What was your first time like?

nutella, MSN, RN · Mar 16, 2016

Now that I've successfully captured the eye of ALL my fellow misfits looking for a juicy story...
Hi! I'm new to AN and was recently accepted to a nursing program starting this fall . I can't wait to begin! (Sidenote: I also believed it would be bad joo joo to post a topic before an acceptance offer, so I'm pumped that my self-imposed restriction is dropped. This counts as my "first" story :teehee: )
I am curious to know what your "first time" nursing moment was, the moment (or seconds, hours, days, weeks...) you knew that you wanted to/could be a nurse!

I worked as a paramedic fulltime and also taught first aid. However, the 24 h shifts were sort of a lot with a lot of crazy on call at night. Don't get me wrong, it was also great excitement at times and a good job for me at that time. But getting up in the middle of the night because a person needed an ambulance for some kind of minor thing and a lot of driving from LTC to hospital and back just drained life out of me. One cold and rainy night I drove out to pick up a very heavy patient. By the time we came to the hospital, I was wet, cold, had enough from getting up in the middle of the night and though about my friend how was a nurse and liked her job. So I applied to nursing school and started a couple of months after this thought.

The whole first year I thought about quitting and going back to being a paramedic - but I made it through the first year and the years after went by quickly.

kiszi, RN · Mar 16, 2016

Nursing was something I gave a sideways glance to and said "meh" before spinning my wheels in university for two years. Life happened, I got married.

My "moment" was born of necessity. I couldn't spend my life waiting tables and working in factories. My MIL was a nurse, so the seed was planted. At some point nursing seemed the lesser of all evils, and I have a nurturing personality, so I jumped into a local community college's LPN program.

Nine years and and an RN program later, and here I am. Still not quite sure how this happened.

Sith Lady Oma · Mar 16, 2016

Thanks for sharing! It's already hard enough waking up in the morning, I can't imagine being obligated to do that in the middle of the night on a regular basis. Is nursing anything like what you thought it would be like?

Sith Lady Oma · Mar 16, 2016

Ha! "Born of necessity" I like that because that describes my decision to pursue nursing too.

nutella, MSN, RN · Mar 16, 2016

Thanks for sharing! It's already hard enough waking up in the morning I can't imagine being obligated to do that in the middle of the night on a regular basis. Is nursing anything like what you thought it would be like?[/quote']
Yes, nursing turned out to be exactly the way I thought it would be.
I had a great career so far and after 20 years still like to be a nurse. It has been gratifying in so many ways. It was not always easy - but which job is always easy??

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2016

Nursing wasn't a childhood dream or passion for me. I was 23 years old and having difficulties at the factory job I'd been working for three years. I enrolled in a 12-month LVN program and resigned from that job shortly thereafter.

I earned my LVN license in '06, my ASN degree and RN licensure in '10, and an online BSN degree in 2015. I'm now enrolled in an MSN degree program and will graduate next year if all goes well.

In other words, nursing has been a means to an end for me. My story is not terribly romantic or heartwarming. I got into nursing because I needed a quick career change, a steady income, career mobility, and opportunities to advance my education.

awsumsaus · Mar 16, 2016

I remember when I was 11 and visiting my new little brother I declared I was going to be a "baby nurse". Then 7 years ago my grandma passed away from cancer and I saw some of the best nurses and some of the most horrific (with the latter I spent a lot of time thinking how I would be able to take such better care of people in a similar situation). Once it dawned on me that the medical training I was receiving in the military was fascinating to me, and the fact that I'm a bit of an empathetic person who likes to take care of people, I decided to give it a go. Got my acceptance letter last year and still wasn't 100% sure but after clinicals and whatnot, I figure I'm in the right place lol.

Congrats on your acceptance! Just keep your head up and keep pushing through, school's a tough cookie but I have yet to meet one nurse who doesn't like their job.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Mar 16, 2016

The first time that I knew I *wanted* to be a nurse was when I looked at the CNA contracts and the annual earnings from the public hospitals.

The first time that I knew that I *could* be a nurse was when I received the e-mail informing me that I was accepted.

The first time that I knew that I would make it through was when I earned one of two A's awarded in our pharmacology class.

The first time that I knew that I was a good nurse was when a family member gave me a big hug.

The first time that I knew that I had a unique perspective was when my suggestion to my department manager ended up being implemented throughout the entire hospital.

The first time that I knew that I had the psychomotor skills was when I got the first solid line on an infant we were coding.

The first time that I knew that I had the heart for this work was when I sobbed after we called the code on the same kid.

The first time that I knew that I wasn't perfect was when I almost killed someone by making a serious med error.

The first time that I knew that I was still a good nurse even after that was when I was approached by physicians and pharmacists providing encouragement and support.

Nursing is full of firsts.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2016

As I'm coming to the end of my program, it's hard to reflect back on when that 1st "aha" moment was that made me feel all nursey and such. I applied to my school's program after figuring that it was really time to get on with my life and that I needed some more direction. A nursing program, I thought, would give me that structure that I needed to really find success in life. I knew very little about nursing otherwise. I love medicine and was hoping it would be a good fit. Little did I know how great a fit it actually would be.

In thinking about it, I think the first time I knew I could actually do nursing was when I started working in the hospital of my dreams and was strongly encouraged to apply to the RN residency program because I was actually wanted on my unit. Someone actually wanted me! That was like, "Oh yeah, this is getting so real. The hard work is paying off." In talking with the RNs about assessments, meds, charting, misc. patient care, it continues to strike me how much I have actually learned and how much I have to look forward to learning. :)

emmjayy, BSN, RN · Mar 17, 2016

I first knew I wanted to be a nurse when I was a kid. I know this is so cliche! I had a lot of siblings and was always fascinated by how the nurses at the hospital got my mom through the trauma of bringing a baby into the world on a bi-yearly basis. My mom was a nurse for a few years as well. I decided it was something I would actually go for out of necessity, though.... I was supremely unhappy with my life trajectory and knew that I needed to do something different. I'd always been interested in nursing, but scared of having to take science and math at a college level. I finally got to the point where I was so depressed with my life that taking science and math didn't seem half as bad as continuing with my soul-sucking job as a paralegal. So, here I am with my acceptance letter in hand and I'll be starting school in the fall! I'm still not quite sure I can do it (I get a little overwhelmed at the thought of all I have to learn), but I'm going to do my best :)

Sith Lady Oma · Mar 17, 2016

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm sure you'll be one of the good ones after having been on the other end of the spectrum as a patient's family member. What branch of the military are you in? I considered joining the Air Force before applying to nursing school and still wondering if it's a good idea.