Promise

So there's a master plan to my dreams.
No, the real kind, I mean.

It starts with me getting a reliable car and job and keeping up my good grades in school. School comes first, before job or car though.
I want to become a CNA, certified nursing assistant. The non-PC term is "orderly". I would work in a nursing home and get experience there before I ever moved to a hospital, if I did. Allen Bennet could train me. It wouldn't matter much to me if I worked at the VA Allen Bennet will change into or the new hospital. Though, I'd probably be better off getting trained by the place I work. Preferably a nursing home. Less stress.

When I get my two degrees (Biology (pre-medical) and psychology), I want to take a cruise. Just to relax. Travel. Have fun. Bike Europe, you know the drill.

Then I move up to Des Moines, Iowa, where my Aunt Jenny and her husband are both nurses. Jen could get me a job at Mercy Hospital, a catholic hospital that should have some doctors that are alumni of the medical school in Iowa. I also have my aunt Theresa and Jim, who work in insurance and claims. I could learn the in's and out's from them. Jen's husband is a nurse for an osteopathic surgeon, so I could learn surgeon-stuff from him, and nursing (ICU especially) from Jen.

I'd work for a year. Or two. Or three. The MCAT is good for 5 years and I hope to have a good score on that. After a year of training I could take my NCLEX-PN, the exam for licensed practical nurses, and start saving up for medical school, not to mention have the experience of nursing, caring for people, and the hospital system. I'd be making about $35k/year, so since I know how to budget for 10k/year, that'd be about $50k saved up in two years. Assuming cost is still around $30k/year, I'm still screwed and would need extensive loans. At least that'd be almost two years I wouldn't have to pay for, right? Half my costs covered right there.

Sometime during this, I want to learn Spanish (especially medical Spanish) and American Sign Language (ASL), as well as become fluent in German.

Cure cancer and AIDS and solve world hunger while I'm at it.

Then have my residency in the state, preferably in the hospital I worked at, since they would know me and may even help pay for my medical education. Get them to cover the rest of the costs.

I'd know the hospital, the people. I'd know the nurses and how it felt to be a nurse, so I'd know how to treat and work with them. I'd know patients and I'd know basic nursing procedures. No more intubation or IV problems for me. I'd have a good language base to communicate with my patients.

At some point I do want to get my Masters in psychology though.
I plan on doing this whether I go to medical school or not, but if I don't go to medical school (they won't let me in, or I decide I hate hospitals and medicine or whatever), then at least I'd have that to fall back on. Become a clinical psychologist of some sort.

Though right now, the thought of going back to work later today to bag groceries for 6 hours absolutely exhausts me.