Is it okay to be emotional?

[Emery]

Hi! I want to be a nurse when I graduate from highschool (1 1/2 yrs.). My problem though is that if I see someone cry because of a loved one passing away or loads of pain, I tend to get emotional also. Is that okay with nursing, or do you have to have emotions like steel?

And another queston: I would like to be a CNA within the next year (if thats possible). Is there anywhere I can get the training without having to be 18? I checked the red cross and a couple months ago they said you had to be 16 then when I called to sign up they said 18. I wasn't a happy camper!

Thanks in advance for your replies!

Emery

[semstr]

the moment I cannot be emotional any more, is the moment I stop nursing.

[hapeewendy]

its not the money or the respect or the excitement of the nursing profession that makes people want to become a nurse,its the fact that they CARE and feel that they can positively impact someones life,whether it be to help them heal from surgery and go home, to holding their hand when they are breathing their last breath...

those are the same reasons we stay in nursing and why I love nursing.

When you are around the sick and dying you cannot help but show empathy and caring and raw emotion.

most people, myself included, would prefer that their nurse cried with them or held their hands or gave them a hug when they are faced with horrible news or the loss of a loved one, it can be of great comfort ,which is of course one of the main aspects of nursing - offering comfort and solace...

from someone who cries at long distance phone company commercials and humane society telethons I can tell you that yes , being a nurse can be absolutely heartbreaking sometimes, and the tears come, as does the heavy heart feeling....

but when the sadness fades a bit, and you see the bigger picture - the fact that you have eased the pain of someones heartbreak and shown that you are human and that you care- then you realize that you wouldnt have it any other way..

I'd rather be emotional and cry sometimes than be stonefaced and jaded.

I agree that we cannot be emotional basketcases here, but thats not what this post is all about , its about the fact that what breaks your heart one day is the same thing that makes you keep coming back to work the next day...

[hapeewendy]

oh I almost forgot

good luck with whatever you do!

ur compassion is an asset, not a curse!