s a good reminder for me that there are so many things that need to be done, but I’m the one who needs to do them. No one else is going to do them, so I better get moving and get it done!
What encouragement would you give to other nurses?
I would say to always be honest! Don’t get caught up in gossip. Remember that every patient is someone’s loved one, so fight fiercely for your patient’s rights! To young nurses, I would say: hang in there! It gets better. I know that nurses have a reputation of “eating their young”, and it ultimately makes us more empathetic to one another, but it really does get better!
Thank you so much, Sherry, for sharing your story with us! We're so inspired and grateful for your work as a nurse!
If you have a loved one who is a frontline worker, pick up a Frontline Hero bracelet pack for them for 25% off this week.
