i joined the board because i'm curious to know why other people choose to go to nursing school, particularly those who have worked in another field and are choosing nursing as a second career.
let me be perfectly clear: i'm not looking for an argument and don't intend to argue with anyone on here. (argue is different than debate). i'm also not trying to (deliberately, anyway), knock the profession of nursing in general. (i do, however, have a thing or two to say about nursing school and instructors, but i'll bite my tongue for now).
here's some good ones i've heard so far:
1.) "because i love people and i want to make them all better". my response: isn't there a career that pays a heck of a lot more money than nursing where you can still help people? how about accounting, where you can help people fix there money situation (which is ever so important in this awful economy). or law, to help them with legal manners. or perhaps even a life counselor or psychologist? you're helping the brain, and you don't have the chance of contracting hiv, hep a-z, mrsa, vre, etc.
2.) "it's secure; there'll always be a job for me". yeah, right. in this country/economy? nothing's secure.
3.) "the money is great". seriously? $20-25 is 'great'? i didn't realize...
4.) "my was sick with and from that point on, i just wanted to be able to heal people. yeah? that's your relative/friend. whole different ballgame.
so like i said, i'm interested in hearing thoughts/rebuttal. but not shots against me, my character, my opinions. not interested.
Intense interest in diseases and science, with lots of flexibility built into nursing. I like the fact that every day is different, and that I could change jobs or specialties without a prolonged period of retraining.
Financially, it made sense for me because I live in a low-cost area that also pays nurses pretty well. I knew that, by being open to things like F/T night weekend work, I could make well above average money within two years of graduation.
My experiences as a frequent patient definitely shaped my desire. You're right that each patient's experience is unique and that that can't be the entire basis for a person's nursing practice. Most of my coworkers - and certainly my patients' families -will never know about my experiences with numerous childhood surgeries, as that isn't really appropriate. But that experience does give me a personal connection to my work, and that's important to me, while it might not be to someone else.
It's perfectly okay to vent about the some of the ridiculousness that you encountered in nursing school. I think you'll find that your vents would have plenty of company. Venting is actually a lot of what we do. Pretty much all of our active members know that nursing education and nursing practice are very much still flawed entities. While most of us have made it through school and still work as nurses, some people go other routes - and that's cool with us.
It's really sad to see from reading the many posts in the "reasons of wanting to become a nurse" are so far away from what should be the main focus. I thought that when one is responsible for the lives of others, the focus of importance of going in the field of caring for others and changing the outcome to peoples' lives would surely be not because of money, not wanting to be bored, variety of duties, pay scale, the variety of choice in working shifts.
I thought the first and foremost reason to choosing this profession should or would be for the fact that it is something that came from the heart and soul, making a difference in the lives of others. From caring for people who are neglected, abused, dying, alone, and need that person who is caring for them at that particular moment, to truly care. That person who will make that patient's worst moment a positive one, giving them hope, when hope is lost, or taking their fears away, and giving words of encouragement. It was a little bothersome to read that the main focus on caring for others and having the responsibility of a patient's life with the possibility of changing a life forever seemed to be of the least importance. The most important reasons seem to be last in becoming a nurse. The responsibility is a huge one, when one could think of it as your mother, brother, husband, daughter or wife laying in that patient's place, it should make you think. So it would seem to me that when choosing this career it is the first and foremost reason, which is being responsible for someone elses life, and you know that is one of your top reasons for choosing it, and that it makes you feel good inside, that you made a positive impact in that persons life.
I came from management in a medical practice. My frist degree is a related healthcare degree, not a nursing degree, and the powers that be decided to eliminate my job. During my years there I was constantly amazed at how much more $$$ the nursing staff made than I did. (I stayed because of the promotions and the promise that upper management would eventually out-earn the nursing staff. That didn't happen in my almost 6 years there.) Not only that, but the nursing staff worked a consistent 5 day, 37.5 - 40 hour week. In management, I worked a whole lot more than that, frequently 6 full days per week. So it made a whole lot of sense to suck it up and return to school for a nursing degree.
It's really sad to see from reading the many posts in the "reasons of wanting to become a nurse" are so far away from what should be the main focus. I thought that when one is responsible for the lives of others, the focus of importance of going in the field of caring for others and changing the outcome to peoples' lives would surely be not because of money, not wanting to be bored, variety of duties, pay scale, the variety of choice in working shifts.
I thought the first and foremost reason to choosing this profession should or would be for the fact that it is something that came from the heart and soul, making a difference in the lives of others. From caring for people who are neglected, abused, dying, alone, and need that person who is caring for them at that particular moment, to truly care. That person who will make that patient's worst moment a positive one, giving them hope, when hope is lost, or taking their fears away, and giving words of encouragement. It was a little bothersome to read that the main focus on caring for others and having the responsibility of a patient's life with the possibility of changing a life forever seemed to be of the least importance. The most important reasons seem to be last in becoming a nurse. The responsibility is a huge one, when one could think of it as your mother, brother, husband, daughter or wife laying in that patient's place, it should make you think. So it would seem to me that when choosing this career it is the first and foremost reason, which is being responsible for someone elses life, and you know that is one of your top reasons for choosing it, and that it makes you feel good inside, that you made a positive impact in that persons life.
Wow, I'm offended. Just because that's a good reason to become a nurse doesn't mean it's the only one. None of us are claiming to be saints or angels here. Human beings need to have jobs they enjoy. I will have whatever reason I want for joining the profession and it's pretty rude for you to take other people's honest confessions and turn it around on them. As long as the good patient care is taking place, it shouldn't matter why the person is doing it. Yuck.:spbox:
Hospitals oddly make me happy. Doing my job, even as a student nurse, brings me a satisfaction that I cannot explain. $60,000 a year or so is fantastic for a 2 year degree. Yes, starting salary is ~$25/hr but you forget about the unlimited OT, 4 days off a week, and shift differential. It is easy as a young new nurse to come close to 6 figures. Plus, there is extreme job flexibility and room to grow.
Wow, I'm offended. Just because that's a good reason to become a nurse doesn't mean it's the only one. None of us are claiming to be saints or angels here. Human beings need to have jobs they enjoy. I will have whatever reason I want for joining the profession and it's pretty rude for you to take other people's honest confessions and turn it around on them. As long as the good patient care is taking place, it shouldn't matter why the person is doing it. Yuck. :spbox:
If every nurse was a completely sacrificing, loving and unselfish human being, we wouldn't need to get paid. I am so stinkin' thankful that every nurse I meet has a unique personality and unique reason (although we all have certain things in common) for getting into nursing. Love it when I hear one nurse talking to a patient about ocean kayaking (both the patient and nurse were kayakers) and then another nurse discussed the same patient's family when she saw a picture on the counter. It's awesome to be a hand holder but crucial to be competent no matter why you wanted to go to nursing school.
I never woke up one day and thought to myself that I should be a nurse because I have ALWAYS wanted to be a nurse. Around the age of 5 is when I knew that's what I wanted to do and I have never had a change of heart. Throughout junior high and high school, we would have a career day and no other career ever interested me. When I was little, I couldn't wait to get older so I could volunteer. Around the age of 13, I volunteered at a LTC facility. Read stories, played games and just visited the residents. When I was in high, I became a CNA. The ONLY thing I have ever wanted out of life was to have 4-5 children, be a stay at home mom and become a nurse. Currently, I have been a stay at home mom for the past 12 years. We also have 4 children and I will be starting Nursing School this fall. I guess you could say that I am working on my last goal, but I would also like to have my fifth child too! Whenever I see someone sick or in need of help, I just go right into a caring/helping mode and I don't think twice about. It's just natural for me! When I was in high school, my neighbor got cancer and I would go to help her wash her hair. It didn't feel funny or weird, it was just natural. Almost a year ago my uncle had a massive stoke and because of this, he is now a quadriplegic and cannot talk. Again, when this happened (I still do) I would go into the hospital room or LTC (depending on where he was) and jump right in. Fluff his pillows, make sure he is comfortable, fix his hands, feet and arms. Help my aunt give him a bath. And again it just felt natural. I also want to add that when this stroke occurred, I had not seen this uncle for 20 years because of family issues. But yet, I felt so comfortable to just jump in and help him the best way I knew how. I guess you could say that deep down, I feel this is what I was meant to be.
It is very rare to find another occupation where you matter as much to someone's life. A great nurse can make it a lot more tolerable in bad situations. A bad nurse can make an easy one miserable
this right here. every time i have thought of changing my major/quitting school altogether, something in the back of my mind tells me not to. i don't know what it is, but i know i am supposed to be a nurse. i want it more than anything i've ever wanted. i love helping people and will almost always go out of my way to do so. i've wanted to be a nurse since i was a little girl.
questioning one's feelings as to why they want to do something so great as being a nurse is kinda harsh. everyone has different reasons. they don't know why, they just do. :) i, myself, know i will be a nurse. i don't know why and i don't know how, but i just do.
i haven't started ns yet but i have two reasons:
1- i am easily bored and like an environment that is always changing.
2- i have never been able to picture myself doing anything else...it's just what i am supposed to do/be. same feelings i had when i decided to become a mother. i don't think i will ever regret either decision, even though both are tough, demanding choices.
Thank you for your post. I am going to be 100% honest with you. I swear to you none of what I'm writing is a joke. I am a 59 year old with a degree in biology. I lost my job during the financial meltdown. For a year I was depressed. I thought my life was over. I could not find a job. I made a list of potential career changes. Here it is:
Meth addict
Exterminator
Nursing
Hostage negotiator
I chose nursing. Took all my pre-reqs, took the GRE, blah, blah. Got my CNA to see if I could handle the work. Got into a combined degree program. Hated it. Transferred into a traditional 4 year BSN program (which will take me two and half years.) Went through a lot of agita over the past couple of years.
Every day was, and is, filled with constant relentless negative input. So what? Bring it on. A bird poops on my shoulder, I brush it off. Then I say "Next!" Because life is full of stuff that tries to grind human beings down.
Why am I doing this? Because I need a job, any job. But mainly because I like dealing with situtuations that seem impossible and I like helping people nobody else has the patience to deal with. I want to go into psychiatric nursing or gerontology.
My strength is my stubborness. I refuse to give up. I will be a great patient advocate. I don't mind doing laborious repetitive tasks. I like being able to make things better for people. I like listening to people. I love science and I love learning how our miraculously complex body works. I can always find a way to relate to a client and make them smile. Or make them feel better. Or make them feel less alone.
My mom is 84 and she still works. I want to work until I drop dead, because I love to work.
Now, do you think I made the right career choice? Maybe Meth addict would have been better. Or exterminator.
3) There will always be jobs for nurses. Just probably not your dream job in your ideal location.(I mean EVERYONE wants a job in Hawaii!) But there will be jobs:http://healthguideusa.org/careers/registered_nurse_job_outlook.htm
I like where I live quite a bit but I'm not sure it'd be my 100% ideal location and I'm willing to give it up just to try something new elsewhere. I don't think though that you could pay me enough to live in Hawaii. I felt isolated when I lived in Colorado, I can't imagine how isolated I'd feel in Hawaii.
Hospitals oddly make me happy. Doing my job, even as a student nurse, brings me a satisfaction that I cannot explain. $60,000 a year or so is fantastic for a 2 year degree. Yes, starting salary is ~$25/hr but you forget about the unlimited OT, 4 days off a week, and shift differential. It is easy as a young new nurse to come close to 6 figures. Plus, there is extreme job flexibility and room to grow.
Pretty much this. And the possibility of being a CRNA, which is the closest thing to my childhood dream of being an anesthesiologist.
Whenever I see someone sick or in need of help, I just go right into a caring/helping mode and I don't think twice about. It's just natural for me! When I was in high school, my neighbor got cancer and I would go to help her wash her hair. It didn't feel funny or weird, it was just natural. Almost a year ago my uncle had a massive stoke and because of this, he is now a quadriplegic and cannot talk. Again, when this happened (I still do) I would go into the hospital room or LTC (depending on where he was) and jump right in. Fluff his pillows, make sure he is comfortable, fix his hands, feet and arms. Help my aunt give him a bath. And again it just felt natural. I also want to add that when this stroke occurred, I had not seen this uncle for 20 years because of family issues. But yet, I felt so comfortable to just jump in and help him the best way I knew how. I guess you could say that deep down, I feel this is what I was meant to be.
EricJRN, MSN, RN
1 Article; 6,683 Posts
Intense interest in diseases and science, with lots of flexibility built into nursing. I like the fact that every day is different, and that I could change jobs or specialties without a prolonged period of retraining.
Financially, it made sense for me because I live in a low-cost area that also pays nurses pretty well. I knew that, by being open to things like F/T night weekend work, I could make well above average money within two years of graduation.
My experiences as a frequent patient definitely shaped my desire. You're right that each patient's experience is unique and that that can't be the entire basis for a person's nursing practice. Most of my coworkers - and certainly my patients' families -will never know about my experiences with numerous childhood surgeries, as that isn't really appropriate. But that experience does give me a personal connection to my work, and that's important to me, while it might not be to someone else.
It's perfectly okay to vent about the some of the ridiculousness that you encountered in nursing school. I think you'll find that your vents would have plenty of company. Venting is actually a lot of what we do. Pretty much all of our active members know that nursing education and nursing practice are very much still flawed entities. While most of us have made it through school and still work as nurses, some people go other routes - and that's cool with us.