Why do you do what you do and DON'T do what you don't do?

i always tell students to ask that of every nurse they ever encounter, because somewhere in there something will resonate. my example:

"oh, i just love labor/delivery/postpartum dyad care! what a great opportunity to get a new family off to a good start, establish breastfeeding, most of the patients are so happy and healthy, if they are happy now it's a beginning of a relationship with our hospital for whatever they need later ... can't beat it, i'll never do anything else.":heartbeat

vs.:

"oh my sweet patootie, if i never see ob again it'll be too soon. tits and fundi and peri pads and meconium and those whiny b***** with their eight-page birth plans and the mothers and mothers-in-law in the way tripping over all those germy flower arrangements .... yeeck, get me outta here!":mad:

as for me,

i work for myself because i love the autonomy, i love the work because it makes me see new things every week, i like problem-solving and explaining and life care planning works like that in spades.

i would never go back to floor nursing at my age, but when i was younger and did work in hospitals i preferred icu because while i didn't mind (well, not too much) working hard all day long without a break but i hated like hell wasting my time running up and down long hallways, and i felt more comfortable knowing everything about one or two patients than not too much about ten.

next?