How did you know Nursing was/is for you

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:confused: I have been volunteering at a hospital for 2+ yrs. I see many different positions around the hospital. I am leaning towards nursing but know that there are many options in the medical field. I would like to know how you picked nursing and knew it was or is for you.
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Specializes in Psych,Peds,MedSurg,Tele,OB,Subacute.

first of all I am still working on my prereqs. I will be applying this Fall to the nursing program. For me, i started out going to school for CNA in 1998, i was 18 years old. At that time I had 3 kids in diapers and my life was hectic. I worked as an aide until 2000. I ended up having another child, going through a divorce and a bunch of other life changes. I ended up going nto an entirely different field for awhile (more $). Then i remarried 7 years ago and have been a stay at home mom since.Well,, my kids are older now, my oldest if 16 and youngets is 11. I just turned 32 in December. And started thinking of getting a job since my kids are older now, then it hit me. i could do the nursing thing now!! I have wanted to be an RN since I was 18, that has never wavered, I thought about other things i could go to school for, but NOTHING else appeals to me. For a minute I entertained the Respiratory Therapy idea because the program is not as hard to get into at my school. But when I really though about it, I realized that i would never feel at peace. I would always have this aching in my heart at what could have been. So for me I KNOW without a doubt that this si what I want to do because even after workign in the field and after years and years I still want to do this as nadly as when I was 18 years old. I naturally have an interest in medicine and sience I have found and through the years when I would be at eh doctors or hospital I always felt such a sense of admiration towards the nurses. Anyhow that is how I KNEW for sure. Good luck in your journey whateve you may decide.

karla

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

^^^

Whoa! You had three kids at 18? How did you survive that?

Honestly, I don't think anyone can really *know* if Nursing is right for them until they are actually out in the field and practicing Nursing.

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I didn't know nursing was right for me because I'd never tried it or worked in healthcare setting in another capacity, but I had a very strong suspicion it was. I worked in corporate human resources for about 8 years after college and was very unhappy. That type of job felt completely wrong for me, and at age 29 I wanted to change careers to something that was totally opposite. The jobs I had were sitting at a desk all day, not intellectually challenging, not helping people, unstable, and had no real skills needed. The job I wanted was something where I'd be on my feet and moving all day, helping people hands-on, strongly science-related, more stable, and with a real skill. After some research and self-reflection, I decided that I could see myself as a nurse more than anything else, and it was very likely I'd be happy with it. So I took the plunge, applied to nursing school, and it's the best decision I ever made. I'm in my last semester and I love nursing, there is nothing I'd rather be doing with my life! Sometimes you just have to take a chance - if you don't gamble you can't win, right?

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i am still taking my pre-reqs and i know that nursing is what i want to do. at least this is what i am saying before i actually get to nursing school. who knows what i'll think then. i really do like helping people, especially those who can't help themselves. i've always done retail (hate it) and now i just do boring office work. i make okay money but when this is surely not something i want to do for the rest of my life. i wanted to be a teacher at first because i've had inspiring teachers and they've always helped me when i needed it. then i changed my major few other times until my friend told me his mom was a nurse. honestly, i really got into because of the benefits. i find something to like about all of my jobs so it's not like i'm ever truly unhappy since it's what i'm doing at the moment anyway so why not try to make it enjoyable. being a nurse has so many more benefits then just the pay and flex schedule. i really do love helping people and this just pays the most where i can do just that. teaching doesn't pay as much.

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I hope you get more replies, I am in this same situation. I am 25 years old have two kids ( 5 and 3) and still don't know what would be best for me. When I started school last year I had intention of being a nurse but then decided to be on the dietitian track. I think I would be an excellent dietitian but I know they don't make that much money at all. I know that money shouldn't be your drive but it does help to live comfortably especially with little ones. So now I am reconsidering nursing and that is what brought me here. My pre-reqs for dietetics is the same as nursing so I pretty much have one more semester to make up my mind. My husband works in a hospital and supervises nurses and he tells me that I do not want to be a nurse, I should go for the PA program but I think that is way too long for me to be without a job and I would incur soo much debt. It is really frustrating, I have two Aunts in the nursing field and our personalities are so different they aren't much help for me to ask. Anyways I am blabbing way too much, thanks for asking this question.

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I work as a PCT in a hospital on an ACE unit, Acute Care of the Elderly, and will float to orthopedic floors and the ER. I think that before you go into nursing, get an STNA certification and/or be a PCT in a hospital for at least 6 months. If you can handle the job of a PCT, I think you will understand the basic concept of nursing. I thought I did before hand, and I was VERY wrong. Thankfully, I still love patient care and I am looking forward to getting into clinicals soon. Nursing takes a special kind of person. You can't understand the job of a nurse until you are in the room with them and seeing what they go through. It's more than patient care, it is dealing with families, doctors, paper work and other pressures.

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at 12 years old, ortho doc reduced my broken right arm after

falling on one roller skate. my right arm hit the bottom stone

step at my uncles house which left my arm in a question mark shape.

i really admired the nurse, she was calm,witty, professional,

and really was a role model. she applied the cast that i would live with

for 6 weeks . while the cast dried we had a nice chat about nursing

as a career.

this hospital had a nursing program, which she graduated from.

this was in the day and age when nurses work white uniforms,

a white cap and blue capes with red linings (honest!).

i knew this was the job for me ( i'm still looking for one of those capes.:D)

oh, and i took up ice skating instead, and was never seen in

the orthopedic service again.

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.
My husband works in a hospital and supervises nurses and he tells me that I do not want to be a nurse, I should go for the PA program but I think that is way too long for me to be without a job and I would incur soo much debt.

Does your husband say why you should not be a nurse? I am a teacher who is considering becoming a nurse and I am curious about the reasons why people think we should NOT do it.

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Specializes in Skilled Nursing/Rehab.
I work as a PCT in a hospital on an ACE unit, Acute Care of the Elderly, and will float to orthopedic floors and the ER. I think that before you go into nursing, get an STNA certification and/or be a PCT in a hospital for at least 6 months. If you can handle the job of a PCT, I think you will understand the basic concept of nursing. I thought I did before hand, and I was VERY wrong. Thankfully, I still love patient care and I am looking forward to getting into clinicals soon. Nursing takes a special kind of person. You can't understand the job of a nurse until you are in the room with them and seeing what they go through. It's more than patient care, it is dealing with families, doctors, paper work and other pressures.

What is STNA certification? I am planning to take a CNA course as part of my pre-reqs for nursing school and working as a CNA during school. Is an STNA similar to a CNA?

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Does your husband say why you should not be a nurse? I am a teacher who is considering becoming a nurse and I am curious about the reasons why people think we should NOT do it.

He says that new nurses don't get the best scheduling, I will have to work at night (I am the type that has to be in bed NLT 10pm). He says that it is a really demanding job, other than that he doesn't say much else about it.

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For me, I went through a couple different ideas towards the end of high school. I knew I wanted to be certain of my major when I started college, because I'm too stubborn to change majors, so I needed to figure it out. First, I thought I would go into architecture (because it interested me, but I didn't have the talent for it) and then I thought I would go into journalism (because it's what my mother wanted) and then I thought I would go into finance (because it's what my father wanted). Finally, I turned to God to lead me in the right direction, because I had no idea. Nursing is something I feel called to, and I can't explain it. I'm not related to any nurses. I don't know any nurses. I was never in the hospital or had any real personal experience with nurses. Everyone thinks this career choice came out of left field for me, but I know somehow that this is what I'm supposed to do. :)

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