Thinking of the future and deciding on a career field is very stressful for students. It is very rare that a student knows what they want to study and the occupation that they want to enter. These students often spend thousands of dollars and several years of their lives at a university, trying to find something that interests them. Eventually, they may settle with a business major, a communications major, or a history major. Fortunately, I am not a student who is in this type of situation. For the last two summers, I have volunteered my time and assisted with making patient’s stays at Wayne Memorial Hospital a pleasant experience.
By interacting with the nurses and seeing the impact made on each person, I realized that I should study nursing in college. About the time I entered high school, I knew I needed to job shadow and take part in some volunteer activities, as well. What better way to do this than to do it in a potential career field? I searched for opportunities and finally discovered the volunteer program with the hospital. For me to volunteer at the hospital, I had to complete a test, get recommendations from teachers, answer questions, write an essay, and take a tuberculosis skin test.
Soon after, I was notified that I was accepted and that I would be working at the front desk of the Diabetes Clinic and on the sixth floor at the nurse’s station. This volunteer work lasted over the summer and around March of the next year, I was invited to volunteer during the upcoming summer. Without any question or hesitation, I accepted the offer to volunteer, again. Hoping to get two more exciting locations, I rushed into the coordinator’s office with much anticipation. She informed me that there were not as many options, so instead of getting two jobs each, we would all get one.
The coordinator informed me that she felt I would enjoy working in the Recovery Room and help the nurses with the patients coming out of surgery. I reluctantly agreed because I was highly unsure of what I was getting myself into. Several weeks later, it was time for me to report to my “job. ” Upon my arrival, I was greeted by a very jovial man who showed me around the area and introduced me to the other nurses. I walked around with him for most of the day, and I was able to see what the procedure was for patients who were waking up from anesthesia.
I got to see the nurses running around checking blood pressure, heart rate, and taking notes on all of their assigned patients. By being able to witness this, I was intrigued by the rush and the excitement that each nurse and doctor had. After having this type of first day on the job, I was excited to go back. I reached the point where I was going around helping all of the nurses, and I got to know them all on a first-name basis. My time in the Recovery Room ended faster than I would have liked. My eyes were opened, and I decided that I wanted to pursue a career where every day was a new challenge.
I went back to the volunteer coordinator, and she was curious about how felt in this new job. I told her that I was really amazed with what they did and that I was thinking of maybe going into the medical field. She told me that I should really look into nursing because she felt that I would do the job well. On the way home from the hospital, I spent a lot of time thinking of being a nurse and the different possibilities that lied in front of me. By the time I turned in my driveway, I found that I had talked myself into attending nursing school and being a nurse.
Having this newly discovered interest, I have spent several hours researching different nursing disciplines and the education required for each. I have decided that I want to get my Bachelor’s degree in nursing and earn a Master’s degree, as well. When I achieve these goals, I plan to continue my education and get into a nurse practitioner program. I will eventually get my license and become a family nurse practitioner. My specialty will be to keep my patients healthy and able to live a fulfilling life.
