Hello everyone! Just wanted to introduce myself(ok, so I actually just found too much lint in the belly button to continue pondering). Umm, where do I start? I am 30, female, divorced, no kids, but have two great cats and a super duper little dog who are my housemates. I am an RN(2 year degree) and have been in practice for 5 years. I am currently working doing case management(grr! do not really like it but am trying to make the best of it, keep reading it will make more sense). I used to work medical-surgical floors and then in the ICU for a short time. Last Fall started the worst year of my life, my marriage fell apart and the divorce started, I ended up in the hospital for my illness. My illness is schizoaffective disorder/bipolar II/anxiety. Yes, it is fun being me, actually I mean that I enjoy being me as nutty as I am. 
Basically, someone had my life and me stuck in one of those little snow globes and was frantically shaking it. A lot happened this past year with my employer that I ended up quitting, filing bankruptcy, and taking a job doing case management to settle my life down and for once get my feet firmly on the ground so I can go back to school for pre-med. I miss the patient care a lot but I am making the best of my job now and go to work and do my best. Anyway, enough of the drama, lol. As usual I am doing pretty well, I am looking to start at the university here in Jan 05 and am very excited about it. I need a bachelors degree since I am an AD RN so I plan on majoring in biochemistry, which I absolutely love. I’m looking forward to being part of this on-line group and if there is anyone in Mpls/St.Paul, MN send me a message, would love to get to know some locals that are going down this wonderful path. Nice to meet you all and hope this was not annoyingly long or too personal. Just wonder sometimes if I am the only one out there whose life has been shaken from top to bottom at one time or another(I know I am not, but you know sometimes it feels everyone elses life is great except yours). Back to practicing omphaloskepsis…hmm, wonder if I can sell my lint on eBay?
Hi there,
Welcome to the group. We have plenty of RNs and our resident celebrity RN to MD, Mary Riley Renard who is currently slaving away in a Family Practice residency at Inova Fairfax Hospital just outside Washington, DC. She will give you great perspective on making the change from nursing to medicine while raising three extraordinary kids and keeping her home fires happily crackling along. Read some of her posts, they are just great as is Mary.
I used to teach Biochemistry so I can understand your love of this subject. I was a Protein Chemist among my other talents. I studied cell-cell communication and ischemic states in vascular smooth muscle cells. I guess that’s why I am a natural for doing a Vascular Surgery fellowship once I am done with my General Surgery.
Good luck on your course and enjoy the journey. Post from time to time and let us know how it goes. We are a friendly bunch.
Natalie 