Aaron May

The main reason I want to become a nurse is to have the ability to make an impact in the lives of my patients.  There are many careers in which the daily decisions have little or no effect on the well-being of others.  These decisions, although important, generally do not carry the responsibilities of those made in nursing.  The daily decisions that a nurse will make on the hospital floor will ultimately affect someone’s life.  The trickle-down effect of these decisions will impact their family and community, as well as the healthcare team administering the care.  This brings with it an exciting and immense responsibility to the nurse and to the other members of the health care team.
         
Nursing also provides a great opportunity to serve the community.  As nurses, we are on the front-lines, engaging members of the community on a daily basis.  This is such a great chance to learn about other people, cultures and the community as a whole.  One way we can maximize this opportunity is to embrace the differences of others and to develop cultural competencies throughout our career.  This increases our effectiveness in communicating with others and allows us to serve more of the local population.  It’s exciting to be in this unique position that allows us to learn from and help out those in need of care.  These important life skills are at the core of effective nursing.         

Lastly, the nursing profession shares a variety of needs and great opportunities.  Whether you want to work in multiple units, pursue a specialty, educate future nurses or serve patients on a daily basis, the opportunities available are endless. 

We are also in a very exciting time in which the baby boomer population is reaching a season of life that requires more care.  It is likely that those of us entering this profession will care for the baby boomer population our entire careers.  Many other services are cyclical or fluctuate with supply and demand.  In nursing, there are always clients (patients) that need our help and it’s exciting to be a part of a profession where the sky is literally the limit.