Today, I work with a great group of nurses, and I have a supervisor who is very supportive of the staff and holds high ideals. But today, I am one of the older nurses. We hear of the nursing shortage and I am concerned that more students are not choosing nursing as a career.

Nursing is hard work, physically and emotionally, but it is one of the most rewarding and flexible jobs you can have. You can work full-time or part-time, days or nights, weekends or no weekends, hospitals or clinics, in the home or in industry, with an agency or as a travel nurse, or in the service to your country. You can choose your specialty, and you can go on to be a nurse practitioner. You can teach or you can work in research. You can fly medical transport such as Care Flite. You can be in administration or you can be a "worker bee".

As I age, I desperately want good nurses at the bedside because I know that someday I will depend on a nurse for my own care. It makes me proud to see my coworkers as they care for their patients.
There is an enthusiasm that I like and they have great technological skill as we rely more and more on computers and computerized technology. We share our skills and learn from one another.

I encourage anyone who might be interested in nursing... talk with a nurse. The field is wide open and there is great need.