Why did you take up nursing? What's your story?

Every nurse has their own story to tell about how or why they chose to enter the nursing profession. Some may have been inspired by a personal experience with healthcare, while others may have been drawn to the idea of caring for others. Some may have stumbled upon nursing by chance, while others knew from a young age that it was their calling. Whatever the reason, each nurse has a unique narrative that led them to become a caregiver. These stories are a testament to the diversity and passion within the nursing community and the profound impact that healthcare can have on our lives.

Please be as detailed or as short as you wish. It'll be interesting to hear everyone's stories.

Left school,

Worked as a draughtsman,

Trained and qualified as a building surveyor,

Got married,

Made redundant,

Self employed surveying and draughting,

Hard to find work,

Divorced,

Looking for any regular job with accomodation (in the sixties),

Became a live-in student psychiatric nurse,

(I was told that I could live in and train and get paid - just what I needed!), Qualified as a psychiatric nurse (RMN) then went on to mental and physically handicap,

Finally (So I thought!),

General nursing, becoming a RN.

Followed by specialities - Paediatrics, Theatres, A&E, Community, Aged Care .

Aged Care, that's the area of nursing where I still work in today,

37 years of nursing, and proud of it!

OK so I am 63 going on 64.

(I am told that most surveyors either retire before 60, become a psychogeriatric, or die! I never ever met a happy old surveyor, or a happy old rich one!)

I would do nearly all of it again, (perhaps leave out the divorce bit and not be such a rebel!)

Love all you nurses - you are very special and "one of a kind" :nurse:

Mister Chris :specs:

I may write a book one day :idea:

My mom, aunts, and 2 cousins are nurses. I always told my mom I would not follow in her footsteps because it was gross.

I grew up, got married, had children and realized I wanted a carrier not just a job. I told my husband one night I was going to nursing school and he supported my decision 100%. I had to wait 10 monthes for the program to start so I got my prereq's and graduated 12/04.

melissa

Specializes in Pain Mgmt.

My first marriage was coming to an end and the local nursing program was converting from LPN to ADN curriculum and advertising for candidates. I thought nursing might be a good place to meet chicks. No joke. To my surprise, the work turned out to be unexpectedly gratifying. (And I have met some wonderful women along the way, too.)

Because I was too lazy to continue premed/med school.

To marry a doc.

I did it for all the prestige and respect...

OK now seriously...it seemed a smart choice for a career and a job that would always be needed....I can always find work. People are always sick...LOL!

Specializes in Behavioral Health, Show Biz.

LIGHTS!

CAMERA!

ACTION!

Mother: When grow up, what do you want to be?

ME: Hairdresser or nurse.

Mother: Why?

ME: Because they both wear white and help people.

CUT!

:rotfl:

YES. I was attracted to the white uniforms back then during the 19'.... NO. I can't do hair to save my or anyone's life. So... I became a nurse.

I LOVE NURSING. The caretaker role is deeply rooted in my personality and the profession offers opportunitunties, options, flexibilty! HEY, if you're having a BAD HAIR DAY, my clinical expertise in psych nursing can serve you well.

Who needs a bad hairdresser, anyway? :rotfl:

Specializes in Nursing Instructor.
Everyone has his or her own story about how or why they became a nurse. What's your story?

Please be as detailed or as short as you wish. It'll be interesting to hear everyone's stories.

Growing up, my mother as obsessed with one of us three girls becoming a nurse. She had quit nursing school 2 months before graduation and always regretted her decision. Well, being the rebellious teenager that I was, I wanted to do ANYTHING but what she wanted me to do. So when I enrolled in college back in 1990, I was an Elementary Education major. 3 months into my college career, I was pregnant with my oldest child. I dropped out of school, got married and had another child. 5 years later, my husband at the time was stationed at Ft Hood and we had a friend who was expecting her first baby all alone. Her husband was deployed to Korea and was not going to make it home for the birth. We got to be pretty close and she asked me if I would be her L&D coach. Her due date was approaching and she came over one day and I noticed that her feet and face were pretty swollen. I loaded her into the car and took her in.... her BP was something like 210/140... In comes the mag sulfate drip and the pitocin to start her labor.

After 8 hours of labor and her puking right down the front of me, her beautiful son was born. Seeing a delivery from that aspect told me right then and there that I wanted to be part of this process. I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do.

However, I was married to an emotionally abusive idiot who told me how stupid, fat, ugly, lazy etc.... that I was constantly. Every time I brought up going back to school he brought up going to get his masters.

A year later, I had left him and was living with my parents and seeing someone else.

This someone else and I eventually got married, had another child and were living happily ever after.

One night in 1999, we were laying in bed talking and I was telling him how unhappy I was being a housewife. Nothing wrong with it, it just is not for me. I need to be doing something. After being married to the previous idiot, I realized that I was none of those things he had called me. My husband now said to me Do you really want to go to school? And I replied that of course, I did.... his words... Then get off your A$$ and do it!!

Within a month I had been admitted back to the same school I had left in 1991. For my mother's 50th birthday I gave her my letter of acceptance to nursing school and she cried like a baby. A few months later, my husband urging me to go all the way and try pre-med (he is amazing that way) I was watching an episode of Maternity Ward on TLC. There was a nurse carrying a 23 weeker to the parents so they could say their goodbyes. He turned to the camera and said The difference between me (meaning himself the nurse) and the doctor, is that the docs treat the illness, the nurses treat the patients. That statement had a profound impact on me and I knew that nursing school was the right choice for me.

When my mother died 2 years later, I almost quit. I could not deal with losing her and school at the same time. But my family convinced me that I needed to continue... she would have expected it of me.

I went to nursing school for many reasons... To become a CNM (which I am still working on, just graduated in May passed boards in July) To take care of my family, but most of all I think it was to help my mother's dreams come true. I think about her often when I am at work and I hope that she sees me and sees how happy I am (most of the time lol) and knows that I would not be there if it were not for her.

I helped take care of my grandmother after she had a stroke.I was 15 at the time.Then 1 year later went to a convalescent down the street and applied for the CNA class,after a friend told me about it(she was working there).And then have been working as a CNA ever since...but going for my LVN soon. :)

Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.

I was an art major and had figured out that it was not what i wanted to do and felt lost. i was reading a horror novel one day and one of the main characters turned her life around and became a nurse in it. it seemed so sturdy and respectable. i just decided right then and there i would become a nurse, even though i had no idea what they did. i always wonder if i hadn't read that book what my life would be like today?

I can remember being 4 or 5 and driving my cousins crazy because instead of playing "house" I always wanted to play "nurse". My dolls all had some illness that needed my specialized skills.

I got my first job as a nursing assistant when I was 16 and worked my way through college. It felt like "home".

There was never any other choice for me... I always knew... and I have never regretted it. Sounds sappy, but it's more of a calling than a career.

When we took the tests as Juniors in high school that are supposed to tell you what you would be good at- the results said I should take a technical desk job- like a secretary. I laughed at that- I cannot sit still for 30 minutes much less 9 to 5.

I knew I wanted to help people.(stupid thing is kids in my freshman year gave me a hard time for choosing a major for this reason- what did they know? and glad I did not listen) I thought I should be a PT.

When I get to college I was babysitting for a PT and read through some of the course books on their shelf. I realized that they sort of "hit and run"- and that they cause an amount of discomfort while they are at it. - this was my perception, I love the PTs I work with now. - I did not want to burn enough midnight oil to earn the 4.0 I would have needed to get into the PT program either. So I went through the course book a few times and realized that Nursing is what I needed. NO regrets about the choice. The reward is in the thank you's pts and their familes give.

It has also been quite nice to get a job easily every time we have moved. I have had paychecks from 7 different hodpitals in 17 years in 3 states. The flexiblity and the payscale do not come with every profession.

I was working as a full time paramedic for a small county that wasn't paying very much at all. Then they had to double insurance premiums and I couldn't afford to work there anymore. Started working in an ER as a tech never intending to go into nursing...just to make money. But ran into a few nurses who were there just for the money. They didn't have any compassion or empathy for the patients. The last straw for me (my decision to go into nursing) came when I asked a nurse if he could please give the patient the medication that had been ordered over an hour ago by the doc...his response was "There are more important things going on than that." That just blew me away. How could anyone be in nursing and not care?! That was it....I knew I could be a better nurse than that person ever could be and that started it. I just graduated from nursing school today and will be awaiting the paper trail so that I can take my NCLEX. I will be working in the same ER where I have been a tech for the past 4 years and am looking forward to it.

At first, I really hate this nursing course...I dreamed of becoming a computer engineer or a computer scientist then...but there came a point in my life when my closest friend got sick, because of poverty, he was just admitted in a regional hospital...and some of the staff nurses there were really insensitive to the needs of their patient...as if their patients are burdens to them and they'd rather gossip than attending to their patient's needs...aseptic techniques were at times violated and there was poverty of nursing care given...I really felt so horrible because I knew nothing that can help my friend's condition...I knew in my heart that his condition was not that severe but because of those nurses not doing their job...my friend died...and I vowed right there and then that I will become a great nurse someday and I'm gonna serve my patient's wholeheartedly no matter who they are and their station in life...an act of service that was not given to my closest friend...

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