I’m writing this entry (1) to apply for a Nursing Jobs.org scholarship and (2) to remind myself why I chose nursing (the semester just started, so I hear this question a lot). Nursing is my second career; the first one was freelance writing and editing (mostly medical materials). I didn’t start out on that track, though.
I started out wanting to be a doctor, partly because my feminist mother constantly told me, “You can be anything you want. You can be a doctor or a lawyer!” I thought those were the only two options, and law seemed boring, so doctor it was. When I was a junior in high school, I went on a camping trip, and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said that I wanted to be a doctor, and he asked me why. I gave the classic answer of “I want to help people.” He said, “Really? If you really want to help people, don’t be a doctor. Be a nurse. Nurses make the difference.” Turns out this man had had his arm severed in a skiing accident and subsequently spent a long and painful time in the hospital; he clearly knew what he was talking about, and this conversation made such a clear impression on me that I changed my trajectory to nursing. However, when I got to college, the English majors were having more fun reading poetry and supporting the growth of the malt beverage industry, so I abandoned my convictions and became an English major.
The powers that be were not done with me yet, though. With my new English degree I landed a job at a medical publishing company and then started my own freelancing business, so for nearly the next decade I read medical journals and medical textbooks all day long. I was an extremely good editor, but the conviction began to grow in me that I would really rather be participating in the field as opposed to reading and writing about it. The deciding blow fell when I edited a nursing textbook; I kept thinking “I could actually do this.”
I no longer want a career that involves no human contact and makes no difference to anyone. Editing is a technical skill that goes almost entirely unnoticed, and it becomes quickly dull because there is little variety. I crave a career in which every day gives me a chance to leave someone’s life in a more positive state than it was when the day started. I lust for a career that means something to someone other than me.
I also chose nursing because I think I’ll be pretty good at it. Life has presented me with some interesting challenges to overcome, and navigating them has given me an unbeatable perspective and sense of empathy. I’m a critical thinker and think fast on my feet, but not so fast that I won’t slow down to make time for people who need it.
Last but not least, I chose nursing because I am likely to always be able to find a decent-paying job with benefits—and probably will always be able to find something to do that doesn’t bore me. There are so many types of nursing and so many settings in which to practice them that I can’t imagine ever experiencing boredom. Such careers are, in my experience, rare.
In short, I spent quite a lot of time pondering a career change, and I can’t think of a better fit for my particular personality and skills than nursing.
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