https://quizlet.com/310886315/yoost-chapter-1-nursing-theory-and-professional-practice-flash-cards/
My Beginnings
My interest in nursing began at a young age when I frequently visited my grandparents in different hospitals. Being surrounded by beeping machines and watching people in scrubs scurry around fascinated me.
As I grew older, I enjoyed my science classes in school and took as many biology classes as I could. Learning the types of living organisms and performing dissections in class deepened my understanding of how bodies function.
The more I learned, the more certain I was that I wanted to work in the medical field.
Finding My Passion
During my junior year of high school I had the opportunity to watch open heart surgery at Allegheny General Hospital which was when I knew nursing was my calling. The procedure amazed me but something the educator said has stuck with me.
She was explaining the role of each person in the operating room and when she got to the nurse she described her as the “patient’s advocate.” This statement made me realize what an important role nurses play and how much they do for their patients.
Seeing the patient under general anesthesia on the operating room table was eye opening as it showed how vulnerable patients are when they are in the hospital. In this case, the nurse was the patient’s voice when he was unable to speak for himself.
This experience assured me that I wanted to pursue nursing.
My Inspiration
After starting my nursing classes, clinicals, and working in hospitals, I have seen the many responsibilities that nurses have and the endless roles they play that most people do not realize.
Nurses act as teachers, comfort patients and families, listen to concerns, advocate for patients, communicate with members of the healthcare team, and push patients to be their best through encouragement and support. Click here for more information on what roles nurses play.
Through my hospital experience I have witnessed nurses touching lives from the moment a baby takes its first breath to holding a patient’s hand as they take their last.
These experiences have shown me how unique and important nurses are and encourage me to continue to pursue my career in nursing.