MinorityNurse.com

 

If I can do it so can you!

My name is Kourtnie Berry. I am a single mother of a three-year and 18 month old. I am currently in my second semester of Nurse Anesthesia school and I truly thank God for Wallena and DNAP! Feeling alone and insuffient in a program with little minority representation it was necessary for me to connect with this opportunity. I needed to engage with someone "like me", if you will, who could offer the insight and encouragement pertinent to get me through this program.

Wallena is one of the most giving people I know. She often shares her stories of single motherhood and how difficult is was to forge ahead in difficult times. Needless to say I am very grateful that she did as I otherwise would not have had her shoulder to lean on at 3am when I needed it most.

The CRNA program is rigorous. It is time consuming. It can be frustrating and discouraging. Many times I have questioned my decision to enroll. Many more times I thought about withdrawing. But then I reflect on the process of my life and how God has carried me through and to this very point. Having experienced the deaths of both parents at a young age, battled a potentially fatal auto-immune illness, and regrouped from the uncertainties associated with Hurricane Katrina my backpack had reached its capacity. Yet, I possessed the fortitude to continue.

I remember so vividly sitting for a recertification three days before the scheduled delivery of my second child and sitting for another one month later with her sleeping in the chair next to me. I recall passing CCRN on an application due date of one program and getting accepted on the spot into my current program two months later! God has been with me throughout this entire process and is still here. I look forward to the day when I traverse that stage. The joy in my heart will be immeasurable.

If CRNA is what you want go get it. Research the process. Obtain the necessary information - that which is common knowledge and that which is not. Engage Wallena and DNAP. She is available to you and rooting for you. But, most of all place God first and everything else is downhill!