Why I have chosen nursing as a career

Great article! I also earned a liberal arts degree and was later "chosen" to study nursing. Looking back at my year of LPN school I have realized the challenges were all worth it.

Very touching story. Thanks for sharing with us!

The beginning of this article could have been written by me! I too have had to deal with the "you didn't do great in school when it was just you, why do you think you will do better now that you have a family and responsibilities?" Then I ended up making straight As for the first time in my life! When it is right, you just know.I wish you the best of luck in school, you sound like you will be an awesome nurse!

Amazing story. Just what I needed. I have been very undecided between nursing and teaching. I have always loved the idea of both. I love the hours of teaching even more. I felt "guilty" if I didn't pick teaching because the time off with my kids would be amazing. Then I feel "guilty" if I didn't pick nursing because I feel I wouldn't be doing what is best for my family, but also I KNOW I would be denying myself what I feel I am meant for, and I, myself, felt it the moment I put scrubs on as a CNA that I was meant for nursing. Over the years I never went for it and I make excuses for it. Mainly then it was money, as it is now, though back then would have been much easier.. so I make excuses like being afraid because I am scared about taking chemistry and a&p. Afraid of failing because school has never been my "thing".but something inside tells me I will be fine. Not only is this for me, but my family as well. I would not be happy if I took time away from family to study something that I failed at, or spent alot of money on something I failed at. Plus, if I am meant to be a nurse like I feel deep down.. I can do it!! Thank you so much for this post. You have no idea how much you have helped me!

I have the same doubts as the writer and I am in exactly the same personal situation. But somehow I finally summoned the courage to stop being afraid of failing. I always had excuses. I hate needles, not sure I could take someone's blood pressure right. Then a friend who became an RN at age 48 told me that a nurse trains you for sixteen weeks. I am starting my nursing program this year. I still have doubts whether I am good enough. Only one way to find out.

This was a great article! I have goose bumps! I am starting school in May for my BSN as a second degree student. I got my BS in Community Health Education years ago and the only position I have ever loved was my internship in which I had one on one direct patient contact. I felt like I was making a difference in someone's life and helping them. I, like so many young women, chose to follow the love of my life (or so I thought) off to another state, throwing away my Health Educator job offer. Once I returned home from my bad decision, I ended up working in the medical center in research. 10 years later, I am finally following my desire to go for nursing. I have always considered it but have always been a little scared. Will I be a good nurse? Will I be okay with the patients? so many questions...but I am soooo excited to put behind me a life of administrative desk jockey to get down and dirty, hands on and make a difference. I am scared to death but very excited!Great article!

"It was a vocation that constantly challenged and changed her for the better,"This gave me goosebumps b/c it's why I want to be a nurse. I do love to help people and I know that this profession will not only allow me to do that but will make me a better person also. Your story is inspiring and rings true for a lot of us... Thanks for posting it

can i post this on my blog?

I feel so ashamed about myself now.. feeling so afraid to enter nursing school. School will start in 9 days and I just cannot simply dump that feeling of insecurity...The insecurity of not being able to provide for the family income for 3 yrs..The time i spent backpacking in some undeveloped places and witnessing some accidents make me realised the usefulness of nursing/lifesaving skill. The fact that some people cannot access to basic healthcare is what motivated to sign up for nursing course.Knowing that i got accepted after been interviewed by the school due to my age (37), i began to have doubts. I have never liked watching violence movie, cringed at the sight of operating procedure in some medi-documentary on television, terrified at the thot of coming into contact with a cadavar and not sure if I can really handle cleaning the patients. So many questions keep popping in my head and that I really do not enjoy any single moment of peace of mind nowI never thot of becoming a nurse. My sister and my friends asked why this sudden change of career. I really cannot tell sometime.I am terribly troubled now...So troubled that i feel that i do not fit to be a nurse for i am so weak in my own mental power. How can I make the patients to depend on me..Do you all think that i should re-evalute the very reason why i want to be a nurse. I really tired of working in a deskbound job that do not give me much satisfaction....Sara , thanks for posting. So sorry to "hijack" your thread to pour out my frustration here..

Wow thanks for posting this! I spent years of trying out other fields but always ultimately coming back to wanting to do nursing but being too afraid that I couldn't handle it. The turning point for me was when I did staffing for a hospital and worked in the nurse staffing office aka grand central. I got to see lots of nurses come and go through that office and I thought to myself if some of these people can be nurses than I can too. Last year I got my CNA and that helped reinforce the knowledge that nursing is something I can do. I still have lingering doubts about the math and science classes I am about to start and I am uncomfortable with the thought of having to wash or handle the deceased but now that I've started working towards this I am not giving up. Thank you for encouraging me to push on towards my dream.

Very good story .. i enjoyed reading it .. thanks alot fo sharing it

I am also leaving the job market to pursue a nursing career. I'm anxious as the time approaches for me to start my clinical as I have no hospital or patient experience. I've been scared of a lot of things since I was a kid, but as I've evaluated my life and done quite a bit of soul searching while writing my application essays, I've decided that it's time for me to buck up and get out there. I'm tired of being SCARED. I've let it hold me back a lot in my life and I won't let fear get in the way of my nursing career. Over the past year I've worked a dead end job to pay for my pre-requisites and to put a roof over my head, knowing that it's just a means to an end. All the while I've gotten straight A's, but I know that pre-requisities are not the same as nursing courses. I am a good student and I am excited to tackle the challenges that lay ahead. Every once in a while a bit of fear creeps up in the back of my head telling me that I'm too scared to do the clinicals, let alone pass them, but I am determined to defeat that nagging thought! Since I've started on this path of my life, things have really fallen into place and lead me to believe that I am meant to do this job. I know that I will still have to work for it, but I know that in the end I will come out on top and in the right profession.