How did you know you wanted to be a nurse?

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I am a 32 year old thinking of doing somethign different. I have a BS in mechanical engineering. I am thinking of a nursing career in womens health/OBGYN. I have a 16 month old son. The problem I have is whether I can take the gross stuff. I am not sure if I can deal with the blood and gore in the clinicals or puking of preggo moms etc. What if I cant hack it? How did you know if nursing was the right career for you? Were you afraid of the gross stuff? I jsut remember how I loved being preggo and want to help women have as wonderful of a pregnancy and birth as I did. But I know things can go wrong and its not always happy endings and I dont know if I can handle those situations. Any suggestions/comments?

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Specializes in ICU, ER, Hemodialysis.

i read a book by echo heron. it really interested me, she wrote about her experiences as a nurse (good and bad parts). it took me until i was 29 to actually go to school for nursing. i am now 31 and have one more year to go.

i want to be a nurse because..

1. i get to do something that matters everyday.

2. i will have a secure job that pays well, plus don't have to worry so much

about the whole age descrimination thing.

3. time with family (3 twelves and 4 days off).

4. plenty of room for advancement (cns,np,cnm,crna....).

5. don't like one area...go to another (tired of dealing with med-surg, go to

peds, don't like kids, go to nursing home, don't like that go to er, tired of

dealing with drunks (ha-ha), get into school nursing,...etc...etc..etc.

if you want a rewarding career with endless possibilities....go with nursing.

as far as blood and stuff, that never has bothered me. i think it is all in how you look at it. i think the body is amazing and what comes out of it, is part of it. i LOVE the science of nursing. i believe that you can get pass the gross stuff, but only experience will tell. you may think that you can't handle it, but you may surprise yourself once you get into it. also,you could try to become a duola (i think that's how you spell that). i know one lady in nursing school that works as a duola. she is basically there for the mother, usually when the partner is absent. she really enjoys coaching and teaching the pt about preg.(what to expect, etc.). anyway, i hope everything works out for you. maybe one day you'll become a nurse midwife and help deliver the little bundles of joy! like i said, with nursing, the possibilities are endless.........

best of luck,

jay

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.

This is a subject I worry about, too....my journey to this point came about after being bored stiff sitting in a cube all day, working on projects that often ended midway with nothing to show, and surviving 2 layoffs so that most days I sit and wonder if this is the day that *I'll* get the tap on the back.....I've hated almost everyday of the past 5 1/2 years of this job.

So, I hear health care's wide open....I considered radiology tech, respiratory tech....a friend from high school who was my maid of honor has been a psych RN for the better part of 25 years...when I ran this past her, she said if I was going to spend 2 years in school going for the healthcare field, to get my RN -- "More options, more rewards, more money".....I was sold....and the closer I get to actually starting school, the more excited and nervous I am getting....but the puke/poop/vomit thing has been worrying me....I could hardly handle when my own kids got sick....

Then 2 nights ago my 26 year-old ended up in the ER with some stomach thing....it's 11 p.m., the place is hopping....someone behind her is retching, someone else is having mental issues and yelling, someone else is making some other kinds of weird body sounds, my daughter is handing over a urine test, and I was just sitting there envious of the folks who already had their RNs and were running around helping people and in the thick of this all....for some reason, that did a lot to reinforce that I can probably handle those aspects....ER is something that has interested me greatly anyway, so it wouldn't have taken much to thrill me!!

There have been other threads on similar topics and it appears most of the RNs get beyond it or don't have a lot of problems...

So, good luck to us both!! ;)

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

The nice thing about nursing is that you have so many options. Even with women's health there is OB, fertility, family planning clinics, GYN. There is also GYN oncology and surgery. And, if you ever decide you'd like to spread your wings there are plenty of other nursing fields. I've worked all different kinds of medical and surgical units, been an IV therapist and worked in many nursing homes--all very different kinds of nursing. I've only been puked on once and saw it coming and was able to dodge most of it. Worse for me was seeing pieces of brain tissue on the linens around the heads of gunshot wound patients. That will get me nauseated every time. You'll be surprised what you can tolerate in the excitement of activity that is going on, however. I guess you haven't seen many deliveries because there is usually a good gushing of blood and other fluids when babies are delivered. You get desensitized to most things after you see them enough times.

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Well, I worry about the same thing...how will I react when I see some of this stuff....but, there's only one way to find out, right?

Also, I have a great book for you to read. It's called "How to Survive and Maybe even love nursing school" by Kelli Dunham. It's a great read and I feel ready to take on nursing school. There's a chapter in there about how to handle the not-so-pleasant stuff.

Hope this helps!!!

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I married when I was 18 and moved out of state. I took a job as a companion in a home health care agency. I had to have training and off I went to help people in their homes. I loved it. We moved back home, had a couple of babies and I decided to take a class to get certified. I became a CNA and worked in home health care as a visiting aide. I loved the client's and what I was doing but every time a nurse came to do her visit, I wished that I was the nurse instead. That was 1990. In 1994, I had the chance to go to college and I ended up with a degree in accounting/business. My future ex-husband was pretty controlling and thought I was "too smart" to go into home health. I have been working in various bookkeeping/secretarial jobs and not liking it at all. I can remember walking out of a client's home, the sun was shining, I was happy and all I could think about was how I felt I was doing what God wanted me to do....what I was supposed to be doing. Now I have the opportunity and the support of my husband to go after my dream. I would like to show my ex the Anatomy and the Chemistry books to let him know who is really smart!

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Specializes in Med/Surg <1; Epic Certified <1.
Also, I have a great book for you to read. It's called "How to Survive and Maybe even love nursing school" by Kelli Dunham. It's a great read and I feel ready to take on nursing school. There's a chapter in there about how to handle the not-so-pleasant stuff.

Hope this helps!!!

My college has a 20 hour "Prep for Success" program they are offering (for free!) for students entering the fall semester. This book was one of the handouts given the first morning. While I haven't had an opportunity to read it yet, it's just moved up on reading list!

Thanks for this suggestion!

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I knew this was a true calling for me when I started asking god what my purpose was in life and he showed this to me again. I had been running for so long and making up every excuse in the book as to why I should not go back to school. So now I am on the right road to do my purpose in life. I am so excited.:lol2: :balloons: :monkeydance: :roll

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