Many people would rather choose to become a doctor than a nurse. Why? Doctors take charge of a patient’s case, while nurses assist. Doctors earn more money than nurses. To me, I would rather choose to become a nurse. I want to be the immediate person to take care of my patients when their family is not around. I want to work as a team with the doctors. Financially, nursing is more affordable. Nursing fit my personality better than as a doctor. I want to become, specifically, a pediatric ER nurse.

Since I was young, I have been taking care of lots of people in the family. My two younger brothers were my first two patients. Whenever they get sick, I was the one who took care of them. I was always there for them at the doctor’s office. When they get shots, I was always next to them gave them support. After we went home, I continued taking care of them as the doctors directed. I made sure they took their medicines on time and had enough rest to recover. Seeing them getting back to shape was the biggest reward to me. When my parents were not home, I became the mother and caregiver role and took care of what they ate. I made sure they had the nutrition needed. Even though it wasn’t easy, I still enjoy taking care of them, just like nurses do at hospitals. Even my aunt who is a nurse thinks I could be a great nurse. She says she does see potentials in me. On the other hand, I enjoy training my patience level and see myself grow, so I have decided to become a nurse.

A manager needs an assistant manager. A school principal needs an assistant principal. A doctor needs a nurse, too. We work as a team. Doctors are responsible to the diagnostic part of the patient’s care. Nurses, on the other hand, assist doctors to continue monitoring the patient’s progress. We, as nurses, also take the initiative to comfort the patient’s emotional, physical, and physiological needs. We are the first person for patients to seek help with when the doctors are not around. We are the caregiver of the patients in the hospital. Doctors do come visit their patients on a regular basis, but they need the nurses’ support to make the process of taking care of the patients smooth. I like working with doctors as a team, that’s why I want to become a nurse.

Money is a very essential factor when it comes to making a decision on what and where to study. An average college tuition of studying as a medical doctor is between $40,000 and $60,000, depending on which school you go to. However, average college tuition of studying as a nurse is between $2,000 and $30,000, depending on the number of years of the program and the geographic location of the study. Just comparing these numbers, nursing is more affordable, unless you have earned a scholarship or a grant. This is one of the reasons, not the main reason, why I chose to become a nurse rather than a doctor.
As a medical assistant for five years in the ER, I have learned so much and have seen a lot. There were tough times, discouraging times, but more and more happy times, cheerful times as well. If you ask me which type of nurse I would want to become, I would choose a pediatric ER nurse. I like working in the emergency room. Not that I like to see the life and death drama, but I feel this is the division that I get to take care of patients in a very close relationship. Patients who have come through the emergency room with an emergency wanted to get treated at once. Of course, the policy is to prioritize based on one’s injuries level. I remember there was one Chinese girl who was about 10 years old came to the ER with a stomach virus. She stopped vomiting after resting in bed for a few hours. So she was placed into a room with a monitor to keep track of her condition. Nurses come in when there is time to check on her. Her family was not happy about that. They wanted to get a doctor to check her daughter right the way, but there was a huge car accident that day, that many of the medical professionals were helping the injured people. We were short of staff to take care of cases like this little girl’s. Plus, they spoke Chinese. They tried to communicate with us in English, but it was not easy to understand. They were nervous, I could tell, as they were speaking with limited vocabulary words. After all the victims at the car accident have been taken care of, I went to this family and tried to inquire their needs. At first, they were so loud when they spoke. They were so mad about the tight space they had to wait for such a long time to get someone talked to them. I tried to be as patient as possible to listen to their requests, and then I went to check on their daughter. I gave this little girl a blood test, along with checked her temperature and her blood pressure. I double checked her chart and asked the little girl what happened. Her English was better than her parents, and I was able to get an idea of why she came here.

After I double checked her chart, I started to take care of her other needs. I made sure she has enough blankets, was not thirsty or hungry, and she will be treated by a doctor shortly. I even shared with them that there’s an electronic board outside of the room in the hallway that displayed each ER patient’s status. I showed them where to find their daughter’s name and what the status mean. They understood about the wait for blood test and more observation of her daughter’s condition. This little girl was treated momentarily and was sent home to rest. They came to thank me before they left. That was the precious moment that was priceless. Along with more cases that I had to deal with families, especially children, I fell in love of the pediatric division. That’s when I told myself that I want to become a pediatric ER nurse.

Anyone who works at the same job for five years has sufficient experience to do the job well. I think I am the same. On top of my five years of assisting doctors and took care of other matters, I think it’s time for me to take the next step – go to the nursing school and study to become an official nurse. I look forward for all the challenges to come, as well as all the fun and learning welcoming me. I know I will be a great pediatric ER nurse.