Explain why you chose nursing as a profession

laurasc · Dec 4, 2000

When I was 4 years old and we had just arrived in Canada, my dad was boiling some water and he accidently spilled it all over me. I had 1st and 2nd degree burns over about 1/4 of my upper body. (I can still remember grabbing my upper arm and seeing the skin come off on my hand.) Unable to speak English or French, my parents panicked. They didn't take me to a hospital (they were afraid) but asked a friend to get some ointment and bandages from the pharmacy and they bandaged me up. When it came time to change the dressing, the bandages were stuck to my burns. I vividly remember being in hysterics every time my mom approached me. In a stroke of genius, my mom called our friend (her name was Sonia) and asked her to take my dressings off. She told me that she was a nurse and that she was able to do it without hurting me...and she didn't hurt me. From that day on I wanted to be a nurse "just like Sonia."

It wasn't until I was about 16 years old that I finally learned that Sonia wasn't a nurse, she only pretended to be so she chould take the dressings off...but by then it was too late...I wasn't going to change my mind.

Laura

babs_rn · Dec 6, 2000

I was brought up to be selfless and to serve God in some way in my profession. I had wanted to be a doctor (pediatrics or radiology) but I didn't want to commit that kind of time to a field I didn't know anything about so I went to nursing school instead. And one thing I learned in nursing school was that I did NOT want to go to med school! lol

Too, I was ready to get out from under my parents' thumb (we get along best when we live a couple of hours apart) and begin my life, I was "in love" and this way I could earn a living and move out on my own much more quickly. I'm too much of a humanitarian to ever be a business major and I didn't have the patience to work on a Ph.D so I could teach college (wouldn't be caught dead teaching secondary or below), so that was what was available to me. I'm beginning to think I should have just been a secretary - life would have been a lot simpler.

Babs

Soon to be RN already LPN · Dec 7, 2000

I wanted to be a nurse since I was 6. I think it had something to do with Nurse Dixie, on emergency. She was the COOLEST. As I got older, the Cherry Ames books my stepmom gave me, really added fuel to the fire. I have encountered some 'yukky' nurses during various hospitals stays as a kid, & always thought, "When I'm a nurse,I'M going to be NICE to MY patients" Guess what, always was nice, and still am

mustangsheba · Dec 7, 2000

I was born a nurse, but I had to go to school to get a license.

JillR · Dec 7, 2000

I was not born a nurse, or humanitarian, or anything like that. Actually my story is much more boring than any of that.

When I was a child, I wanted to be anything but a nurse. What I learned about nurses (from TV of course) was that nurses just stood around and took orders from a doctor (a male doctor), well taking orders from ANY male was the last thing I wanted to do at the time.

However, I loved the show Emergency and was completely convinced that I wanted to become a paramedic, they got to do all of this cool stuff and all without the doctor breathing down their backs.

I was offered to have the hosptial I work at put me through the EMT-basic class and from then on it was history...I was hooked. I knew that I wanted to continue my education, but was torn between RN or paramedic. Decided on RN because I felt that the pay was better, it gave me way more opportunities and I can always challenge the paramedic exam if I choose later.

I am so happy that I made the decision I made. I really am surprised to find out that I really like nursing. There is something to be said about being able to follow someone through an illness and see them get well and go home.

I still do EMS and continue to take classes to increase my EMT level. I love EMS, I feel I was born to do it. But I found that I love nursing too, they just can't be compared.