Why do you want to be a nurse?

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What drives you to become a nurse?

I for one am going back to school for round 2 after getting a degree in Global Supply Chain Management- AKA Logistics. I worked in a hospital for 4 years and in that time I realized nursing was my calling. I was too far in (2 classes short of graduating) to change my major.

After working in the Logistics industry I realized it wasn't for me. I didn't feel any satisfaction saving multi-million dollar companies money on transportation.

I want to be a nurse to be fulfilled. That's what pushes me to put myself through more schooling. I want to know that I have saved a life or made a difference.

How about the rest of you pre-nursing students?

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This may make me sound like a schmuck but I'm doing it for me. Plain and simple. It's something I want (and have wanted for a very long time) and I'm chasing my dream. It's been 7 years in the making and my husband and I were finally in the position to put me through school... ex: sacrifice pretty much everything and move in with my in-laws to save on rent/bills and have built in baby sitters when I have to study for days on end.

On the other hand to downgrade my schmuck status just a bit, I'm using this as a teaching opportunity for my daughter. Granted she's almost 3, but I want to set a good example for her and show her that hard work pays off in the end. Also, knowing that I will spend my days helping people and having, in my opinion, the worlds most exciting (and stressful) career is just pure bonus.

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Specializes in CMSRN, hospice.

I'm a schmuck too. :) Decent money and alternatives to the 9-5 M-F schedule are pretty good motivators. I am also a health geek (though you'd never guess it from my eating habits, haha), so purely from a scientific aspect I am really enjoying the classes, and I know I could keep going in this field and never get bored.

It's also definitely been a wonderful challenge for me. While I am filled with compassion for others, I have a hard time actually reaching out to them. Nursing care gives me a way to do that in a way that counseling (my original career goal) really didn't. To me, patient education or assessment or providing different treatments gives me an "in," a tangible way to tell them I'm here for them. Having that, "I'm in your room right now for this specific reason" makes it much easier for me to dig a little deeper, ostensibly while I'm performing some nursing action, and that allows for the true connection. It is very satisfying!

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During my junior year in high school my mom, little brother and I were in a car accident. My little brother and I were okay but my mom was complaining of back pain and we went to the ER. When I saw how the nurses took care of my mom that's when I said "this is what I want to do". I was in a LPN program during high school. Didn't take it as seriously and just got my CNA. Getting to work alongside the nurses in the hospital I get to see and experience the good bad and disgusting......but after a long eight hours with some difficult patients, when one of them tells you that you really helped them or they smile from you spending time with them because their family doesn't visit as often, all of the bad and disgusting doesn't matter anymore because I know that I actually helped someone......and because the human body is AMAZING to me. I love anatomy and dissecting and blood! Lol

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I have always wanted to be a nurse. It feels awesome to help people even if u can't make them better giving support and comfort is a very rewarding thing ! I love helping people and the science ! I love the skills aspect of nursing as well. Granted I haven't mastered the IV stick yet but ill do your foley cath, NG insert or IV push anytime ! I love nursing! Are there enough LOVES in this post lol ... I'm guessing u get I LOVE nursing lol

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I found this quote on a nursing student's blog. I thought it was incredibly profound and also at least for me speaks to why I chose nursing.

"Everyone has things they want to do better and worse, potentials they've not yet achieved, dreams they've not yet realized. But...when I'm standing there in the hospital with my coat and clipboard... I feel like who I am is both amplified and simplified.

I feel like nothing is being wasted."

My heart has always been to help people and I feel like nursing gives us the greatest capacity to do so. That is literally our entire purpose of existence. So many other careers start out with good intentions but over time evolve into something else. Nursing is one of the few things I can see that if you choose it, will still empower you to pour yourself out for the sake of others and touch their lives directly.

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Specializes in N/A.

My interest in nursing arose from a childhood friend of mine.

Back when we were both 12, she was involved in a car accident that paralyzed her from the neck-down, so I would go and visit her whenever I could. The nurses were super sweet and compassionate every time I watched them perform even the most simplest of tasks for her, like feeding, turning her over, helping her with other various stuff. But that really didn't catch my interest as much as what she asked of me before passing away due to complications. She wanted me to help others much like how I helped her during her stay at the hospital.

Of course, I didn't do anything like feed her or anything a nurse would physically perform (I did bake her favorite cake though, with the help of her mom), but I think what helped her most was how calm and affectionate I was towards her. She would joke and say I had a strong "motherly" nature about me, even. But I think I might have helped calm her during her stay. I was always patient and attentive to her. She always liked playing Pokemon, so even though she couldn't play that during her stay, I would bring my little GameBoy and play Pokemon next to her and, sometimes, I would place her hands on the GameBoy and help her push certain buttons and stuff so that she was sort-of "playing" the game, too. Most other times, she'd watch TV and talk to me about what she saw and we'd talk over that for a while. Other times we either talked about what we did back then when we met and stuff or future-y things.

All in all, I think that's what really got me interested in nursing. I would want to be bedside with someone who wasn't feeling at their 100% and cheer 'em up, I guess! I might be a shy, introverted type of guy in the real world, but when you place me by someone who's feeling sick or down, and it's like I adopt this whole new personality - even if it makes me "motherly" in a sense, haha.

That's why I want to go into nursing. The money and other benefits that come along with it? That's all just a bonus to me.

And the nurses at the hospital she stayed at also agreed that I should be a nurse. Since my nursing school and clinicals, etc. will collide with that hospital, I'm sure they'll get a good kick out of seeing me again.

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I want to reach FNP to become an autonomous healthcare provider for my rural community, and I'm not hung up on the MD title nor do I want the med school bill

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I want to love my job so much that it doesn't feel like work. I love helping people feel better and I love being a part of their support system. I think listening to patients (their fears, worries, or happy thoughts) is just as important as physical care. It's really exciting that nurses can offer a presence of healing and safety. I don't think you find that in too many other fields.

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Specializes in Maternal Child, Home Health, Med/Surg.

Ok this might be a little lengthy, but I'll do my best to make it brief.

I've wanted to become a nurse for a long time. At least, the desire was always there, along with fear pounded into my head by family that I would never succeed with the amount of information. This was when I was about 14, and I believed them so I continued on my boring college of uselessness way.

Then when my son got diagnosed with cancer this January, something changed. He was only 5 months old, so obvious changes happened, but I began to love my medical team. More so, I began to love my nurses. These people who would calm me down when my son wouldn't stop puking, taught me how to change his dressing, showed me what a subcutaneous shot looked like(wrong and right), and comforted me when I was completely clueless. These people who were nothing but amazing, complimentary, informative people. My faith was quickly lost by the doctors(I had contemplated this at one point) with experiences, and it dawned on me during the middle of his treatment; I want to be a nurse. I want to be able to hold someone's hand through the scary ride, be able to help them when they are down, and show them how to take care of themselves.

Every nurse I've encountered that I've told this has told me it's a bumpy ride, but that if I can handle it with my own child I can definitely handle it with someone else's.

So here I am, 2 semesters left, applying for Fall 2014. I'm terrified, exhilarated, and overwhelmed. But I know it's worth it. :)

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