A Defining Moment In Nursing

It took me a long time to decide that I want to be a nurse, this inspiration came from all those nurses who are very passionate

I have always wanted to be a nurse: I do not think there is any task that is as satisfying as treating a patient physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. I first pursued my LPN, and immediately I knew I had chosen the right career path. Every day, no matter how tired and weary I felt at the end of the day, I was invigorated by the sense that I had made a positive change in the lives of my patients. To build upon my capabilities to help others, I then pursued my RN. I am currently in an RN-BSN program and hope to begin a graduate program subsequently to become a family nurse practitioner.

Nursing has always been in my life since the day I was born… literally. My Aunt, a labor and delivery nurse, was the one who basically helped my mother deliver me. The fact that my Aunt was lucky enough to be the one that was there for people on those special days fascinated me. As long as could remember I knew I wanted to do that and be the one to help and comfort so many through their highs and lows.

My definition of nursing is that of someone who genuinely cares about the well-being of others and helps heal those who are ill. Nursing is both an art and a science because in order to understand a patients diagnosis you must know the pathophysiology and basic lab values. The science part of nursing allows us to make judgments on medication orders doctors prescribe, procedures, and practices. Art is also apart of nursing because as nurses we must have intuition, compassion, and warmth towards our patients. It is what allows us to therapeutically communicate with our patients. A person can have the science part, but not master the art and therefore, that person may be uncompassionate towards a patient. I have see nurses in clinical settings

I have wanted to be a nurse since I got sick in 5th grade. I had lost kidney function, I was dehydrated, and had lost 25-30lbs in one weekend. I had to be hospitalized for a week and a half. And the nurses helped me through more than I could have ever expected. They helped me with emotional issues, feminine issues, personal issues, and so much more than they should have ever expected. And between the ages of 9 to 15 I was in and out of the hospital and the only people I can remember who helped me the most was the nurses. All nurses have at least one thing in common—they want to help people. Not only do they play the role of caretaker for their patients, but in some circumstances, they can also be a friend, a confidante and a trusted adviser. It takes a special kind of person to fill all of those roles the way

Growing up my mother worked as a nurse which consequently built a strong respect as well as admiration for the profession. However, up until the day I left for college I never considered this career for me. As a last resort I made checklist to try and determine the major that best fit my aspirations for the future. Nursing immediately jumped out at me and since then I have been infatuated with the goal of becoming a nurse.

I faced a challenging situation when I had to make a decision of whether to take on a job or quit pursuing for my degree in nursing. The obstacles involved funding and taking care of my young child. However, I decided to stick to the task because I know that after completing my studies I will be better able to take care of my family and be an advocate for people who are ill and helpless.

What circumstances or events in your life have led you to choose nursing as a career?

When I first knew that I wanted to become a nurse, I was watching a show called Grey’s Anatomy with my grandmother and I was like that would be fun and adventurous to work in a hospital and to make a difference in people’s lives each and every day that you step foot in the door. And to make sure people get the care that they need. I would truly like to be one of those nurses that also helps others that can’t afford to go to a hospital. Do you know how many people die because they don’t have enough money or have the proper care that they need to help them. You could only imagine.

Throughout history, society has considered women to be the natural caregivers of children, family, and community. Women were naturally thought of as nurses because the act was said to be an extension of their role in the home. They were called in to homes to help deliver babies or as wet nurses to breastfeed. In the 1800’s, women began taking care of soldiers. It was then that Florence Nightingale cared for soldiers in the Crimean War. During this time she revolutionized the role by setting standards of cleanliness and reducing infection. The legacy of nursing continues to be enriched by those who continue to follow the example of nursing pioneers. They refuse to be bound by others’ views

The topic of this paper is to identify historical events in nursing. This topic grasps my attention because I am on the track to become a nurse, and feel I need to know about the history of nursing. The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader about historical highlights in nursing.

Many people believe that Nursing started with Florence Nightingale, however nursing itself dates back to the beginnings of motherhood when nurses were traditionally female. In fact, nursing and medicine have been closely intertwined throughout the ages. The history of nursing has its origins in the care of infants and children, so all mothers were in fact nurses. Gradually an evolution started developing into dedicated caregivers who practiced the art. In fact, nursing has been called the oldest of arts and the youngest of professions.

The nursing profession is one of many portrayed by the media. In its simplest form media is how information is shared and stored. Media covers a wide range of services, advertisements, brochures, pamphlets, TV shows, films, novels, and magazines, digital, electronic, it goes on and on. Media is more accessible these days; the internet and wireless technology makes it easy for many people to access information on a wide scale. As information is shared by the media the public creates an image. This image may be right or it can be wrong, it all depends on the media’s accuracy. Nurses have been depicted in many forms over the years. These depictions can influence the public’s opinion of the profession as well as the likelihood that the profession will be considered for future students. Nurses need to take a more active role in how the profession is portrayed by the media, they need to work together to portray the profession in its best light in order to recruit and retain nurses.

As far back as Florence Nightingale, professionalism and ethics have been the cornerstone of nursing practice. “Ethical values and practices are the foundation upon which moral actions in professional practice are based” ( LaSala & Bjarnason, 2010). Core professional nursing values (CPNV) are taught and instructed upon in nursing programs. This paper will explore and define the CPNV of altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice. Although these values are all individual characteristics, I will show that they are all intertwined in the path of care that an ethical practicing nurse walks every day with her patients, without even thinking about it.

Upon considering the past and future of nursing, many changes have already taken place, and even larger changes are expected. With the recent rate of technological development, the heath care system is certain to follow in its advances at nearly the same pace. Many predictions for the future of medicine are based on computerized technology. The use of telemonitoring, video and “smart houses” are already being used by some companies today, and will be utilized more frequently in the future. This will enable one nurse to care for many more patients than he/she is capable of safely caring for currently. This is very important due to the baby-boomer generation growing older and the