That’s a common question that I get as a freshman in the nursing program. There are so many reasons as to why I chose nursing. I don’t think there was ever a time I didn’t want to be a nurse. Of course I had my doubts because I was always told it would be too hard, or I wasn’t smart enough for it. In all of those moments though I knew I had to prove all of those people wrong and do the one thing I loved: NURSING.
It all started when I was two years old, I told my mom for Halloween that I wanted to be just like her. So she bought me scrubs and let me wear her stethoscope. That was the first time I knew that nursing was the right choice.
The next time I knew nursing was the right choice is because in 8th grade I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a nurse anymore. I sat there day after day thinking that becoming an “Oncologist” was better. As the days went on I continued to think 12+ years of schooling would be better because I would make more money. I would live a life full of happiness because I would have so much money. That changed shortly after, though. I realized money didn’t matter to me. All I wanted to do was continuously make people happy the one way I knew how: becoming a nurse.
Another time I knew nursing was right for me is when I was a senior in high school. I applied to so many nursing schools. I lost hope. I didn’t get accepted into any. My SAT score was the worst one around the school, I didn’t have a parent that worked at a college so I wasn’t “guaranteed” admission, and truthfully, when my number one school denied me I didn’t have any hope left. One day my parents sat me down and told me “we wouldn’t mind if you took a year off.” My mom also gave the option of a nearby hospital program. That just wasn’t for me. That’s not who I am. For my entire life the only option I knew was a four year program. It’s what my head and heart wanted. But in spite of what I wanted I started to look for hospital programs. As I began my search I didn’t seem to be happy. I was looking for something that I knew wasn’t meant for me. This went on for about a week until I knew I had to go to a 4 year program or else I wasn’t going to college the following year. In the past October I visited Clarion University. I only went because my mom and dad were set on this school after I didn’t get into my top choice. I went and at that point I hated it. I didn’t want anything to do with it. Well, fast forward about 4 months I decided to send in my transcripts and hope for the best. Two weeks past and nothing came in the mail. One day I got a call from Clarion. They had congratulated me on my acceptance! I was finally happy, and now I absolutely love the campus. That was when I knew nursing would be for me.
Now that I am in nursing school I know it’s for me. I cry every night overwhelmed in work. I study until 5 a.m. to get a 80% on an exam when I have a requirement of an 84%. When all my friends can sit around and watch Netflix, I am doing homework. When a normal day of class for everyone else is 50 minutes, I have 2 and a half hour classes. When my roommate is sleeping, I’m not. Again, it may seem like I am complaining, but it’s what i want to be doing. Nursing isn’t just a passion of mine anymore, it’s becoming a lifestyle.