Why are you REALLY going into nursing? Honest answers please.

[Sheri257]

Ok, I'm a bit frustrated with all of these posts telling us that we shouldn't go into nursing because we need a job and steady income. Sure, I do like to help people, but I need a steady job even more. So, I decided to post a poll to see if we can get some honest answers.

[Nicole Anderson]

1. Variety, if I get bored with one department I can always move to a different one.

2. Physically active, not sitting behind a desk all day staring at a computer.

3. This may seem weird, but when my daughter was in the NICU for RSV, there was something about the whole hospital atmosphere that kinda "spoke" to me. It just felt comfortable, almost like a homey feeling that said THIS is where I belong.

4. A good fit for my talents in science and math and empathetic nature.

5. Decent income, possiblities for advancement and relocation, hopefully someday to someplace a little warmer than Illinois! (I HATE winter.)

[jennafezz]

- My mom has worked in health care since before I was born.. various jobs, like administrative work, lab tech, and now medical assistant. She has always talked a lot about her jobs and I basically grew up thinking about the health care industry as a great and interesting place to work.

- I have had psoriasis since I was a toddler, and I used to go to a special research center twice a week to get various treatments for it, throughout my whole childhood. The nurses there became like my second family. They were so sweet and caring and made the gross experience of getting tar smeared all over me a whole lot better. This is what sparked my interest in nursing in particular. I spent so much time in clinical settings when I was younger that hospitals/clinics/etc feel very comfortable to me.

- I like the combination of variety, flexibility, and stability that nursing offers.

- I really just want to be part of the healing process. Healing and recovery is so fascinating to me and I think I would get so much personal fulfillment from helping people to feel better.

[ok2bme]

I had no interest in nursing...but then I realized, "hey, in one year (Accelerated BSN program) I can have another bachelor's degree, and a job that has decent stability and hours as I pursue my true career, clinical psychology"

Here I am..Acc BSN grad, in PhD program for clinical psych, working as a weekend prn psych nurse. Nursing is not a calling for me, I chose it for practical reasons, but I am very very happy with the path I took!

[~KelRN~]

I took care of animals before going into nursing school. What drove me into nursing school was losing my dad. I think that I have always loved taking care of people, but before he died he told me I was always so comforting, and I want to do that for others.

[reeta116]

I want to be a nurse because i have always been interested in the human body and how it works. I like to help people, and that makes me feel good to help other people. I like the fact that there is so many different things that you could do with a nursing degree, and last because i do not have time to go to school to be a doctor so i will just be a nurse.:redpinkhe

[cmonkey]

Deleted

[S22006]

I'm starting nursing school in the fall, and I have wanted to do this for years due to the kindness and compassion that nurses have had for my family during difficult times (father having quadruple bypass, etc.). I'm excited and happy to give back to the community! :)

[JBGC4]

This post is OLD!!! lol

I went into nursing b/c I want to be a good role model for my daughter. I'm also a realist. Marriages don't always last forever. I hope mine does and I think it will, but that is a HUGE gamble for a woman w/ two children. Protection.

[Donald11]

I'm going into nursing because of the relatively good pay, the job security, and the option of choosing from dozens of different career paths. Many people think that as a nurse you just get stuck in some sweat shop style hospital where you work 12 hour shifts and get worked like a slave, but that is hardly the case. There are SO MANY paths for nurses.

[DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN]

Honestly I was in medical school years ago and was too sick to complete it. Went into another industry did well blah blah blah. Several years ago I had an acute illness and was in ICU for about a month, then step down for a wee while longer. That made me decide to go to nursing school.

What I learned was that nurses were not remotely what I had assumed (I won't say what I assumed -- suffice to say that it wasn't respectful). The critical care and step down nurses were truly impressive, smart and knowledgeable. Also, much more autonomous that I had ever imaged. Now as I meet more nurses I am glad I have chosen to switch back into the medical field as a nurse.

[2blessings]

My reasons:

Job security and flexibility

Good to great pay (depending on specialty)

[css62]

Initially, I agree, it was all about the money and the job securtiy. I had been laid off from a factory job I really liked. I needed the shortest possible course of action that still would give me as good an income as I made in factory and more stability. I grew up wanting to be a teacher. Never acheived that. So I checked at the local community college and was told about nursing program. I was never really interested in nursing because I believe in holism, I really thought it would become a conflict of interest. I have decided to combine my lifelong dream of becoming a teacher with the stability of nursing. I am getting my ADN which will hopefully pay my way thru til my MSN which will allow me to teach nursing. So, while yes I began this journey for the money (afterall, how many of us would be going into nursing for 7.25 an hour) and for the security, I am sticking to it because I really want to teach nursing. I am hoping that I can introduce holism into whatever setting I end up in. It is also an up and coming modality so I hope to be able to incorporate it into my teaching as well.