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.

I was pre-med at first and then I came to my senses. I wanted to be a Cardiologist. I finished my degree and the thought of going to med school for 4 years, residency, fellowships etc made me sick to my stomach. I have a lot of family members who are nurses so I started talking to them and said hey I think I will be better at nursing. The good thing was that most of my pre-reqs were finished and transfered when I applied for nursing school. I wish I would have talked to the nurses in my family sooner. I wasted a lot of time in school for a degree that I am not using.

Specializes in ICU.

When I was five I watched my dad die from a dissecting aortic aneurysm. About five years later I was diagnosed with a heart problem as well. Years of doctors visits and being sick I developed a deep amazement for the human body. I always thought I wanted to be a doctor but 13 years of school was not possible, so after high school I joined the military to pay for school. After serving four years I began my nursing journey. I have never for a second questioned that I was meant to be a nurse. I really do love my job!!! If I only made the same amount of money as a doctor my world would be complete! (O:

Specializes in RENAL NURSING.

i believe most nurses are inspired rather than persuaded to enter the Nursing industry. I myself have a lot to tell... My grandpa died of UGIB, my grandma died of CVA, my brother had an open heart due to Tetralogy of Fallot, my uncle died of ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia)... unconsciously, they played a foundation on why I'm now in nursing. I regard my patients as next to kin coz I wanted to feel that they too are like my relatives. Love your patients =) :redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe

Paramedic for 15 years... Lack of advancement... try something new :)

Specializes in Critical care, gerontology, hospice.

I grew up in the Florida Keys in the early 1950's, when they were really rural. Our postmaster's wife was a retired public health nurse, and she had a bag full of instruments and could do anything! She lived about a quarter mile from us and whenever something happened, which it did regularly at my house, she was sent for. My mother would have a pot of water on the stove boiling and she would walk in the door, and soon the baby would stop crying and the bleeding would stop and the world would be right again. In my 4 year old eyes she was marvelous, and I wanted to be just like her. She stitched up lacerations, saved one of my brothers when he was stung by a bee, and packed my mother off when she had a placenta previa. The nearest hospital was 30 miles away, and there was no local MD, so she was a Godsend. I never thought of being anything other than a nurse, and I grew up to spend 20+ years in ICU before becoming a hospice nurse practitioner. I did a little home care in between, and wondered a couple of times as I was entering some homes with little kids, what do they think of me?

simply put...i always had the passion to help people when they are sick...so i knew i wanted to get into the health industry...but i believe that as nurses we share more of a personal one on one relationship with out patients

Nobody persuaded me to be a nurse, it was my own decision. In my high school days i was so much attracted with the white cloths the nun in our school was wearing and i also enjoy all the voluntary works they are doing especially when there is a medical mission the school will sponsor, so i always join the group. Thus i have a feeling of fulfillment in doing so, i studied in an all girls school then. But i dont want to be a nun so i was trying to visualize what other profession has the same white uniform and the same passion of helping the sick. It was then when the nursing profession came into my mind.:redbeathe

i was a liberal arts major,english degree,foreign languages and knew nothing about medecine but when i was 8 mos pregnant my water broke and i went to the er,where i was examined and told i had made a mistake...i went meekly home thinking the doctor knew best !!!my son was born early and was septic 11 days later when they decided to induce,i was also septic,while they were giving me pit i could see the staff was afraid and i decided never again! i need to know something and not rely on others and decided to go to nursing school,now i advocate for my patients and encourage them to ask questions,get answers and be assertive!:twocents:

Specializes in Trauma.

Ever since I was little I wanted to become a soldier, so I always knew that was what I was going to do. When I was a senior in high school I was looking for a fun summer job to do as I just turned 18 and came upon a job as a hospital security guard. So I ended up working in the short staffed ER doing stuff that a security guard is not supposed to do and loved it. Despite the fact I was enrolled in a college that did not offer nursing and I had already enlisted in the army as an MP (army cop) I was determined to be a nurse, starting I.Vs during my combat lifesaver course in MP school made me want to be a nurse even more, so I transfered to a smaller school who threw out almost all my credits (3 credits for 2yrs worth of work) and am now in my first semester of nursing school. I also had my MOS (military job) switched to Medic and now I work as a Medic for an Aviation unit furthering my experience for the ultimate goal of being a flight nurse. Being able to help people 1 on 1 is a feeling that can't be beat. The fact you make a difference in someones life is something you don't find many places.

Specializes in ER.

Just wanted to share a summed up story of what validated my concerns of pursuing a nursing career. Unfortunately, when I was younger I was always one of those people who started things & didn't follow thru. I had started nursing school yrs earlier but of course quit bcuz I had a job where I was making good $$ so who needed nursing school, right?? It was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made! My cousin & I started at the same time, she of course finished, was loving her career & making dough- while little stubborn me was job hopping & looking at her with envy. Anywho, yrs later I wound up in ICU after going into respiratory distress due to complications of double pneumonia while pregnant. Lucky to be alive is not saying enuff & having a healthy baby boy by emerg C-Section on top of that! I have to say the nurses & doctors that cared for me & my son- the pleasantries we experienced, the way they rubbed my back, cared for my son & showed there concern- it made me look at them & say "Yes, that's it, this is what I want to do".

All my doubts disappeared & in that instance I realized life is to short not to be where you want or to not follow your heart. I understand it can go the other way to, where there are nurses who have no business being nurses but it only takes 1 to a make difference & that difference can start with you!!!! :heartbeat:nurse:

Specializes in school/residence for disabled.

:no:Hmm, I didn't dream of being a nurse, it wasn't a calling. It sort of just happened. I was working as a trained but unlicensed vet tech at North Shore Animal league for years. I loved it so much but knew there was no money working with animals unless I became a vet and the idea of all those years of school turned me off. Being a horrible student my whole life I just rolled along working for little pay and switching jobs to work as an aid for developmentally disabled children. One day while complaining about my inability to support myself, my friends mom, who was an RN told me of boces programs that do a 40 hour a week program for 12 months. Slam bam way of getting a career. So I figured, why not. It turned out I wasn't as dumb as I thought and breezed through school with a 90 average, and pregnant through most of it, then on the two week summer break, giving birth. Passed my boards and voila, I was a nurse. It was a whirl wind. I switched over to the nursing department at my job and my pay doubled. That is my story.

I started off premed trying to be the "perfect doctor" that all parents dream of. I did not like my classes or professors (they were all from other countries and you could not understand the lectures). So I dropped out. After a year off and feeling like pond scum I decided to go back to school, for nursing. It just seemed like the easiest thing to do (yeah right). Anyways here I am in Lompoc california on my first travel assignment.

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