Happy Nurses Week!!!

While this week is National Nurses Week, May 6th was Nurses Day.  This is a favorite week for me because the hospitals I have worked for usually do a pretty good job celebrating the nurses who work there.  This year, ACH gave us all Tervis Tumblers with the ACH/Johns Hopkins logo.  I am a huge lover of all things Tervis (I have no idea why) so I was totally on board this year!  I can't wait to use it!!!  But this week has also given me the opportunity to reflect on my 6+ years in this profession.  And how appropriate that Renee and Anna's link up occurs during Nurses Week!!!  Coincidence?  I think not.  Their link up has given me an opportunity once a month to really share my love of nursing with everyone and today is no different.

Today's topic is Why I Became a Nurse.


I kinda fell into nursing.  I never grew up dreaming about being a nurse.  I was going to be a pediatrician.  I had decided in elementary school that I was going to be a doctor.  Never once did I waiver in this.  I did flirt with the idea of being a physical therapist but never took it too seriously.  When I started my first year of college, I was a pre-med student.  I was plugging along, having way too much of a social life.  I was dating a guy who was taking organic chemistry and thought it was hard.  But I was on the med school track so I had to take it too.  The next semester, I registered, got about 1 week into the course and realized I had absolutely no clue what they were talking about and what I was supposed to be doing so I dropped the course.  That meant saying goodbye to my med school dreams.  I was okay with this because I was quite content with being overly involved in campus life and my job.  But when it finally dawned on me that I needed to actually graduate sometime before my thirties, I had to really reevaluate everything.  I knew I wanted to be in the medical field and I loved helping people so why not nursing?  My mom thought I was NUTS.  I was the girl that couldn't be around people throwing up because I'd join in.  I didn't like blood or needles or any of that.  How was I supposed to deal with all of that on a daily basis?  But my mind was made up and nursing school started a few months later and I've never looked back.  I know in my heart that I was called to be a nurse.  Yes, I said called.  I truly believe that this is God's plan for me and through this, I'm doing His work.  How much more rewarding can something be?!?

People say that work should not define a person.  I choose to disagree.  Being a nurse truly defines me as a person, just like being a wife and mother defines me.  It is the essence of who I am.  I am proud to call myself a nurse and proud of the work I do every day.

My nursing pinning ceremony

Pregnant with Em at work

One of our many parties....I have the best coworkers!

The best patients!

The most amazing angels!

And the best reasons to come to work every day!!!