Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Grad School.

Trail run this morning to beautiful Lake Blanche & Sundial Peak.

Last night I went to an information session at the College of Nursing at the University of Utah for their graduate program, specifically their Psychiatric/Mental Health Doctorate Nurse Practitioner program. And as the room filled with people and the presentation began, I started to get excited at the thought of going back to school.

I was also totally terrified.

At this time I am mostly terrified of the application process and the competitiveness of the program. Writing a professional statement and finding former professors and managers and colleagues to write letters of recommendation just seems like a daunting task. And I thought the Psychiatric DNP wouldn't be nearly as popular or competitive as some of the other specialties but when we broke out into groups, the room was filled with eleven people all interested in that graduate program.

They only take 10-12 students a year. And there are three more info sessions before the application deadline.

On top of the anxiety of the application process, I'm also wondering if now is the time for me to jump into the full-time, three-year program. I worry about the inevitable increase in preschool/daycare hours that will have to happen and then there is the cost of the program, neither of which will be cheap. And then having been out of the workforce for over two years and not having nearly as much psychiatric experience as some of the other people interested in the program, I wonder if waiting another year while working in the psychiatric field might be a better plan.

There is a sense of urgency within me, though, to move forward professionally and waiting that year to apply feels like I am putting my professional goals on the back burner. I feel like I have sacrificed so much professionally over the years with moves to different cities, having a baby and then staying home to raise her that I selfishly feel like it's my turn to do what I want to do, when I want to do it.

I think I need to hit the trails a bit more for some deep thinking before I make this major life decision.

Yellow aspens & Lake Blanche.

5 comments:

  1. The pictures are beautiful. I like the first picture of the rocks and how hard that looks to climb,.... just like your upcoming new adventure, Grad School. It will be tough, but you are a tough cookie and can handle it. You will make a wonderful Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. xo

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  2. What a beautiful place to make a big career changing decision! :)

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  3. Good luck!

    I feel the same. And with six more years until Jason can retire from the military, I know I will be back burner for awhile. Which is okay sometimes.

    I know I can't go back to an IUC environment when I hear what my friends are going through, stress and staffing wise..but I do wonder what is next.

    I think it's really exciting!!

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  4. Wow, tough stuff to think about. I've moved twice since my 3 yr old was born and I'm going to have another baby in December and am TERRIFIED about what I will need to do to get back into the workforce...and that probably won't happen until late 2015 / early 2016. So I hear ya, those are some serious things you need to contemplate!

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