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.

Heck some days I don't remember. But to be honest I started as an aide and thought it was a cruse course in high school Yeah right!:uhoh21: Doctored my dolls when they were small.

My first day as an aide consisted of the hugest decubeitus I ever saw on no joke a 700 pound women could put my elbow in it .I worried every time she rolled over and bent the side rail all the way down to get on her side to use the bed pan.

Then the ward nurse's played a mean joke on me by sending me in to take vitals on a dead man, got in the room and he had no pulse anywhere no BP no breath fog against the mirror. We used to carry a mirror .So I Put on the call bell and told the nurses the PT appeared to be deceased; they may want to come check this out. They were laughing.

Then my 3 patient had a double mastectomy at age 24 the cancer had gone all the way though to the lungs all ready really gross looking.

I figured if I could get though this day I could get through anything and got into nursing.

Diane

not to sound korny but reading your story gave me a bit of hope. i find myself in the same boat that you've been in. it's taking me forever to finish the pre-requisites. i'm trying to get through it...slowly but getting through it! i work a full time job at a doctor's office & i'm married. so, nursing school is a bit hard to fit in to my life. i finally got into a good nursing program but had to stop because of ...well...as you said "life got in the way." i should have never stopped. i'd be an rn by now..:( well, i'm going to try again. its what i want more than anything. i'm going to do it. lol...thanks!

when i was a kid i wanted to become a doctor...my father told me that to become one i need to take preparatory course..one of the choices is nursing and i said to myself..a nurse i would be...however when i was in high school nursing job boomed..and almost everyone wanted to become a nurse with almost the same reason..a greener pasture..to earn dollars..so,i said to myself i wanted to be different..i won't take up nursing..i wanted to be a mass comuunication student..whether a journalist or broadcaster..(i'm not sure):roll ..but under a certain circumstance i ended taking up nursing..but it doesn't matter anymore..even if this is not my choice..im enjoying being a student nurse..i love to go on duty in the hospital and even in the community..i feel good if i'm able to help anyone..and i like doing return demonstrations..and they say..nurses have the TLC..tender loving care..:nurse:

Specializes in pure and simple psych.

Dear Celest. I'm so sorry that that jerk of a sorry sort of doctor started you on such a hard path. Speaking of attny sorts, how about calling one to charge the doc with defamation of character and jeopardizing your income??? And you are right, many new nurses don't have the basic skills that we were taught. (Grad 1968) Seems that they have theories and not practice.

Also won't let the "nurse" in my doctor's office give me in injection. She's a PA, not a nurse. Petty, probably, but I take an Rx home to my partner, a real RN. (Canadian Diplomat). Hope all works out with you. You are right. You have a clear reasonable thought process, laid out your story in a clear and succinct manner. Take your blog entry to an attny.

Specializes in pure and simple psych.

Forensic nursing is the psychiatric sub-speciality working with those who have broken the law and are mentally ill, or the area of nursing that collects evidence from crime victims in order to find the person who assaulted them. I'm in the first field.

Specializes in Combat Support Hospital; Geriatrics.

Growing up, I either wanted to be a soldier like my Grandpa or become a doctor. I tried joining the army as an infantryman, but since I wanted to become doctor as well, I ended up becoming a combat medic (medical specialist) and figured I would jump start my life using that route. Well, I only got up to becoming an LVN :chuckle and will probably become an RN sometime soon (2 classes away from getting into the RN program).

Hmmm maybe I can still get into med school, but I'd rather buy a house, get a wife and a bunch of ankle biters instead.:rolleyes:

You know that saying: "Shoot for the stars, you'll atleast end up in the moon" or some crap like that.

At age 14, I was diagnosed with scoliosis. Wore a back brace for 3.5 years, but ended up with having back surgery anyway. The nurses were super-nice to me, especially since I was an 18 year old stuck in a children's hospital!

Orginally went to college as a pharmacy major, but lasted 6 whole weeks - math and chemistry just weren't my things. My best friend and my boyfriend's sister-in-law were involved in nursing, so I though I'd try that. My dad and a family friend gave me grief about it and I had a nursing instructor tell me to get out of nursing; all of which made me try all the harder.

Anyway, it's almost 20 years later and I'm still an RN. I've worked med-surg, OB, public health, school nursing, and now I'm in home health. Wouldn't trade my career for anything!

Cindy

I knew from the time I was very, very young that I wanted to be a nurse. I can't tell you why, except I knew I wanted to take care of people. Maybe it was because my mother was very ill from the time I was about 2 1/2 years old until she died at the age of 25 and I was 3 yrs old. She knew I wanted to be a nurse and so did my father when he was killed 2 yrs later in Vietnam when I was 5. So that desire for becoming a nurse, and being an excellent one, has never left me. Being a nurse is such a huge part of my identity, I just love it. I know from experience that there are always ups and downs in any job, but mostly I can say my experiences have been good ones and I wouldn't ever choose any other career. Nursing is in my blood!

Specializes in Neuro Surgical ICU.

To be honest in high school I wanted to work with computers since I loved them so much but once I realized how much math I'd have to take and I saw how I struggled with math in high school I thought about another career. My dad knows a lady in my church who is the dean of nursing and she spoke to me about nursing and I must say after talking to her I realized that nursing is for me. I just felt this tug at my heart that I need to go and help people even if it means just sitting and talking with them I want to help others. So here I am about to finish my BS in June and I'm actually hoping to get a job in March and work my way towards flight nursing. So sure I haven't started working yet and I'm not in th real world but soon and very soon is what I keep telling myself I shall be there.

When my sister was in 6th grade and I was in 8th she was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and rushed into emergency surgery because she had a total bowel obstruction. We lived in and out of Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio for quite some time due to all her complications with flare ups, bleeds, and more surgery. She was on TPN at home for almost a year and I really fell in love with nursing and most of all pediatrics. I learned alot while helping take care of her. :nurse: I'm now 25 and currently a nurse educator and staff nurse on a Step Down Unit. I've worked at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital and CHKD in Norfolk, VA. I still love peds and can't wait to get back with kids. They have been such an inspiration in my life.

hey guys, i've been wanting to be a nurse since i was six years old, and now that im soon to graduate from high school, i am going to pursue nursing school as dreamed and i have to fill out a self-appraisal form to get in. i'm looking for some inspiration for the questions on the form becuase i am finding them somewhat difficult. i was hoping i could get some comments from your guys becuase you are nurses and probably have already filled out this form or something close to it. i will list the 3 questions hoping to get help from you guys so i can fill the form out the best way i can.

1. Briefly describe any interests, hobbies, and volunteer work in which you are/have been involved. Note the type and extent of your involvement.

2. Describe your strengths and a situation that relfects your use of these strengths.

3. What particular aspects of nursing most interest you?

any comments at all are more than welcomed, you can email me if you want to it should show my email address somewhere, i can't post it because i don't think i'm allowed. thanks guys. :)

-Ashley

Lost a bet and ended up here.... Not really. I used to fight fires and pull people out of snow filled ditches. I was seeking heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.

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