How do I know Nursing is for me

merlinsbeard · Jan 18, 2014

If they aren't passionate about their patients that's their problem. You also have to remember they are human beings with human emotions and it's so hard to be enthusiastic when you've been at it for half your life. They don't have all the new nursing student gusto that you have! Your career will be what you make it! If you love being at the hospital and helping your patients then you will be fine.

RunBabyRN · Jan 18, 2014

Not everyone is passionate about being a nurse, but that doesn't mean that that's what nursing is about, or even that that's limited to nursing- in any field, there will be people who love what they do, and people who are just going through the motions, and everything in between. Don't let the robots get you down.

From what you've written, I'm guessing you'll do fine with it. I love seeing the nurses that ARE passionate about it. I know I certainly am!

Sassenach · Jan 19, 2014

My daughter had surgery on Friday and our nurse was AWESOME. She is exactly the reason I'm working towards becoming a nurse. People have to go to the hospital sometimes. I want to make that experience better like she did for us. My daughter is five years old and she was so scared and our nurse was just the best. I want to be just like her. Having a caring nurse makes all the difference.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 19, 2014

Knowing all about the meds AND assessments is a VERY important part of the role of nursing; it helps guide nursing judgement; our nursing knowledge along with judgment, helps with assisting in the care and treatment of our patients. There are additional aspects, of course, but to answer that part of your question, yes, and it's important.

That doesn't mean I don't do the hand holding and "soft" skills of interpersonal communication; I assess my patients and give ADL care simultaneously to make sure skin is intact or any signs of breakdowns; I assess and feed pts to assess nutritional intake or further decline in function; I inform and teach, when discussing what's happening or to recap what the physician is deciding based on MY nursing judgement.

It may look like automation, but it is a finesse and definite way of nursing clinical judgement; compassion is utilized through competence. It is not always the "warmth" or stereotypical "compassion" that one may think it looks like; that happens, however our invaluable knowledge is at the forefront FIRST, for the safety and sake of our patients. :yes:

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 20, 2014

Since I was a little girl I've always been in volunteer programs that required me to do a lot of helping and assisting others. I also think the human body is very amazing so I wondered what I could do where I was helping others and working with the human body. NURSING!!! So I started volunteering at the hospital in middle school and I loved it. Now I work as a nurse tech and I'm in the beginning stages of nursing school (pre nursing to be exact). I like my job but sometimes I wonder if this is what it's going to be like as a nurse. I watch and observe the nurses I work with and I find it weird because some of them don't seem passionate about the patients. They kind of seem like robots who are all about the meds and assessments which I know is apart of their job but is it like that for a lot of nurses??? And is that basically what nursing is about??? Just wanted your opinion.

It's impossible to sustain a passion about your patients for decades. A genuine interest and caring, yes. But not a passion.

Assessment is the foundation of the nursing process, so yes, you're going to find that nurses are "all about" the assessment. And the medication pass is also extremely important. Nurses who are passing meds will be extremely focused so they don't make any errors.

No one but you can decide if nursing is for you, but you're in a position to figure it out as you work as a tech.

On another note, it is not a good idea to use your real name as a username and your real photo as an avatar. This board is not as anonymous as some of us would like to believe, but you're making it too easy for colleagues, bosses, potential bosses, nursing instructors and fellow students to identify you. One day you'll make a post that is unexpectedly controversial, more negative than you intended or gives away too many details about a real situation. When that happens, you want some plausible deniability. You don't want someone to be able to print out your post, shove it under your boss's door and PROVE it was Jessica S who said that!

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Jan 20, 2014

You have to decide what YOU want to do and what will make YOU happy in life. There are lots of people out there that picked a career because they thought they may have liked it but it turned out they didn't. Or the nurse could have been having a bad day. A large amount of people don't have the money or time to go back to school to pick out a career that they may like.

I had no idea what I wanted to do at 18. None. I am fortunate that my family didn't put too much pressure on me to go to college and let me do what I want in life. Many kids these days are pressured to go straight to college and pick a career. If I had to do that out of high school I would have picked teaching and I would be very unhappy. We all have our own journeys in life and I never try to speculate on someone else's journey.

SavvyNurse91, BSN, CNA · Jan 20, 2014

I can comment based on my own personal experiences. Growing up I ALWAYS wanted to be a 3rd grade teacher. Then my freshman year of highschool I had my first job working in a 5 star nursing home as a dietary aide. I knew then I had a genuine love and passion for helping others. I then became a CNA through highschoool and now I'm a pre-nursing student. Its funny how things work out, but I know deep down in my heart nursing is for me. Its something you have to truly feel and WANT. anyone can be a nurse but if you don't have the passion behind it, its not worth it. :) good luck in all of your endeavors