When and Why Did You Decide A Career in Nursing Was for You?

[FranEMTnurse]

My decision came when I was 21. A close friend of mine told me about some of her experiences, so I decided to try it for myself. That was 42 years ago, and my love for it hasn't changed.

[FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I]

awww. how sweet of you to say that my sister friend. and a very good early morning to you too. :kiss

good early morn to you wonderful angel you! :kiss

[sobelle]

Sobelle, that matters not. I'm a second career LPN, and I graduated from the program at age 55. Nursing is like second nature when you've been given the talent and the love for it. :

Thank you Fran. You have inspired me even more. :)

[macmagick]

6th GRADE!!! That is when I decided I wanted to be a nurse. I was in the hospital after having my Appendix removed. This LPN took care of me and I was so impressed by her compassion and willingness to help me and make me feel better. I asked my mother if men could be nurses and before my mother could answer, this LPN said "of course" and then she talked about an hour how she had just finished nursing school and how exciting it was for her to be a nurse. I knew then, I wanted to be a nurse. When I gratuated high school, I went on to enroll in a diploma nursing school and graduated class of 1979 and have been an RN ever since. If I have to work for a living, I can't imagine doing anything else.

[mary761]

I had just finished grad school when I was diagnosed with Stage C colon CA. I went thru weekly chemo and 10 or so hospital stays for complications over the next year. Being sick made me think about the way I've spent my life--always living in my head and keeping people from getting too close. I didn't want to be that way anymore--I wanted something more authentic. I thought about people I knew that seemed "plugged in", and some of the nurses I met during treatment kept coming to mind. Sometimes they didn't have more than 30 seconds to spend with me, but they spent those seconds intensely focused on my needs. I found that if I had "plugged in" nurses, I only stayed in the hospital for a few days because I felt safe and confident. If I had resentful or preoccupied nurses, I ended up staying 10 days for the same complication. So I trained to be a CNA and went to apply for a job at the hospital I'd stayed at so many times--and the nurse who impressed me the most is now my manager! :) I'll have my ADN in a few months, and I have to admit that sometimes I kick myself for choosing something so "real"--but then again, the worry lines on the nurses I admire are part of the reason I was drawn to the profession!