Nine to Five

I love being a nurse- for once in my life I feel like I have a career instead of just a job.... and I have had plenty of jobs.

I started working at 15 for the Snowie stand owned by my friend's parents, it was the best job. I got to read books all day in a little shaved ice shack and got as many free Snowie as I wanted. Plus I worked 5 hour shifts and could ride my bike to work, what's not to love? Oh yeah, getting paid minimum wage and having dyed red hands all summer.

At 16 I worked as a hostess for a Chinese restaurant that I had been going to since I was born. When I applied the owner wrote something in Chinese on my application. After I was hired, one of the waitresses told me what it said, "Cute, can work up front".

During school I got work release to work for a friend's mom. She owned her own company and made lingerie, underwear and swimsuits. Probably not the most appropriate work environment for a high schooler but I learned a lot from my experience there- not always good things.

I was also taking pharmacy technician classes at the time and once I graduated I got offered a job with Walgreen's- the place I had finished my externship with. It was perfect timing because the year I graduated was the same year that Layton, Clinton and South Ogden Walgreen's opened. I worked there for the next 8 years; full-time, part-time and then as needed. It was awesome experience and it put me through college- I can't ask for more.

I graduated, the first time, in 2004 with my Bachelor's in Health Administration- I worked at Primary Children's Medical Center. All of the people I worked with had clinical degrees: nursing, respiratory therapy, etc.... They also got paid 2-3 times more than I did. So.... I applied to nursing school. I could get my nursing degree, come back to my job and make more money. At least that was the idea anyway.

Once I started working as a nurse though, things quickly changed. I have loved nursing more than any other job that I've had. Things are messy and sometimes people are mean- but they are also scared and angry and anything that I can do to make the situation better is so great. Armando asks me all the time, "How could you do that?" I just tell him, "Somebody has to"

I've worked in a rehabilitation center and now in a surgical center and I've loved learning new skills and have made such great friends. In a field where it is 95% female it can be very difficult to go to work every day- Females = Drama. But, when you work with great people it is awesome to go to work every day.

I haven't worked at Legacy since 2012 but still get together with the girls there every few months. I can't wait to see what I'm doing in another five or ten years.