WHY IS THIS EVEN HERE?

The year was 2019 & I was starting my LPN program in Alberta. I dove into the deep trenches of the internet for every scrap of information I could find. While overall most of it was helpful, alas, it was US based. It may not make much of a difference for some of you, but when it comes to LPN resources? It's a much more restrictive scope of practise than what I was training for. 

Over time I found plenty of fantastic resources for academics, nursing, products & so many things in between. The downside is how spread out/hard to find or expensive the resources were.

Don'tDon't get me wrong, I don't regret it & the people in charge of these subscriptions put so much work into it that they deserve the paycheck. I had the privilege of affording them & reap the benefits, but I know that many don't have that ability. 

If you stayed with me this long, we're tying it all together now. There'sThere's 4 things that lead to the creation of SVNC:

1. In my search for study techniques, I found out that I retain information best by making visual aids & spreading what I had learned. Plus, I have an aesthetic & it makes me happy to see. It seemed a bit selfish to keep everything to myself, so I started sharing bits & pieces within my program. But I wanted to go beyond the confines of my college. 

2. Early on, when researching, I struggled to find a central place that answered all my questions, had Canadian information & gave me tools to succeed. So much so that I never even came close. Naturally, I did what every over-achieving Type-A masochist would do & said, "Fine, I'll do it myself then."

3. Equal access; as I mentioned before, I have so much respect for the work the paid resources put in & zero judgement. Hell, putting together has been an enormous undertaking, so I get it. But reliable (& pretty) resources for success should be accessible to everyone regardless of economic status.

Last one I promise:

4. Community. I did not enjoy high-school or catty drama & I definitely don't want to deal with it as a full-grown, tax-paying adult in a career either. Unfortunately, nursing has made a bit of a name for itself regarding animosity & tension. "Nurses eat their young," anybody? But I think a lot of this divisiveness is from a disconnect more than anything & rather than ripping others apart, we should be pushing one another to succeed.

Phew. Aright. If anyone's made it this far down, congratulations, you're filled in & I'm stoked to have you!