Nursing Career Research Paper

When I became a Registered Nurse, I was unsure where my nursing career would take me. I didn’t yet have any particular area of interest. While attending school to complete my BSN, I bounced around on a handful of med/surg floors. I worked in long-term care. The jobs I was working in were fine, but I never really felt passionate about them. A year after obtaining my nursing license, my older brother took his first step toward recovery and entered treatment for substance abuse. Shortly after visiting my brother at his residential treatment facility, I knew I had to pursue a career where I could help others like him. I soon found myself working at a behavioral health hospital. I immediately felt at home. I knew right away that this was the population …show more content…
It has become a field that I am truly passionate about. I watch my patients walk through the doors of our facility disheveled and hopeless, with nowhere left to turn. I look at them and in their eyes I see that same familiar look that I saw in my brother’s eyes many years ago. A few short weeks later, they walk out, still scared, but with a clear head, and ambition to get back the life they once had. The hopelessness is gone and they are ready to face the world. It is an amazing thing to witness, and humbling to be a part of. The feelings I have when I see them come back for alumni events, to volunteer, or even following up with out patient appointments is indescribable. Hearing them tell me how much their lives have changed fills me a sense of pride, even if I only played a small part in their recovery. I know they are grateful for the treatment they received, and through my personal experience with my brother, I know how happy their families are to have their loved ones …show more content…
The facility where I work only has providers who are there during day shift hours, this leaves evening and night shift nurses to make many clinical decisions on our own. We evaluate our patients’ needs based on a brief history, which is usually difficult to obtain due to the condition they arrive in, a risk assessment, as well as a physical head to toe assessment, including monitoring for withdrawal symptoms from different substances. We then choose what medications to give and when, based on existing protocol orders. In learning to be more self-reliant and confident in my clinical abilities over the years, it has strengthened my desire for an advanced degree and more