[swiftdr]

I came to nursing in my mid 30s and love my career. I touch people's lives positively everyday and I make a difference everyday.

I was a paramedic for several years, got a BS in Education, taught paramedics at the community college full time for several years.... then my daughter was born... I looked at how much I was working in my full time job (60-80 hours/week) added to that my part time medic job (12-24 hours/week) and how much I was making (50 K/year)... two years later I was an ADN RN working three days/week and making more than I had been as a full time college instructor and a part time medic. My daughter is 7 next month and I am the Clinical Coordinator of a 24 bed step-down unit at a academic/magnet hospital and I have an amazing life - both professionally and family.

If I were to tell any young person a career to look at it would be Nursing. It certainly is not for everyone and I think the wrong types of people are being attracted to the profession (either not physically, mentally or emotionally capable of being a nurse) but if you have what it takes this is an amazing profession...

In Upstate NY where I live, this is the only career where jobs are readily available and starting pay is in the mid $20/hour with an Associate's Degree... There is extraordinary flexibility and diversity in this field (school nurse, flight nurse, ICU/SCU/CCU, clinic nurse, research nurse, et cetera ad infinitum) potential advancement -- NP, Clinical Nurse Specialist, CRNA and most institutions are paying for education...

My long term plan is to attend CRNA school. My institution has tuition aggreements with 5 schools AND they will pay me a living stipend while I am in school. They start CRNAs out at $140,000/year...

What other profession are jobs readily available, there are diverse opportunities available, education is paid for and pay is above average?

[aquarius1]

After graduating from high school , I didn't know what to take up in college...my first choice was to take up mass communication majoring in journalism; and 2nd choice was to take up education but, my parents are so insistent to me to take up nursing for the reason that it is so in demand ( home and abroad ). Eventually I gave in to their request with fears and questions in my mind....what if I don't pass the exams, both practical, oral and written? What's going to happen if I see an actual delivery? What if I don't know how to administer an injection? etc....
I guess all those have already been answered. I am glad that I have followed my parents request coz I am happy with my chosen career, got the chance to travel abroad, help out my family ( financially ) backhome, and of course helping patients ( such a nice feeling when you have patients who got well, and you know that you're one of the people who looked after them during their stay )...it's such a rewarding job
in all aspects

[lark18]

hehehe nursing is a trend here in the country but i think it is really my fate to become one coz my mother is a nurse too...

[amigojack]

Originally Posted by lark18

hehehe nursing is a trend here in the country but i think it is really my fate to become one coz my mother is a nurse too...

yeah, it's a trend here... but i just happend to be influence by my clasm8s, relatives n neighbors... but i still got a connection coz my aunt's a nurse too... my uncles's a doctor....... voila! i'm a nurse.

[SDS_RN]

I would always stay with my aunt and her children for a week or two during the summer and my aunt was a nurse. She would work day shifts & noc shifts when I was there and I was always intrigued with her scrubs and her caring attitude towards everybody. I also remember my uncle going through nursing school as I was growing up and I knew that I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I however took the long route to become a nurse. I was a very wild uncontrollable child in high school and I ended up pregnant my junior year of high school so I thought I was stuck there for life. Soon I met my husband after graduating from high school and we got married and had 2 more children. I then started work as a CNA and did that for 4 years before we moved to an area that had a 2 year ADN program and I finally got up the courage and enrolled. I had always wanted to be a nurse and I wanted to provide a good life for my kids and they were really my motivation to start and complete my dream. I graduated in 06' and have been on a learning rollercoaster ever since. I started out working on surg floor and just made the move to the ED and I love every second of the madness. I for sure have one little nurse in training she has been saying she's going to be a nurse like mommy since she was 4, is now 7 and is still saying it so I think I've got a good shot of at least one of my girls becoming a nurse. Kind of a boring story but it's mine, all mine!

[djbrn17]

i have a unique story as you guys.. im a registered nurse in our country Philippines, im a fresh RN, i don't haVe plans to be a nurse, i wanted to be a pilot or a businessman. when i'm about to enter college my tita which is a nurse gave me an educational plan for my studies. so my parents decided for me to take up BSN, at first i really don't like it. til my second year, but God is really good because he let me love this profession. i realized tin my 3rd year that it was a very nice feeling to help other people.and also God is using me as his instrument in healing sick people. now i really love this profession i want to practice it until i can do so.. that is, hope you read my story, i summarize it already..

[quijarz]

when i was in high school i want to be like my cousin, a PT, who is working in USA ever since.My only goal then is to work abroad and end more money.Then demands for nurses came from all over the world "woW" maybe I should change plan!!"
I graduated and and landed in different countries but not in America, where everybody beleives it is a land of milk and honey (hey! is it true there?)

I never regret my chosen field (well...sometimes when my stress from work is neck high.)And I am happy that my two other siblings are nurses too.

[RN*N*CHARGE]

When I was 12, my aunt found out she had cancer, she eventually ended up in a nursing home towards the end. I would go everyday to see her, I wasn't happy w/ the care she was given. My family would find her in soiled linens, not bathed. I became so determined to help her. I was there the night she died, she went peacefully. After that I have always had this yearning to help people. I graduated from h.s. and went right into nursing school. I have been a nurse for almost 16 years. I've seen a lot. I have yet to feel the "burn out" as some nurses get after a while of being in the field, everyday is a new adventure. I didn't limit myself to one specialty. I am in Pediatrics right now, and in a couple of years I will give Obstetrics a go. I enjoy what I do, and knowing I am making a difference in someone's life, whether direct or indirectly. My 14 y.o. daughter plans on becoming a nurse, and has made plans to start taking college classes when she starts h.s. in fall of 2008.

[kayrn247]

Well my story starts back in the days when I was a IV/Pharmacy tech supervisor (for 12 yrs). The last couple of years I worked side by side 2 great RN's. They kept saying things like, why are you here? You could be a great nurse. Your wasting your skills. Anyway, I ended up moving from florida back to my hometown in NY. I was still only able to make $7 to $8 per hour, I was sick of it. I quit my job, signed up for our local community college, for pre-recs, since I had been out of school for many years (I was 30yo). Before the end of my first year, I got pregnant with #2, #1 was 4yo. I continued on and started nursing school in Aug, 5 1/2 months prego. We had our finals on Dec 17th and he was delivered Dec 19th via C-section. I returned with everyone else 2 1/2 weeks later and finished on time the year after, he was 1 1/2 when I graduated. I even made the honor roll a couple of times. My hubby had to work 60 to 70 hrs per week just to get by, but it was worth all the stuggles!!

[Aislstarfish]

Hi all


I am curious as to what everyone's personal motivation was to origionally become a nurse?

I am a nursing student and I think that there are some people in my class that are strictly interested in the pay.. but I really just want to work with people, comfort them, help them feel better, etc.

So, I'm just curious.. why did all of you become nurses? Why do you continue even when some days can be really hard?