The Reason Why I Pursued a Nursing Career

I'm not sure if its because my mom wanted to be a baby nurse when she became pregant with me. I just know that when I was 6 years old in 1st grade. My teacher Ms Cohen asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up? I replied "A baby nurse". Nurses Announcements Archive Article

The Reason Why I Pursued a Nursing Career

I have always had this desire to be a nurse that worked with babies but because of not being confident in math I did not pursue nursing in high school. I graduated high school with my study concentrating in Business.

I was born and raised in New York City. I worked for a major hospital there as an accounting clerk 3C and then accepting a promotion as a Follow Up Clerk 5C. If you notice sometimes that very thing you run from (math) is the very thing that you end up dealing with.

I moved to Virginia in 2000 where I thought that if I could get a position in a hospital it would give me some type of satisfaction to be in the hospital environment. I finally landed a position at a hospital where I worked as an Administrative Assistant for Risk Management. At this point I had been out of high school for at least 15 years and had never done well with Algebra or any of the other challenging math courses.

It was a woman that I had spoken to on phone when I called the college that helped to change my life forever. I was going to study Early Childhood Development. Yes, I was running again just trying at this point to work with babies and young children. Well the woman asked me if I knew what the starting salary was and wanted to know why I wanted to pursue this area of study.

I remember telling her that I wanted to be a Registered Nurse but didn't think I could pass the math because of not doing well in Algebra. I had never met this woman and to this day would not be able to even tell you her name. But she began to reprimand me. She said "how dare you not pursue something because you are afraid that you will fail." "How do you know that you won't do well if you don't even try?"

I expressed how my high school years were and she was not moved. She said that I needed to change my major from Early Childhood Development to Registered Nursing. When she said this to me something on the inside let me know that I was ready to stop being afraid and to pursue this with all my heart.

I talked to my husband and our daughter was 7-years old at the time about wanting to go to school. He looked at me and said "I told you that I knew when you wanted to go to school you would." :yeah: Like I stated previously I had been out of school for about 15 years and had to take a math placement test. I prayed and asked God that I would not have to take any remedial courses. I purchased Algebra for Dummies and I landed directly into the math that was needed to start nursing school. It was raining that day I left the testing center and all I could do was cry and thank God that I had passed.

I went on to pass my Algebra with a high C, something I was not able to accomplish in high school. I still have the notes and words of encouragement from my daughter and mom while I was in nursing school. I worked hard and my grades reflected this. I have not found my dream job yet working in the NICU or Pediatric Department but I do know that this will happen for me in the near future.

There is more to this story but I would need a book to finish it (seriously). I am very grateful to have the letters RN behind my name and I thank God that I was able to become an RN and finally make my mom and family proud. I have never worked so hard for something as I did to become a nurse but I would not have it any other way.

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MochaRN424

About MochaRN424, ASN

I am a wife and mother of 3 beautiful daughters ages 18,3 and 3 months. I am currently focusing on family but am looking forward to getting back to my nursing career. I have been a nurse for 5 years.

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A joy to read! Once you finished nursing and entered the field, were you happy working as an RN eventhough it wasnt with children? We have avery similar story. God has placed nursing on my heart since I was young but with programs being so impacted I completed my BA in another field. I now have been accepted and will start nursing school Aug 20th! I am nervous and happy all at once. I had to leave a good paying joba and being the bread winner of the family (kids are 6,4, and 10 months) it was a tough choice. The devil is always busy giving people worry and doubt! But God is good and he has blessed me with a great husband and family who support this move to get my RN! Walk by faith not by sight, right? Thanks for sharing!

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Specializes in Women's Surgical Oncology, MIU,MBU.

Hi Allie86 thank you :0) You asked if I was happy working as an RN even though it wasn't children? I worked in Womens Surgical Oncology and Mother Infant. I enjoyed the patients as far as Oncology but it was sad because some of the women died from cancer. The Mother Infant Unit I was not soely with the babies I had both. It would have been a better experience had I received the training I hoped for and right working hours.

Like you stated the devil is busy... I am going to continue believing and trusting that God will open the right door for me. Yes thank God for wonderful husbands and loving families...I have both too! Just keep trusting God and you will do well! Know the hours that work for your family and don"t allow them to try and put you on the hours they want ie: Your hired for dayshift and then when hired they say oh I hired you for nights...this happened to me smh

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Specializes in Pediatrics and Women's Health.

Your story is so inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm getting countinous "a-ha" moments through this site. God has placed certain things at the right time for me to see. My situation was similar to yours. I use to live in NY too and was in a Health Profession school but because of my grades I couldn't do LPN so I did the MA program instead. I moved to VA to pursue RN but when it came time to do my NET I was scared and the last minute didn't take it. I then started going around in circles to other career choices in medicine and none of it panned out. I didn't find the job I was looking for because I was continuously pursuing the wrong field. Now, after some time I have another chance to do the LPN program and I've been back and forth with a decision because of my current financial situation. I'm a single mom so it makes things tough but God is definitely speaking loud and clear. I do plan continue once the ball gets rolling. My start date is also August 20th. When God has something for you, it is for you!

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This was so encouraging to read. I to wanted to be a nurse when I graduated high school, buy I was terrified of the math. So I pursed a career in dental. 20 years later God provided the opurtunity to to become an LVN. So with lots of prayer and God on my side I completed the program at 40 years of age. I was hard but I made it. I will be taking my NCLEX-PN next week.:)

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Congatulations on having the will and the guts to pursue your dream, and for tapping into the strength and ability to lay within you.

I wonder if this thread belongs in the spiritual section of the site. But then, if all threads that dwelled on God and religious faith were there, the rest of this site would be like a ghost town.

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Specializes in hospice.

I do believe God puts us where we are supposed to be. Too many things have fallen into place for me to question it. I joined the military at age 20 even though I said I would never be in the military when my friend joined 2 years earlier. She got out in 4years, I stayed for almost 10.

I started to date an officer and being "in love" We were risking everything by sneaking around. So, I decided to get out of the military, get a nursing degree and go back in as an officer and live happily ever after. At the time, they had lots of officers and only the nurses with a BSN had an easy time getting in as officers. Thats why I became a nurse, oh the irony, as soon as I started in the BSN program, we broke up.

I stayed in the Reserves until I graduated, then I got out, but still thought I might go back in. Then I met a man, got married and had kids. My priorities changed and I could not imagine leaving my children and getting deployed.

I hated the hospital and wondered what in the world did I get myself into and WHY did I not go to hygiene school..

In one of my clinicals, we did a rotation with home health nurses, so when I saw that same company needed home heath nurses, I applied. they also did Hospice and they talked me into trying it. Yuck, I NEVER wanted to work with "dying" people, but I agreed and asked them if I didn't like it, could I go to home health.....well......I NEVER ASKED..... I fell in love with hospice and thought, this is what I thought nursing should be about.

This was in 2001, and cannot imagine doing anything else but this. God put me where I needed to be, and now I am so grateful to be doing this kind of nursing. The hours are long, stress is high, very emotional, but the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

I got into nursing for all the wrong reasons, but I continue nursing for all the right ones. I love my Job!!!!!

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I finally went back to college, at the age of 47 to pursue my RN, BSN! I was 55 when I graduated. I was a school secretary for years while my children were in school, when my youngest was in high school is when I went back to pursue my goals. I currently now work as a County Health Nurse case manager in California. I love my job, and plan on working in this career until I retire, in about 10 years. It is never too late!

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Thank you for all of your inspiring words and your connection to God. I love this site and I am so thankful I stumbled onto it! I too an going back to school for nursing.

Although, I am in my 20s, it is still hard because I want to start a family someday and i know i cant even think about that until i an out of school and established in a job.

I have all of my pre-requisites done and I am applying to schools in the fall. The only discouraging part of this whole process is how impacted the programs are here (Sacramento, CA) The average wait is 2-3 years because they lottery about 900 people per semester for 40 spots.

I have just recently started to get it in my head that it will happen eventually, it has to. Everyone I know who has applied and sat in the agonizing lottery has gotten in with time. Right now, my husband and I both have good jobs and I need to just focus on enjoying life. I have been praying to God to calm my anxiety about the whole thing, and I can say, He has answered my prayers!

I now have my head in the right place and I am enjoying the present instead of dreading it because I wish I was in nursing school. I know nursing school is in my future and one day I will look back on this and be thankful to the time I had to put in and patients I had to have because I know this will make me a better nurse and more appreciative and dedicated to nursing school when I do get in.

God is great! Love and trust in him everyday!!!!

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Specializes in Women's Surgical Oncology, MIU,MBU.

I am so glad to hear that you will be taking your exam...I am saying a prayer for you as we speak...I took my exam and passed the second time. I was scared and not prepared. That second time I was praying the whole time...even when I was given a break I continued to pray and God did bless me to pass as He will bless you to pass too!!!God Bless!

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