Why did you decide to be a nurse/enter nursing school?

maureeno · Jan 9, 2003

I became a nurse because while working in a mental health center I found out I like nurses. I had taken the GRE and was already to go to graduate school in clinical psychology but the relationships I saw our nurses form with patients were outstanding and I wanted to be respectful and helpful like them. That was over 25 years ago and I've always been happy with my decision.

Many other people had great difficulty with my choice, mostly along the lines of 'you are too smart to be a nurse.' what hogwash!

Loubell RN 2B · Jan 9, 2003

I had a sister pass away due to Reye Syndrome 10 years ago and a brother pass away due to Cystic Fibrosis about 4 years ago. In both instances my family received so much care and compassion from the nursing staff. They were very informative and patient, even when the doctors could not be.

Over the years my brother was in and out of the hospital. The Pulmonary nurses knew him very well and he became very good friends with a couple of them. They were the ones holding his hand when he passed away before we got back to the hospital. One of the nurses still had her pajama top on where she rushed in to be with him and my family. I knew right then and there that I wanted to be a nurse and that if I could come close to the care that these nurses had given to us, I would be doing great.

I am applying for the nursing program at the beginning of February to enter in the fall. Crossing my fingers here for me and anyone else that needs the extra luck...

Lynda

maire, ASN, RN · Jan 9, 2003

I have always been fascinated by the human body and how it works. When I got pregnant with my first child I was just amazed at the things that were happening to me and how that critter inside me was growing. When I went in to deliver, I saw how the nurses treated me, treated other patients, saw what they did as a "job," and thought that was just the best thing on earth that a person could possibly do and I wanted to do it too.

shaz · Jan 9, 2003

i decided to choose nursing as i was not going to languish in the world of hospitalilty for the rest of my life and end up unhappy and angry with the world. old bored food and beverage staff make the worst empolyees,

the human body was of a great interest to me and i went to uni for a year to become a fitness professional, but dropped out due to family concerns. then the option of doing nursing came along. I'm in my final year of study and have loved every minute of it. every time i go into the hospitals for prac i know i have done the right thing. i was scared to do my mental health rotation, but came out a very changed person. nursing offers so much.

yes there are problems, ie: shortages, but in every work place there are problems.

education is amazing, and by being a nurse you have the capacity to educate and help many people.

i am very happy with my decision.

**SKM-NURSIEPOOH, BSN, RN** · Jan 9, 2003

plus i thought nursing was a honorable profession. nurses always awed me down through the years...i just fell in luv with it!

cheers!

moe

essarge · Jan 9, 2003

Hmmmm.....that is a very good question. As an "older" student, it took me a long time to realize that this was my true calling. I had been in and out of healthcare since I was 16. After a few other "careers" (bartending, waitressing), I realized that nursing was exactly where I needed and wanted to be. The excitement, the compassion and the knowledge of helping someone attain optimal health for their situation is wonderful. I am now officially a junior and a half....who'd a thunk???

Nurse Izzy · Jan 10, 2003

First of all the human body has always fascinated me. Then, I realized after getting a BA degree in German/International Trade and working in Customs Brokerage for several years that everyone has a job to do - whether it's importing stuff, emptying trash, etc etc... What bothered me was that I wasn't helping anyone. I'd always been attracted to nursing and decided to make the leap - the job is the job. Either you can do it or you can't - just like computer programming, rocket science, etc. What makes it special is that you can have such an impact on someone's life - not just the patient but also their families, without even really having to make any effort. I've been told I'm a naturally compassionate person (which may actually hurt me in nursing - I have to be careful not to care too much if that makes sense?) and it means the world to me to see a combative patient calm down simply because someone figured out that she just wanted her hand held or to have a patient tell me that I can't leave for the day without giving her a hug - I know I've made a difference in their lives, however small, but it was a positive difference nonetheless...

Patti RNstudent · Jan 10, 2003

i decided i wanted to become a nurse while dating my husband, who is a paramedic, and listening to all his medical "stuff" talks. i got so interested in medical, i worked in hospitals, doctor's offices, medical offices since (13 yrs ago). i never had the confidence that i could do that, get a degree in college. well, 3 kids later, i'm entering my last semester. i'm not only doing it, but excelling at it! who'dathunk???? :imbar

"vision is the world's most desperate need. there are no hopeless situations, only people who think hopelessly." (winifred newman)

Nurse Izzy · Jan 11, 2003

To Patti RNStudent:

Congratulations on taking the step to go after your dreams! The best in the field are the ones who never thought they'd be able to do it - they are the ones who really work for what they have (not that everyone else doesn't) because they're having to beat/conquer themselves at the same time. I wish you the best in your last semester and in your future career - I'm sure you'll be wonderful!

Elizabeth

cpgrn · Jan 11, 2003

I decided I wanted to be a nurse when I was little. My mother was a nurse and hated it. I tried other things - sales etc. Then I got a job as a surgical secretary and my interest was revived. I started taking prereq's and just went for it. It's amazing how things happen. My oldest daughter is a BSN with all dialysis expeience = she will be a DON at a dialysis center soon. Everything works out for a reason. In high school she said she wanted to be a pediatrician or an beutician. What a difference!

oilerfan · Jan 17, 2003

Bottom line...I sucked at chemistry. Biology and genetics, not bad. But screw Chem. applied to nursing after first year of science. Oh yeah, calculus was no fun either...it all works out cuz I could not imagine doing anything else...NHL hockey scout is a close second but I live the hand I was dealt.