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.
I'm not a religious person, so I don't know if "the calling" in a sense of some unwavering destiny is really the reason i'm going into nursing. It has more to do with wanting to make a living and doing it helping people. Sure, there are plenty of other ways I could help people. But I had back surgeries at a young age and standing all day is a lifesaver vs. sitting. There is definitely a sense of fulfillment when patients know that you're going to do your best to take care of them, and I really like the challenge.
I also like a lot of other things. Science & Tech advancements, computer systems, hiking, astronomy, reading and writing, traveling & culture, teaching, humanitarian and environmental issues. I could have seen myself going in one of these directions many times during my life--and i still have a love for all of this and much more.
Bottom line..i may not be in nursing forever. In fact, I think I might end up in the nonprofit humanitarian sector once I get my BSN/MSN and MBA because im involved with a few of these projects already, and it is a passion. But for now.. I found something I believe i'll excel at, and it will allow me to make a living and do the things I want to do--all while helping injured or ill humans recover and making a difference for the greater good. It's the best I could hope for, and I'm happy to be where I am!
Hard to believe you can call yourself an atheist and still be a nurse.
Believe it, because we exist. Your beliefs are your own but please don't discredit us for not subscribing to them. Kindness, compassion, love, living in the service of others... all values I hold dear that are not mutually exclusive to belief in a deity.
Hard to believe you can call yourself an atheist and still be a nurse.
Are you ******** me? *Looks around for candid cameras*. I guess god never got that memo because I've been getting away with this mortal sin for 25 years now. Relgion is not the only way and I feel far healthier without religion in my life. As soon as god pays my paycheck maybe I'll reconsider.
I guess you could call it a calling. I decided I wanted to be nurse in high school because I wanted to take care of babies. I had no idea what exactly a nurse did but I knew I wanted to be one. LOL. I don't regret. I do wish I would have become one sooner.
For me, nursing was really one of the few careeers I could see myself being really happy doing. I don't know if I'd necessarily consider nursing my "calling" but I'd definitely say that I was meant to be an ICU nurse. At this point in my life, there's nothing I would rather do career-wise. From my experience, there are many other jobs I could have done "for the money" that would be way easier than what I do as an ICU nurse. However, none of these careers would be as fulfilling and special as my job now. I really love what I do and I think that the challenging, learning, and supportive environment on my unit helps decrease burnout.
I am in my last year of nursing school, so not a nurse quite yet, but... No. I do not feel "called" to be a nurse. My ultimate goal is to be a stay at home mother, and to homeschool our future children. But the world operates via money, and my husband is going to be in graduate school for chemistry for the next six or so years. I need to have the capability to earn money to save for a house down payment. To be honest? If I were actually looking at a lifelong career, I would have pursued something other than nursing.
All that said: I intend to be the best nurse I can possibly be. I am a hardworking, compassionate person, and my patients will receive quality care. You don't have to be called or inspired to be a good nurse. You don't have to go home each night and let your heart break over your patients. My life outside of nursing is such a bigger part of me - nursing is a job. It can be a challenging and rewarding job, but it is just a job. But I can guarantee to you that when I am in a patient's room, they will receive my respect, my kindness, and my quality medical care - and I can provide those without feeling noble or inspired or called.
Not really called to it. I always enjoyed science and wanted to take part of something that not everyone in America could say they have done in a line of work. I felt drawn to the career for stability, job growth, advancement, recognition and something I could leave on my legacy that was respectable.
The reason I knew I COULD be a nurse is because I have helped take care of both of my grandparents on my mom's side that passed away last year and ever since 2007 I've helped take care and watch after my own father who suffers from CKD & CLL. To boot I spent time at DO's and Hospitals as a kid so I kind of fell in love with the idea of medicine in general.
Note, I'm still in nursing school and still feel the same way even after working clinical hours.
A "calling" is more of a strong inner desire to a specific cause or need. It is not necessarily "religious". A commitment to nursing, for the right reasons, may be your place or "calling" in the workforce. For others it may be "volunteering " having the same desire or need to help people or animals. I think its all about whats in a persons heart. Some are "compelled" to do things, some positive some negative...
It definitely wasn't a "calling". To me a nursing career had just the right combination of intrigue (since I was a kid I was fascinated by diseases) and logic (pays decently well, flexible schedule, etc.). Now I am a Family NP, which is something I never imagined I'd be. I always thought I would end up somewhere more exciting - like ED or labor and delivery (I did love my L&D rotation). But after a few public health classes I decided I wanted to work in a setting where I can focus more holistically on the patient. I wanted to address the social determinants of health that affect a person, as well as their physical health. This drew me to primary care. I shadowed a few FNPs and decided it was a good fit for me - not a calling, but something I could see myself enjoying most of the time. That being said, I am just starting out, so ask me again in a couple of years. One thing I'll say now is that the documentation is nuts. I can't imagine how it was before electronic health records, having to handwrite all that stuff (although the older providers in my office say the reverse!)
I am also glad I landed in primary care because, as I discovered in nursing school, I get clumsy in high pressure situations... and if someone is watching me it's like an episode of the three stooges. While I am comfortable with the outpatient procedures... sutures, pap smears, and of course the occasional emergency that walks in (i.e. the patient who makes you want to say "half your body is numb and you came here instead of the ER?!"). But let's just say I am not the person you want putting an IV into a screaming trauma patient.
rock hopper
83 Posts
I'm not a religious person, so I don't know if "the calling" in a sense of some unwavering destiny is really the reason i'm going into nursing. It has more to do with wanting to make a living and doing it helping people. Sure, there are plenty of other ways I could help people. But I had back surgeries at a young age and standing all day is a lifesaver vs. sitting. There is definitely a sense of fulfillment when patients know that you're going to do your best to take care of them, and I really like the challenge.
I also like a lot of other things. Science & Tech advancements, computer systems, hiking, astronomy, reading and writing, traveling & culture, teaching, humanitarian and environmental issues. I could have seen myself going in one of these directions many times during my life--and i still have a love for all of this and much more.
Bottom line..i may not be in nursing forever. In fact, I think I might end up in the nonprofit humanitarian sector once I get my BSN/MSN and MBA because im involved with a few of these projects already, and it is a passion. But for now.. I found something I believe i'll excel at, and it will allow me to make a living and do the things I want to do--all while helping injured or ill humans recover and making a difference for the greater good. It's the best I could hope for, and I'm happy to be where I am!