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.

I have always wanted to be a nurse, from when I was very little! I even had one of those little outfits with the cape and everything!! Its a great job, and like any other it has its down side, but there is nothing else I would ever see myself doing. It has enabled me to meet some fantastic people, and travel the world doing so.

Specializes in CCU,SICU,CVICU,Burn Unit.

I had a dream of running down a street with Florence Nightingale following me, while I screamed " I want to be a nurse!". I woke up my ex-husband screaming " I want to be a nurse!" So I became a nurse. True story.

I always wanted to be a nurse and I've never been sorry. I never even had second thoughts when women were being told that they "could be more than just nurses or teachers". Of course in the beginning I wanted to be like Mother Teresa and save the world; these days I settle for making a difference in anyone's life.

I love it when folks ask me why I became a nurse.

I have known since I was the age of 12 that I was going to be a nurse. There was never any questions. I remember the guidance counselor in high school trying to convince me that I should to to medical school. The thought never crossed my mind.

I have been a nurse since 1978 and I have never had a bad year. I have enjoyed many different aspects of my career though there is truly nothing better than taking care of patients.

My aunt who recently died was my role model. She graduated from school in 1941, when there was so little food and the like, she worked only a short period of time, but she was the most intelligent nurse I have ever met.

I think about her often and hope that I can continue to do her proud

:kiss

I'm not a nurse yet, just a hopeful who lurks to learn about the profession.

But I'd like to answer anyway, because for so long I had no idea what I wanted to do!

My mom is a nurse, and so is my aunt. But I didn't really consider it for myself. As a kid, I never knew what I wanted to do. As a teen, the only thing I could imagine doing was nursing but at the time I found that extremely defeating - I didn't want to follow in my mom's footsteps.

I got married straight out of highschool, I didn't go to college because I figured it'd be a waste if I had no goal. My husband is several years older than me and so already had a degree and could support me, and the baby we had nine months later, and then our second daughter two years later. So I just went straight into the stay-at-home-mom career you could say. :D

All while the kids were toddlers, my mom tried to talk me into nursing school, she said I'd make an excellent nurse and would find great satisfaction in it. I still resisted nursing, but I did take some general night classes. While doing a research project in a sociology class I learned a great deal about homeschooling and so dropped out of school because I decided to homeschool my kids.

Last year, my husband finally put his foot down and said he wants our kids in school, but I'm dead set against public schools so we compromised: I'll homeschool until our kids are accepted into a local charter school.

Knowing I would soon be kid free during the day, I began to wonder what I'll do with myself! My mom, of course, suggested nursing. I'd gained back respect for my mom through therapy recently and was able to forgive her for being a drunk when I was a kid (she became sober when I was 9 but I still begrudged her all that time) so this time I actually considered her proposal and saw that nursing is the only thing I can see myself doing, in fact, could ever see myself doing but I'd refused because I didn't want to give my mom the satisfaction! How...oi. Anyway, I'm glad I forgave her.

Now I'm eagerly waiting for my kids (who are nearly nine and seven) to go to school so I can too! I can't imagine any other job being satisfying for myself. I want to help others. And, I've always loved the bawdy humor of nurses. :)

Jess

I think it was because I was just nosy and wanted to know everybody else's business!!! And what a way to do it!!!!

I'm a SPN right now... what inspired me was the NICU nurse who took care of my son when he passed on. she was so compassionate and attentive. she was absolutely amazing. the nurse I had in the delivery room that had to help w/ the spinal before the C-section was a nightmare. She was mean, rude, and had no bedside manner....had me in tears. so the combination of the two is what inspired me. I did medical insurance for almost 8 yrs, they closed our office almost a year after my son passed and I took it as a sign from the "big person upstairs" that I needed to pursue a career in nursing and to give back what I had be given by the NICU nurse.

:cool: It all started when I was 5 yrs old. I had my first ER experience at age 3. I had to have my ear sutured, which was halfway torn off by the family dog, and the only time I cried when it happened. During the trip to the ER, I sat in the back seat with anticipation of what I would see. I never cried during the suturing, but was upset because I couldn't see what the MD was doing. My Dad has a picture of me standing in the lobby, looking around in awe. At age 5, I told my parents I wanted to be a nurse. I started to receive those little nurses kits for Christmas and I would put my siblings to bed and play nurse. During high school I was in the Future Nurses Club and we put in hours at the local hospital doing minor pt care and taking TPR's. We had taken a class with our school nurse and were allowed to have this pt contact, wearing the old fashioned candy-striper uniform. After that, I knew I had to find a Nursing School and entered college the fall of the year I graduated high school. Been doing it for more than 30 years and just recently added some spice by completing a Forensic Nursing course on line. I don't always like who I'm working for, but still love my job. :clown:
Specializes in Med-Surg, ICU.

I had no desire or thoughts about being a nurse in HS, but at 25 yrs. old, I decided it was silly not to try Nursing, and I have been at it now for 24years. I tell all the new nurses that hospital nursing is very hard: whether in an ICU or on a floor, and the long hours, poor-pay and lack of respect you get from the general public is all part of it.

But I am damn proud that my daughter is a freshman in a BSN prgram. I am damn proud that I am an RN as well, and I have the bad back of a 20+ years of night-shift and poor-staffing to prove it! :wink2:

THE JOB IS TRULY REWARDING IN WAYS ONLY A NURSE CAN UNDERSTAND.

Well my story is as real as real can get. I was addicted to prescription pills I was getting from my dr. After two years of addiction I went into rehab. At that time I was a Human Resources Secretary. My first night in detox I was frightened and scared and all alone. I didn't know what to do. I was just standing in the hallway with no direction. I felt like I didn't belong there. I was way better than all of the other addicts in there. I was absolutely broken.

A nurse her name is Theresa noticed my awkwardness and grabbed my hand. She took me to my room, sat on my bed and started talking. She told me about her past addictions and her family and how she pulled herself out of the depths of depression which was exactly where I was at. Our stories were so similar it was too wierd. We went out back and she shared a cigarette with me (I never smoked before rehab, but I do now). Anyway she lit a fire in me and ever since that one night Ihave wanted to become a nurse. I want to work with other addicts or mental patients.

So that's my story.

Well I really never thought about going to Nursing school, It was way out of my choices then... but circumstances brought me in to it and thats when I found Nursing to be challlenging... THE "Medical Surgical Nursing, Psychiatric, Pediatrics, Geria"....etc... all there is to learn about human..packed in one big package.... but hey... I've been working a little over 7 years and I never felt bored nor made my life miserable... rewarding in all ways...

Have you ever felt wanted?... have you ever felt complete after a whole days work... helping someone is a different kind of experience you'll ever make in you life... and my life too..:kiss :Melody:

From the time that I was a little girl and asked santa for my Nancy Nurse doll I wanted to be a nurse, Life got in my way and a father who believed that "woman went to college to just to get a husband " and that was just" a poor investment" I married had a son, worked in factories then I decided to look into the LPN program at 35, with my husband and a great mother in law who would give you the shirt off her back encouragement, I quit my factory job went to school got my LPN and have been with the same local NH since I love taking care of so and so's grandma. aunt , mom, dad ect and knowing that the community I am from feels the same way, things have changed so much since I first started but Im happy that I gave it a try, no matter how hard some days can be, I know I get to touch special peoples lives everyday, It is so rewarding.

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