Who really wants to help people????

[treeguy]

my brother was talking to a male nursing student in a bar and he informend the bro about how i am going to nursing school because i want to help people. i guess, the guy was pretty shocked and then paused and said: "yeah, nursing would be the profession you would want to be in to help people".

this is shocking to me. i mean, i know nursing is a high paying, stable job but how many of us really want to help people. i don't even plan on working in a hospital any longer then i need to in order to travel. as soon as i am out of school, i am going to go and live with the navajo indians and help them for free, then i want to join the christian peacemaker team for four years, then i want to work with doctors without boarders, then i want to work with habitate for huminatiy. i figure that i would travel as nurse around the states in between all those tasks to make some funds but that should be about 10-15 years of my life.

how many of you are really in this to help people???? is anyone out there intrested in doing anything radical, like working in an open door clinic for 8$$$ an hour????

[saral_123]

Um. Yes I do want to help people. That is why I have chosen a career in healthcare. I do hate when I tell people that I want to become a nurse, and they respond with "Yeah, nurses make a lot of money." C'mon now. I have worked long enough in the corporate business and it was eating at my soul. I feel that a career as a nurse will not only benefit me (living wise...I am a simple gal), but I will also be able to go home at night and know that I did something for somebody/anybody that day.

I hope to continue on with my education and become a Nurse Practitioner. After the education and experience is out of the way, I'd like to work in a women's health clinic and help underserved communities. I am a first generation American with a rather large family. We never had health insurance, never went to the doctors. Thankfully, we never had serious illnesses in our family, but giving back is what I really want to do.

So of course I want to help people, especially those in underserved communities.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

carolinapooh,

I told you that it is okay, I'm leaving this alone because now I feel attacked on a personal level, not a humanitarian level. To clear things up:

And you have NO idea what color I am - or am not. You're guessing, or attempting to infer what color I am. Again, you're jumping to conclusions and missing the point.

When did I ever make this a point. That is what I feel you are missing. I don't know what ethnicity you are, I never asked, you never said, I never assumed. This has nothing to do with that. I was just speaking as compassionately about an issue that is as important to me as yours is to you. I don't know where you're getting that I assumed any sort of race that you are. That is of no importance to me. I have come in contact with those of my own race that disgust me. I was beat up on, thrown away, insulted by my own race because I talk differently- because of being and wanting to be educated. I didn't even go to my highschool graduation because of this; I got my diploma in the mail-so the color of one's skin does not influence me.

I think Oprah has lost touch with reality. I know where she came from, but sometimes you have to wonder if she still gets it, despite all the good she does with what she has.

I FEEL THE EXACT SAME WAY. What I was trying to convey is that I still can learn from those I do not completely agree with and that one bit of info saved my life, I feel.

Confine myself to mine and mine only? What are you talking about?

The bottom line: I don't disagree with a lot of what you are saying here. This is just one of MY personal battles. I was only saying that if I'm enduring the effects of this sorrowing experience and can still see beyond the USA what is wrong with that?

Again, you're jumping to conclusions and missing the point. People who don't have a car CAN'T DRIVE TO A FREE CLINIC - THAT IS MY POINT

I also didn't have money to pay my tuition, I also got no child support from their fathers (not that I didn't try before someone someone else attacks my situation), I wanted an EDUCATION BADLY and I still do. I can't ever say that school is hard for me because it's not. That is my blessing. Since you opened up, I will too. I suffer BECAUSE of my desire to help others. I worked a lot of hours to send my ex through school and he cheated on me right after. He pays hardly no child support since I got him his own business. He transferred the car with all HIS parking tickets into my name somehow. That is why I have no car. Yet, it is a condition of my enrollment into the nursing program that I have one since some of the clinicals are not accessible by public transportation. So I have worked until 3 am, gotten to the bus stop by 6am just to get to a full time load of sciences starting at 8am and I'm tired. This, and all that has happened to me still has not convinced me that I can't do more AND get a car. I haven't let anything stop me yet and I won't let it stop me ever.

In short, this is not a competition for who had the worse life; we have digressed and we are not doing the OP any justice by doing so.

You said that I was probably one of those people who considered herself not to be prejudiced because "one of my coworkers is black" or I work with a black person, or something like that. Therefore, I assumed, based on your statement, that you are assuming I am white. You do not know that. And is seems logical that you're assuming I am based on that statement - which, by the way, is completely irrelevant. Black, white, Asian, Native American - who cares??

Also - about the car - you are still assuming I am speaking about you personally. I AM NOT. What I am saying is, if a clinic is a long way away, and someone does not have a car, they can't possibly drive there. So having a clinic a car drive away might be great - but if someone doesn't have a car, it does them no good. That has absolutely nothing to do with you. The point was there are not enough free clinics to serve those who need them. Whether you personally have a car or not has nothing to do with what I said. I can't make that any clearer. The car keeps coming up and it has nothing to do with you - it was a general "you" and not a personal "you". It's a pronoun, not always a pointed designator.

I never said I don't see beyond the USA. I just don't understand why anyone can't see that there's an awful lot of money leaving this country that could do so much good here. And as you say, what's wrong with that?

I told you my story to also make a point. There's not a competition - my point is, no one can assume that someone has lived a particular type of life based solely on a message board.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

Hi Y'all.

I hope that the point of this thread can surface through all this arguing. Destiny, thanks for the kind support and comments. Carolina, sorry if I came off as judgemental and I take back making you out to be cold. That was a mistake. I meant that the eairly poster who said wantin to help people is "cliche". I think that is a cold statement... that wanting to help others is cliche... that is a good reason why the world is so messed up nowadays.

There can never be any arguement that there are stuggles in America but that they are not as bad as the problems other people face. If you feel drawn to helping people in the states then that is great but if you feel drawn to helping people in Africa that is great as well. God is NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS and every poor person should be assisted by all children of God.

I want to be a nurse so that I can help people. I am looking forward to giving out my services for free to all who need it but that is just because that is what God has called me too.

Thank you for realizing I'm not horrible.

However, I think a person's situation is relative. Someone who's starving on the streets of Manhattan, living in a cardboard box, probably doesn't think they're any better off than someone living in Mogadishu. I never said that helping people overseas is wrong, it's that I don't understand how 'We Are The World' can be truly said if helping our own isn't part of that. And forgive me, but in this country today, it always seems to me folks don't want to hear about it. Not here (I've realized I have to be overly specific), but out in general in the population. They call it NIMBY - Not In My Back Yard - and I find it disgraceful. NIMBY meaning, "I don't want a shelter built in my neighborhood, throw those people out and I don't care what happens to them." Or, "There are no children cold and hungry in MY town." Well, there are - no matter how much some folks would like to wish it away.

What do most people think when they see a panhandler on their local street corner? Seriously - they think, "He's a faker, he's perfectly fine, forget him" and tuck their hands into their pockets and turn away, speed up and get out of there as quickly as they can. They're making an assumption, but they don't know. I don't hand out money like candy, but if I have a few coins in my pocket, I'll give them to him or her. If they are indeed lying, God will deal with them. It has nothing to do with me at that point.

No, we're not being attacked by militant groups. But if you're starving, I doubt you're thinking about that. You're only thinking about the fact that your stomach hurts because it's empty, not "thank GOD no militant group is raping me right now". It's disgraceful that people are hungry here, when we're giving stuff away to the rest of the world. And I think some of it is because we're convinced our social welfare system is SOOO great, it's these people's fault they live that way (AGAIN, THIS IS A GENERALITY, to whomever may be poised for an attack - I'm speaking about the nation at large, not anyone here specifically). The problem is, our social welfare system is a disgrace, and falling through the cracks is a harsh reality for way too many people in this country. They're the people who especially need not just medical care, but a face of someone who cares and who truly wants to help and who BELIEVES that they are worth so much more than that.

That's why I want to work at the Lincoln Clinic. The system CAN work but someone has to be willing to work the system for these folks. Maybe they won't care that I care; maybe I'll just be seen as someone who's coming in to make themselves feel better in their little suburban world. But I will know my intent - as will God Himself - and that will be enough for me.

I agree with you completely about the cliche thing. Some things designated as cliche shouldn't be, you know?

Peace to all on this board. I wish no one ill will and I don't want to upset or offend anyone.

[porkey2]

Here's the thing - in my opinion, it's fantastic that this nation is wealthy enough and generous enough that we can help others around the world.

What annoys me is that no one (and yes, that's a broad term; let me rant for a second) wants to talk about what's happening HERE. We're among the richest nations in the world, a country that THROWS AWAY excess milk and grain from farms subsidized by the government, and yet there are kids right here in Durham that will go to bed tonight without anything to eat. What IS that, i ask? What's the deal with that?

What about soup kitchens here, or raising money here for free clinics? Why are people so quick to send money to Africa, but don't want to think about what's happening right down the street? We've got millions of people who are uninsured in this country, but we organize medical missions to Africa. What's up with that? What makes them any better than the folks here in homeless shelters in Durham, who could benefit from someone appearing to give a rat's butt? On the news you hear about celebrities lobbying drug companies for free drugs for African nations ravaged by AIDS, but what about people here with no insurance who don't qualify for Medicaid or Medicare who also need these drugs? (And I do not believe for one minute that Glaxo is willing to 'fess them up - I have heard too many stories and read way too much about the voluminous paperwork required for freebies from Big Pharma in this country.) I guess we can't look ourselves in the face or even in the mirror and admit we're not as fantastic nor as perfect as we'd like to believe we are as a nation.

I'll finish my RN in December, and then I'll be immediately returning to school to work on the non-clinical portions of an FNP (age is playing a part here). As soon as I finish an FNP, I want to work at the Lincoln Clinic here in Durham and do SOMETHING to help my own community. So yes, I want to help people. It's nice that in the process I'll make enough to live well on, but I have to do something that is meaningful for me at the same time.

Sorry for the rant, but the question of why we're so willing to send stuff and cash overseas when we have horrible needs right here has always perplexed me. My instructors keep telling me I need to get a JD or an MBA with my RN and then take this "passion", as they've labeled it, to Washington or even to Raleigh to try and change things, but privately I wonder if that makes any difference at all because NOTHING seems to change in this country. And then if I do that, that's one more person out of the loop who is out there actually DOING something, so I think I'd defeat my own purpose.

So YES, I want to help people, but I'd really like to do something here, in the midst of the bureaucratic BS and red tape that binds this great country together...we need to clean up our mess at home first before we start trying to solve the rest of the world's problems.

Thanks for letting me rant. :)

why you haten on africa carolinapooh. whats your problem, we help evey other damn country in this world, why not africa! they need help after all, we stripped them of everything they have.

[ImmerKlein]

I honestly, desperately want to be in this field. I have just graduated, but during high school I took an EMT certification class to see if I had what it took to really be a good nurse. After that, I think that I might go home crying once a week or so, but I honestly can't imagine doing anything else. So many people could use our help, whether they're Americans, Africans, or Middle Easterners. It doesn't matter where we go or who we help, as long as we try to do everything in our power as nurses and health care providers to save the lives of those around us. It is because of this that I so love the field. Nurses are constantly underestimated, but provide an invaluable service. I can't say that the money isn't entirely out of the picture - it's nice to be able to provide well for our families - but at least it's secondary to helping others. Isn't that the heart of nursing?

[elisabeth]

I had leukemia as a teenager and part of my desire to become a nurse is the urge I have to give back to a community that was so supportive of me. My nurses were all wonderful and genuinely cared for their patients.

Being a nurse will allow me to earn a good living while having a (hopefully) positive impact on someone's experience with the medical profession.

[Wondergirl0905]

After a few years of work that did not involve helping others, I relaized that I needed a change. So I've been working the last four years as a victim advocate for domestic & sexual violence. I love the work, but I'm burning out and can't afford to work at a non-profit the rest of my life (I'll still volunteer there when I start school full time this fall). Because of this job, I want to continue advocating for people, just in a healthcare setting. One dream: I hope one day to be a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner. Women's health is also an important issue to me - my aunt (mom's only sibling) died of cervical cancer when I was in high school - such a preventable death.