Week 1. August 1988. "Why do you want to be a nurse?"

During the first week of Nursing 100, Old Military Nurse Instructor encourages her nursing students to share their reason for wanting to become a nurse. Of course, most of the 35 women and 1 man in the room are there because they want to help people. For some it is a calling. I was there because I needed a job that pays more than I was currently making (barely above minimum wage) and it was obvious that the local bread-and-butter, factory labor, would one day become a thing of the past. "Nothing altruistic about that" says Instructor. She added that she thought it was acceptable to wish to be a nurse; even if your motives were less-than-altruism. Perhaps she knew that one day my desire to be a member of this profession would evolve into something more than a paycheck.