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 ICU, Med/Surg, Tele.

I grew up with my best friend being my mother... and she is a nurse.. I have always admired her as a person and loved hearing her stories from work.. so from long ago i wanted to become a nurse. As soon as i turned 16 i got a job in dietary at the hospital that my mom works at. I enjoyed being in the hospital setting so much!!! I did not however enjoy the food part lol.. I loved socializing with the patients and staff and i loved being able to watch her in action taking care of her patients. I had thought about going into nutrition as a major but decided against that since I really didnt enjoy the food part of that job any then my mom and I were talking and I truly realized I wanted to be a nurse.. I knew then and never looked back.. I am now a junior in nursing school and am loving it, well sorta.. I obv HATE the workload but i know i will love it in the end. I hope someday i will be even half the nurse my mother is..

Specializes in RN-BC, CCRN, TCRN, CEN.

my deciding factor was the fact that i could help people. i wanted to start a video business...shoot, edit, produce videos, but i asked myself, what does god want you to do? i figured i'd get more points with the big man if i helped people rather than sold them videos.

i'm so excited for school! i can't wait to start learning this stuff. i promised myself i'd stick with the program no matter how hard it gets.

jeremy

edit: furthermore, my sister's friend just attempted suicide. thank god she's ok, but that gives me further motivation.

Specializes in med/surg, hospice, L & D.

I moved from Texas to Missouri in 1990. I was newly divorced and had a young son. My landlord was an instructor for an LPN program and encouraged me to try to test into the program. I passed and was accepted (250 applied and 30 were chosen). I wasn't sure I could do it because I was 33 years old and didn't have a lot of confidence. I worked hard and got all A's! I graduated with honors and worked for ten years at a local hospital, all the while raising my son and getting my pre-requisites for an RN bridge program. I graduated (with honors) in December of '04 with my ASN. It was a struggle and required a lot of determination and sacrifice. I love the pride I feel when people ask me what I do and I tell them "I am a nurse." That one sentence tells people that I am intelligent, dedicated, and caring. What started out as a way to survive and raise my son has turned into something that defines me and has been a source of strength for me for years of hard times. I can't imagine doing anything else!

Specializes in NICU.

During orientation before my freshman year of college I was sitting in an auditorium where they were talking to us about our major... elementary education. I always thought I wanted to teach.. The speaker told us if we felt we were in the wrong major then we need to go out into the lobby and speak with so and so who would redirect us. I stood up... got my dad and said come on lets go I'm going to change my major. I never thought about it before that day. And I haven't looked back since...

I don't know what made me do it.. or think it.... my father was completely confused...

It was a spur of the moment decision that I have yet to regret...

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I've always wanted to become a doctor and I thought that no one can change that decision. During my senior year in high school, my dad encouraged me to become a nurse instead, more of, forced to become one. I gave in to his decision, thinking that I can still reach my dream of being a doctor in the future. I began to love nursing and had second thoughts of proceeding to med school. During my 4th year in college, I took the local exam for those who aspire to become doctors together with a couple of my classmates. I told myself and I prayed that if my scores were high enough without studying, I will do all that I can to go to med school. I did pass but it was too low, both by my standards and the university that I wanted to enrol in.

I'm happy being an RN, but up to this day, I am still wondering what would have happened to me if I did proceed. :banghead:

Oh well...It's never too late..

P.S. I love the smell of hospitals too. Soo weird...but I dunno. :roll

Brian,

I am a pre-nursing major in chicagoland, and I am looking for a nurse to interview for a school project and was wondering if you might be willing to help me out. It would be great to hear your story. I am 30 years old, married and currently working at the grocery store and decided to go back to school. After an experience helping my grandma nurse a broken femur for six months, i decided to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a nurse. I am currently awaiting placement at my local college, very competitive, and am taking intro to nursing a recommended, not required class. It is very basic, but informative too. Throughout the semester we interview a nurse and I was wondering if you would share your perspective with me. I have included the 20 questions if you are willing. Thanks in advance for your help.

Stephanie

1. how long have you been a nurse

2. Are you an LPN, ADN, Diploma or BSN? and when did you graduate

3. have you pursued higher nursing education

4. what do you remember most about your nursing program

5. what was the best part of nursing school

6. what was the hardest part of nursing school

7. did you have a family while you were in nursing school, married/kids

8. have you ever left nursing to do something else careerwise

9. what do you remember about your state board exam or N-clex

10.what nursing jobs have you had since you have left school

11.in what specialty or nursing area do you/did you work

12. approx. what is the average salary for nurses in your special area

13. what are the most satisfying things about your job

14. what shift have you worked the most, what is good and bad about all shifts

15. what are the things that make your job most difficult

16. do most people in your workplace like their jobs/managers/peers why why not?

17. If you could do it over again, would you go into nursing again?

18.would you encourage your son/daughter to go into nursing

19. would you have done anything differently in your education or nursing job choices/

20.In a perfect world,what would you change about the profession of nursing

Thankyou in advance for any help you can give, I really do appreciate it and look forward to the male perspective, as you are in the minority.

Stephanie Scher

[email protected]

why i become a nurse? hard to explain, but i do really think that this jobs could definitely provides me a great chance to learn how to "CARE" and how to deal with different kinds of people. i still remembered that when i was young..(about at the age of 8)i always dreamed of being a nurse in the future , because of their professional image. now, i am a nursing nurse and i have undergone several times of placement in the clinic, i do know that this jobs suit me a lot and i am willing to involve myself in this career in my life.:Melody:

Specializes in psychiatric.

I have been a nurse since 1968. Those were the days when women could grow up to be teachers, secretaries, nurses or "mommies". I had been a candy striper for years and read every book on Clara Barton and Florence Nightengale and other books on nursing or medical heros. I was part of "Future Nurses" association in school. I had two younger brothers and a younger sister, so I was always caring for their cuts and sctraches. I can't really remember giving serious thought to anything besides nursing.

I chose to go to Nurses Training in indianapolis so that I could be a short distance from home (250 miles) but close to relatives when I got homesick (40 miles). I got a $500 scholarship and that paid for my school! I lived in a dorm with 200 other girls and learned so much from them and from the Diploma program. We were allowed to work on our off time, after we had completed a rotation. We were an important part of the hospital team, which included externs, interns and residents. It was a fantastic 3 years, and I have never regretted the lessons I learned there. I wish the nursing students now could learn some of what we learned the hard way. Those lessons on improvising and thinking outsied the box are very valuable lessons.

I would encourage anyone wanting a career in making a difference in peoples' lives to consider nursing. You won't get rich being a nurse, but you can and will change lives.

I somehow got to be a psychiatric nurse (probably the only opening at the hospital I applied at) and would never trade that field for any other. I tell the nursing students who come through our hospital that they may never be a psych nurse, but they will always be caring for psych patients or people with emotional or mental problems. They can use their psych skills to help frienda and family members. They can assess others for depression or suicidal thoughts, and then get them help.

Besides being a nurse, I also got to be a mommy and now a grandmother. I also do a lot of teaching (new staff, patients) and secretarial work (reports, filing, etc) so I reall was able to grow up to be all the things possible in the old days. Now, women can be anything they want to be, and choose any field a guy can choose. So, we've come a long way since 1968, but I'm not sure all the changes are for the better. I wish some of the young people had the work ethics the older generation has (of course there are exceptions).

Anyway, that is why I am a nurse, and proud of it!

Specializes in acute medical.

Why did I become a nurse? Hmmm...

1. I know my mother was a bit of a feminist. She wanted us all to do high faluting (do you spell it like that?) uni degrees, and the three things me and my sister were not allowed to do is become teachers, nurses, or secretaries. I wasn't even allowed to learn typing (that was in the days before computers - now it's a necessity LOL). But I really harboured a wish to be a primary school teacher

2. I became a Pizza hut waitress OMG while studying as a teacher. I left the latter when I found out the kids were smarter than I was, and because there was no way ro discipline them

3. So I became a nurse...and the last two job experiences made me confident enough to talk to ppl. I really wanted to nurse sick kids, until I realised that they are not the same as well kids! So I'm not in Paeds, but I wouldn't do any other job most of the time :p than nursing. Funny how things come about when you don't plan for them!

Although I'm Not A Nurse Yet,my Desire Started After Years Of Construction And Breaking Myself By Falling Off Roofs. While Healing In And Out Of The Hospital It Just Amazed Me The Way The Nurses Treated Me. I Don't Know How Complete Strangers Can Be So Compassionate To People The Don't Even Know. That Is So Opposite From Where I Worked. As A Cna I Thought The Nurses Were Terrible Toward Each Other, But To The Patients, It Was Impressive.

Specializes in nicu.

Being in medicine has always been my dream. When I was a child I always wanted to be a doctor because my great-grandfather was a doctor and it seemed like something I wanted to do. As I got older my feelings about it all changed. My great-grandmother was a nurse and I learned so much about her from my mother that it fascinated me. I started to realize how much personal contact a nurse has with their patients and that is more of what I wanted...to be able to help the person, learn about them, not just spend a few minutes with them and then leave. I graduated in Dec 06 and just passed my boards last week. My mother and I always joke that this was my destiny because I was delivered by a nurse.

Specializes in RN.

I am not a nurse yet, but hope to be soon.....My fascination with the medical field started when I was young. I had an uncle who was parapallegic. My grandmother cared for him until he was 50 years of age, she was 70. They had to be put into a nursing home. My father has Parkison's disease, which I know that one day he will need me. These life experiences have definetly had an impact on my decision to become a nurse. I have 2 young daughters, whom I want to be able to know what to do incase they need me medically. I want to have a job that is rewarding, and feel that I have done something awesome for someone. I have worked for a steel mill for 5 years....the pay is good, but the job sucked....plus I never knew if I may loose my job due to job cuts.....which has happened to me before.....Not fun:crying2: So.....Hopefully I will find my rewarding path of nursing. I am dedicated to becoming a sucessful nurse....and I believe that I will enjoy my career as nurse...:nuke:

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