Do you believe in a "calling" to nursing?

alphafe · Nov 9, 2003

Sharon: What happened?

Thanks...

donmurray · Nov 9, 2003

No, I never felt "called" but then it's probably not a good thing to be hearing voices when working in psych..........

SharonH, RN · Nov 9, 2003

Originally posted by alphafe
Sharon: What happened?

Thanks...

Alphafe,

In the 12 years that I have been a nurse I have seen less of a focus on patient care and more on customer satisfaction and the two are not necessarily the same. Sometimes I feel like I have to run the gauntlet or go through an obstacle course to get to my patient and provide their care and that is not cool with me. It's bad enough not to have the staffing or the support from management or fellow nurses or to have to deal with abuse from patients and physicians but no one seems to care that we are focusing less and less on actual patient care and outcomes. As long as the patient and family would "recommend" us to family and friends who cares what their care was actually like. It's all about gimmicks and illusion. It's very demoralizing and as such I have decided to step away from the bedside.....permanently. My last day was May 25, 2003 and so far I do not miss it. I hope your experience is better.

LauraLou · Nov 10, 2003

Definitely a calling. I had somewhat of a life crisis and was reassessing what I wanted out of life. My therapist suggested taking art classes, my mother said I should join the Junior League and my minister said I should pray.

I took everyone's advice. I started pottery painting, joined the Junior League and prayed. Well, I have some really terrible pots in the closet and I quit the Junior League. What I did find was a still quiet voice inside, telling me to go into nursing. Even after a year of A&P, Micro, Chemistry and Algebra, I still hear that voice inside myself affirming that this is what I should be doing.

I don't want to get too religious as I know that bothers some people, but for the first time in my life, I feel I am following God's plan for my life. It is an incredibly empowering and freeing experience.

Even though nursing will mean a pay cut, bad hours, working holidays and being underappreciated, I know that it is what I am meant to do.

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 10, 2003

Originally posted by SharonMH31
Alphafe,

In the 12 years that I have been a nurse I have seen less of a focus on patient care and more on customer satisfaction and the two are not necessarily the same. Sometimes I feel like I have to run the gauntlet or go through an obstacle course to get to my patient and provide their care and that is not cool with me. It's bad enough not to have the staffing or the support from management or fellow nurses or to have to deal with abuse from patients and physicians but no one seems to care that we are focusing less and less on actual patient care and outcomes. As long as the patient and family would "recommend" us to family and friends who cares what their care was actually like. It's all about gimmicks and illusion. It's very demoralizing and as such I have decided to step away from the bedside.....permanently. My last day was May 25, 2003 and so far I do not miss it. I hope your experience is better.

Yes, Sharon, your points are VERY well-taken. It is the frustration many of us face, when trying to render proper, decent care. The "business" aspect gets in the way of our providing the care we want to. Nurses are an expense and liability to the institutations we work for, not an asset. Til this changes, there are bound to be many talented, intelligent people like you who walk away from this so called "calling". I am sorry you were driven away. It is indeed sad to hear this. I do not blame you, given the situation, however.

I do not think I was "called" to be a nurse necessarily. I wanted to be a nurse partly due to the wonderful care I received as a patient. The nurses were WONDERFUL and I wanted to touch others the way they touched my life.

But the main reason really was due to the desire to have a career whereby I would have a reasonable expectation for excellent job outlooks/prospects over the next 20-30 years, growth, opportunity to "move up" as I chose and fairly decent earnings. (oh yes, I am one of the dreaded ones who considered financial security in my choice). I wanted to always have a way to earn an income, especially if heaven forbid, something happened to husband, the main money earner in our family. I never wanted to have to depend on anyone else to make my way for myself and my kids in this world.

Soooooo--- For me, it was very much a choice based on something other than some religious or spiritual "calling". I was not called by the Lord, Florence Nightingale's influence or anything else on that order. Just wanted to do it.....so I did----and at the risk of sounding arrogant, I think I do purty darn well at it, despite my not being "chosen" or "called" to enter this profession.:)

Jaxrn02 · Nov 10, 2003

YES YES YES I was called...no doubt....and I answered. It's easy to go to work each day with a smile on my face, knowing where this blessed gift has come from.

nurseamena · Nov 10, 2003

I definitely feel that I am called to nursing. Something spiritual guided me to a career that will allow me to "make a difference" I get a warm fuzzy feeling inside when I know that I made a difference in someone's life by providing compassionate care. Sometimes little things that we do matter more than we know to patients and their family.

I notice Alphafe talking about nursing being all about whether a patient or family would "recommend" a nurse, facility etc. I am finishing up nursing school and wonder if this mentality has anything to do with for example calling patients clients instead. All of our teachers do this and it seems so awkward and more like a business relationship to me. A lawyer has a client, a nurse has a patient.

Thanks for listening--this is my first post :)

nurseamena

BarbPick · Nov 10, 2003

A Calling. In the 7th grade, I knew I felt special. I was sure I was placed on this earth for a reason. I had checked out different convent Schools, and to my mother's dismay, I would going to end up calling myself Sister mary Kathrine, or Sister Margaret.................untill one day, My Mom put on the TV and I saw "Tom Jones" show. For some strange reason, my heart had begun to race, and I fidigeted in my chair, and the next thing I knew my Mom threw away all the convent school applications, I became a candy striper working with the Sisters of Mercy, and Married right out of college. "What's new Pussycat, whoa whoa...

I still teach Nursing at a Catholic University.

allnurses Guide · Nov 10, 2003

Originally posted by BarbPick
A Calling. In the 7th grade, I knew I felt special. I was sure I was placed on this earth for a reason. I had checked out different convent Schools, and to my mother's dismay, I would going to end up calling myself Sister mary Kathrine, or Sister Margaret.................untill one day, My Mom put on the TV and I saw "Tom Jones" show. For some strange reason, my heart had begun to race, and I fidigeted in my chair, and the next thing I knew my Mom threw away all the convent school applications, I became a candy striper working with the Sisters of Mercy, and Married right out of college. "What's new Pussycat, whoa whoa...

I still teach Nursing at a Catholic University.

Barb . . . you've got me laughing here in the dark. :chuckle

Deb - My experience is similiar to yours. I also considered financial stability in my decision to be a nurse. I never felt called to nursing per se. I always felt like I wanted to do something in a so-called "helping profession". My first major was Social Work.

However, I DO remember reading those "Cherry Ames, Student Nurse" books as a kid. I'd love to find some and reread them. They must be a hoot from this perspective.

steph;)

nursemary9, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2003

Hi

No I don;t or didn't feel any "calling" to Nsg. Back when I went to school in the early 60's, there were not so many career choices; it was the end of my senior year in High School & I needed to choose something to do.I really wanted to be a mechamical engineer but was told by family & guidance counselers alike, that women didn't go into this field. SO........ to make a long story short, I decided to give nursing a try. My cousisn was all ready a nurse & my younger sister had always wanted to be a nurse;

My sister was not happy with my choise, but I did it anyway.

So, 37 years later I am still a nurse and really love the job and always have. Don't get me wrong, it's gotten to be really difficult at times & there are nites when I want nothing but to retire, but the basic job of nursing--I still love.

Now, my sister & my cousin--they each worked about 3 yrs.--retired from nursing & raised kids--never ever going back to nursing!!

obeyacts2 · Nov 10, 2003

Yes.......I feel called to the nursing field. It is part of the call to ministry I have on my life. I am finishing my last pre req now. Further, many missionary women trained as nurses (esp in earlier eras) and were often the only Western medical care in the areas in which they served. I dont see Tenet, HCA, Humana (name your corporation) rushing to set up shop in the Amazon jungle!!!!

Laura

alphafe · Nov 10, 2003

Well. Hmm. I don't quite know how to respond!

I certainly don't hear voices or hear "the Lord" calling me. It's very hard to describe -- it's just an idea that won't let go. I'm a pretty cerebral

(v. spiritual) person which makes this all that much more inexplicable! Then again, maybe that is why I'm pulled to ER care v. hospice care. Maybe it's time for me to develop other parts of myself, get off my franny and start **doing** v. reading, talking, thinking, blah blah blah! I've been doing the LATTER since my dd was born. Well that and one h*** of a lot of stuff that makes me really qualified for nursing! Hey, speaking of which, how many credits should we get for having been MOTHERS?!