糖心Vlog传媒

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Graduate Gets Second Chance at Nursing Career

Brittney Harding has wanted to become a nurse ever since she was a little girl. She grew up watching her mother become a nurse and even attended some of her classes as a child. 鈥淭he moment when my mother passed her final exam, I had this sense of wanting to be like my mom when I grew up,鈥� Harding said. 鈥淚 remember the rewards she got from being a nurse, and that was an inspiration as well as my mom鈥檚 stepmom, who was also a nurse. Having that foundation of nurses in my family secured my desire to be a nurse when I was a little girl.鈥� Harding, a native of Warren who now lives in Little Rock, will graduate May 14 with her associate degree in nursing. The unusual part of Harding鈥檚 journey to become a nurse is that she already has several college degrees in education. She first took a stab at nursing school right after high school, but that didn鈥檛 work out. 鈥淲hen I attempted nursing school before, I was not focused,鈥� Harding said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how to study. It wasn鈥檛 God鈥檚 time for me to obtain that part of my education. It made me shy away from nursing, so I ended up going and getting my education degrees.鈥� Harding earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in physical education and a master鈥檚 degree in physical education and coaching from the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Later on, she even went back to earn a second master鈥檚 degree in teaching. She spent five years working as a secondary education teacher, which she greatly enjoyed, but she never gave up on her dream of becoming a nurse. 鈥淢y students really helped give me that last nudge to get back to my goals,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or five years, I told my students to go after your dreams. After telling them this, I felt like a hypocrite because I wanted to be a nurse. How can I be a good example for them when I am not living what I tell them?鈥� In 2021, Harding finally entered 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 nursing program, a long-held goal that she put on a vision board she created in 2020 when she was seriously considering going back to school. 鈥淭hat is one of the universities I鈥檝e always wanted to attend even before I graduated from high school,鈥� Harding said. 鈥淥nce I finished my education at 糖心Vlog传媒M, I did my research on nursing programs. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock stood out to me because of their simulation lab. It鈥檚 basically state of the art compared to any other school or university. I even put it on my vision board to go to the RN program at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. I knew I already loved 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. It felt like home. It鈥檚 been a rewarding experience even though it鈥檚 been challenging. I wouldn鈥檛 trade it for anything. Even compared to grad school, this is the hardest program I鈥檝e ever done. They really challenge you to get you prepared for nursing.鈥� At 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Harding is thankful that a majority of her associate degree was paid for through the Willard and Pat Walker Scholarship from 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, the Faith A. Fields Scholarship from the Arkansas Board of Nursing, and a one-time Sigma Chi Chi Chapter of Chi Eta Phi Sorority, Inc. scholarship. Harding said graduating with her nursing degree has given her a sense of redemption. 鈥淚 failed out of nursing school before, so I felt the weight of completing this degree,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is the moment I鈥檝e been waiting for. Compared to any other degree I鈥檝e obtained, this is the most significant degree I鈥檒l ever receive.鈥� After graduation, Harding will prepare to take her exam to become a registered nurse over the summer. She鈥檒l also begin 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 online RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in the fall and start work as a registered nurse at Baptist Health Medical Center. Eventually, Harding would like to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice and specialize in psychiatric nursing. 鈥淥ther than God, my parents have been my greatest support system,鈥� Harding said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 thank my parents enough for their sacrifices for me to better myself and get where I need to be.鈥�