Reasons that I'm glad I'm a Nurse

katscan · Oct 10, 2003

I'm glad I am a school nurse because it is my chance to have an impact on the young lives I encounter. There is no better feeling than seeing a student you had in the clinic years ago and having her tell you that the reason she is in nursing school today is because of YOU! Also great is running into past students who remember you, greet you, and tell you the things they remember about you, the school clinic, or the experiences they had there. In my 20 years I know many of the young adults in my town, having had them in my school in much earlier years. Sure I feel old at times, but then at others, I feel like I will never grow old as long as I have my kids around! My best memory is of a student now in the military, who had been involved in drugs , came from a broken home, and was messed up, and now is on his way to a college degree. I told him once that I believed in him and told him he COULD do what he planned to do, even though his father cursed him and his mother was not there for him. We had several long talks during which he poured out his troubles to me. I told him that he had great potential and that to take it a day at a time and that anything was possible as long as he wanted it enough to work for the goal. He credits me for the achievement-he kept telling himself that his nurse believed in him and it kept him strong. I never would have believed that if he had not come to my door, and told me face to face in his military uniform- smiling from ear to ear. . Was I ever humbled!!! So fellow nurses, never discount the encounters you have in life. They occur for a reason. We all are students, we all are teachers.

zambezi, BSN, RN · Oct 10, 2003

This is a great thread Noney. I like being a nurse (all of one year so far!) for lots of reasons. I like the complexity of it, being able to think, to see something not quite right and taking steps to fix the problem. I see nursing as a big puzzle and I like trying to put the puzzle back together. I like the adrenaline rush of a code, and then saving the person of course :) (unfortunately that dosen't always happen...). I enjoy being part of patient's lives. Mabye I will make a difference at a tough time in their lives, often we never know...I like the teamwork that my coworkers and I have, I know that I can count on them if I have questions or have a patient crashing....There are many other things as well, but I am glad that I am a nurse. One poster on this board says (sorry cant remember who!) : save one life you are a hero, save hundreds and you are a nurse. I think it is fitting, we never know in what small (or big!) way we will touch another person/families life.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Oct 10, 2003

I LOVE being a nurse!! Some of the very best moments in my life have been spent in caring for people......discovering something neither they nor their doctors had been able to figure out......teaching patients how to care for themselves........encouraging them to talk about their fears and getting to know them as people, not just patients.......cheerleading for them as they regain strength after a long illness......even standing by and holding a hand to ease the passage from this life and into the next.

That's what it's all about, for me anyway: not the money, the staffing problems, the infighting, the long hours. It's all about CARING, and that's what keeps me coming back for more!

karenG · Oct 10, 2003

I love being a nurse- I have made some life long friends who have seen me through thick and thin!

best bits - the hugs and thanks I get from my patients for a job well done, delivering babies was amazing- helping a new life into the world and the look on the mums face when she saw her baby for the first time. sitting listening to some of my old gents tell tales about the second world war- have a few who were in Burma,one who flew spitfires- tells amazing tales. oh and the pictures the children give me to decorate my walls! yep, I like being a nurse!

Karen

iliel · Oct 10, 2003

I love reading posts form nurses that love being nurses! I can't wait! And I promise to be a positive nurse!

MandyInMS · Oct 10, 2003

.....that one patient...yanno the one...that you truly feel that you have helped and appreciates YOU and all you have done for them...makes all the negative comments fade for a while :)

NurseSDP · Oct 10, 2003

I love knowing that I have touched the life of another human being and have made their day a little bit brighter. I love just being there to listen to those I care for, or to hold their hand and know that it helps in some small way. I love being an important part of the care provided to those in need. I love it when I have taken care of someone and they come hunt me down to thank me and to hug me when they leave the facility. Most of all, I love providing care for and protecting those in need. We as nurses are some pretty amazing people. :nurse:

Elenaster · Oct 10, 2003

I love being a nurse because I can see people come back from the brink of death and make amazing recoveries.

I get to see good come out of hopelessly tragic situations, like when a family decides to donate the organs of their loved one and many others are helped.

I love the camraderie and the sisterhood of nurses.

I love that I get to share my sick sense of humor with so many others who are not appalled or offended.

I love it when the residents tell the new lower levels that we are their bosses.

I love it when a patient or family member says "thank you for taking care of us."

I love it that I have a job where I can learn something new everyday.

grouchy · Oct 10, 2003

Agree with all of the above. I'd add that nursing , to my amazement, has ended up being a way to make a positive out of some of the worst experiences in my personal life. Over the past 10 years, I've had to deal with loved ones experiencing mental and physical illnesses, deaths, and addictions. Every time I connect positively with a patient or family member who is experiencing all the feelings these situations create, including grief, shame, and hopelessness, I feel like something good has come out of what I've gone through. Some of my patients have been models to me of how to deal with loss and change, others remind me not to fall into the vicious cycle of self-pity.

grouchy · Oct 10, 2003

Nursing has really helped me to find my voice. Sure, we all vent about how tough it is to deal with stuff like doctors that don't take our assessments seriously. But, the experience of standing my ground in situations like this has ended up making me much more self-confident and likely to speak out in general, not just at work.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Oct 10, 2003

For the simple act and privilege of giving of one's self to another.

No strings attached.