How to be a Nurse in America
Welcome to the USA! My name is Maddie. I have been a registered nurse in the midwest for about two years now. Let me take you through a day in my life going to work! It's 5:15 on a Monday evening. My alarm goes off and I get up to make my 'morning' coffee, get dressed in my scrubs, and take my dog out for a walk. I pull up a podcast to listen to so I don't get too sleepy, as this is my fourth 12 hour shift in a row (picking up overtime to pay off the debt I have from going to school to be a nurse! More debt than if some European students went to college for 20 years). I head out the door with my dog on his leash to take him on a short walk in the brisk, cold winter air. I pause halfway down my stairs, and listen to a round of gunfire going off in an adjacent neighborhood. After a moment, I continue my walk with very little anxiety. This gunfire is a typical part of my day, as in many US states, owning a firearm is an opportunity open to anybody. During my walk I reali...