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The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

Mom juggles life to become nurse

BottumGenevieve Bottum juggles IVs, her backpack, a 3-year-old daughter and supervising blood transfusions.

Bottum, a 25-year-old single mother, is preparing to graduate as a registered nurse after successfully completing her fourth and final semester in the City College nursing program.

“I started off wanting to be in networking, and so I did the computer information technology route,” she said. “I really liked people more and wanted to have more communication at my job.”

So she switched majors.

“I applied to six schools and just got really lucky and got accepted to Sacramento City College,” she said. “They have a great program.”

She urges pre-nursing students to apply to as many schools as possible because it is a competitive field.

Luck is one word for Bottum’s situation, but her perseverance, dedication and her extended support system have played a large role in her achievements.

“My parents have been 100 percent supportive in just asking, ‘What do you need?’ and they watch my daughter,” she said. “And my boyfriend…he helps me get out of my box, see the big picture, makes sure I have a little bit of fun, and the same with my friends.”

She said they are also are very understanding when she doesn’t get back to them for a week at a time.

She runs a rigorous but tight schedule, calendaring in her study, class, clinical, and mommy time.

A hardly average week for Bottum starts with what she refers to as her “off-day.” She begins on Mondays at 7 a.m. by taking her daughter, Alexis, to preschool, then she studies for four hours, manages to run her errands and do laundry.

When she picks her daughter up at 3 p.m., she takes time out to focus on herself and her family.

Tuesdays are similar. She gets the day going and plans her meals for the week.

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“In the last four weeks of school our schedule became easier because we started preceptorship,” she said. “We just go and work with a nurse … so basically now you’re expected to be the RN.”

Preparing includes reviewing a range of information on the patients, including treatment, medication, allergies and surgeries. “It’s a huge time commitment,” Bottum explained.

The week ends with the nursing students in the hospital on Thursdays and Fridays, working with their patients.

For fun, Bottum enthusiastically states, “I like to run! Any moment I can.”

She enjoys going to dinner, dancing, spending time with her boyfriend, friends and family.

“We go boating. In the summer my daughter and I are at the pool every day,” she said.

She laughs and adds, “Bounce Town…we go to Bounce Town at least once a week for my daughter… the park … ice cream. That’s pretty much it.”

The Roseville native qualified for financial assistance through college, state and scholarships. She completed her nursing prerequisites at Sierra College in a year and a half prior to attending City College.

She has taken approximately three and a half years of college to become a nurse.

“I am in my last semester,” Bottum states proudly. “I graduate in December 2009.”

She occasionally takes classes on her spare time because she intends to apply to college for her Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which will only take her one more year.

SCC Podcast EM2009 Nurse profile 12 09 by Eydie Mendoza

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