Creative Professional Identity Paper

From birth, various actions I took led me down the long and winding path to my current career as a Labor and Delivery nurse. I became a nurse because I love blood, saving lives and cheating death. I love working weekends and holidays for extra money. I love the mobility and respect that comes with being a nurse. I love all the overtime I could ever want! Some jobs are physically demanding. Some jobs are mentally demanding. Some are emotionally demanding. Nursing is all three. Ask any person in another career about how much they learned after they finished their education and/or graduated and went to work. Many will tell you that they learn nothing new. As an RN, you learn something new every day you go to work because every day comes with a new set of patients, regardless of what specialty you work in. As I continue my path as a future baccalaureate nurse, I will build a stronger focus on nursing theory, communication, and leadership. I'm very good at my job. If you are sick and need help then come to me and I will help you. If I can't help or "fix" the problem, then by George, I will find someone who will. I especially love poking people with needles and watching that first splash of blood inside the test tube. I love the adrenaline that comes along with the rush of an emergency cesarean and the matter of minutes you have between life and death. It’s exhilarating. I love seeing how the disease process works — in obstetrical patients, in their babies. I love looking at a person and thinking, "I can't believe they survived that.” I hate fetal demises for any reason, but crying with the family that has tried in vitro fertilization four times and is finally holding a newborn in their arms is an extraordinary moment that simply cannot be put into words. I really love educating people. This can be the highlight of my day. I love hearing their outrageous stories of self-entitlement. It allows a plethora of communication and learning between other nurses and is a great way to bond. As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse I will have better leadership abilities and different ways to educate others as well as teach myself. I believe having a BSN will increase communication capabilities. After becoming an RN, I learned to love the special moments I shared alone with patients. Coming from an ER where I rarely got a “thank you" to a Labor and Delivery Unit where families shower nurses with flowers, cards, and gifts to show their appreciation is a huge change. I really do enjoy being that person thanked for helping them, and appreciate being rewarded for a job well done since I put my all into everything that I do. I enjoyed upping my income to $45k+ per year from the salary I was making at a homely mom and pop diner where I held a waitressing gig pre-nursing. Finally, nursing isn't a job for me, it's a livelihood. It's helping that first-time Mom bond with her baby, understand the postpartum process, what breastfeeding should and shouldn't feel like, and when to know when something just "isn't right" with her baby. As a baccalaureate-prepared nurse, I will continue using evidenced-based practice and research to back my stances on why we practice things the way we do in our facility. I will reach out and suggest change when it is needed. I treat my job with respect and dignity. I try my best to cut out the drama and get straight to the point. These moms and dads chose the facility that employs me to deliver their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 8th child — and the goal is to make that process go as smoothly as possible. Having a baby is right up there with getting married as far as a moment in time a woman will remember for the rest of her life. I truly make a difference here, and I make an impact on their lives. I labor these women for 12 hours at a time, sometimes on consecutive days, tirelessly watching fetal heart rate monitoring strips, and will jump on an opportunity to call the physician if the slightest thing “seems off.” Our goal is always a health mom and a healthy baby. In Labor and Delivery, we care for both the mother and the fetus, “invisible” as the baby may appear, it is still the second patient. And just like certain situations from my upbringing shaped the person I am today, I am also able to influence each new life I bring into this world by giving these babies the best chance at developing their own personal identities — whether they decide to become policemen, doctors, hairstylists, teachers, veterinarians, accountants, or maybe … just maybe, nurses.