Why Did I Choose Nursing as a Career?

Growing up I have always been very helpful with my family and friends, going the extra mile, creating memories, seeing people around me smile. The feeling I get when helping others is priceless. I knew when I was younger that my path would involve helping people. As an adult, I’ve been working in the healthfield for 15 years, as a caregiver, Certified Medical Assistant, and now a medication care manager( med passer). I have been employed with Sunrise Senior Living for the past ten years, and I have come in contact with many families, and their love ones, and one thing I have always been told was that I have a very gentle touch, physically and spiritually.

I’ve learned that working in the healthfield there are two different types of people, one that comes to work for a paycheck, they are the ones that comes and do the bare minimal, and are usually not a team player, and then you have the ones that thrives off helping others, a team player, they go above and beyond to care for others.

I have witnessed nurses have bad, hard, and long days and that’s sometimes in one day, then I have seen good days, full of smiles and laughter, but, all in all, they kept going, and often times we have to reflect on why we choose to do the job we do. When I look and ask myself why I chose nursing as a career, I simply say I didn’t, nursing choose me.

What is your personal philosophy of nursing?

Since I was a child I had a desire to care for those in need, it started with my babydolls being my patients, then it moved to my friends acting as my patients, and now as an adult, it’s the same cycle, my real life residents, family and friends, which all led me to choose and apply for a career in nursing. I feel like my attitude is centered around having compassion for the well being of others. When I think of philosophy and combine it with nursing, I try to connect my beliefs with my profession, and i believe that will structure me in my nursing career. Caring acknowledges what is important to the patient (Austgard, 2006) and it is believed to shape the delivery of nursing care. I feel that I will always empathize with others, and make people feel comfortable with themselves, when people are comfortable with themselves, they can be comfortable with others. For as long as I have compassion, care about others, and remain a student to forever learning, nursing will always be hand in hand with me.

Why do you think you will be successful in the PN program?

I feel I will be successful in the Practical Nursing Program, because of the commitment I made to myself. I have a job that supports me and allowed me to arrange my work schedule so that I can fully focus on my studies. My job also has tuition reimbursement that will allow me to pay for my tuition and they will reinburtment me back per me passing my classes. I know that I am up against some challenges, which is why I have decided to not work during the week but just weekends, so that I can give myself the allotted time to study. I also have two children that are in school, and we will have study time together, my children are excited for me and support me. My children understand this year ahead will require our family missing a lot of functions, but they know it will pay off in the end. My support comes from my children father, my mother, and my job, along with my determination. I promise myself to stay prepared, organized, join and/or have study groups, and whenever I feel overwhelmed, remember why I choose nursing in the first place. A lot of effort and time will help me be successful in the PN program.

What challenges or obstacles will you need to overcome in order to be successful in the nursing program?

My biggest obstacle is that I often procrastinate on task that I know I have time to do, with knowing this, and entering an accelerated program I have to plan out a daily routine to give myself ample time to do assignments and study. In this program I know that falling behind on one assignment can lead to double maybe triple the time to catch up. I want to succeed in the PN program, to become a great nurse, I feel I already have the heart to become a nurse, but to gain the skills to become a nurse I have to drop the procrastination and put forth a game plan that will lead me to be efficient in the PN program.

What motivates you to become a nurse?

Learning new things about how the body works, and the different types of medication, and the effects of the medication. With medicine things change all the time, and i want to be up to date with the change that happens. When I’m doing my job as a med passer and my residents ask about what they are taking, why and when, I pride myself on being able to tell them what each pill is for and why they are taking it. My residents trust me, and always tell me that I’m one of the good nurses, (not knowing that i’m just a med passer), to have people rely on you and trust you is a big deal. As a med passer i’m only allowed to do so much, so going to work everyday, making my residents day, motivate me to become a nurse. It’s more advancement and pay with becoming a nurse but I also enjoy the learning that will come with becoming a nurse, the respect of my peers and residents is a bonus, because of the passion and being a team player that I show to each and every one of them.