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.

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.

What wonderful stories..Mine is simple ..At 32 y/o i went to school and became an aide and after 1 year I thought I can not see myself doing this at 50 so I took the ACT and applied. The day before my interview I dreamed that when they interviewed me and asked me Why do you want to be a nurse? My reply was "because I think I will look good in white" I sat straight up in bed sweating and believe me that was NOT my response during the interview..

My story is similar to some people here, but yet still different. When I was a little girl we were farmer's in the mid-west (IL),I had lots of horses and all the other little creatures running around in the country. When the vet came out to tend to the animals I was always there to be his helper (nurse) . In HS I decided nursing was the job for me because I knew there would always be sick people to take care of. In College I started a nursing program and because we were poor my family gave me no financial support and I ended up working too many hours and not enough hours of sleep so I failed the first semester of nursing school twice. The program only let you try 2 times then you were not allowed to enter that program. However I was not about to go back home so I started respiratory school at the same college and passed with A's and B's. I was a RRT for 6 years and then finished an AS degree in nursing in 2001 and have been a RN ever since Aug. 2001 when I passed my boards. There were several nursing instructors at that school who told me that maybe I should try something else besides the medical field. Well, I am now an ICU RN who works in a trauma ICU at a level one trauma center in east tenn. and if I say so, I am pretty darn good at it!!! I now have aspirations to try flight nursing. Thats my history!

My mom was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was 4 years old. After she was institutionalized and I grew older, I was horrified at the treatment she received. (this was in the 70's and early 80's). Because of my experience, I developed a compassionate heart for people who are ill -- whether it be physical or psychological. I always knew I would end up in a "helping" field, but my first choice was social work and/or teaching. After talking with various teachers and social workers, I decided my best bet would be nursing. I'm still in nursing school, but I feel like I'm on the right track! :wink2:

my daughter died from a brain tumor and made me promise to become a nurse to help other people. She was ten when she died.

snursemate

Could you tell me what forensic nursing is? How would you get into it? sounds interesting. Thanks

I was in my back yard one evening with a nice fat possum on the grill. I heard a noise and looked up to see a spacecraft directly above me. In an instant, I was transported into a dimly lit area equipped with strange equipment. Then a 3 ft tall being with a single eye in the center of his neck...or what I though was a neck, kicked me in the shins. As I jerked my leg up out of the way, several of the little critters pushed me back on an exam table. The next few hours were a blur as I went in and out of consciousness. Before I knew what was happening I was graduating from nursing school. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

:smokin: Is that you with the crackpipe in your mouth?????

After getting accepted into a prestigious pre-med program, I leant back, thought about my dream of becoming a neurosurgeon and started calculating how long I would be in school for and how many debts I would have before it would be over.....("ugh" was the thought that came to mind)....A week later I started looking for nursing schools and I have never once regretted it or looked back and wished I had done it differently.

hehe,i am a student nurse who is going to graduate soon...what i want to get from allnurses.com is the sharing stories from all kinds of nurses from everywhere...and i want to hear some advice from you..

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