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

UPDATE: Changes: New Log In Requirement

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 graduated high school 20 years ago with no career goals or path. I worked retail and at a dental office. After 5 years, I realized my job prospects were dreary without a college degree so I enrolled in a local college. Well life happened after two semesters, got married, moved out of town, had kids etc. My brother by now had graduated college, and medical school and was a doctor. I have two children with chronic conditions, epilepsy, hypoglycemia, allergies, asthma, ezcezma, etc. I spent many nights/days at the hospital with them. I would be there with them, and was wishing I could help with the crying baby next door, lonely child without visitors/parents, etc. Well in in Nov -2009 my dd got swine flu and ended up spending 10 days at the hospital with 3 of them being in PICU. I was concerned but calm. I was amazed at how well she was treated by the nurses, RT's, doctors, etc. It was at this time that I felt that if I can handle my own child being critical and not lose my cool, then I could be a nurse. I enrolled in college within two weeks of her being discharged. I managed to complete 33 hours in 4 semesters, while maintaining a 3.93 GPA and got accepted to a ASN program here. I start in Fall of 2011. I'm so excited about my future, I'm 40 and I know I'm not the youngest, but I hope my age will help me.

My brother and his wife have been one of my biggest supporters and he has said all along that I was meant to be a nurse. I look forward to when I can sign my name with RN at the end.

Well, aside of money matter. This course is my greatest ambition. I like taken care of a sick people specially the babies.

Wanted to be a nurse after high school, fell into the party scene and didn't finish my pre-req. In my twenties, I got married(horrible idea), got pregnant(the greatest gift of my life), and then I got a divorce. I went back to school did very well in the pre-reqs, was accepted into the nursing program and I just graduated at 30 years old. My daughter is about to begin kindergarten and I feel we have finally made it.

I grew up with a mother and aunt as nurses and a father and aunt(same as nurse aunt) as veterinarians. I wanted to be a veterinarian. At 19 I had been married less then a year and had a newborn...and I watched my mother die. I lived 10hrs away from her when I got the call that she was on hospice (2 weeks before she had been working still) I honestly didnt expect her to die. It never even occurred to me or to most people because of the person my mom was. It was the 3rd time she has cancer so we all expected it to be the same as before. I was back home in less then 24 hrs after getting the call about hospice. By the time I got there my mom was no longer responsive. 24hrs before she had been laughing and in decent shape. 12hrs after I got home I watched my mother take her last breathe. I was very much alone. I was the oldest child and I had to take care of the farm, my 15yr old brother, and all of my mothers end of life details. Everyone was turning to me for answers I did not have. The only people who were there for me to rely on were the hospices nurses.....I would of lost my mind if it wasnt for them. They gave me the emotional support and guidance I needed. The next few months were awful and the next few years were almost as bad. As I went through my mothers things I found all sorts of awards for pt care and notes from her pts about how wonderful of a nurse she was. That combined with the memories the hospice nurses left for me gave me the push to go into nursing. My mother died in the Spring of 07 I enrolled in school Fall 07 and I graduated this last may with my ADN, this last july I passed my NCLEX. I love nursing, it is definitely what I was meant to do. I hope my mom is proud.

I grew up working at animal hospitals. The first major surgery I assisted in was a lower lung lobe removal. As soon as the Dr split the ribs I saw the lung inflating and deflating right in front of my eyes . It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen! I was instantly addicted to assisting in surgery. I loved it so much that I decided to switch to human nursing so I would be able to work in the OR all day every day and assist in more complex surgeries :D

I have my LVN license already and am applying for RN programs this fall. It makes me really happy to know that I found my calling in life. I cant wait to get my career going!

my dad wanted me to take nursing but i decided to take hrm instead. when he died last 2007, i realized that he is right, that's it.

I'm diabetic and suffered from infertility, and have been on the receiving end of some really terrific healthcare, and some really crappy too - I decided to be a nurse so that more people can be exposed to the really terrific side of healthcare...

My grandmother was a school nurse(school nurse of the year in '91!) And my great grandmothers on both sides were also nurses; I grew up hearing about how rewarding it was, etc.etc. I always insisted I would never be a nurse because I "hated blood"(now I find it fascinating lol). My grandmother told me for years that more nurses were always needed.

After high school, I started studying communications. But the thought of being a nurse had kind of snuck up on me. I would get pangs of jealousy whenever I saw a nursing student. But my advisor told me switching to nursing was a terrible idea.

One day I was watching "Mercy" with my family and I said, "you know, I'd love to be a nurse" and my dad just looked at me and said, "then do it". The next day at work, a customer dropped a coin and I found it, it had a prayer for nurses on the back of it. I kept it and decided that that was it. I withdrew from school, got my CNA, and now I'm at a different school doing my pre-reqs.

My great grandmother died in April at age 96. On her death bed, I assured her I'd make her proud :)

Mother and grandmother were both nurses. At family gatherings I used to sit with the two of them and they used to have some hilarious stories of what had happened at work. Everyone else would be in the front room with their boring RAF officer stories. Nursing sounded great and I have never regretted becoming a nurse

Specializes in PDN; Burn; Phone triage.

Dad is a doc. Huge pressure to go to medical school. Got a good score on the MCAT. Decided I wanted to be a vet. Realized that I didn't a) want to spend the next eight years, minimum, away from my husband in med school or b) have to relocate and wind up with $200,000 in student loans but only making $60,000/year as a vet.

And nursing fits my frantic ADD-ish mind. Don't like? Switch.

Hey all!

I just finished my first semester at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas for my ADN. I love it! Up until about a year and a half ago, I'd never even considered nursing. I'd been taking classes at BCC for a couple of years, changing my major several times. It all clicked on my first day of a speech class when we were giving our introductions. I noticed several of the students said they were trying to get into the nursing program. All of a sudden it dawned on me that, hey...that's a really good idea! I could have a job that makes a difference, save lives, and make a good living for myself. So when it came around to me, I said I was in pre-nursing...which technically was a lie at the time. But as soon as class for that day was over, I went to talk to a counselor and changed my major to pre-nursing. Over the following year I worked my butt off to get the grades I needed...I had previously been a less than enthusiastic student, and didn't make great grades. But, alas, I aced the classes that I needed and scored high on the TEAS test, and I was one of only 56 students selected out of 389 applicants. This program is the biggest challenge I've ever faced in my life, and it's also the most rewarding thing I've ever done. The teachers are excellent and clinicals are fun and exciting. I plan to get my BSN eventually, but only because I want to continue my education beyond that...possibly to become a physician's assistant or nurse practitioner. Now that I've finished my first semester, I can't imagine ever doing anything else!

Specializes in Med-Surg, Outpatient Surgery, Nurse Informatics.

I really wanted to be a Journalist or a Teacher just like my mom. But then, I was forced to take up board courses (by the time I'm going to college, there was still no licensure exams for teachers here in the Philippines), either Accountancy or Nursing. I took Accountancy for 3years, but because of the current demand for nurses before, I was asked by my dad and aunt to shift to Nursing. Undergone 4 years BSN, took and passed the Philippine Nursing Board 2 months after graduation.

Bow.:smokin:

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