Mathews with a View: Tara Mitchell, RN, BSN

Nursing School Graduation!!!

The day finally came!!! May 11, 2012...COLLEGE GRADUATION!!! I have looked forward to graduating from Troy University for so long, but as graduation day neared, I didn't want to leave. The friendships I made with my classmates are indescribable. There were only 21 of us in our class so we were all very close. After taking the Exit Exam in April, it hit me that it was all about to be over with. I've been in school since August 1993...19 years, straight!! School is all I have known. Now I'm letting go of classmates, class, homework, clinicals & finals to step foot in this fast pace world where it's each for their own. While I was in school, it seemed like time was dragging by but looking back, it has absolutely flown. I'm happy, anxious & excited to start a new chapter in my life, but on the other hand, I'm scared to death

The days leading up to graduation were very busy!! The day I took the exit exam, I got a call from Baptist South's Nurse Recruiter offering me a job in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU), where I did my preceptorship my last semester. I was SO excited. As a matter of fact, I started today!! This was on the table when I got to classroom orientation this morning...talk about feeling a sense of achievement!!

Anyways, I'll do a post about my new job later. Let's get back to graduation week!

Pinning Ceremony: May 10, 2012

If you know anything about nursing school, you know that a pinning ceremony is usually held a day or two before graduation. Our ceremony was small, including the nursing school faculty & staff, my classmates, our families and Chancellor Jack Hawkins, Jr. We recieved our nursing pins & they were pinned on by our parents.

The pinning ceremony included a guest speaker, lighting of candles & reciting the Florence Nightingale pledge, and a slide show. Marjorie did the slide show & she thought it would be funny for the class to predict where each classmate would be in 10 years, and she was right!!! My prediction said something along the lines of...

"In 10 years...Tara & Hunter will have a TV show on the hunting channel & a successful taxidermy in Maplesville. Tara will be completely deaf, but will still manage to travel & teach about rectal tubes"

I'm sure you know where they got the hunting show & the taxidermy prediction from. It's no secret that Hunter & I would rather be in the woods than anywhere else. About me being deaf...if you know me, you know I cannot hear, AT ALL. It was a big joke in school, even with the teachers. Everybody knew I was hard of hearing! The rectal tubes...for some reason, I always got the patient with a rectal tube during clinicals. That ended up being a big joke with the class, too :) After pinning, we took lots of pictures...

Our class with our guest speaker in the middle & Mrs. Bazzell on the end

Marjorie, Terry, Britton & Jessica...my side-kicks throughout nursing school...couldn't have done it without them!!!

Daddy, Me, Hunter & Melanie

Me & Mamaw! She helped me through nursing school...with all of her ailments, she was like a walking case study!!

Randy, Me & Mama...Randy said I've been in school long enough to be a doctor. I told him to keep on picking at me & I'll go back for my master's :)

Hunter's parents, Bruce & Rexanne...the absolute best in-laws I could have ever asked for!

"The WITCHES"

Graduation: May 11, 2012

Finally, finally, FINALLY!!!! I had to be at Claudia Crosby Theater at 9:00am & graduation was to start at 10:00am. We lined up & did the traditional walk from the theater to the basketball arena where the graduation ceremony was going to take place. Luckily, Hunter took pictures as we were walking...

I honestly didn't think I would cry at graduation, but as soon as I walked into the arena & heard the 'graduation march,' I teared up. Was this really happening??? As soon as I sat in my seat & saw Mamaw looking down at me from a few rows up, I teared up again. I knew she was proud of me & I was just thankful that she made it to my college graduation.

Getting my diploma (sorry the video isn't very clear)!!!

Graduation Party: May 12, 2012

Well, we figured 6 years in college was reason enough to have a celebration. Thanks to my sweet Mama & the rest of my family, they threw together a fun BBQ !! Although it rained, we still had a good time & I was so happy to see everybody there!!