Hi,
Well, I am in bit of a pickle. I don't know how I can ask the question and make it a quite simple, but for someone with an Ileostomy, as a career, would you pick OT occupational Therapy ...requires a masters ) or Nursing? The idea of nursing would be to become a Nurse Practitioner( also a masters ).
There are a few layers to this, so I will try to make this short as I can. For me to go graduate from OT school, would take 4 years. 1 Year Pre Reqs, 3 years Graduate. Nursing....( IDK if this is a sign, but the school forgot to attach transcripts to my App ) so AKA I didn't get a full Eval in time to know what pre-reqs/other classes would transfer in. I would have had enough time to smash the Pre-reqs out for this fall....but that ( error happened/ I applied in Feb. of this year ). To boot, many errors were made....so I requested the Dean, was told the Dean does not speak to students on subject courses...the Director Enrollment called, glad I recorded that convo...she lied( she was naming dates in which " Someone told me what was needed and what would transfer...problem? I never inquired about their nursing program in 2011, and 2012.....her said dates ). It seemed to be really catty, idk..I never seen a group of professionals( all women, no sexist ) be so concerned about covering up errors. Anyway, So Nursing, 1 year pre-req....during this one year, I could demolish all sciences even into the Nursing program. So it would just be straight nursing classes, when I enter. The program is 1 lecture( 3 hours in the evening) and 1 clinical( 7 hours all A.M ) per week. This lasts 28 months, 2 years 4 months. Total time= 3 Years, 4 months from now.
NP school= 18 months. So say 5 years for Nursing + NP. Again OT( Occupational Therapy, 4 years, 1 year in pre-reqs, and 3 years in Grad School.
Element of Surprise: As stated, I have an ileostomy, for 11 years! Remzi being gone from the Cleveland Clinic, the J pouch consideration game, for me took a delay( which was already, see 11 years ). Remzi was willing to do a 1 step on me( why I talked with him ), and the first I had a Dr tell me that. I am a hybrid( lol ). I have 25% of my colon, floating in the pelvis, and an ileostomy. The colon has no Polyps etc. However, yes there is active mild UC in there. So yes, I can bleed under high stress. I had to factor this into the equation, and hence why I chose the evening 1 day lecture and 1 day clinical program( which is longer by 8 months, compared to other programs ). if I choose Nursing. Sucks, but between my sleep schedule, and that...I had to choose the longer more flexible program.
Element 2: I weight train, but can my body hold up through a nursing or occupational Therapy program with health? Thoughts. One doc at CC questioned if I took steroids( anabolic ). The fact is, I do train with legs, and sometimes my movements are 700lbs. I have trained with college football players, and many people. I remember being 129lbs after my surgery.....in 3 years I bulked to 207 lbs with the ileo. Trust me, rebuilding my body around mirrors and Body Builders was psychologically hard. Before UC, I was an athlete. I also modeled. I played at a High level in H.S....we won tri-state, was in the paper, and I was announced on a Minor league Baseball field before a game. However, UC was an opponent I could not see. After surgery, 95lbs on bench was hard to move. Which was a mere easy warm up in the past . In this gym full of bodybuilders, it was tough psychologically to look in the mirror and see what I was.......It took me over 5 years to get over that fear, I would pass the gym, but to scared. Took me 5 years to even start to weight train. However, in the first 3 years of training, again, went from docs wanting to put me on Megace( it is used in Cancer patients to make them gain weight, by boosting their hunger ) to defying that, and going to 207 lbs. However, make no mistake, during those 5 years of fear, I was scheming work out plans, I was restless. Since getting back in training and college, I noticed that I was able to break down people's movements in training( I had to be analytical with my training with this new body in angst of defeat ). How the head of the humorous( where your shoulder and your arm meet) was internally rotated on a lot of body builders ). How their scapulas were weak, which coincided with the internal rotation. Which was an indication a lot were fixated on Bench Press, and not doing pulling movements. It gets to a point I can touch someone's back, put them through movements, and can see weaknesses. However, to get that point I had to face my own weaknesses. In that gym full of bodybuilders and mirrors, the weakness was staring at me, it was the man in the mirror. So, I decided, to train...yes...with 95lbs on bench, a far cry from years past. I would try 20 times to get past 95 lbs, let me tell you....it took 21 times. I simply had to quit being afraid to fail. Those 5 years scheming about the gym, thinking about it....failing. What I learned is you cannot be afraid to fail. The fact is you will fail. However, don't be paralyzed by the fear of failure. Trust yourself. On that bench as I said, I failed 20 times, but the 21st time 95lbs became 115. 115 became 135( oh yes, the two 45's on each side lol ), 135 turned to 150, that turned into 185, that turned into 200...and before you know it, I was working out with 245lbs over 24 times. Leg movements, over 700lbs. Certain movements, I would completely avoid. Dates? I would have never imagined that after surgery, the type of women who came up to me....stunning( like the model/athlete days ). However, I can tell you, most were squandered as I held myself from opening up to women. I felt trapped. Which lead to me inquiring about a J....I can sit here and bare all the complications I had to get the ileo....but I am sure, you reading this comment have been there. TIA( Minor stroke ), blood clot in leg, the loss of weight.....
Which brings me to now. I was 19 when UC hit, and surgery. I am 30. Now, I am at a cross roads with a college program to finish school. If you got lost in my absurd writing( I talk about college in the beginning lol and outline the options ). I just know....I have been in the darkest hours, I know the feeling of a broken clavicle( collar bone ), concussions, and terror of anxiety in the Wait room, the Weight Room( both weight, wait rooms ha ), and on the faces you impact, as family and friends sit Idol, as you have an opponent you cannot see destroy. However, in those moments, we build character that defines our true awakening......Our strength. I can see the same look on faces when I see an injury, go to a hospital, even break ups. - I know when I walked into Remzi's office, his nurses were not happy with my lifts lol....Nurse put me on speaker and asked, repeat what you lift with legs???? She replied," I did that because I have you on speaker phone with other nurses, and two of their jaws dropped." She cautioned me, nice tactic. However, my 5ft.8 frame would have qualified for a 1 stepper. However, this thing, this ileostomy, the thing I cringed at, the thing that I hold myself back with women....Again, for you guys out there, or women....you have this ileo.....I can post pics, and you would be shocked how bad I blown things with the opposite sex. I learn to hide it well. You can date......I am asking for your guys and gals opinion on school....and what route I should take...and I am sorry I got off track, but it just spurred on some writing. As I ask for your advice....if there are nurses on here....or health workers....or just others with no medical experience, I would like your take?...In my situation.
Nursing 1 year pre-req, + 2 years and 4 months= Total 3 years 4 months. The last 2 years and 4 months, would be just Nursing classes, all sciences throughout program( even in Nursing program done ). So 1 evening lecture and 1 day clinical( 7 hours a week ).
Nurse NP( additional 18 months )...Total Nursing time, 5 years.
Occupational Therapy: 1 year pre-req, 3 year in Grad school. = 4 years.
ROI...Return on investment....Nursing school: 25,000. NP school : Approx. 40,000. Total 65,000.
OT school: $65,000.00, including travel. So the same.
Also, why is that Nursing department so catty over covering up errors? Is this how people are in field work in nursing?