Pamela Thompson
I’ve known since I was four or five years old that I wanted to be a nurse, though I didn’t know much about nursing specialties at the time. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I learned about nurse practitioners and was intrigued. I knew that becoming a nurse practitioner would allow me to meet the needs of more people in my community, so I decided to get started by going to school.
Attending Herzing allowed me to work on my education while also working a job and providing for my family. I had a support network here, and all the instructors were wonderful in helping guide me to success.
The biggest challenge I faced while earning my degree was my dad’s illness. He required a full-time caregiver over the past year, and my two daughters, 21 and 19, stepped up. They decided to put their goals on hold to help me reach my dream of becoming an FNP. I want to thank them so much for all that they’ve done to help me succeed.
Through my studies and clinical experiences, I’ve been able to build the confidence and knowledge needed to make evidence-based decisions to meet the needs of my patients. Through these experiences, I found that my mental strength is far stronger than I initially thought. Even at my age, I proved that I’m smarter than what I used to give myself credit for!
My advice to others is to never give up. Do not think that things are tougher than you are because you are tough and can conquer anything!
My current goal is to pass my board exam and hopefully get accepted into the fellowship program with my current employer. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next as my journey continues!
