Nursedom accomplished!

Just before she graduated from UC Berkeley in 2006, Elisabeth secured a job as a Product Manager with a major medical device company.  Instead of taking a few months off or taking a post-graduation trip to Europe, as some of her friends did, Elisabeth headed directly to an intensive summer of training and then to an intense job in which she travelled extensively and enjoyed some great perks (car, laptop, expense account, etc.), but also worked crazy hours and was headed toward workaholicism.  (I decided that’s a word.)

She stayed in that job until she paid off her fairly intensive school loans and then, just about three years ago, she quit that job and took a job with a much lower intensity level in a women’s health research clinic.  Although she loved working in the healthcare arena, she had decided that she wanted to work directly with patients in a nursing capacity instead of selling medical devices.  Not more than three months after starting that job, the economy went crazy and she was laid off.  And that lay-off allowed her to go back to school, fully funded, to get her RN certificate.  (Kind of like my recent lay-off has allowed me to start my own business while having the safety net of unemployment compensation.)

Last night was the pinning ceremony for the 26 RN graduates.  And next month Elisabeth starts her new job as an ICU nurse at Swedish Hospital’s Neuro ICU.  It’s challenging and intense work in which she works very closely with doctors and the medical teams, but she’s up for it!

I didn’t get a photo of her pinning, but I did get a quick video:

Afterwards we grabbed a few photos:

Elisabeth and “her” Danny – whom we all adore.

Elisabeth and her nana – a mutual adoration.

“The twins.” (I haven’t called them that forever, but for some reason this goofball photo prompted it!)

And this photo of my four kidlets.  Notice how much Peter likes it when I say, “OK, now just a quick picture of the four of you…”  (“Mom – stop with the pictures already!”)

Congratulations, Elisabeth!  I am so proud of you for deciding to make a difference in healthcare, and in people’s lives.