As an aspiring nurse, I was happy to hear about the Senate Finance Committee’s approval of a health care bill aimed at covering about 94% of Americans. With that many people getting medical care, you’d think the government would have thought about the workforce necessary to give that care.

Apparently it hasn’t.

The current health care bill doesn’t address the shortage in health care workers, especially primary care physicians. That affects nurses too because the more patients there are, the more doctors are needed. And the more nurses are necessary to support those doctors.

But even without an increase in patients, there’s already a nursing shortage.  I’m worried because once I become a nurse, I don’t want there to be too few healthcare workers to care for all the sick people. Patients will suffer and the doctors and nurses will get overworked.

A recent example that hits a little too close to home is the shortage of school nurses available to administer the H1N1 vaccination. I have younger siblings and cousins in elementary and middle school. And I’m worried about whether they’ll be OK. I asked my mom what she thought about it, and she said that schools should get more nurses because teachers won’t be able to recognize the symptoms. It’s news like this that reminds me of how crucial it is that I stay focused on attaining my career goals.

I want to become a nurse because I want to be able to help people. But, I know it’s not for everyone. A nurse has to constantly be on her feet for long hour shifts. He has to be careful with the patients and make sure he is careful with dosages. The hardest part is being able to be kind and dedicated to patients, even when things get stressful.

I think that a patient’s experience of care depends less on the clinic or hospital and more on the temperament of the nurse he or she has. For example, my older sister, who has worked at a convalescent home, told me that she remembers nurses there who were very aggressive with the older patients. My sister said it seemed as though the nurses weren't dedicated to their jobs and were just doing it for the money.

But, I’ve seen good examples as well. My grandmother recently was in the hospital for a few days. I spent a night with here there, taking care of her and watching her, making sure if there was anything she needed. I noticed that the nurses treated my grandmother with as much care as I did. They seemed to really like their job. Just like I was, they were constantly checking up on her every hour making sure everything was okay or if she needed something. It was great to see my concern for my grandmother mirrored in the actions of the nurses. After her stay at the hospital, my grandmother told my mother that she was very happy about how the nurses and doctors treated her. This experience made me realize that I had what it takes to be a nurse.

I want to be able to work while I study, so I plan to pursue my career by going to a free vocational education program sponsored by the Department of Labor: Job Corps. I’ll start by studying to be a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA), move up to a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) and finally transfer to a four-year college to become a Registered Nurse (RN). 

In a way, my career choice comes at the perfect time given the greater emphasis on preventive medicine and primary care in the health care bills. So not only will I be helping people, but I will have a job that is projected to grow faster than average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At the same time, I'm a bit nervous that nurses won't have the necessary infrastructure in place to attend to so many patients.

Nursing is already a very challenging job. And I feel like I have the right attitude.

I just hope that, when the time comes, I'll have the necessary resources to give quality care to as many people as possible.
 

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