Aaron Wabang
Charge Nurse
DaVita Dallas East Dialysis
Royse City, TX USA
“You can always work harder and accomplish more.”
Videos
By Roadtrip NationAaron Wabang
Milestones
My road in life has taken me all over.
I was born and raised in Cameroon—I knew I wanted to go into medicine and thought I wanted to be a doctor, but where I'm from, there aren’t any options to go to school and pay later.
Because my family didn’t have enough money for medical school, I got my bachelor’s degree in physics with a teaching option and worked as a physics teacher for a few years.
I moved to the U.S. in 2003 and worked a few different jobs before joining the Marines, where I served for four years.
After leaving the Marines, I got my associate’s degree in nursing—I already had a family at that time and didn’t think I’d be able to balance my family and the schooling required to become a doctor.
I worked as an RN for a while before deciding to pursue my bachelor’s degree—I found Western Governors University online, did a lot of research on the program, and heard a lot of promising reviews.
I earned my bachelor’s degree in nursing from WGU and took a short break before deciding to go back for my master’s degree.
I currently work as a charge nurse for dialysis and am pursuing my master’s degree in nursing leadership and management.
After I receive my master’s degree, I hope to either move into a leadership role in medicine or start teaching again as an adjunct professor for nursing.
Education
High School
Career
Charge Nurse
I perform hemodialysis for people who've experienced kidney failure.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Medicine
Education
Helping People
Day to Day
I arrive at work early in the morning and perform a water check on our machines to make sure the water is free of any chemicals or bacteria. After that, I start seeing patients and perform dialysis for them. I see patients in three shifts, 12 patients at a time. Another charge nurse also has 12 patients and we’ll collaborate throughout the day. Patients will be with us for treatment for about 3-4 hours or longer, depending on their condition.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for everyone
Do a lot of research and talk to a lot of people to try and figure out what you want to do. Don't be in a hurry to just grab whatever jumps out at you first. When you find the interest you want to pursue, you can accomplish anything if you work hard at it. Don't let things like money deter you from your dreams because there are a lot of options out there to help you through such obstacles.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"You don't have enough money to become a doctor."
Challenges I Overcame
Financial
Work-Life Balance
