[Bishop's Fantasy?]
This is MY story and I'm sticking to it!Why I Want To Be A Nurse
2007-11-01
This assignment seemed simple enough; just explain the above statement. Even so, I've had a hard time getting started because I want this to be genuine and accurate. Mostly, I just want to communicate how the choice to become a nurse has been more of a process of discovery than a decision I made in a single moment. I've spent quite a bit of time getting my thoughts organized before I sat down to write. In doing so, I realized that it was the title that was tripping me up. I don't just want to be a nurse - I want to be an excellent nurse.
There are plenty of noble reasons for wanting to become a nurse, but not all of the reasons behind my decision were necessarily noble in the beginning. When I was researching nursing as a career option, I learned from friends that it's a profession where you spend a relatively short amount of time in school and get a fairly decent return on the time/money you spend - at least compared to some other vocations. I know nursing comes with flexible hours, good pay (for RNs anyway), medical benefits, and seems to be pretty well suited for a woman with a family. That's a pretty attractive package for someone looking to make the transition from full-time mom to mom/career woman.
All of that sounds really good, but my friends didn't neglect to tell me about the "cons", if you want to call them that. It's hard work. Extremely hard work - but then, so is mothering. Basically, good nursing doesn't seem much different to me from what I'm already doing as a full-time mom. There are definitely additional skills involved in nursing, and thankfully, new nurses are trained far more thoroughly than new mothers, but it seems to me that the basic premise is the same.
Once I got past the initial considerations, I began to wonder whether or not I'd be good at nursing. I realized that choosing a career based on weighing the "pros" and "cons" wasn't enough. I had to also determine how my personal strengths and weaknesses would influence the way I'd do my job. I went through a great deal of self-examination in order to see where my current skills might translate. My StrengthsQuest evaluation seemed to confirm much of what I believed about myself.
Time management, organization, prioritizing, perseverance, dealing with unpleasant odors & bodily excretions, and learning from experience are all a part of what I've done as a mother. I've had to figure out what motivates and what irritates for each child as an individual - and for me, as well. I've also had to factor in the physical, emotional, and developmental abilities of each one as I made decisions. I've wanted to do everything to the best of my ability because I care deeply about them, so I've tried hard to objectively examine whether or not the things I'm doing are effective. I'm learning that all of these skills I've taken for granted are strength and are directly relevant to the kinds of things a nurse does on a daily basis.
According to my StrengthsQuest evaluation, my top two strengths were "Input" and "Achiever". From what I understand, the "input" strength involves accumulating or collecting things, not necessarily tangible. In my case, it happens to be song lyrics and knowledge. I love to read and have interest in a wide range of subjects - something common to people with this strength. I know from our discussions in class that this trait will serve me well as a nurse. When reading about my #2 strength, I found that achievers tend to be very goal-oriented and driven to accomplish something each day. I can easily identify with that description. It's something that has served me well as a mother because I didn't have a clear-cut job description. It's been up to me to define my job and be self-motivated to improve. I think being an achiever has been advantageous in the past and I can see how a nurse would also benefit from this particular strength.
At this point, I'm fairly certain I'm capable of performing the duties of a nurse and do it well, but I feel like there's more to this decision than simply finding something I can be good at. After 9/11 and again after Hurricane Katrina, I found myself glued to the news coverage. Watching the news is a rare thing for me since I tend to become overwhelmed and depressed by the knowledge that they'll never run out of negative and devastating things to report. Despite that, I couldn't seem to turn the TV off.
The hurricane should have leveled the playing field and reduced everyone to thinking only about essential human needs. Instead, the social barriers seemed to become even more insurmountable to the point where people would rather die or watch others die than pull together. For me, it brings to mind the sinking of the Titanic. Obviously, that tragedy took place long before I was born, but, of the stories that have remained, the tales of bravery and heroism seem largely outnumbered by those of people who fought and kicked to survive at the expense of others. Maybe that's not accurate, but it's what I remember learning about the event, and it bothers me on a fundamental level.
So, what does a person do with those feelings? Well, for me, I can choose to hole up in my house and pretend like the rest of the world doesn't exist. Adhere to the compassionate conservatism approach where you simply say, "Everybody's Got Problems". It's true, and sometimes those problems are self-inflicted, but that hardly justifies burying your head in the sand. If the problems are left to grow, they'll eventually reach your doorstep. By the same token, I could become overwhelmed and paralyzed by the enormity of the world's problems. If I were to sit and watch CNN for any length of time, that's just exactly what would happen. I'd become so distraught that I'd wonder why I even bothered to get out of bed. Not exactly a desirable quality of life. So, what can I do to combat the despair?
I fully believe that everyone is connected to everyone else by the simple fact that we're all human. Circumstances in each individual person's life can be vastly different, but we're all born naked and we're all going to die. Not pretty, but true nonetheless. The only thing we have to work with is the time in between those two events. So, what am I going to do with my life? I've chosen to devote some of it to my kids - definitely a worthwhile endeavor, and not just for their benefit. They'll (hopefully) outlive me, so my legacy - for good or bad, will at least be partially carried on by them. I've impacted their lives and they will, in turn, impact the lives of countless people with whom they come into contact.
What about my own direct impact on society? I may not be able to change the whole world, but I think it's imperative to try to positively impact my own little piece of it. Living a meaningful life is something that's very important to me. There are lots of options, but I believe nursing is where I belong. I'm excited by the opportunity to work with individuals and families. I'm also excited by the vast number and variety of opportunities available, once I learn the basics.
Barnabus (2007-11-01)
You have some well thought out replies to the assignment!!! Need glasses again....is that an A or A+?
piper (2007-11-01)
you'll be an excellant RN because you
are smart, gutsy, will be able to stomach performing triage, and can take a clinical approach to any situation...Thor said so!
Bishop\'s Fantasy? (2007-11-01)
This was an assignment I was given for my Intro To Human Dynamics class.
[ Back to top ]
Created with ShoutPost
