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!
At my graduation, my mom brought out a booklet that I'd made in kindergarten. It was one of those "This is my family:" prompts with room to draw pictures underneath. On the page that said "This is what I will be when I grow up:" I'd drawn a nurse. From the mouths of babes, eh?
That said, I didn't truly know I wanted to be a nurse until I was about two years into my career. I didn't "like" it until I felt fully competent. There's still days when I feel like an imposter and wonder what the hell in doing. Then there's wonderful days when I leave work smiling. What can I say? It's a calling.
I knew I wanted to be a nurse when my dad died. I was 14, and he had an aortic valve replacement when I was 2. I always helped take care of him. At his funeral I couldn't count how many of his nurses he had throughout the years came to pay their respects. My mom cried and said to me: one thing that really impacted your dad was those nurses. I knew then that I wanted to be "those nurses." Every time a patient tells me that I make a difference, I know I am that nurse. Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing that I am one of "those nurses" to someone. 😊
At my graduation, my mom brought out a booklet that I'd made in kindergarten. It was one of those "This is my family:" prompts with room to draw pictures underneath. On the page that said "This is what I will be when I grow up:" I'd drawn a nurse. From the mouths of babes, eh?
That said, I didn't truly know I wanted to be a nurse until I was about two years into my career. I didn't "like" it until I felt fully competent. There's still days when I feel like an imposter and wonder what the hell in doing. Then there's wonderful days when I leave work smiling. What can I say? It's a calling.
Apparently, I wanted to be one as a child but I don't remember expressing that sentiment! I guess it was destined for us both lol!
I knew I wanted to be a nurse when my dad died. I was 14, and he had an aortic valve replacement when I was 2. I always helped take care of him. At his funeral I couldn't count how many of his nurses he had throughout the years came to pay their respects. My mom cried and said to me: one thing that really impacted your dad was those nurses. I knew then that I wanted to be "those nurses." Every time a patient tells me that I make a difference, I know I am that nurse. Nothing is more fulfilling than knowing that I am one of "those nurses" to someone. ������
I'm so sorry that your calling was revealed through such a painful experience. An experience like that gives tremendous insight that has helped you become one of of "those" great nurses you are today!
I haphazardly fell into nursing. I was originally getting my pre-reqs finished to start a radiography program. My sister is a nurse, and she convinced me to just go into nursing. I submitted my paperwork on the last day and was accepted. I knew I wanted to do this after the fourth week of first semester clinical. Was the "nurse" for a patient two weeks in a row, and I loved every second of it.
When I graduated, I wanted to spend time with my patients, and found the perfect hospital to do just that. I have a max of three patients. Today, I had a co-worker ask me how I got the patients to open up to me. I spend time with them, I hold their hand when they ask, I talk to them the way I would like to be talked to. I teach, I help, and I absolutely love it. But almost one year later, I can separate myself from the job, I've quit working overtimes, and I find that I'm a happier person. Being a nurse doesn't define who I am, but it is a big part of what I love to do.
I decided I didn't want to pursue my business major anymore and my boyfriend brought up the idea of nursing. For some reason my mind jumped to midwifery and here I am, waiting for my nursing school acceptance letter.
I decided I didn't want to pursue my business major anymore and my boyfriend brought up the idea of nursing. For some reason my mind jumped to midwifery and here I am, waiting for my nursing school acceptance letter.
Brave move to switch career tracks, good luck with your acceptance!
Nursing actually took time for me to grow to like it.... I was very unsure what it would be like at first, but I decided to trust my gut. I will however tell you about the moment where I knew what I wanted to do as a nurse!
There I was.... Doing my OB/GYN rotation, as a male I felt highly unwanted and underappreciated by the staff with attitude coming in left and right, I wasn't allowed into a patients room without a fellow female student with me. Luckily the low level nicu was on the same floor and I was allowed to spend time in there where the nurses loved me and their jobs so much. There was this tiny little thing who the floor called "Polly Pocket" who was a 28 week 2 lbs something ounce premature baby. She was the cutest thing you ever did see even with all the tubes and lines and lights she had coming out of every direction, she was so small and fragile.
One day the nurse asked for my help to change her sheets, we weren't allowed to touch her as she was in the incubator but this time we needed to take her out and I was to hold her as the nurse did the linen change. I put her in my arms and this tiny little girls entire body would fit in my one manly hand, she was almost always asleep but this time she woke up and looked at me with the gorgeous big eyes and smiled this biggest smile you could imagine and I swear she tried to laugh a little as I talked to her.
Oh my this is a moment that I could never forget and right then and there this big manly man of the group wanted to be a neonatal nurse practitioner and that's what I'm going to do! Patient experiences like that one are 1 in a million for me and I think that's a sign!
. 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: 
) 
Sith Lady Oma
25 Posts
Congratulations! You can do it, we can keep each other encouraged