Sometimes you get thrown off track…
A previous coworker stopped by my nurse’s station to tell me he is quitting our hospital’s surgery department to become a traveling BSN. I am ecstatic for him, but we had a bit of the conversation that lowered my mood, because it kind of lowered my level of confidence in myself. I mentioned I am going back to school. He asked me what for, and I said “the dietitian transfer degree. I figure some of the credits from my BA will still count. I just have to take a lot of science classes.”
He kind of chuckled and said “at our age, we don’t retain knowledge and information as well, just to warn you. I forget stuff all the time.”
I’m about a good ten years younger than he is, or maybe even 15, but. BUT.
That’s not what you tell someone if you want to be encouraging. I already doubt myself a lot. All the time. Yes, I forget shit. Who doesn’t? But when I worked in the very same surgery department, I got treated like I was unteachable. Stressful job, hostile department, and a breeding ground for anxiety and depression. I’m a secretary at the moment. I handle phones and call lights for my whole unit. I make sure orders for things like blood glucose checks and patient weights are entered properly. I communicate procedure times to staff and update door signage for patient rooms, including whether they are a fall risk. Is it a fancy job? No. Can you be a dumbass and still do it? No.
The point I am trying to make is, don’t tell someone who is trying to learn something new “hey you might forget shit, don’t be surprised if it’s hard.” PLEASE, DON’T.
I’m a creative person. Not super logical or scientific. But I survived my biology and medical terminology classes these past two semesters. Chemistry is a lot harder, but I’m getting some of it. I’m remembering bits and pieces from high school 30 years ago. I had to drop my online statistics class a year and a half ago because online isn’t the right format for me to learn anything that complex. I gave up my initial goal to pursue nursing back in 2018, because I was splitting up with Hugo and I wasn’t going to be able to afford dropping down to part-time to really pound away at the prerequisites or get a CNA license. I took a break from school and picked it back up again after I moved out. Sometimes, when I tell people “I am back in school,” they give me skeptic looks. But, every once in a while, some of them light up and ask me “what are you studying? Which program are you thinking about?”
I don’t expect to be patted on the head and to have the grownups in my life hang my crayon scribbles on the fridge with alphabet magnets every time I enroll in a new course, but I just hate it when someone says something that really lets the wind out of my sails.
