Why Become a Nurse

• ‘Why become a nurse’ has maybe been a rhetorical you’ve asked yourself a time or two. Nursing has gained a poor reputation as being hard and difficult work as defined by the pandemic in the last two years. 
• The truth is, it’s a hard job. There’s death, there’s bodily fluids, there’s stressful emergent situations, but there’s nothing like being a nurse. 
• As I reflected on the question ‘why become a nurse’, I came up with an extensive list of lessons and skills I’ve gained as a person and as a professional. 

Becoming a nurse can be a great blessing in your life and teach several skills and help shape you into the best version of yourself. I want to discuss some of the most important aspects of what nursing has done for me thus far not just for my nursing career but in life. If you are asking yourself the question, ‘Why become a nurse?’ I hope you will find this article helpful.

Patience

I was already a very patient person prior to becoming a nurse; but since starting a career in nursing I have grown even more so. When you are a nurse, you take care of people during some of the worst times of their lives.

They are experiencing illness, pain, and other ailments that may bring out the more negative aspects of their personalities. It takes a lot of patience and tolerance in order to look past that and see the person behind the struggles they are facing and provide them with the best nursing care possible.

Confidence

If you find yourself being more introverted, nursing is a great career to get you out of your comfort zone. In nursing, there are a lot of situations that test your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and this can teach you to trust your instincts and judgement better.  

Being able to achieve positive outcomes for the patient after a chaotic situation will reinforce your ability to trust in yourself that you have the knowledge and education to manage situations as they arise. This will build your confidence as a nurse. 

Teamwork

Nursing is a very teamwork-oriented career to work in. You are collaborating with physicians, other nurses, certified nursing assistants, and other medical support staff. To provide the best care possible, it takes all the individuals fulfilling their roles to achieve positive outcomes for the patients.  

Nursing will grow your communication skills as you are required to talk to many different people to coordinate care. It can also teach you how to communicate with other colleagues more effectively in order to achieve these outcomes. You are never alone in nursing, if you have a question, do not be afraid to ask. You are not expected to know everything. 

Multi-Tasking

When you are working as nurse you are responsible for several things at once and it is important to learn how to effectively manage your time and multi-task. Between processing physician orders, supervising certified nursing assistants, communicating with families, and caring for the patient; your workload is pretty full. Being responsible for so many tasks at once can give you insight in to how to better manage your time to ensure everything is done that needs to be done. 

Supervisory Experience

If you decide to pursue a charge nurse or other supervisory position during your nursing career you will learn the skills it takes to be an effective leader. Conflict resolution and delegation are just a few important concepts you will become more confident in.

My first experience managing others was when I worked as an LPN Charge Nurse in Long Term Care. I was responsible for overseeing cares the CNAs on my unit completed and assured they were carrying out the resident’s care plans. If you are interested in a charge nurse role to gain this experience, long term care facilities often need Charge Nurses. 

Communication

Aside from the communication with other coworkers, patient advocacy is also a big part of your role as a nurse and being put in the position of advocating for others who need you is a valuable learning experience in communicating with patients who come from a variety of different backgrounds and age groups.

The communication barriers you must overcome when caring for patients from these diverse groups will aid in growing your communication skills. 

The Bottom Line of Why Become a Nurse

In conclusion, nursing is one of those careers that can help you grow several skills that will not only aid you in becoming the best nurse you can be but also help grow you as a person and teach you lessons you can use with you in several life situations.  

If you have found yourself asking the question ‘why become a nurse’ just know this is an altruistic career. If you become a nurse, I have no doubt you will find yourself incredibly grateful for all the different ways it will shape you as a person. 

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