The obnoxious nurse who inspired me

When I arrived he told me that my grandmother was in the hospital and we had to go there in order to take her off life support.

At the emergency room we introduced ourselves to the nurse. The first thing she did was rip open the curtain to expose my grandmother. No warning. No briefing us of what to expect. Just BOOM: “Here she is, your dying relative.”

When the nurse did this I couldn’t believe how unprofessional, disrespectful, rude, obnoxious, uncaring, and heartless she was.

I believe this experience exposed my own purpose in life, which is to make a difference and to help change the lives of others. I chose the career path to become a nurse for this reason among others. I believe that every nurse and doctor should treat their patients the way they would want to be treated.

Watching how the doctors and nurses acted toward my grandmother and my family almost turned me away from the profession. But after much thought I decided I definitely wanted to be a nurse. I believe I can make a difference in someone’s life just by caring enough about them to treat them with respect and let them know that I am here to help.

Besides becoming a nurse and making a difference in patients’ lives I believe my purpose in life is to make a difference in my children’s lives. I want to teach them to be well rounded. Just like my father always says, “Knowledge is Power.”

The more you learn and know, the less dependent you are on others and the more you can do for yourself. I want to teach them that everyone deserves to be treated the same way you do, with respect.

I believe everyone has a purpose in life. And I believe my purpose in life is to make a difference in other’s lives.

“I Believe Everyone Has a Purpose In Life,” Copyright © 2009 by Rebecca Marsh. Part of the This I Believe Essay Collection found at www.thisibelieve.org, Copyright © 2005-2009, This I Believe, Inc. Reprinted with permission.