Journal 1My journey to finally realizing becoming a student in this executive RN program has been a long journey filled with excitement and disappointing times. I began this quest in the summer of 2015 and here I am, two years later, starting my first class in the program, Nursing 301. My quest to become a registered nurse (RN) actually began in 2000 while I was a emergency medical technician in the army. With the encouragement of my wife and military colleagues, I decided to go back to school to become an RN. I took and completed all of my general education requirements for my nursing degree and ultimately became a nursing student in the fall of 2001 with the intention of obtaining my BSN soon after. A few weeks after starting the ADN program, the terrible events of September 11th occurred, kicking my military career into high gear, resulting in a promotion in rank along with additional responsibilities. I welcomed military promotions as a way to supplement my family income while I attended nursing school. Immediately after graduating from the ADN program in the spring of 2003, I became active in the military for about 8 months, thus putting my pursuit of the BSN on hold. In January 2004, I was hired and began working at Queen's Medical Center (QMC). Two months after completing my new hire orientation, I was recalled to active military duty for 21 months to be sent to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Immediately after returning from the mission, I resumed my job at QMC. The military deployment placed our family under a great financial burden, from which it took us several years to recover, so my pursuit of the BSN was once again put on hold. While I was recovering from o...... middle of paper.... ..activities. My wife, knowing how difficult it was to participate in the program, momentarily agreed to release me from the barbecue and keep the "to do list" to a minimum. My immediate goal after completing this program is to take some time off from school, pay off our (additional) student loans, and, when the time is right, possibly explore the feasibility of earning my bachelor's degree in healthcare administration or continue to try to get my master's degree in nursing. However, I currently foresee immediate challenges to those plans: My oldest child, my son, is currently in high school and aspires to become a pharmacist and attend UH Hilo. Furthermore, my daughter, who is three years younger than my son, aspires to become an ophthalmologist. So, as with any parent, I may put my goal aside to help both of my children achieve their goals.