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| (Credit to www.nurseland.net) |
Why did I decide to be a nurse? Wow, that is such a wonderful and deeply personal question. There are so many contributing factors in my decision to become a nurse. However, the word "decision" is highly inaccurate because I feel that I did not choose the nursing profession- the nursing profession chose me. I firmly believe that the profession of nursing is a calling. I was drawn to the idea of becoming a nurse at the very early age of four years old, when I began helping my ailing grandfather, who always referred to me as his “little nurse". This was the initial point in my life where I realized that I enjoyed helping others. At the age of five years old, my grandmother was diagnosed with heart disease and diabetes. As I was extremely close to my grandmother, I attended all of her doctors' appointments with her and actually began to learn a great deal about the medical field. By the age of ten, I became absolutely certain that nursing was going to be my chosen profession. I felt that this was the area in which I could shine as I greatly enjoyed the medical and health-related aspects of nursing, but I also enjoyed educating others. Nursing, in my view, is the best of both worlds!
There have been many more instances in my life that have further solified my pursuit of nursing. The most troubling to me was when my mother became ill. If you had known my mother, her selflessness would have most likely been her most apparent trait. In saying this, she never really allowed herself to be aware of her own health. This coupled with her dislike for "being the center of attention" kept her from being able to accurately and fully describe her symptoms to health care professionals. Unfortunately, the health care professionals did not have or take the time to accurately assess my mother's situation, either. My mother saw ten different doctors within a two-year time frame and was told that she was fine. By the end of the two-year span, my mother's leg began hurting, and she developed a huge knot on the back of her calf. My family and I immediately took her to the emergency room, and she was hospitalized with deep vein thrombosis (blood clot). During her hospitalization, she began having difficulty breathing, and that is when they performed a CT scan of her chest, abdomen, and pelvis. At this point, my mother was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. She passed away two weeks later at the age of 47.
I attribute several factors to my mother's late diagnosis. First, pancreatic cancer has very vague symptoms and is very hard to diagnose in the early stages. Also, this type of cancer commonly spreads very quickly. Another factor involves the increased work load that has been placed on health care professionals. Health care workers have been and continue to be spread very thin, which is related to the shortage of physicians and nurses versus need and to the increasingly complex disease processes that challenge patients all over the nation.
Although this story is very personal, similar stories are all too commonplace. Many patients and families find that it is extremely hard to convey their symptoms and their feelings to the health care professionals that provide care to them. Not only is it difficult for some patients to put their symptoms into words, but it is also hard for some patients to communicate with health care professionals because they feel intimidated. Both of these statements were true in my mother's case. Whatever the reason, this is why it is so important for patients and families to have an advocate in their corner. This advocate and/or consultant should be someone who knows the health care field well, someone who can communicate well between all parties involved, someone who excels at case and resource management, and someone who performs well as an educator. My ability to perform in these types of areas is the reason I became a nurse. Making a difference in the lives of patients is one of the most important duties of my life.
