Why Did I Become a Nurse?

I would say that the majority of nurses would say they became a nurse because they love helping people. Others say that their parents are nurses and encouraged to pursue the same career. And then, there’s some people that say they were “born to do it.” Don’t get me wrong, I love helping people too but I know I wasn’t born to do it. That’s my truth to it. There are two main reasons why I became a nurse. 

High school, senior year. 17-year-old Maggie had no idea what to do with the rest of her life. I did some research on what to major in, but nothing was exciting. So on my applications I literally thought, “eh, I guess I’ll do nursing. Hopefully I’ll like it.” It was just a last minute choice for me to click nursing as a major for every college application. 

But if you ask me during an interview, here’s what I would say. Choosing nursing was heavily influenced from my childhood. I think I was like 7 or 8 years old when my mom was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. This wasn’t such a huge surprise for my parents because my mom has always had problems with her thyroid since she was a child and it is hereditary on her side of the family. It’s passed down to every other generation so luckily my sister and I weren’t affected, but our kids have a higher likelihood of getting it, sucks right? 

During my mom’s treatment, she was always home and all I knew was that she was sick. I didn’t really understand everything, but I knew she was hurt and kinda stuck in bed from the radiation. I honestly can’t remember much from it, but I just remember giving her a small bell from my room so she can just ring her bell if she needs anything. I gave my first patient ever her very own call light, look at that foreshadowing. Ever since that, my mom has always seen me as a nurse and of course, she was right. Like all moms are. But it was probably being filipino too that pushed me, following that stereotype hardcore. 

That’s the story of how and why I went into nursing. Nursing for me is very much a love-hate relationship. The feeling of being overwhelmed and the crippling anxiety makes me hate nursing.  The unknown right before going into your shift. Not knowing who your patients will be, making mistakes, not catching a minute detail, so many possible ways to lose your license. Regardless, it can be really fun when you find your own groove, actually implementing skills like sticking an IV on the first try, having sincere and memorable patient interactions, and knowing you will always have help from your unit. If you feel that bittersweet vibe, it’s totally okay. One day at a time, one shift at a time.

<3 Mags

Thank you Em for editing! <3