Choosing To Be A Nurse

Everyone that becomes a nurse has their reasons for choosing to become a nurse. I can only give you the reasons I became a nurse. I had a few… Before I was a nurse I worked in a small office where they cut paper. They had big rolls, bigger than a small car, that had to be cut down to the buyers specific measurements. The office only had three people working Monday through Friday. I had worked my way up to an office manager but was only making a little over $ 5.25 an hour. Minimum wage was only $4.25 at that time. My boss thought that that was too much money for me.

With me being newly divorced, and having two kids to take care of, I was barely putting food on the table. I even took a second job and started school, so my time was limited. I have always enjoyed taking care of people, so I majored in?? Nope. My first major was computer science. Then in the 90’s the computer business went belly up. I had to make sure I could always find a job with what I chose. So yes my second major was Nursing. I didn’t realize at the time but a professor pointed out to me that I may be dyslexic, which made my college life harder.

So I went into nursing because: one. I knew I could always find a job, and two. I enjoyed helping people. The third reason was money, I wanted to make sure I could make more than minimum wage. I didn’t want to be on welfare for the rest of my life and I refused to be anyone’s charity. Also I wanted to make a difference in someones life other than just my own.

What I didn’t realize at the time was how hard it was to get into nursing school. I took the prerequisites and did okay. Then I took the entrance exam, and I got in the very first time I took the exam. Someone told me that 25 people got into the program out of the 250 that took the exam. I guess that because I didn’t realize that it was that difficult to get into the program I didn’t stress too much about taking the exam. Apparently I did very well. It was one of the hardest years I ever had in my life.

I really didn’t know at the time that nursing school was actually harder than some other type of degree plans. They were very strict and almost vindictive, our professors. They were threatening most of the time. They also hung over our heads that they had the power to expel us and kick us out of “the program” at a moments notice. It was brutal to say the least. Which is probably why I never wanted to go back and get my associates degree. Now that pressure of someone getting rid of you and all the hard work you put into a program was a lot of money, time, and tears just for someone to “kick you out” at a moments notice. I mean one of my friends was kicked out for wearing heels to class. Which I thought was insane. Just one of the professors didn’t like you and you were gone. Brutal!! That lasted for a year.