When I was a kid I never considered going into the medical professions. I’m not quite certain why I never really thought about it. But that was before my mom had to be checked in to the hospital and was found to have cancer. I was told.

I was in shock of course. My mom wasn’t old — she was still in her early 40s and was fairly active. Over the course of three years I watched her waste away to a mere shadow of herself, and that was a hard thing to do. I was only 15 when she passed away, and the one thing that left a huge impression on me was how kind and helpful were the people who took care of her throughout her battle with cancer.

The doctor, nurses, technicians, and receptionists — all of them were so very kind to my mom and made sure her every visit was as comfortable and easy for her as possible. They worked tirelessly to provide the best possible care for my mom — from drawing blood to radiation treatments. She had the most wonderful counselor who patiently helped her try on wigs when her hair started falling out because of all the radiation treatments she was undergoing.

Like I said, working in any of the medical professions never entered my mind until I had to go through that experience with my mother. That’s when I realized that there is a profession that will enable me to be of great help to other people. I can make a difference in other people’s lives.

During my junior and senior years of high school I read up on everything I could find about all of the different kinds of jobs in the medical fields. I looked up as many fields as I could and learned about their pros and cons — from nursing to x-ray technicians and laboratory work. I found that every one of them demanded a certain degree of dedication and training.

Months after coming out of high school, I still hadn’t decided whether to be a nurse or a medical technician. Then I recalled how the nurses took good care of my mom during her last days and that helped me make my decision. Even though nursing would take longer, I decided I wanted to be a nurse.

So I looked around for the right program, deciding finally on a local college so that I would be closer to home and could help my father with my younger brothers and sisters. In the beginning, my main concern was the cost of getting training in one of the medical professions. I wasn’t sure if I could afford the tuition. However, my school informed me that there were many grants and scholarships I could apply to. I did and got the financial aid I needed. My dad helped out too — he was very proud of my decision to work towards a career that helps people.

For four years, I trained in nursing and finally graduated and got my nursing license. I now work in a hospital providing care for people who, like my mom when I was a teenager, are fighting with all their heart to beat cancer and other terminal illnesses. While I realized that I can’t save every patient I work with, I do know that I can give them the best possible care they can get, if only to make their last days or weeks a lot easier for them.

I highly recommend getting a career in one of the medical professions, especially if you want to be in a job that provides service to other people. It’s not just a job but a vocation that’s incredibly satisfying.

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