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.

Thats easy.. i love helping people and I do not want to spend 8 years in the med school so here I am starting my career.

I love helping people too, but I never initially thought I could or would want to be a nurse. I still have to get through nursing school which I start this fall. But back to story -- got married right out of high school, started working as a legal secretary, started a family, had to go back to work after children were born (not happy about it but oh well). Never even thought about nursing until one day my kids were around 7 and 5, but then I knew it waasn't feasible for me at that time in my life, so dismissed the idea and never revisited it again until the day of my 48th birthday! I woke up that morning and said I need a career change, too many negative experiences in the legal arena. I want to do something where I feel it's rewarding and yet I can make a good salary to pay for the education I will need, etc. So, here I am 1 year later going into nursing school this fall! A grandmother of 3 (soon to be), 4 wonderful grown children (two mine, two step).

Oh, btw, I just watched the vets perform a C-Sec on one of our cows. Fascinating! I thought I might get queasy seeing all that blood, etc., but I didn't. Unfortunately, the calf was dead. Now, if the heifer just makes it!

God Bless All :heartbeat

Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.

"get an education and be like my brother, or go to nursing school and take the chance that I will always have a job with good benefits?" cathlabnurse46:

I hate to burst the above bubble, but these days, I've found the hard way, that after age 55, since health insurance for rmployees of that age costs employers at least $1,000 more monthly, it's been difficult to keep jobs. I got them, as I had qualifications and experience that was needed, but once HR had the health insurance papers completed, and my birth date was known to the insurer, it was bye-bye (for no reason, as that happens during probation). I've got a good manner, strong ethics, and ability, but 5 jobs have gone "south", since I turned 55. I can work part time on nights; and in HH per diem, but anything like the administrative work I've done previously, is history.

Medicare is a bad joke, especially part "D", and supplemental insurance is costly. I'm writing this so other Nurses will have this "heads up" and plan for it by looking into "Universal Care" such as almost every other civilized country has. I have family in Canada, and know the care there is good. They haven't needed to wait in long lines - ever, and my brother there had 2 knee replacements without waiting....... They pay nothing for prescribed medications, and so far no copay at doctors' offices. Yes, I'm thinking of going back there, but I hate to do that as a senior who isn't contributing to the program. I'd be able to work for 5 more years, maybe (I'm 69 now).

The main argument I hear about it in the USA, is that government can't be trusted with health issues, so private insurance companies rake in twice to 3 times what health insurance for all would cost, and refuse coverage for anyone who's ever been afflicted with a disease that might be costly to them.

So we trust government with our security, in floods and other disasters they've proved to botch, and go to war, endowing our country with our children who are over 16 (or is it 18?). Now they have the right to eavesdrop on all our telephone conversations and monitor our cell phones too. Our financial histories are public record, and housing is beyond our and grown kids' reach. They haven 't said specifically how they plan to "help" with bad mortgages we are blamed for having, due to low "credit" scores which Equifax, United whatever, and the other one have no right to extract. I could go on........ but you may know this already and probably think things will get better by the time you're a senior.

Specializes in ICU, ER (ED), CCU, PCU, CVICU, CCL.

Lamaz,

I love the way you think, especially politically. I'm a political animal. But were are taking about 26 years ago when I got into nursing. Hell back then I go free health care coverage, precription, eye glass and dental. Now yes I pay $800 a month for family coverage.

But this is not the topic of this thread. While I agree that national health care has been vilified by right wing lunitics as "socialist" or "communist" in an effort to scare red blooded patriotic Americans into denying what every other major Nation in the world does (while our health care slips down to that just below Cuba in infant mortality rates) it appears that their is more support to "privatize" social security than nationalize heath care (even though we already provide 40% of our citizens with a form of nationalized health care).

Males entering into nursing look at nursing as a profession differently as do the woman. not that we can not be compassionate provides of care, but we look at the stability of long term work. Nursing in the past provide woman with the ability to jump in and out of nursing as their family needs demanded changes... for males this is looked at differently. I hope that this is not "sexest" but a reality in a male view point. It was a security issue for me, and as I review hurdreds of post today on this thread I saw a common thread among the males, as I did among many woman.

Yes age discrimination is a problem in all sectors of industry, not just health care. I wish you the best of luck. God Bless.

"I wanted to help people" haha Isn't that the cliche answer?

I was a journalism major and couldn't find a job with pay that even compared to McDonald's. I always cared about other people and their well being. Nursing is a very respected job and there are many positions available in my area so here I am! Last but not least...my husband made me do it :smokin:

Specializes in OB, HH, ADMIN, IC, ED, QI.

4tnerzwife:

I hope that you'll write articles for Nursing Journals, and add your literate view to "healthcare today" sections of your newspaper. We need to get the word out about situations of the under and non insured.

Well, I did nursing because I come from a small village in Wales and no employment except farming = marrying a farmer or the local hospital, so many of us joined the local hospital - local being somewhat 40 miles away and transport at that time was poor - not much better now. It was also excitting living away from home and having a social life. I made many friends although when the trainging ended,, many moved away. Nursing pay was not brillent, and many joined the Police force, as they just had a pay rise!! ha

I nursed in France for a short time as no local jobs being able to speak Welsh I soon picked up the laungage. The France Health sytem was also excellent and I learnt alot. Happy times..........................

Well...I wanted to become a nurse because I want to share my life with other people. I want to help them in their sufferings and most of all...I just want to lend my helping HANDS to those who are in need of it...

Ive always wanted to work in a hospital since i was a kid. and since its impossible for me to take up medicine (toxic), i just took up nursing hiha! :)

Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

Does anyone read these ?:sofahider. I've never told anyone before why...why I chose this crazy profession. It's not that it's some deep dark secret, or some biblical calling that happened to me. It was simply an everyday life event that I've not analyzed until recently.

Feeling very unappreciated and basically fed up in my profession; management, doctors, family and patients... what does that leave to be fufilling in our practice? Ground zero nothing and I was coming up empty, all around empty.

so I thought back, 16 years back, and I had to think awhile. Because my answer was so simple, I needed to post it. Even though doctors scream, patients whine, managers micromanage and demand more and families, well thats a thread on it's own... the point is, we undervalue the impact we make. Because we don't get high press gainey surveys, letters, candy... we don't acknowledge the everyday things we do, that really do change, mold and better peoples lives.

This is what we have to look for, pat ourselves on the back and carry on. Sound unfufilling? Boy is it ever if you wait for the thank you, but what about those we touch that never tell us? Nurses that carried me through, that were never thanked is why I'm 13 yrs in this profession.

So briefly heres my story, please read it, because it is what we do everyday that made me a nurse, you've changed lives, I promise you, you just don't know it.

The story briefly, pregnant with #3, hit the round of usual complications for a mom with HTN, only I was 21 (HTN since first kid at 18), well pre-term labor had me hospitalized most of 3 months on mag. drips,trebutaline, steriods and home monitoring when they'd let me go. Had a 4yr old, and an 18 month old at home, so bedrest was a laugh and we struggled without my working.

Through those 3 months, crazy with stress, steriods and toddlers I simply gave up. Grew depressed, stressed and fought every health care provider every step of the way- They'd call after I "phoned in monitoring", I was in labor again, knew it, and would argue...I'd fight the mag drip, which is horrible, argue in triage that since I wasn't spilling protein I didn't need to be admitted (in labor again) on and on.

I was a nightmare. I was every nurses nightmare. The staff literally begged me to be admitted and I was a nasty one (the steriods and terbutaline and mag, plus needing to be at home made me irrational plus I was exhausted from the whole experience).

Everyone has patients like me, we all high 5 at the end of the shift and go home and hit the wine bottle, but when we enter the room, we go to that happy place and do what needs to be done. Even if it's being stern and demanding a certain behavior or just a backrub, just a talk or just listening.

While I can't pinpoint any one event or any one nurse, each one in their own different way either sternly or softly got me through. Thinking back, I'd walk out on me, and they didn't and while providing excellent nursing care, they took care of my mental needs and supported me without my voicing a single concern. They knew and did.

I signed up for nursing school while in the hospital, with 2 at home and one on the way without any planning. I never thought 'this is what I want to do", but in my crisis, those nurses were there, made a HUGE impact and I started nursing school the day after my son came home from the hospital, a premie at 5 lbs going home. eating for 45 minutes, sleeping for 2 hours and graduated with a 3.98 GPA.

We are in a very thankless profession, how we affect others we'll never know. But some fabulous nurses turned me in to a darn good nurse as well and never knew it.

I nurse, because I make a difference, even though I don't see the results. I know I make a difference in peoples lives, which is why I didn't quit today. I've got more work to do.

I took up nursing because i wanted to be nice to people who were sick, care for them, make them feel a little good. i wanted to be there with them going to theatre, holding there hand during difficult procedures and hard times. well after 2 years of this i dont feel i was able to do these things to the best of my abilities as i was so stressed, no staff, too many patients to look after on my own, running around etc etc. yes i workrd in a hospital busy , busy, busy. heard the older nurses , middle aged nurses bitxxing about the same things as me, so i said i dont want to be still going on and on and feeling this way in 20 years time, and now unfortunetely i am leaving the nursing profession very soon,i am 24 and feel now is the time to change. well done to all those nurses who can do it but i coulnt. nursing is a great job on those days when things arnt gone crazy. my hospital was more like a circus. i had to leave, now doing agency while finding out what post grad i should do. :nurse::bow::banghead::banghead::banghead::confused::confused::typing:typing:yeah::yeah::twocents::twocents:

got divorced at 40, went to nursing school. have been a nurse for 13 years. WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ALL RN'S, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN MICHIGAN OR OHIO

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