So, Spring 2020 Bridget,

I wanted to write to you to let you know you have one hell of a year coming your way…

You don’t know it yet, but this pandemic is going to teach you a lot about how flexible and adaptable you can be. I know you prefer to plan things out a head of time and I know you can hate last minute changes but over the course of this next year you are going to learn that you are actually able to keep track of so many little changes and handle a lot of different responsibilities.

This pandemic is going to make a few changes in your life. Some, you are actually going to be fine with. You are not going to hate wearing masks. You actually like that they cover your face and hide most of your facial expressions sometimes, especially when you are super tired in your early morning class.

But I want to warn you. You don’t know this yet, but when Pat and Katie visited your school in February; that was the last time you will see them all year. This pandemic is going to make it harder for you to reach out to others and there are going to be days that you feel really isolated, a word that is going to become a huge part of your daily vocabulary. You have always been great in your own company but not seeing some of the people you love in person… I mean you what little social life you had before the pandemic is just going to disappear for a while. That’s all.

It’s crazy to think that you don’t know this yet. Going through nursing school in the middle of a pandemic is absolutely insane and maybe one of the harder things you’ve had to do in life. There are going to be days when you wonder if you are ever going to a nurse at all, let alone a good nurse. I know you’re hoping that the hospitals will still want student’s help during this pandemic but unfortunately you are going to lose a lot of clinical hours.

However, April 19 2021, during your acute clinical, you had a nurse tell you that you are going to be an great nurse someday. I want you to hold on to that. You’re going to grow and learn so much over the next year and looking even further into the future, I think there are even better things to come. So, stop stressing out about everything and take a deep breath. I’ll try to do the same.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive,

Bridget from April 2021 : )