by C. Lyn Walter

Created on: November 18, 2008   Last Updated: October 07, 2011

If you find yourself reading this article you may have at least some interest in becoming a nurse. Beyond the often times stilted images seen on television and in the movies, you may wonder what it is a nurse really does. Let us begin by defining the word nurse, discussing how diversified careers in nursing have become, and then we will take a final look at how seemingly limitless the opportunities may be.

If you Google the question What is a nurse? you'll find many definitions, all having to do with educating populations to public health, promoting healthier lifestyles, preventing disease, improving cleanliness and sanitation, caring for children, mothers, elders and yes, saving lives. You will also find words like nurture, compassion and even selflessness. If you are really interested, you may decide to take the opportunity and delve into a vitally rich and humanistic history of nursing as well.

Nurses work in home health, hospitals, clinics, physician's offices, the military and yes, even at Disneyland. Nurses specialize in surgery, intensive care, infection control, cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, plastic surgery, oncology, research, and much more. The opportunities are endless. Of course, living the life of a nurse is more complex. There does need to be a core sense of wanting to help, wanting to share knowledge and a desire to improve opportunities for patients.

While nursing is a very worthwhile career, there are those long hours to consider and when you graduate from nursing school, it may seem you are working all of them. You will begin by working week-ends and holidays but eventually, things will become more balanced once you gain a little experience.

At the core of it all is this; nursing requires you to be willing, willing being the key word. Honestly ask yourself if you are willing to educate yourself and to continue your pursuit of education for the rest of your career, because there is never an end to what you need to learn, and you will have to keep up. Are you willing to be dead tired, willing to be unable to make every soccer game, every birthday party, or a timely entrance to every family celebration? Are you willing to commit yourself to truthfulness no matter the cost, because you will be licensed and there will be nursing practice standards that must be upheld; one cannot hide, overlook, deny or practice deceitfully, and also call themselves a nurse.

Finally, you need to be willing to become emotionally devastated at being so close

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