Finished highs school.

I had just finished high school a month ago. I was appreciated by everyone. Indeed, I was a sociable and smiling person. Furthermore, I really liked helping people. I had always dreamed of working in a hospital. Unlike my friends, I truly knew what I wanted to do: become a nurse. So, I signed up for the nursing program at the Cegep de Sherbrooke. I thought it would be very easy. I had watched so many medical series that I thought I already knew it all about the profession. I did not see any drawbacks to the program. I also thought the future wage would be good, so that was a bonus. I was sure I could easily finish he program. Some of my friends told me that the program was very difficult, but I did not agree with them. I believed that I would succeed without too much trouble.

Choice 1 : Enjoy summer and relax.

Choice 2 : Study and prepare for the semester.

Enjoy summer and relax.

I spent the entire summer partying with my friends. I also spent most of my time gaming with my brothers, so I went to bed very late every night. Because of that, I did not develop good lifestyle habits. My entry into the CEGEP was very difficult because I had poor time management skills and spent too much time gaming. The long hours of studying seemed like real drudgery to me. The exams quickly became maddening, and I could not complete my work thoroughly anymore. I even failed my first exam. It was a huge shock because I had always gotten good grades without making too much effort.

Choice 1 : Hide your difficulties

Choice 2 : Ask a classmate for help

Study and prepare for the semester.

I spent the entire summer watching medical videos to learn more about procedures. I even learned some anatomy. I organized my entire schedule in my agenda to be ready. I was very motivated to start this new program. I also watched in-depth videos about nursing coursework. I really tried to learn the ropes before the beginning of my classes. In my opinion, this preparation was necessary. Despite my preparation, CEGEP was much more difficult than I expected. A lot of students dropped out of the program. Though, I stayed positive.

Choice 1 : Hide your difficulties.

Choice 2 : Ask a classmate for help.

Hide your difficulties.

I was pretending that everything was fine and that I had no difficulties. I avoided teamwork activities and group studies, and I slowly became less motivated. I also skipped several classes because I felt too lazy and unorganized. This situation made me afraid of being seen as a student on a dead-end path. I did not want to set aside my pride and ask for help. As a result, I failed an important class, which put me at risk of being expelled from the program. When my parents learned about it, they were very disappointed, and this made me feel sad and ashamed. I started to doubt myself and my dream of becoming a nursing. My parents gave me thoughtful advice to stay motivated, work harder, and focus on my goals before the start of my internship.

Choice 1 : Act overconfident.

Choice 2 : Practice seriously.

Ask a classmate for help.

I started to make friends in my program, which really helped me feel better and more motivated. I finally began to like my classes more. I joined group studies and laughed a lot with other nursing students. They gave me a lot of handy and simple advice that helped me understand things more clearly. I slowly started to understand the ins-and-outs of the program. I also gave my name o be a trainee in the laboratories, so I could practice more. I tied to learn steps by step and not to rush. My internship was about to begin soon, and I felt a bit nervous. I was afraid to make mistakes with real patients because it was my first real experience. Even if I was scared, I told myself to stay calm, do my best, and learn every day.

Choice 1 : Act overconfident.

Choice 2 : Practice seriously.

Act overconfident.

I thought I knew all about nursing techniques, so I did the minimum amount of practice. I started to joke around in laboratory classes just to make people laugh. I thought I could pull off the internship and get straight A's without putting too much effort or practice. During and OJT, I forgot an important step in a technique I was performing, and my teacher found out. She was very frustrated and found my attitude quite maddening. As a consequence, I started to lose confidence, and I barely passed my internship, but my teacher gave me a second chance. I realized that nursing requires serious work, discipline, and good time management. I understood that I could not only rely on talent. I needed to practice more, stay focused, and take every step thoroughly if I wanted to improve.

Choice 1 : Panick and freeze.

Choice 2 : Help during the emergency.

Practice seriously.

I practiced a lot of injection methods and started to memorize all the procedures thoroughly to make sure I would be ready for my internship. I slowly became more professional and worked at the hospital as an intern. My internship went very well-overall. My time management improved a lot, and my nursing techniques were really good, and more confident. During my internship, the support of my classmates and friends was very thoughtful and helped me stay calm. I managed to help a lot of people because a new what to do.

Choice 1 : Panick and freeze.

Choice 2 : Help during the emergency.

Panick and freeze.

One day, a patient had a medical emergency, and I needed to react very fast, but I was too stressed to even make a move. I did not know what to do at that moment. I felt completely frozen. I felt so useless that another nurse quickly took control of the situation. In that instant, I thought my career as a nursing student was a dead end. I slowly lost all the motivation that I still had left inside me. My teacher was very worried about me and about my future in this career. Because of that, I decided to take a temporary break from school.

Choice 1 : Break.

Help during the emergency.

One day there was an emergency with my patient. During the emergency, I helped the medical team by doing the best I could with what I had learned. The patient quickly stabilized, and my teacher was very impressed. My experience as an intern really came in handy, because I understood how the nursing job works.

Choice 1 : Graduated and became a nurse.

Break.

I took a break from school, and this made me even less motivated. I then dropped out of school because I did not think I could succeed. I regretted many of the decisions I had made, and I wanted to start again.

Choice 1 : Start again

Graduated and became a nurse.

I finally finished my three years in my program. I became a nurse, so now I could help patients. I was very proud of myself. I wondered what would have happened if I had studied differently.

Choice 1 : Start again