Medical Training

4:30 in the morning… The alarm goes off… It’s the clinical lab day at Gurnick.
“Oh, please! Just 5 more minutes!” – She thinks, but she drags her tired body out of the warm bed into the shower. Hardly waking up, she puts on her blue scrubs and nurse’s shoes and looks in the mirror. Dark circles under the eyes… That’s the least of payments for being an LVN student in a fast-paced program. “But it’s worth it,”- she says to her reflection, -“Soon, I will become a nurse, an LVN, and my life will change for the better.”

On her tippy toes, she sneaks into her little daughter’s room to kiss the sleeping child on the warm cheek and, laying her last loving glance, quietly leaves.
It’s still dark outside. She gets into the cold car and starts the engine. “Oh, I am so tired! But thank God for mom! If not for her, I wouldn’t be able to attend my LVN classes. She is taking care of my little girl, while I go to school, because she wants me and my daughter to have a better life. So, I won’t let them down!”

She has been attending the LVN program at Gurnick in San Mateo since last October.
Being a single mom wasn’t easy to find the right LVN program in California, where she recently moved with her daughter. She was looking for a better life. And this was it! This was her answer: “become and LVN student, become an LVN nurse, turn my life around, and start a rewarding career of helping people, changing their lives, while changing my own.”

There are so many such single moms attending LVN classes at Gurnick. They choose this school, because Gurnick understands and supports everyone, who wants to get an education in nursing. “This is the school that won’t turn you down, but will nurture and support you as you make your progress.” This is the school that helps you succeed no matter what your situation at home is.

Yes, the instructors are tough, the program is fast-paced, and every day is saturated with new information, new knowledge, new nursing skills to learn and goals to conquer. But all the faculty and staff at Gurnick want the LVN students to succeed. That is why they went out of their way to get their LVN program qualified for Financial Aid for their LVN students, because nobody should be turned down, if they want to become an LVN nurse. And that is why they have built a job placement department, to help the graduating LVN nurses start their careers right.

The sun is rising, as she pulls up to the parking garage. It’s 6 AM, and the clinical lab is about to start. There, she sees other students in blue scrubs hurrying to class, holding hot coffee in one hand and textbooks in the other. Their sleepy faces are smiling as they wave her “good morning.”
She waves back at them, thinking: “My home away from home, my Gurnick family. Even though we met only when the program started just a few months ago, we have become friends, and I love them. We are all in the same boat. We all have to give up so much, but we are getting much more in return!”

She steps into the laboratory room, where the instructor in the white lab coat is greeting everyone, getting ready for a new day at Gurnick, as she thinks to her self: “This will be a good day.”

In my early twenties, I faced a life-changing event that left me alone, with two young children, no job, and in financial distress. I made the decision to enroll in an LVN program at a local college. It took years for me to graduate and become an LVN in California. If I had researched my options, I would have chosen a private post-secondary vocational LVN program that was accredited by the State of California as well as nationally accredited by ABHES. My choice would have been Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts because they are the only local private college that offers an outstanding, accelerated LVN program that is accredited by both State and National Organizations.

Choosing a program can be confusing, with the various options of mornings/ evening classes, quality and reputation of the LVN schools, and the experience of the Instructors. Having an option to complete the LVN program in just over twelve months, (fifteen months with no previous pre-requisite courses completed), would have helped me to start my new nursing career and financially support my young family. Not only do I have the chance to start a meaningful career, but I have many choices of what type of job I want to work, what group of people do I wish to help, and whether to travel or remain local- all nursing employment opportunities available to graduates. One can work in a hospital setting, a Doctor’s office, a factory as an Industrial Nurse, a prison nurse, home health where a nurse goes to provide care in homes where the patients are unable to leave their homes, or travel to different states, countries, or cities for a preset time and work at a hospital that has been short on nursing staff.

Nursing offers the possibility of specializing in a specific field of medicine or line of work. Nurse Educators are available to the communities to inform the public of the latest information on wellness and prevention, health warnings, and disease processes. The Nursing Instructors at Gurnick Academy have years of experience in the field and share this wisdom with the students in lecture, demonstration of skills , and a variety of learning methods for all types of adult learners. The articulation of the clinical experiences at local hospitals with the didactic components, allow a cohesive and logical fusion of theory and practicum. Many hours of practicing a skill on the mannequins with the Instructor and a small group of students in the Skills Lab at the campus will boost one’s confidence and fine tune the skill, until the student performs the skill of competency with a satisfactory return demonstration. The learning atmosphere is positive and supportive, and many students make strong friendships while in the program. The clinical experiences will create dfond memories and funny tales to share.

I wanted a career that provided me with great satisfaction, like I was somehow making a difference. I believe nursing has given me a sense of reward and giving to my community, helping strangers in pain, fear and alone not be. That makes me smile.