I feel nursing is more of a calling than anything else

Spinmass, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Nov 25, 2015

Funny, most of the students that are failing our program tell me that nursing is there calling and that they will find a way because of that. Needless to say many haven't...?

Tarrus Eliuds · Nov 25, 2015

Restoring someones life back to normal means a lot.its not an easy task compared to other fields.how you think and do matters a lot. You do everything out of self to make sure the bedridden raise on their on!! How you dedicate yourself still matters, you spebd time thinking about your client.you are dealing with human life that's nowhere to be collected or bought, once gone then its gone forever,what you do and how you do matters a lot.THE HOPE OF YOUR CLIENT DEPENDS ON YOU!!! Its a calling from self and God

Tarrus Eliuds · Nov 25, 2015

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.

My first language is Kiswahili, English is our official language

Tarrus Eliuds · Nov 25, 2015

Not realy I mean that the whole of nursing process is like a "calling" because you are dealing with precious human life,also I wanted to acknowledge the devoted work done by nurses.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Nov 25, 2015

I leave work at work. I can't spend my home time "thinking about your client" as then I would not thinking about my own life or family. I can be dedicated while working. This is neither a calling from self or god. It's my chosen career. I chose this education & career and excelled in school academically and clinically because of free will and aptitude.

I also know professional boundaries. I am NOT a martyr. I am dedicated to my patients when I'm working with them. I leave work at work. If I don't I fail my self and my family. I am 100% dedicated to my family and self preservation because in the end my family is my legacy. If I don't care for myself and waste time worrying about work I will not be around to make a difference in anyone's life including my own.

If you choose to believe this is a religious calling, that is your choice and right. The hope of my client does not depend on me it depends on the full cooperative TEAM. Healthcare is a team effort each level builds on the next from housekeeping & security to senior management & chief physicians & nurses.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Nov 25, 2015

Of all the jobs I've ever had, none have made me feel as demeaned as nursing. Not everyday or even every week. But often enough that even I scratch my head and wonder why I choose to continue.

Maybe some nurses have to believe they've been called, to bear it. That they don't choose to be a nurse, but some other entity has chosen for them. I'm ok with whatever any of us tell ourselves to get through the crap.

For me it's just a job.

Farawyn · Nov 25, 2015

Restoring someones life back to normal means a lot.its not an easy task compared to other fields.how you think and do matters a lot. You do everything out of self to make sure the bedridden raise on their on!! How you dedicate yourself still matters, you spebd time thinking about your client.you are dealing with human life that's nowhere to be collected or bought, once gone then its gone forever,what you do and how you do matters a lot.THE HOPE OF YOUR CLIENT DEPENDS ON YOU!!! Its a calling from self and God

What if you can't restore life back to normal? What if the bedridden don't raise on their own?

Yes, we deal with human lives, but I don't understand your point.

What if we are atheists, does it make our care of the patient less than?

It's a calling from God for you.

Not for me. And I'm a damn good nurse.

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Nov 25, 2015

OP, I am a person of faith and believe in God, but I do not nor have I felt that nursing was a calling. I have had previous careers prior to nursing and have always been fascinated with the work that nurses do. I like the science behind the nursing, I like figuring out the pieces to a puzzle, I enjoy talking to most of the patients and families about diagnosis, medications, reasons for test, what to expect regarding some outcomes. But, I do not take my work home. There is a rare occasion when I get home and still think about work, patients, co-workers, etc, but i truly keep work and work because if not, I would not be of service to my patients or co-workers.

I do find it interesting how people only refer to "a calling" in regards to nursing. You don't hear of it for someone who want to be a landscaper, hotel manager, carpenter, plumber, DJ, producer, TV executive, business manager. I love being a nurse and learning more by the day on how to improve patient care and outcomes for my patients.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 26, 2015

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

You haven't used the search function -- the "calling" controversial and unpopular with most of us. And here you are, posting under your own name. Not smart.

Nursing isn't my "calling", it's my career. It's been an interesting, challenging, flexible career, but only a career, not a calling.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Nov 26, 2015

What if you can't restore life back to normal? What if the bedridden don't raise on their own?
Yes, we deal with human lives, but I don't understand your point.
What if we are atheists, does it make our care of the patient less than?
It's a calling from God for you.
Not for me. And I'm a damn good nurse.

I don't think the poster has used the "search" function nor has she thoroughly thought things through. I don't think a "calling from God" is a reasonable criterion for admission to nursing school.

PyridiumP · Nov 26, 2015

I don't think the poster has used the "search" function nor has she thoroughly thought things through. I don't think a "calling from God" is a reasonable criterion for admission to nursing school.

Gotta agree with that one. Seems that often the ones who go to apply to nursing school because they felt the breath of God in their hair are the ones who are the most shocked to find that, at least in this secular country, most people do not feel that way, and that they will have to learn a lot of cold hard science to be a nurse. Then they discover that a lot of their patients are not the grateful suffering poor that Mother Teresa gets ink for. Then if they graduate and get jobs they discover that their management doesn't give a rat's patootie about their being called or not, so long as they come in to work overtime when they get the call from the evening supervisor.

Calling? It's a job. It's a job. It's a job. For further opinions from working nurses, please go to the top of the screen and type in "nursing is a calling" in the search box in the yellow stripe. You will be busy for hours.

sailornurse · Nov 26, 2015

I wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl, used to bandage up my dolls, never met a nurse, the only doctor I ever met did make house calls. Had never been inside a hospital until starting clinicals in nursing school. When my dad had his gallbladder removed, they did not let kids in that hospital. I would not say it was a calling, I do not know where the idea of being a nurse even came from. I was very fortunate to get accepted into the LPN program right out of high school. I love what I do, but some jobs have been not so much fun. For me, it is a career, a job that pays me to do something that is both personally meaningful. I would not say this is a "calling" as I am not religious.