Why A Nurse!

Why we are nurses maybe hard for others to understand, but as long as we hold onto why we chose or shall I say why it chose us is the most important factor. With this we shall never lose our insight and love for the field.

Growing up I always felt it my duty to take care of those that were weak and unable to do for themselves. I felt hurt when I was unable to take care of the sick so I substituted my help through singing or making them laugh to help mask their pain. Somehow I felt it always worked, or maybe it was their way to pretend in order for me to disappear!

As a young girl I felt it was something instilled in me to make all well with others. With me doing this, I felt whole and as if my duty was somehow complete.

Regardless of race, age or gender I feel if more people helped others and took the time to just realize what a little help can do for someone who is in great need, can go a long way. Nursing is about this type of helping; regardless of any factors helping others is what it boils down to.

When I was 18 I had a close cousin pass away from AIDS. It hit me very hard mentally because of our closeness and my determination to help and make others well. When she was diagnosed, my age was 12; I did research to understand the prognosis and the possibility and status of a cure. My aunt, her mother, a nurse of more than twenty years helped me understand that this would be a long journey for our family.

Over the years watching my cousin go through a horrific transformation I vouched that I would help her and others in this same predicament some way. I researched on healthcare careers at a young age on who made the most impact on the sick and weak. I learned that the healthcare field, a broad field, held so many positions that played impacts on millions of lives.

I wanted a field of study that would allow me constant contact with clients; able to see them, hear them and help them feel HUMAN with the empathy I hold. When we were told that my cousin had full blown AIDS, I watched how fast she became debilitated. When my aunt allowed me to help her take care of my cousin, I then knew what my calling was. A NURSE!

During my whole life, my dream stood right in front of me, my aunt, the nurse. Never did I realize that things that were instilled in my heart, in my being was always near. After laying my cousin, my best friend to rest I researched more on becoming a nurse I knew that my cousin's death allowed me to open my eyes and enter into a wonderful profession of being a nurse.