NURSING: Bridging The Gap Between Passion And Profession

Walking through the wards, looking at the various faces of patients, with unexplainable blood stains on the uniform, blaming the clock for being too slow; she almost couldn’t wait for the shift to be over. This isn’t working, I have had enough!, I am not exactly cut out for this!, anything else but having to dress wounds, serve medications, monitor vital signs or all these nursing procedures, they are just not for me!, she continued muttering to herself while snapping at the patient who requested for yet another bedpan. That basically describes the innermost thoughts of a nurse, the feeling of uncertainty being inherent; the job satisfaction seems lost, she was torn deep within. That isn’t just about a nurse but a lot of nurses out there. Irrefutably, some of us love caring, they can’t even wait for another day to break to keep serving humanity. In contrast, the statement ‘being called to serve humanity’ seems alien to some. Nonetheless, it is quite understandable, we are all engineered differently. According to Oprah Winfrey, passion is energy, feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. Quite a few of those who are unhappy in the profession really want to leave; many want to stay but fail to discover how they can be relevant in the profession. Nursing is an ocean in which lots of opportunities abound; we only fail to discover those opportunities. Align your passion with your profession and feel the bomb! Is your passion talking or motivating people and you thought being a lawyer or journalist would be the answer? It is undeniable you might never be fulfilled as a clinical nurse, why not pursue a career in being a legal nurse practitioner, nurse educator or better still becoming a nursing informaticist. On the other hand, your passion is business, why not become a nursepreneur either part time or full time. Also, you just love writing; thinking being a reporter would suffice? Why not try out becoming a nurse writer, editorial, historian or even a nurse researcher? Someone might say “no one understands, my passion is far beyond the scope of this profession”, I just love drawing, I might have to pull out of nursing regardless of how painful that might be. Take a chill pill, Frank Netter was a surgeon and he made a career out of being a medical illustrator; one who draws anatomical structures. If need be, create your own niche within the profession, when passion equals profession, true happiness isn’t far-fetched. Never for once let anyone hold you down with ‘ethics won’t allow this, ethics won’t allow that’, as long as it is honourable, pursue it. Money isn’t a true definition of success, self-actualization and happiness is. Don’t start dying before actually living. Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacrifice, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams (Donovan Bailey).