Skip to main content

My Journey To Nursing by Kim Bechard, RN

By

Nursing has always been a part of who I am. When I was very young, several of my aunts worked in nursing and I always had a deep admiration for them. In high school, I began taking health occupation classes and knew from that moment on, that I wanted to become a nurse.

After high school, I began attending a community college, working on my nursing degree. Due to a lengthy waiting list for the RN program, I decided to apply for the LPN program. I was accepted and graduated a year later. While studying for my boards, I worked as a CNA in a nursing home. After working as an LPN for approximately fifteen years, I finally graduated with my BSN degree.

I have always felt the need to care for others. My mother passed away when I was a baby and I lived with my grandmother thereafter and cared for her during her final moments when I was only thirteen years old. I have now worked as a nurse for almost twenty years and I really don’t know if I could do anything else.

Being a part of TLC gives me the freedom to set new goals and a means to achieve them. I am planning on applying for the Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program in 2019 and I am looking forward to that transition. While being with TLC, I have met so many wonderful people, including patients, co-workers, and members of the community. I’ve experienced exciting new things that otherwise I may not have had the opportunity.

I like to think that I do make a difference in the lives of those I care for, their families and even my co-workers. I strive to keep a positive attitude. I care for my patients. I care about their well-being, and whether or not they have had a good day. I think of the challenges they face associated with aging and illness, and I am empathetic to their situation, knowing that it could be any of us. Every human being is someone’s child, mother, father, sister or brother. We all need emotional support during times of illness and I see myself as an advocate and support system for them, as well as a caregiver. I always hope at the end of the day, that I have made a difference!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Story to becoming a Caregiver by Yenda’Me Malia, LNA

By
I grew up in Claremont, New Hampshire with my mother, father, and older brother, Tony. All of us were healthy, except for Mum, she was always sick. I cannot remember a time in my childhood, or my adulthood when she did not have something wrong with her. She had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, ovarian cancer, and diabetes, to name a few. She fought hard to be well, and, with the exception of all her life-threatening illnesses, she was able to lead a somewhat normal life. There were, however, a lot of trips to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, a lot of check-ups with her general practitioner and a lot of treatments; some common, some experimental, some that could kill her. As a young child in elementary and middle school, I worried about my mother all the time. There were many days I envisioned coming home from school to find her deceased, and it terrified me. When I knew she was having a particularly bad day, I would do extra chores to help her out, so she could rest. I knew, from that young age
2 comments
Read more
By
Is Home Care the Right Fit? People typically reach a point in life where they either don’t know what to do or feel like they are stuck between two incredibly difficult options, when it comes to what the best choice for an aging loved one would be. Do you put them in an assisted-living facility where they have care 24/7, but risk making them unhappy as they will be living in an unfamiliar and potentially uncomfortable environment? Or do you look to see if there is a different option available that causes less stress and change? Regardless of what decision is made, seeing a family member or loved one age can be a difficult process as there are so many different things to think about and balance. You always want what is best and safest for your loved one, but sometimes it seems like the easiest option would be to put them in a assisted-living facility so they can get around the clock care. However, there is an alternative option out there that minimizes change in one’s life and that
1 comment
Read more

Becoming an LNA By: Angeline J Hemple

By
Becoming an LNA By: Angeline J Hemple My story in a nutshell on why I feel I am who I am today. When I was a child, I noticed I always had a sensitive side, mostly with Animals. Where I grew up the kids were not so nice so I stuck to myself a lot. But I wanted to be sweet and cheerful and I felt sad because I couldn't be those things. I was told I had to be tough, Not to show my sensitive side so other kids wouldn't think different of me. I lived basically in a wooded area growing up and it was full of life. A place where I could be me. I pretended to be a doctor and would go in the woods and build a fort from whatever I could find. When I finished my task, I would go find nature animals, knowing how dangerous it could be. But I didn't see it like that. I always knew there is a danger in whatever it is you do. But I was not afraid. And that’s where I found my first patient, a baby bird that fell out his nest by the river. I knew the rules if you touch it, mom would n
1 comment
Read more