Reasons why you want to be a nurse

[serendipity123]

I thought it would be a good idea to make a thread about reasons why we want to be nurses. That way when we're struggling in our pre-reqs (especially those of us just starting out who have no idea what to expect) and wondering if we can handle everything we can read reminders of why we, ourselves, want to be nurses, and why others want to be nurses as well. I guess it will serve as a form of inspiration or motivation if needed.

Personally, I want to be a nurse because I have always been interested in the medical field and I have always wanted to have a career in which I change lives. In nursing, I could possibly even save lives. I absolutely love to help people, I think it is the most fulfilling thing in the world, and nursing will allow me to do this on a daily basis. Also, it provides endless job opportunities as well as endless opportunities to volunteer in my community.

Why do you want to be a nurse?

[bigjim]

In no particular order:

1. Job opportunities

2. Decent pay

3. Skills and knowledge (first aid, lifesaving, science, anatomy)

4. Opportunity to advance.

I will be looking at a variety of graduate-level medical careers as I continue through my nursing education and will work toward one as quickly as possible. I will be a bedside nurse for as short a time as I possibly can before moving up, most likely to PA or CRNA

[PreRN Katie]

Simply put, nursing is in my heart. It has always been my dream but the daunting task of getting into school, etc. etc. freaked me out when I was younger and less confident, so I gave up on it for a while. Now I have the chance (and the dedication) to go back and do what I set out to do in the first place and by God, I'm not giving up! There is nothing I can imagine doing that gives me the "warm fuzzies" like being able to say I'm a nurse. I know it's cheesy but it's true. The job security, flexibility, and pay are definitely bonuses too. Nurses are the best!:)

[Dottie78]

This is going to be long, but I'll try to make it as short as possible. When I was young, I too played with a doctor's kit, and always played doctor with my parents, especially when my mom was sick. But as I got older, the thought of becoming a nurse never crossed my mind until later (even though my mother was an LVN), until after I had my second child over 3 years ago. The L&D nurse who took care of me when I was in labor was very good to me, and she seemed to love what she did. She said in nursing, there is always something to learn, which sparked my interest. I had been working as a clerk and secretary in the office environment for over 6 years, and felt I needed a change. After my daughter was a few months old, I went back to school to take prerequisties for the nursing program. It was like the light bulb finally clicked for me, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It was an amazing feeling, and I was (and still am) very excited! Now, I can't imagine myself doing anything else. I would also like to be a nurse, because I would like to inspire someone, just like my L&D nurse inspired me. I would also like to set a good example for my kids, and hopefully one or both of them will decide to get into nursing or the medical field as well.

After working in an office for so long, I feel the need to do more to help people, and the office environment started to bore me. I don't want to be sitting at a desk all day. It would be much more fulfilling and exciting to have a job where I'm up and about, doing different things, and meeting new people. The hospital environment is much more interesting, and I've always found the study of diseases and disorders interesting. Last reason, I'm not making much as a secretary, and the bills are not going anywhere, so I feel the need to get into a career that has great benefits and pay, along with the feeling of satisfaction that I made a difference in someone's life!

Also, job flexibility and security are big plusses! Nurses are in high demand, and are needed everywhere, not just in hospitals.

[rnmomtobe2010]

Let me see here....

I was a bad child

I never did what I was told

I always made straight A's despite my attitude

My mother became very, very ill

I spent most of my time at the hospital with mom than I did anywhere else

The nurse's were fabulous

I hated guts, blood, snot, etc...

I had to get use to seeing that with a sick mother

The nurses kept my mother smiling

That touched my heart and I had a life changing experience

Here I am after countless mistakes, starting all over and going to live out my dream!!

[MAmom81]

Simply put, nursing is in my heart. It has always been my dream but the daunting task of getting into school, etc. etc. freaked me out when I was younger and less confident, so I gave up on it for a while. Now I have the chance (and the dedication) to go back and do what I set out to do in the first place and by God, I'm not giving up! There is nothing I can imagine doing that gives me the "warm fuzzies" like being able to say I'm a nurse. I know it's cheesy but it's true. The job security, flexibility, and pay are definitely bonuses too. Nurses are the best!:)

I love your response because those are exactly the same reasons why I want to become a Nurse!!!:nurse::nurse:I too have put off going back to school to become a nurse because how hard it is to get in, completing all those pre-reques etc. etc.!!! plus math is my worst subject and i always thought that if I was bad at math I could not become a nurse but now I have the support of my family and the true dedication and drive to start and finish Nursing School!!! I have wanted this for so very long and i will not give up!!!And nothing gives me more pride and as you put it the "warm fuzzies" then to say I am a Nurse:nurse::nurse:!!!I wish you the best and much luck in Nursing School!!! keep us posted ok!!!

[jcgrund]

I love science, biology, and I love people. I want to make a difference to a suffering person. I want to be the person that they can trust. I want to bring comfort. I have been trying to avoid being a nurse, because I know it will be difficult, but I know that is where I belong. It's so much easier to tell myself I can't do it, but that would be such a waste. I thought of being a dental hygienist, but I know that won't fulfill me.

[angel589]

I wanted to be a doctor.but i have no money for that.I will be starting on january a bsn,i have been working as an electronic tech for 25 years and there is no future in this career.and i like nursing for the job segurity and the good pay and benefis

[mscardiacnurse, ASN, RN]

My mother worked for years with pediatric oncology/hematology patients. I swore I would never go into the medical field. Then my oldest son was born with a congenital heart defect Tetralogy of Fallot. Since his birth he has undergone three open heart surgeries. I have been so impressed with the nurses we met and worked with, not to mention how comfortable I felt during his hospital stays. After years of researching his heart defect and various advances in the field of cardiac medicine, I decided to become a nurse. I am currently finishing up the last of my pre reqs then I apply to nursing school.

[debbie54]

LOVE LOVE LOVE helping people

I find medicine so interesting.

and

Know there will always be openings and competive pay for nurses

[PreRN Katie]

Missy120808, thank you so much for your kind response! I wish you much luck as well! Thanks again!

[KatieM123]

This is a great thread! I went through all 5 pages! I actually wasn't at ALL drawn to nursing growing up. Very much the opposite. I have a teacher mom who hates everything and anything dealing with a hospital. And to a degree you're a product of your up-bringing so inititally I was NOT pointed in the medical direction. I wanted to be a veterinarian all through grade school. I have always been a really good student, getting into a school wasn't my concern but as I got to HS history, english and math were easier than science so I thought perhaps business and law and got into a advanced business-law program with direct entrance into a law school. I decided early into my college career law wasn't going to work for me for a variety of reasons. At that point I started to realize medical might be a good option. But all I knew was on TV and my family was telling me I was crazy (remember the mom who hated hospitals). So in defiance I spent a summer as a nurse's aid. Cleaning poop, vomit, cleaning up and empting drains. And I LOVED IT. I enjoyed the nurses the floor -- trauma/surgical floor so it was intense. It was great. I was thinking pre-med and attemped to finish my requirements at the very good undergrad school I was at. Orgo was a )#$(#)_%( but I got through. I then saw an offer for a business job at a local company I really respected. I decided it might be good to work my actual business degree and applied for the position. I got it and decided to work for a few years. Well I'm 3.5 years into business and have been really successful (promoted twice) and I hate it! It's nothing like life on a nursing floor, it's long, boring, repetitive and inconsequential. I make NO impact unles you find the sales of my company important. So I'm trying really hard to get into a night/weekend program locally! I've searched high and low and found a program I can do around my work schedule if I can get in. I'm hoping the good grades I got in the science classes I took my junior and senior year undergrad (while my friends were partying I was taking OChem my senior year!!) pay off! I am on pins and needles waiting...

My long term goals are NP -- I'd love a nurse midwife program but there are none locally and I don't know if we'll want to relocate in the future.

[WantAccel.BSN, BSN, RN]

Crimsonking said:

I have always been drawn to the medical profession. Fall of 1993, I went to college on scholarship and was designated pre-med. My sophmore year I was confronted with a choice, study or drink myself silly. I made the wrong choice. Looking back, I just wasn't mature enough to attend college.

Since that time, I've made a pretty good living in sales. I've made a nice 6 figure income and raised a family. However, I was miserable. I hated that I felt there was no purpose to my job. I always looked back and regreted that I had squandered the greatest opportunity in my life. So, I decided to do something about it.

I'm not going to be a nurse because of the money. I had money. I'm not going to be a nurse because of the stability. I don't believe the profession is as stable as some may believe. I'm going to be a nurse because I believe there's not a more noble profession in the world. To be able to help the sick get well. Or, to be able to comfort those who are dying. We do God's work.

Just out of curiosity, why do you believe the profession isn't "as stable as some may believe"?