When did you know?

[Sbhayes09]

When did you know that nursing was your thing? In my school, it's a very large commitment before you even apply and I'm wondering if there is an ah ha moment. I've completed most of my pre requisites and I'm applying this fall but I wanted to know from people that are nurses if you just kind of fell in love with it as you went through school or if you knew from the moment you started working on your degree. Thanks everyone!

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

When did you know that nursing was your thing? In my school, it's a very large commitment before you even apply and I'm wondering if there is an ah ha moment. I've completed most of my pre requisites and I'm applying this fall but I wanted to know from people that are nurses if you just kind of fell in love with it as you went through school or if you knew from the moment you started working on your degree. Thanks everyone!

I've been a nurse for a little over 2 years now and I still don't know if it's my "thing" and for me it's certainly not a "calling" as other people say. My particular drive (or "calling" if you will) is to help people heal. I've been an athletic trainer, Paramedic, and now an RN. I just choose to express that drive through nursing. Why nursing? I already have many of the "skills" required through my Paramedic education. The athletic training education made learning Paramedic and Nursing fairly easy (it's a lot more rigorous than you might otherwise think). Nursing has lots of career avenues available, the pay is generally decent as are the benefits. Good for supporting a family!

In short, being a nurse for me was more a choice of convenience than a calling but that doesn't mean that I don't love the work. I actually enjoy doing bedside care and have for a very long time. As long as the family needs are met, I'd be equally happy rehabbing broken athletes, transporting someone via ambulance, or working in the ED or doing whatever else I happen to do at the time.

[Avid reader]

My dad got ill and after his stay had nothing but praise for the Nurses. He said aside from the kindness shown, it was the attention to details and the level of professionalism they displayed. They explained all procedures including what the Drs proposed in language he understood and advocated for all the patients and was patient with the new residents, even teaching them. His inpatient was in England where the sisters or nurse managers have a lot of power. My father is a difficult man to please. He's extremely analytical and adheres to competence and professionalism, always. He rarely praises anyone, so the choice was simple and I've not regretted it since.

[NightNerd, MSN, RN]

I am three years in and really have just fallen in "like" with nursing, lol. I chose it because it's one of the only helping professions that pays well - I've always wanted to help people but I'm no martyr. There have been moments where I wanted to quit and do something totally different, and there are other moments when I'm so content with what I do that I couldn't imagine another life. Giving myself time in each job to get comfortable has helped a lot, as well as recognizing jobs and units that are a good fit versus decidedly not. I may not ever be totally enamored with this work or think of it as a calling, but that's okay.

[Sbhayes09, ADN, RN]

Thanks everyone! I'm an older student too. I have three children and I'll be thirty next year. Sometimes, I feel like I'm putting all my eggs into one basket by choosing a nursing degree. My first real experience with actual patients will be in two weeks as I start clinicals for CNA I. I'm hoping and praying to the good lord above that I will thrive in that environment. I'm dedicated to this profession without even knowing if the work will be what I want. Here's hoping that I go through clinicals and learn to love it like you guys have. It's comforting to know that everyone else was just as clueless as I am when it comes to their choice of profession.

[RotorRunner]

It's a decision I have never questioned or regretted, to be perfectly honest. I have a great job, I work 3 days a week, make a pretty good living. And I'm doing something I love. I'm a flight nurse. Worked in a level 1 trauma center for 5 years and I loved that work as well. Honestly, nursing has been very good to me and I'm grateful that I took a leap and made the decision to go to nursing school when I was 20 and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. Ha.

[drthomas]

After working my first home care job as an aid, i new i could help people physically and mentally. It was a gift to be able to do it and enjoy it. I don't mind being compassionate and caring for whomever. We as human should always help one another in some way and nursing to me was just natural.

[Cricket183, BSN, RN]

I knew from an early age I wanted to be a nurse. But I didn't get the opportunity to go to nursing school until I was in my early 30's. There were many times during nursing school I wondered if I had made the wrong choice. There I was fulfilling my lifelong dream and I really didn't "love" it like I thought I would or like I thought I was supposed to. Hollywood gives us this romanticized version of life that if we follow our dreams that it's all rainbows & unicorns. That's not reality. Reality is our dreams are accompanied by moments of doubts and fear and are fought for with hard work and determination to push through those doubts and fears. There were many times I wanted to quit but I'm glad I stuck with it because about a year into my first job as a RN I found myself absolutely passionate about it.