What are your motivators for pursuing nursing school?

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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I have completed all my pre reqs for my program here in Arizona and was curious what draws other prospectus students to the nursing programs out there? It seems applicants either fall into the altruistic "calling" category or a very rational calculated group. I am curious to hear from both sides!

Thanks for your feedback!

Specializes in MICU.

When I was younger, I never considered nursing because I didn't like needles or bodily fluids. Then I became a mother and quickly got over that. I daydreamed about a possible nursing career "someday" as a stay at home mom, but still never was too serious, still wasn't sure I could hack it.

Then, in 2014, my infant daughter died in the NICU after severe and sudden (and extremely rare) pregnancy complication in my third trimester. After the dust settled, I realized, I can do hard things. I can survive hard things, and I can thrive.

More still, I had the most incredible nurse in the world take care of me while I myself recovered. (I had mirror syndrome, which nearly killed me). This nurse sat with me, she held me, she cried and prayed with me. She held my daughter. She talked and laughed with me and told me where to find the best pizza in the city. She made me feel like life could go on once I left that hospital.

About a year and a half after this, my mind was made up. I finally knew I was strong enough to succeed, I am motivated to give it everything I've got, and more than anything, I want to be that nurse that I had at the lowest point in my life for somebody else. Someday, I dream of going back to that hospital and finding my nurse and telling her that I got into a nursing program and that it was she who inspired me to do it.

I'm only about to begin my third semester of prerequisites in the fall, but I have a 4.0 from the two semesters I have under my belt so far, so I feel good that I can do this if I stay motivated and work hard enough. I'm pretty sure that I've never wanted anything more than this besides knowing I wanted to be a mother, which I am. So, here is to nursing!

Specializes in SRNA.

Working as a MA made me want a larger scope of practice and better pay.

Ultimately I want to become a FNP/EMNP and return to Urgent Care. I love the treat and street mentality lol - call me sick.

Specializes in ICU, ER, NURSING EDUCATION.

When I finished high school I worked several dead end retail jobs.

Eventually, I stumbled upon a job as an aide in a nursing home.

From that day forward I knew that I wanted to be a nurse and take care of people.

It was that simple and I never looked back.

I still love taking care of patients and I'm good at it.

That's interesting to hear. Thank you for the feedback. Woud you recommend working in healthcare before attending nursing school as you did? Also how would you differenciate undergrad schooling vs graduate schooling seeing that you have completed a MSN?

Thanks for your time.

Specializes in ICU, ER, NURSING EDUCATION.
That's interesting to hear. Thank you for the feedback. Woud you recommend working in healthcare before attending nursing school as you did? Also how would you differenciate undergrad schooling vs graduate schooling seeing that you have completed a MSN?

Thanks for your time.

I would definitely recommend working in a hospital before nursing school if you are unsure about whether or not the profession is right for you...

It's also a very good idea to work as an aide or unit clerk while in school because it will give you an edge when you compete with other new grads for your first RN position. Hospitals are more likely to hire new grads who are already part of their system.

Once I started nursing school, I worked part time as a nurses aide at a very nice hospital nearby. I floated to all the different floors and got an idea of which areas I liked the most. I also did a summer nurse extern program in my junior year which I highly recommend (looks very good on your resume).

As for differentiating between undergrad and graduate school, I'm not exactly sure what you'd like to know...

Here's a quick and dirty summary of my personal educational journey:

1) RN-ADN program- super stressful, only the strong survive, heavy focus on exam scores, clinical performance and your likelihood of passing state boards.

2) RN to BSN program- focus on application of nursing models/theories, writing skills, and leadership skills. Easier than nursing school!

3) MSN- focus on research, professional presentations, publication, projects for policy change, or advanced clinical practice. Still much easier than nursing school!

Well, I'm not sure if these were the answers you were looking for... LOL

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Good luck my friend!

Specializes in ICU, ER, NURSING EDUCATION.
When I was younger, I never considered nursing because I didn't like needles or bodily fluids. Then I became a mother and quickly got over that. I daydreamed about a possible nursing career "someday" as a stay at home mom, but still never was too serious, still wasn't sure I could hack it.

Then, in 2014, my infant daughter died in the NICU after severe and sudden (and extremely rare) pregnancy complication in my third trimester. After the dust settled, I realized, I can do hard things. I can survive hard things, and I can thrive.

More still, I had the most incredible nurse in the world take care of me while I myself recovered. (I had mirror syndrome, which nearly killed me). This nurse sat with me, she held me, she cried and prayed with me. She held my daughter. She talked and laughed with me and told me where to find the best pizza in the city. She made me feel like life could go on once I left that hospital.

About a year and a half after this, my mind was made up. I finally knew I was strong enough to succeed, I am motivated to give it everything I've got, and more than anything, I want to be that nurse that I had at the lowest point in my life for somebody else. Someday, I dream of going back to that hospital and finding my nurse and telling her that I got into a nursing program and that it was she who inspired me to do it.

I'm only about to begin my third semester of prerequisites in the fall, but I have a 4.0 from the two semesters I have under my belt so far, so I feel good that I can do this if I stay motivated and work hard enough. I'm pretty sure that I've never wanted anything more than this besides knowing I wanted to be a mother, which I am. So, here is to nursing!

God bless you!

Wow, that sounds like a grounding experience. Thanks for sharing.

Hey!, I think for me it is a plethora of motivators. 1st my mother I needed a job that will help me grow and take of her (Only Child Problems lol). 2nd, I already have a BA and wanted to move into grad school. I now decide that nursing should be my platform to a Graduate Degree. It took me about two years to make this decision but after getting a 4.0 GPA this past semester i'm so excited for the future. I talked to a couple of Nurses i knew and the all told me go for it. That helped in the decision process. I think I would be a better Nurse then a Teacher for sure. Also these pre-nursing experience definitely help with building your confidence to become a nurse because you know there are others with the same goals!!

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