What is a Calling to be a nurse?

[Myoclonicjerk]

I had orientation last week to my program and the Professor asked us all to introduce ourselves and tell why we wanted to be a nurse. It was a great way to get to know more info about our colleagues. I was getting into it but then about 5 people in a row said it was "a calling" to be a nurse. What does that mean? The girl next to me said that she was called to be a nurse so I asked her. She said that she did not know, she just felt like she wanted to be a nurse. I would much rather have heard her say that than say, "a calling". I felt like I was watching Miss Congeniality with Sandra Bullock when all the contestants had to say World Peace,

Now, that I just watched this clip, almost the same reaction was going on in the class. It almost seemed superficial. Are other professions called into their profession? I've never heard that term before for other professions. I was not judging them, they all worked really hard to get into the program and I'm sure will make wonderful nurses. I just don't get the calling response, it seemed like the coined answer for people that were either not sure why they wanted to be a nurse or did not want to say because nursing seems like a good job or other reason. It is an honorable job, a caring job, a messy dirty job, a mentally challenging job but a very rewarding profession. I cannot wait to be a nurse.

I'm not called so I don't really know. Apparently, some people have this vision of themselves in which they cannot see themselves as anything other than nurses or, feel drawn to it as though they would forgo things that they would prefer because they feel this overwhelming draw toward being a nurse.

I don't get it because that's so far from my experience and that of most of the nurses I know.

I do it because it's a great job that pays very well, is interesting, and has me working with some very smart, interesting people.

[nurse2bithink]

I feel as if my calling is to become a nurse! I can't explain it it's just something I know in my heart!

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

My interest in nursing got piqued because a ER nurse allowed me to shadow her when my sister was in the ER when I was five; I saw her subdue a man who was on a bat fight with a potty mouth.

If I didn't meet that ER nurse, I may have been on my way to the NY ballet or a writer; maybe it would've been nursing, most like because of the flexible schedule, the ability to think outside of the box, and investigate.

I will say that this career has been a great fit for me.

[RunBabyRN]

Hahaha, "Harsher punishment for parole violators. And... World Peace."

A calling is hard to put into words, but it's just that it feels right and is something that really speaks to your heart. Not everyone feels that way, and that's okay.

[christina731]

I'm not sure if I had a "calling" but when I was a kid I was always the one taking care of my family when they were sick and reading random health related books that I got from the library. I remember buying an old A&P textbook from my brothers college bookstore when he dragged me there one day when I was about 15 and it fascinated me, although I didn't understand much! I also enjoy helping people and I've always had an interest I'm healthcare so nursing just seemed to be my niche.

[Nurse_]

I'd say priesthood or being a nun is a calling. For me, saying something is a calling requires doing the same job everything single day with the same amount of passion every time.

While I believe that some do think nursing is a calling, it is hard to judge a career you don't really know anything about yet.

Would I say nursing as a calling? No. Did I ever think I'll be a nurse? No. What is a calling to be a nurse? I have no idea. At some point, the only calling that lead me to nursing was that it was the most logical next step. I was already an LVN, I liked my job and there's a shortage of nurses. It also happened to be a career with potential for great earnings. It seems a win-win for me. Can I relate that as a calling? I don't think so. I did not sacrifice to be something else to be a nurse, I lose nothing if I go to nursing.

[melizerd, ASN, RN]

I feel that way. I feel that I was put on this Earth to be a nurse. Not everyone feels that way but for me it is true.

It's not just a job or career to me it's part of who I am. I don't stop being a nurse because it's my day off.

[nekozuki, LPN]

"It's my calling" often comes from those who romanticize nursing, and have holy visions of themselves as stoic beacons amid the darkness of an uncertain world, yadda yadda yadda. Then you graduate and learn that it is actually just a job (albeit with fewer bathroom breaks and more bodily fluids).

[britthohenbrink]

I do think nursing is a "calling" for some people. I do not romanticize the nursing profession but that doesn't take away from the love I have for it.

[ThirdGen]

I always thought that people used the term "a calling" to refer to believing that God steered them toward the profession.

[LoveNeverDies]

I would say that I felt called to be a Nurse. I am a very compassionate person, I enjoy helping people in any way I can. My family recalls me saying that I have wanted to be a Nurse since I was five years old. (No, none of my family members were Nurses) Different things have happened in my life that have made me more determined to become a Nurse. I am not blind to the profession, I understand it is a hard, and often thankless job (putting it lightly actually) but if I can still help or teach someone then it is worth it to me. I think my personality is matched perfectly to the profession and I am satisfied that this is where I am meant to be. I do believe in God, and I do believe that he has helped me get through school and get my dream job as a new graduate, despite many road blocks and hardships along the way. I have no issue with someone who does not feel called to be a Nurse, I have met many excellent Nurses that do it simply for the money.