What's your story? Why did you take up nursing?

Nurses General Nursing Nursing Q/A

Every nurse has their own story to tell about how or why they chose to enter the nursing profession. Some may have been inspired by a personal experience with healthcare, while others may have been drawn to the idea of caring for others. Some may have stumbled upon nursing by chance, while others knew from a young age that it was their calling. Whatever the reason, each nurse has a unique narrative that led them to become a caregiver. These stories are a testament to the diversity and passion within the nursing community and the profound impact that healthcare can have on our lives.

Please be as detailed or as short as you wish. It'll be interesting to hear everyone's stories.

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

I became a nurse because wanting to become a doctor instead didn't pan out.....................for various reasons I won't drudge up.:o

I never wanted to be a nurse. Now that I'm 53, kids grown and gone, husbands out of my life, I want to become a writer who makes a great living writing books of action/drama/fiction/ and even some nonfiction books that relate to the grey areas of life many people are afraid to talk about. :)

Joe V said:
Everyone has his or her own story about how or why they became a nurse. What's your story?

Please be as detailed or as short as you wish. It'll be interesting to hear everyone's stories.

Delusions of grandure?? I thought at one time, I could make a difference. Like I said-delusional plain and simple

Keely-FutureRN said:
Well, I'm a pre-nursing student but I thought I'd share my story...

I always wanted to be an elementary school teacher growing up. I loved kids and the idea of teaching in general. My mom became sick when I was in high school and had a couple close calls with death. I felt so powerless to help and saw nursing as my true call to help people (my mom). I became a CNA and got a job at a nearby hospital and worked on pre-req's at the university.

After about a year I became sick with an eating disorder. I spent 6 months in the hospital recovering from anorexia. While there, I bonded with some the the nurses who cared for me. They were so compassionate and caring. They took the time to listen to me and truely cared about my well being. I know that nursing is my calling. I have been out of the hospital for two months and am working on going back to school in the fall and I just got a new CNA job starting June 6. I want to pick myself up and recover and when I become a nurse, work with patients with eating disorders so I can provide the kind of care and support I received and offer hope for others struggling with eating disorders.

Good Luck in your future nursing career, Keely!

Hugs,

Elizabeth

Thanks Elizabeth! ;)

Keely

Everyone has his or her own story about how or why they became a nurse. What's your story?

Please be as detailed or as short as you wish. It'll be interesting to hear everyone's stories.

Well i have been a cna for a couple of years now,,, but I knew I wanted to be a nurse when I had my boy( 4 months ago) cause everyone on the L&D floor was sooooooooo very nice to me I knew I wanted to be a nurse so now I am in nursing school want to work on the L&D floor :)

Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.

I was going to be a veterinarian, but my parents got divorced and a lot of creepy things happened while I was a teen. I went to farrier school instead of Cornell. I still don't know if that was a bad choice but I was so burned out with life and wanted to do something else than what my now hated parents had lined up for me. I had already trained horses so I had lots of contacts to start my business. Well when I got out lots of people thought a 5'2"woman could not possibly know how to shoe a horse..lol. I got a part time job as a nurse aid.

My business thrived in my opinion, I paid my bills and had money to put in savings. I did a lot of barter work too, I had horses to feed and some of my customers could not pay for the foot work so we traded.

I got married and after a while found he wasn't the man I married, he had been laid off in the steel industry and was very bitter and angry. I could not even talk to him so I decided to go to nursing school after becoming a paramedic. I had some acute care experience, ran a working farm so knew some genetic stuff and had a few employees at times so learned to manage people. Put in a lot of time with cooperative extension service in my county as a 4-H leader, I helped develop and establish a school enrichment program for sciences in Pittsburgh PA.

I had 2 children at the time and he raped me during my first year of nursing school,( I was living in my daughters room at the time) and I became pregnant with my 3rd child during nursing school.

I finished my first year of school, had a c-section in august so had to take off a year until I could go back and get my associate degree.

I finished nursing school and heck I couldnt find a job, slow time for nursing.

I finally got a job at a city hospital ( they filmed part of 'silence of the lambs' on their loading dock...talk about scary....lol)

I worked in med-surg was in charge as a GN and then pissed off my manager and transferred to ICU/CCU. Two years there and off to specialty flight team for 6 years. I am now in LTC and love it for now. Spent some time in CCU and TRAUMA in between and have supervised a lot lately.

Oh yeh, I left him, took the kids when I graduated. I NOW make more than twice what he does. I feel good about who I am, he is still angry.

Specializes in Labor and Delivery, Med/Surg-tele.
:icon_hug: Well, I'm a pre-nursing student but I thought I'd share my story...

I always wanted to be an elementary school teacher growing up. I loved kids and the idea of teaching in general. My mom became sick when I was in high school and had a couple close calls with death. I felt so powerless to help and saw nursing as my true call to help people (my mom). I became a CNA and got a job at a nearby hospital and worked on pre-req's at the university.

After about a year I became sick with an eating disorder. I spent 6 months in the hospital recovering from anorexia. While there, I bonded with some the the nurses who cared for me. They were so compassionate and caring. They took the time to listen to me and truely cared about my well being. I know that nursing is my calling. I have been out of the hospital for two months and am working on going back to school in the fall and I just got a new CNA job starting June 6. I want to pick myself up and recover and when I become a nurse, work with patients with eating disorders so I can provide the kind of care and support I recieved and offer hope for others struggling with eating disorders.:icon_hug:

Keely

I wish that there was an icon of a tear because I have a few in my eyes after reading your story! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU SWEETHEART!!!! You will make a wonderful nurse! Lasting peace to you ---- Dawn

Specializes in Critical Care.

If I tell my story, a few of you ladies are going to be upset:

I was in the NAVY. When I went in, I decided that if I liked it, I'd stay, but if the only reason for staying was that I had nothing better to do, then it would be time to find something better to do.

Flash forward 2.5 yrs into a 4 yr hitch. I remember thinking, "I need to re-enlist so I can do another 2 yr OUTUS (outside cont. US) tour, but it's OK, I have nothing better to do. . ." And I can remember the alarms going off with that thought.

Went to career counselor's office and found an article about 'the best college bang for your buck is ADN program'. Didn't think much about it, but I told a friend of mine about it.

Flash forward 6 months - we're both back in the states, taking basic classes cause in my case, I didn't know what I want to be. My friend says to me, 'Hey, you remember that ADN program you were talking about, I applied and got accepted, you should too'. So I applied in Feb and was accepted 2 weeks later for fall (I had already taken soc/psych and several of the pre-reqs and the rest I could take in summer session and A&P I/II were co-reqs at that time).

Got out of the military Aug 28 and started Nsg school Sep 5, 1991.

Now the kicker - there was a 2 yr waiting list for the program but they accepted all male and minority applications that qualified first. No wonder the lady at the front office was always rude to me, how was I supposed to know that I kicked some white woman back a year because I applied on a lark?!

(If you had to wait till 1992 to start nursing school, and you were at the top of the alternate list, ummm, well, that was my fault. I wish I could say that I'm sorry, but the thing is, I'm not.)

Now for the rest of the story: I'm a believer. Things happen for a reason. When I see things line up in my life, I try not to question them! Learned that lesson a few times the hard way.

I'm good at what I do. I wouldn't say it's a calling, cause I was never really 'called'. But I was led to it. And the wonderful thing about nursing is I never have to wonder why I was led here: it's something I can see every day.

~faith.

I'm good at what I do. I wouldn't say it's a calling, cause I was never really 'called'. But I was led to it.

If it hadn't been for a low-down, belly-crawling, *@%^!&^#...oops, sorry...jerk of a boss, I wouldn't have been laid off as his store manager, (about a week before I was due for a raise and vacation time) and I would have never applied for a job at the only place hiring in December...a nursing home. Once there and through the CNA training, if I hadn't had a brand new RN who thought I was good material for nursing school...I would still be cooking and cashiering and missing out on the best work I have ever done in my life.

Elizabeth

:uhoh21: at 17 nearly 18 all I wanted to do was work for the Prison Dept. but they would not have me until I was 18 and that would take 3months in my family you don't stay at home after completing school and not work so my Mom suggested that I try nursing while I wait to turn 18, then I was 3months into my training and decided I will finish that first. At the end of my training I was given a chance to go and work in the OR and I am still there thanks to people like my Matron at the time Miss M Gray. Who was one of the most kind and hard working people I have ever known.:offtopic: She also was the creator of a bag used in the OR to keep the bowl warm and moist during Aortic Anuerisms called the Maggi bag in SA not sure if anyone knows or has heard of it. I always wanted to be able to know my department as well as she did. Well the department of Corrections (prison depart.) never saw me but I know my Mom was right.............. This is where I belong:nurse: :thankya:

I wish that there was an icon of a tear because I have a few in my eyes after reading your story! BEST OF LUCK TO YOU SWEETHEART!!!! You will make a wonderful nurse! Lasting peace to you ---- Dawn

Dawn follow your dreams you can do it. God Bless

We all get wrapped up in our own problems and life but this week i come across one real meaning of wanting to be a nurse. Im not a poet and havent finished my poem but i would like to share with you a rough draft of one of my many experiences so far.

Skin cool, labored breath, so alone

No family here from the past

Waiting waiting for the last,

Someone talk to me, no one thinks i hear,

The nurse sits quietly holding hands to say

Lois i am near

The Lord is calling, no reason to be scared

Im here to see you off,

With dignity and care

My heart waves goodbye to you

Teary eyes of happiness

To know that you are there

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