Hello :) I'm a first year in college interested in pursuing nursing.
Did you feel "called" to be a nurse? Did your expectations of nursing fit reality?
I read that people who choose nursing because of their desire to help others, rather than the actual enjoyment of the job, were more likely to burn out quicker.
Any thoughts on this?
I'm trying not to see nursing as a profession that is always "rainbows and butterflies" and to not let that cloud my expectations of nursing.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
Hard to believe you can call yourself an atheist and still be a nurse.
Although I believe in God, I also feel that truth exists in all belief systems (yes, including atheism). I also respect the beliefs of my atheist colleagues and patients. One belief system is not superior to any others...
My bank account was the one calling out for it. I do like helping people, always wanted to be a medic, saw the ridiculous pay they don't get and went into nursing instead.
Hm - I do not know who called me or how they got my number.....
I decided for nursing because I thought it would be a good fit with my previous experience as a paramedic and I like science but also wanted to do "something with people".
Job security and possibilities played a huge role as well.
I was kinda ,sorta called. When I was 20 years old, my son was diagnosed with a one in a million blood disorder. The doctors told me he was going to die. I researched the disease and got interested in medicine. Ended up in nursing.
35 years later, I would NOT do it again.. nursing sucks.
I chose nursing because I grew up with a bunch of medical personnel in my family. There are like 3 nurses in my family and when they describe their jobs to me it excites me and I am always wanting to learn more! I am currently a CMA and I work with RN's and I want to do what they can do.
Well I'm glad you're taking the time to look into it, because nursing is not rainbows and butterflies as you said! It is a tough job and you have to think on your feet a lot, I'm a senior in my BSN program so I only have so much experience but I have seen a lot, and there is definitely a more to nursing than you would think going into it...however, I do feel like its my calling and passion! Some days more than others :) But please, to be a nurse you have to #1 CARE about people, even when they're gross and smelly and rude to you, you have to be professional and empathetic and caring. If you don't care about people then please don't pick it just as a job because its more than that! And you can tell that the unfavored nurses are the ones that come just to get the paycheck and could careless about what's going on with the patient.
I'm a people person and I choose my work over any other passion of mine, I am one of those that loves my work in the way a musician loves their work.
But even then I don't think caring about people is what is most important. I think what is most needed to be a well rounded nurse is an attitude of caring about the quality of your work. I don't have to care about people but I do need to care about the impact of my work on others. Some of my best work has been with those that I loathe to be in contact with, but those are the ones that drive me to especially ensure my work is excellent and appropriately received. That includes working through things that are completing off putting and making sure (ownership) that their needs are met.
It's not an underlying caring for people that guides me, it's my work ethic and motivation to be excellent that demonstrate the care in my practice. My integrity is my work, my work is my integrity and my integrity is stronger and more consistent than my fickle caring. This may be why I've never (*knock on wood) experienced compassion fatigue and/or embitterment and can endure the moments (days) when I'm rather exhausted of people.
"Caring" can be broken with exhaustion, pain, frustration, repeated mistreatment, under appreciation etc. It's an emotion that can come apart when your own basic needs are threadbare. There has to be something else that holds you up to thrive in this work.
Simply put, when I first considered nursing, it was a calling. About the time that it turned into the way that I pay my rent, and I could not pay my rent, it stopped being a calling.
Not sure I would say it was a calling, but I have always been drawn to the healthcare profession.
We didn't get cable TV growing up, so when all of the cartoons were over, I was watching medical shows, and fascinated by them. I always loved caring for people when they were ill, even though at the time I really couldn't do much.
I think I probably decided I wanted to enter the healthcare profession when I was in elementary school, and then decided on nursing in high school, when I realized that nurses do most of the direct patient care.
Honestly, money and stability weren't significant reasons for me entering nursing; while they are certainly a bonus, the actual tasks involved in nursing are what drove me to it, not them.
At the same time, I don't feel there's anything wrong with someone if those were their primary reasons for entering nursing, as long as they do their job well. However, I do think it may be hard to be a good nurse if you don't have ANY drive at all to help people.
I decided to take the plunge and go to nursing school because I need a steady job with a decent paycheck. Some days I tell people my six year old self got it right. Other days I blame my Grandmother and claim a genetic quirk.
It was absolutely a calling for me, and I love my coworkers even if they came to it differently. We are all here doing the same job regardless of the reason it began.
As as far as burning out, I'm about to start my 7th year. Except for my first, it's all been emergency department. I feel like I'm just getting started.
I actually did feel called to nursing; and by that I mean I was searching for a career where I would just feel right like I knew this was where I belonged. I did a CNA program to kind of dip my toe into healthcare because people had always told me I should go into the medical field. And once I started my first day of CNA clinical I felt so good because I knew I was in the right field. I passed my boards for CNA and signed up for nursing school a few days later.
I do feel good when I make a difference in my patients' lives, but I was also drawn to the knowledge. I'm very curious about the human body and wound healing and disease processes and all those types of things, so that was a factor in my decision also.
TheCommuter, BSN, RN
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