This is my story on how I chose the wonderful profession of nursing. My decision to pursue nursing took a bachelor's degree in another field and life and work experience to solidify my career choice. I am very excited for the journey ahead!
I have about five minutes left in my shift for the day as an operating room attendant but I will not be clocking out once the clock strikes 6:00pm. Instead, I am still on the medical surgical floor of the hospital waiting to transport a patient down to surgery.
This assignment started off as usual, a coworker and myself made our way up the elevator to the specified floor, received the patient's chart from the nurse and introduced ourselves to the patient. The only difference between this patient and the others I had previously encountered during my internship with the hospital so far is that the patient is now refusing to go through with the procedure. Undergoing surgery is usually not a tranquil experience, especially knowing after you wake up from the anesthesia both of your legs will no longer be there. I learned that the patient has refused twice before, and that this final refusal could cost the patient's life.
After introducing myself and learning that the patient is not having the surgery, I make my way to the hallway to let the nurse know the patient's decision. Before the nurse arrives so I can relay the message, I am called back into the room by one of the medical assistants who states that the patient wants to talk with me.
I am asked a simple question, "should I do this?" and after 30 minutes of encouragement I am heading back down the elevator with the patient to the operating room who went through with the surgery and is now able to experience life once again.
Before this experience I knew I would find myself in some aspect of healthcare, but the specific field wasn't made certain until then. At that moment I knew I not only wanted to be able to encourage others to make healthy decisions, I wanted to understand the inner workings of their health issues and be instrumental in their treatment and recovery. Nurses are healthcare providers that excel in this area and I would like to excel in providing care as well.
My fascination with life and the body has been fueled by the college classes I took which eventually led to a bachelors of science in biology but the interaction with patients during my internship solidified my desire to be a nurse. Becoming a nurse is a wonderful way to utilize the science of life and my passion for the betterment of people. I admire the special relationships nurses are able to build with their patients which leads to more trust from the patients and ultimately a higher quality of care.
Ever since I set my heart on the nursing profession, I have found ways to gain more insight into the career and work my way toward nursing school. About a week and a half after my internship at the hospital, I was accepted into a certified nurse aide program and trained for five weeks to obtain certification in the state of Tennessee.
During my training as a nurse aide I learned how to properly obtain patients' vitals, correctly chart patient input and output, assist with activities of daily living, and look for changes in the conditions of patients. Upon completion of the nurse aide course I was hired by the training facility and for 8 months have been working in the memory care unit. I have gained invaluable experience from this job from working with eight to nine patients at a time, practicing time management, using teamwork with the nurses and other healthcare providers, and ensuring optimal care to all my patients and their families.
Through all the experience I have gained and time spent with other nurses, my passion to become a nurse continues to be cultivated. I hope to one day have the unique opportunity to bring about healing and wholeness to others.
I believe in today's healthcare all of the usual and common reasons need to be secondary.
What needs to come first is a desire and very high tolerance to being hard pressed and pushed to perform doing more with less when fatigued in a customer focused market.
If you thrive in those conditions then look to see if you want to provide physical and emotional care in some type of team environment while impacting lives.
You said a big piece of it: I like helping people. However, I really like helping people in an immediate, tangible way. I can help make a patient comfortable right now in the moment (positioning someone in bed; listening to their story; giving pain relief, etc.). I also love the teaching aspect of nursing. I thought for a time I wanted to be a pharmacist but then I realized what I love is teaching people how to properly take their medication which is more of a nursing responsibility since we have more face time with the patients. I also like nursing because you continually need to educate yourself (new medications, a disease process you have never seen, new procedures, new tests, etc.). And I also like the hands-on aspect of nursing. It might sound weird to some but I love placing IVs, drawing blood and such.
I was doing shutdown work, which required me being gone a lot, 2-3 months at a time, when my dad became extremely ill. I made real good money doing it and had a good bit in savings. So I quit my job to help mom take care of him during the last year of his life. My mom was and is totally blind. I lived off my savings during that time frame. Once my father passed away, I picked up the paper because it was time for me to return to the working class, just to see what was offered locally, because I really didn't want to go back to traveling and being gone all the time. During which, I seen nursing job after nursing job being listed. I said to my self, "Well if I could take care of my dad, surely I can take care of other people's loved one." So I went and applied to college in nursing and have been nursing ever since. While I have enjoyed much of my career, it's not as fun as it used to be, but for the most part I still enjoy it.
Unfortunately, i have no story about a family member that was in the hospital that led me to this career. I also don't really consider it a calling either. I like to critically think and the specific skills set that i have as a nurse is kinda....fun...for me. I like to vent ventriculostomy drains, start iv's, titrate drips...ect. I enjoy learning new things everyday and helping people is just a plus
If you want to go way back in my life to find out why I was drawn to nursing, I can tell you right now the initial pull was because as a kid I always thought it was soooooo cool that nurses got to wear scrubs. I was 4 or 5, and a 4 or 5 year old female brain sees a group of people crossing the street in front of a hospital parking lot--all dressed in pretty pink scrubs--and it thinks "I want to be them". Idk, the idea just stuck to me ever since then.
I've always found myself in the role of a caretaker. Being the oldest child of divorced parents, I helped with my family a lot. I did a lot of babysitting. Now, I do a lot of professional babysitting to pay bills while I'm in school. I can't imagine myself not taking care of somebody in some regard. It's all I know how to do. Nothing sounds more soul sucking to me than a 9-5 M-F desk job.
The money aspect played a huge part in why I chose nursing. I do have a natural drive to nurture people in need of nurturing, but I'd do it a lot less if I weren't being paid. I grew up poor and the idea of being financially comfortable (Not rich--there's a difference) is more than comforting to me.
I decided I didn't want to be a starving artist. No really, I was a vocal student considering graduate work in music history (I have a huge interest in pre-Baroque)... and thinking about job prospects was scary. Also, working that hard at singing was starting to suck out my joy in it.
I was working as a CNA during my breaks though, and loved it. So I decided to change majors and go in the nursing direction. I have no regrets! I absolutely love being an RN!
Lol I was a music ed major with a violin concentration. Music and nursing are actually compared to each other as degree programs due to the sheer amount of work, dedication and commitment one must give to it. I figured if I will put this kind of work into a degree, I want to be compensated for it after I graduate. I took a few years and jumped into nursing.
I went to nursing, because it's a safe job. There are always care needing people. The job is not based on oilprice, stockexcange, weather or what else. --- I hope, the system will not be trumped down.
I really wanted to be a teacher. At the time teaching was a popular career choice (yes I know times have changed) so jobs in education were scarce. I went into nursing because I wanted job security and a decent income. Now I teach nursing to others. Nursing offers lots of options in it other than patient care. All nursing is related to patient care in some way whether it is bedside, infomatics, education, or something else. It is a great career option with unlimited possibilities.
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I was a journalism major, working three jobs at a time to make it through school. I was the first in my family to go to college; my father drove me to my high school graduation practice telling me he thought I should "make sure that boyfriend gives you a ring for graduation because you'll never make it through college." I remember paging through the newspaper looking for a fourth job for the summer so I could (hopefully) save enough money for the next semester and seeing page after page of ads for nurses. There were no ads for journalists. Then I got a Basic Education Opportunity Grant letter telling me my tuition would be paid for the next year and all I had to do was declare a nursing major. I grabbed at the chance, figuring I could always change my major BACK but I fell in love with physiciology.
Nursing has been an interesting, challenging, flexible and stable career. I've had a great life with a modest house of my own, reliable vehicles (and the money to fix them when they need it), and the ability to retire in my 60s. Journalism might have been more exciting, but I think I got the life I really wanted. I wouldn't go back and change things if I could.
No really, I was a vocal student considering graduate work in music history (I have a huge interest in pre-Baroque)... and thinking about job prospects was scary. Also, working that hard at singing was starting to suck out my joy in it.
Libby1987
3,726 Posts
I believe in today's healthcare all of the usual and common reasons need to be secondary.
What needs to come first is a desire and very high tolerance to being hard pressed and pushed to perform doing more with less when fatigued in a customer focused market.
If you thrive in those conditions then look to see if you want to provide physical and emotional care in some type of team environment while impacting lives.