I feel nursing is more of a calling than anything else

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Nurses work round the clock during their shifts to make sure that their patients meet the desired outcomes,patients with different disease conditions that demand our intervention failure to which their lives are in danger,people criticize our minor mistake yet they don't appreciate our efforts

Those who feel that nursing is their calling in life are bound to be let down when it doesn't meet their expectations.

If nursing called I definitely didn't get the message.

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Specializes in ICU.

First of all, your post is very difficult to understand. I am guessing English is not your first language. Maybe in your country it is different than here. Nursing is not a calling. It's a profession. If your skill set can basically match what the job entails you will be good at it. If you don't like to be on your feet all day or have a compassionate side to show to your patients, you will not do well in this profession.

God has nothing to do with nursing, sorry. If God is a large part of your life, great. But he has nothing to do with who lives or dies. That is the great scientific part of medicine. When people bring God into it, they make it sound like he decides who lives and dies and who heals. That is simply not true. I have known great people to die, and not so great people beat a devastating illness. Bringing God into things implies that maybe the people who died had a problem in life or they weren't living up to his "expectations". That is the furthest thing from the truth. When somebody's body shuts down, it shuts down because there is something wrong. Not because God had anything to do with it.

There is a Christian thread group in here. Maybe your post would be better suited for there.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

I find it presumptuous to assume that nurses are "called" because in essence you're saying that those of us who are not "called" are inferior, or less than.

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Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.

Several posts have been deleted as they were off-topic and derailing the thread.

This member has posted in another thread that he/she is from Kenya so English is most likely a second language. Instead of posting divisive comments, it would be nice to welcome this member to the site in a more appropriate way. It is fine to disagree with this opinion as we know that not everyone will agree.

The OP did not state that a calling to nursing is a requirement but rather expressing his/her personal opinion as it relates to his/her personal nursing journey. Yes, nursing is a profession but some also see it as calling too. There are are certain areas/specialties in nursing that could be seen as a calling such as hospice nursing, parish nursing, volunteer nursing.

Carry on, but please keep your comments on topic.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.

Since OP didn't ask a question and just offered an opinion, I suppose I can offer mine.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo. Nursing is not a calling by a god telling humans how to behave. Nursing is a science-based Profession. We actually have to be careful not to inject too much of our personal beliefs into the care we give our vulnerable patients.

I went into nursing as an occupation that offered relatively safe, mentally challenging, economically satifactory work with geographic job flexibility in a climate controlled environment. I've done pretty good at getting all that.

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Specializes in ICU.

It wasn't a "calling" for me, either. I chose nursing as a second career, simply because the company I worked for was bankrupt, and I couldn't find a job. I simply went back to school and obtained an RN license. I am a very good nurse, and I enjoy what I do. That said, I get paid for this, it isn't something I do out of the kindness of my heart. I have bills to pay, and I like to eat.

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Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

You know, I think we get our panties in a wad about the term "calling".... but honestly, there is something inside of those of you who believe it's only "just a job", because if you didn't love it - if you didn't feel like this was where you belong - if you didn't feel like what you do is of worth - you'd do something else. You'd be crazy not too! We work long hours for decent but not awesome pay, little appreciation, and pretty sucky benefits (at least where I work). There aren't many jobs out there that require you to use your physical strength and your brain... all while being cussed out and spat on and kicked and pinched. ;)

I love my job, and I do feel like it's where I belong. It's what I was meant to do with my life. Is that a calling? I dunno. But what I do know is this: If I was just in it for the money, Starbucks is hiring and they have great benefits.

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Specializes in med-surg, IMC, school nursing, NICU.

I like being a nurse. I love my job and I am good at it. But the only call I got was from HR saying they offered me my first position.

I don't think nursing is a calling because, to me, a calling indicates you couldn't be happy doing anything else. There are several other jobs I could see myself being happy doing. Dog walker. Veterinarian. Dentist. Hand model. Cheesecake tester. Sleep study participant.

Nursing is just the path I chose because I enjoy it, it was the most feasible option and I was (fairly certain) I could make a decent living from it.

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Nursing is not my calling. I do not believe in God. Nursing appealed to me because of the flexibility, hours, science, the ability to help others, etc.

However, just because it wasn't a calling for ME, doesn't mean it's not a calling for others. It is interesting how other nurses flat out say "nursing isn't a calling, it's a job" just because it wasn't a calling for them. Everyone is different and everyone has different experiences.

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Nursing is not my calling. I do not believe in God. Nursing appealed to me because of the flexibility, hours, science, the ability to help others, etc.

However, just because it wasn't a calling for ME, doesn't mean it's not a calling for others. It is interesting how other nurses flat out say "nursing isn't a calling, it's a job" just because it wasn't a calling for them. Everyone is different and everyone has different experiences.

I understand what you are saying, but I think the issue is, if it's a calling, then we are martyrs and not professionals.

We already sacrifice a lot as nurses and have to fight every day to do our jobs and not be that person that stays for an extra hour or 2 to make sure everything is okay- especially nurses at the bedside. There has to be an "enough" line. A "this is my job, not my life" line. An "I'm sorry, but I don't work for free" line.

That being said, I love being a nurse and all the many hats I've worn throughout my career. I like knowing I do a job that adds to both the individual and society.

I don't feel I have a calling. I leave at the end of the day and I'm mostly done, just like any other person who works.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

I don't see nursing as a "calling" but as a good career choice. A job I am good at that for the most part I enjoy. I believe I am in the vast majority of nurses in this opinion.

I don't however look down upon those nurses that see nursing as their calling. Everybody has their owns reasons and motivations for choosing a career and seeing it as a calling is fine by me as long as there is a healthy dose of realism tossed in.

I do get concerned though for all the prospective and new nurses that post about nursing as their calling in life. When faced with the realities of the job and the fair amount of cynicism in our chosen profession the disappointment will more likely be devastating to somebody that sees nursing as a calling than somebody who enters nursing with the perspective of seeing nursing as a job.

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Specializes in 15 years in ICU, 22 years in PACU.
I don't see nursing as a "calling" but as a good career choice. A job I am good at that for the most part I enjoy. I believe I am in the vast majority of nurses in this opinion.

I don't however look down upon those nurses that see nursing as their calling. Everybody has their owns reasons and motivations for choosing a career and seeing it as a calling is fine by me as long as there is a healthy dose of realism tossed in.

I have actually never worked with a nurse that was so overt about their "calling" that I was aware of it.

The nurses that feel compelled to write about it though should keep this opinion to the spirituality section where I will not see it as I choose a religious-free forum experience.

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