Salutations!

When I started applying for PhD programs in nursing, I also started looking for guidance. Any guidance. I wanted an idea, some preparation or just someone to stop me cold with a reality check. But, I didn't find any blogs that were really discussing the obtaining of a PhD in nursing.

The application process was truly a Leviathan  process and to cope I started posting on a thread at allnurses.com. But I still didn't find a real forum for nursing doctoral students. The application process and the waiting was lonely. I have a feeling that the PhD might be the loneliest degree yet, so I need some community support or maybe an outlet. So I've started one here. I'm going to attempt to anonymously describe what this endeavor entails. Hopefully, it will help the next nurse who considers a PhD do so with a realistic view of the situation.

I also think that I'm now at a place where the story might get interesting. I've been accepted to a program in California and I start classes in the fall. I ended my well-paying job (read best-paying job of my life) a week ago and I'm packing for the move. Me, my cat and my husband (though only part-time for DH as his job is still in our current city) are packing and moving to a different California town in three weeks. I'm excited! Or possibly that is just my ulcer forming...

I am reminded right now of a fortune that my father-in-law got in a fortune cookie last year. It read, "Everywhere you go there is excitement!" My father-in-law paused and then said, " Well that's ambiguous. I mean I went to World War II and it was exciting, but I sure as hell wouldn't want to go back!"