Rosalyn Coleman:  

WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO? Whew ... Where do I start? After taking a few classes at UMSL (University of Missouri St. Louis), I decided to join the Army. As you might imagine, having only brothers (who are all older), I felt as though they would never allow me to grow up, so leaving St. Louis was an absolute necessity! :-) Unlike most people that I know, I've always loved to write. From the age of eight, I wrote poems. I thought that there was something wrong with me because I was only motivated to write poetry when I was angry. I have since learned that it was not so unusual since most poetry is written and comes from our various emotional/life events (love, hate, unrequited love, etc.). So, my angry poetry was not necessarily due to my emotional issues, per se (but ...the jury is still out). :-) But I digress; I have always loved to write. However, when I started high school and took my first journalism class, it seemed to ignite that fire even more (I owe it all to Northwest's Journalism teacher, but she was always so encouraging about my writing skills -- or lack thereof, at least it kept me motivated :-) ). Through the years, I have continued to write. Anyone who knew me (particularly back then) knows I was highly introverted. So, I guess you can say that writing was my outlet. In addition to writing for the High School newspaper, I was a journalist, an Editor, a Protocol Specialist, and a Public Affairs Specialist in the military (United States Army - Hooah!). After getting out of the Army, I decided to change careers. One might surmise that I bought into all the news reports that there was a nursing shortage. So, in an attempt to make myself more marketable, I decided to go back to school to get my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)). Admittedly, other factors played into my wanting to become a nurse. Unfortunately, I had been hospitalized at least four or five times (probably more) by the time I was 16 years old (with various neck/throat surgeries). So, as you might imagine, I had the opportunity to interact with many exceptional Registered Nurses (and some not-so-good ones too). Although I always wanted to be an RN, I didn't share this dream with everybody (but my Dad knew). I suppose, on some level, I thought my plan was impossible because I wasn't the most studious person at Northwest High School (unless it was Science, English, or Journalism). So, eventually, achieving that goal (many, many years later) allowed me to fulfill a life-long dream. To put it into perspective, nursing school, for me, was "extremely" difficult. I spent many sleepless nights studying because I did not want to fail. Since I was an adult student with a child, getting my BSN probably meant more to me. I am sure I'm not the only person from our high school class who is a sadist and/ or a masochist and tortured him or herself by going to nursing school. It is, without a doubt, a very noble profession. However, "torture" is the best ((and only) way to describe my personal experience in nursing school. So, as you also might imagine, achieving that goal (given how hard I had to work) gave me a fantastic sense of accomplishment once I graduated. I certainly don't want to give anyone the wrong impression of nursing. But nursing school was TOUGH. As in life, there were components where I excelled, and I LOVED it! However, there were also portions where I had to "C" my way out of the class (for example, microbiology and statistics were two of those classes). It may not have been the case for everyone, but it was "undoubtedly," the hardest thing I had "EVER" done. I have experienced some pretty difficult things in my life, especially being an Army Veteran, but nothing was as difficult as nursing school. I don't think I slept more than three hours a night in nursing school. And to this day, I still have sleeping issues (I suffer from insomnia). I shudder whenever I think about the years I spent in Murray State University's Nursing Program. But, by sticking it out, I achieved one of my lifelong goals and learned a great deal about myself in the process. You may not truly understand what it was like for me, so I'll elaborate ... a little! I never really studied before nursing school (I am certainly not saying that I was smart. On the contrary, it's more like I just wasn't particularly studious). But, some things (like some sciences and writing) just came naturally for me. But, nursing, is not the case. For one reason, since my first love was writing, I didn't have a medical foundation. To compensate, I had to read 10 to 12 chapters every night ... simply to keep my head above water. However, initially, I thought that all I had to do was go over my classroom notes, listen to the lectures that I recorded, and read the summaries. However, I learned the hard way that it was not the road to success. On that first nursing test, I received a 72, which was a "D." The grading was 93 to 100 = A; 85 to 92 = B; 80 to 84 = B; 75 to 79 = C. My "72" would have passed in most disciplines ... but not in the Nursing program. Admittedly, initially, I didn't understand the odd grading system, but after going through it, I know it better now. Think about it, who wants to be treated by a "C" or "D" nurse? I certainly don't! But, in Nursing school (that's impossible to do), getting a "D" or an F as a final grade would get you kicked out of the program. As I previously stated, I had to "C" my way out of some classes (microbiology, Statistics, and Chemistry 112 were HORRIBLE). Still, in the other courses, I did pretty well (once I started studying and reading at least ten chapters a night). That was my experience with the medical field, so if you know a registered nurse or bump into any, hug them to thank them for sticking it out in nursing school. If they are anything like me, the journey was unbelievably rough but an enriching experience nonetheless :-) I thought about working on my MSJ (Masters of Science in Journalism), but I am tired of school (I am CERTAIN that nursing school had a lot to do with it). :-) But I plan to finish it ... Eventually! I don't need to advance in my current position in the Federal Government. So, the only reason to go back would be personal. One of my positions in the Federal Government was in a hospital in Washington, DC, where I was the manager/supervisor over Employee Education in the Office of Planning, Education, and Performance Improvement; in that capacity, I was responsible for the educational needs of more than 3400 employees in the agency (including physicians, nurses, physical therapist, other allied health professionals and support staff too). I have nine people who work for me. But, I told my friends and colleagues that "I hit the employee lottery" when I accepted that particular position. The people who worked for me were consummate professionals, and 90 percent of the time, they were on automatic pilot and needed no input from me to do what needed to be done. But, now I am officially retired! Before retiring, I didn't work in either field I had degrees-- Journalism or Nursing. Much to my surprise and sometimes dismay, I wrote more in my Federal Government positions than I "ever" imagined. However, I wrote policies or regulations, responded to congressional inquiries, wrote position papers, and my employee's performance appraisals, etc. (none of the really "fun" stuff). But, it has kept food on the table since my 12-year stint in the Army ended. It has also allowed me to put our daughter in a College Preparatory Boarding School and eventually college (did I mention that she graduated with a BA in English and two minors in Religion and Gender Studies!!!). :-) Much to my surprise, my daughter has followed in my footsteps; she, too, has the writing bug! She plans to get her MSJ (Master of Science in Journalism). However, unlike me, she will "DEFINITELY" finish (and I'll be the only quitter in the family -- my husband also has his master's degree). She is a better writer than I was at her age. But, with more practice and writing opportunities, she'll easily surpass me ... but I'm okay with that. She recently started her first full-time job in the Federal government as well. And she completed her master's degree while working in the Federal Government as well. Currently, she is a GS-14 and I couldn’t...Expand for more