Hello everyone. First of all I would like to say how much I just admire you nurses for getting to where you are, and sticking with it through the difficulties.:bowingpur I am not a nurse, but am starting my pre reqs in Sep to start the path. I wanted to know all the pros and cons of the job before I got into it. And boy.. there are MANY cons! I just went into a forum and there were nurses venting about how much they hate it and how they wish they had done something different. One nurse even said that the other nurses at her hospital told her that if they didnt have bills to pay, they would quit. How the working conditions are awful. They got into it to help people, but half the time those people are ungrateful, or the nurses are so overloaded they didnt even get time to give proper patient care. And the backstabbing nurses and managers, possibly compromising a persons license because they dont like them, or they spoke up. The doctors treating you like your nothing. I mean it goes on and on. Even international nurses saying the same things go on in their countries. I wanted to be a nurse because I love medicine and love helping people(cliche, I know) and I always told myself at the end of my days I want to make sure I have touched as many lives as possible. Thats what life it about for me. I wanted a job that will help my soul grow, but I heard nursing just sucks the life out of you and so many nurses have health as well as mental problems (depression,anxiety,suicide,etc) and thier families are suffering because of it. So... I need you guys to be honest with me. Is it really so bad? Would you do it again if you could? For god sakes, is there a positive working enviroment where nurses empower each other and everyone works as a team? Ive heard some people say that Lpn's have it better because not only do they not have the liability that RN's do, but they actually get to spend time with the patients. Is this true? Should I just go to be an Lpn and actually get to practice NURSING? Whats your experience, and your recommenedation ladies and gentlemen? Thanks you so much for taking the time out to respond. Im really lost here.

awww _ i'm a newbie- I wish I had some "miles" to help you, butI believe many newbies have a lot of the same fears/questions /concerns. I know I did, and I learn as I go. I would love to hear some seasoned responses(new and old, LPN and RN to get some perspective from different extremes)

Misslady,

There are a lot of folks who love nursing. I would suggest volunteering in several hospital and nursing home settings. Pick the ones that have a good reputation. Do some detective work while you are there and find out if the nurses like their jobs.

I worked in nursing for 14 years in multiple settings, and most of the nurses I knew liked their jobs. The key is, finding the place with a good supportive culture for nurses.

The happiest nurses may not be the more vocal ones-folks who are in a bad situation are naturally going to want to talk about it. The nurses who work in good places, and like their jobs, may not talk much about their job situation because they are OK with nursing.

Also, I would suggest that you read around this forum for a while. Look also at the posts that are not related to job problems, so you get a balanced view.

I am not trying to be a Pollyanna here-a lot of nursing jobs stink-but some are good ,so if you have the calling for patient care, check things out.

Good luck in whatever you do,

Pooksmom

Take this from a nurse who never wanted to be a nurse. It is worth it. Yes, there are bad days, there are horrible bosses, nasty co-workers, impossible family members, ungrateful patients, long hours, and on and on. Some days it is almost overwhelmingly stressful. But I have met some amazing people during my 26 yrs as a nurse, patients, families, and others in the healthcare profession. There are few jobs as flexible as nursing, as secure, both challenging and satisfying. I go home every day and know that I have made a difference in the life of a patient. I have worked in nursing homes for the past 12 yrs. I am now "the boss". I hope things are good enough at our facility that no nurse of mine has to feel some of the things you are worried about. You keep going, find your niche, and make a difference.

I will suggest that you try and do some vuluntary work at a hospital or work as a CNA so you can get some experience. Do not fear the thought of being a nurse, its not awful. You just simply have to like helping people. Every proffessional have to deal with people. However, being a nurse you are dealing with sick people with different pesonalities and you just have to love doing it or you will just hate your job. Be a nurse if you feel its right for you. Good luck!

I am also taking my pre-reqs, and I have also seen so many complaints on the forums, but, if you keep looking there are a lot of nurses who love their jobs. I personally have two very close friends that I have known for 15 years that are RNs on the floor, and really like their jobs. They said there are always people with attitudes, but they truly are happy, and have told me that I will never regret being a nurse because of the mental challenge and opportunities to grow within the profession. Hope this helps you.

All the cons you listed are completely true. Unfortunately, so many of us use this forum as a venting place because we know there are others here that "get it" and can offer up some empathy during the bad times. Often times, our loved ones that are not in the medical field can not begin to imagine what we go thru in any given day, so we come here to vent those frustrations.

Rarely does anyone post examples of "the pros" in nursing. For example in my LTC faciliity this week we had a new lady with recent bowel surgery. I went down to meet her and ended up spending 20 minutes with her. Seems her stomach was still very upset and she didn't want lunch. Ended up with all she really needed was some tea and toast, a sympathetic ear and permission to fart as loud and explosively as she needed to get rid of the excess gas. Her roommate (who happened to be a retired RN) overheard the conversation and joined in with encouragement to fart! It turned into a big joke for all 3 of us and my intervention helped this resident thru a perceived embarrasing situation and helped to form a bond with her new roommate. I left that room feeling really good.. BUT NO ONE EVER POSTS "Oh I felt all warm and fuzzy today". We all just $itch! :)

Nursing will be to you what you make it to be. The greatest part of nursing is the many choices available to you, from hospital, home health, LTC, office, etc. Everyone is bound to find something that satisfies them. Get all the education you can get. Good luck.

Hello everyone. First of all I would like to say how much I just admire you nurses for getting to where you are, and sticking with it through the difficulties.:bowingpur I am not a nurse, but am starting my pre reqs in Sep to start the path. I wanted to know all the pros and cons of the job before I got into it. And boy.. there are MANY cons! I just went into a forum and there were nurses venting about how much they hate it and how they wish they had done something different. One nurse even said that the other nurses at her hospital told her that if they didnt have bills to pay, they would quit. How the working conditions are awful. They got into it to help people, but half the time those people are ungrateful, or the nurses are so overloaded they didnt even get time to give proper patient care. And the backstabbing nurses and managers, possibly compromising a persons license because they dont like them, or they spoke up. The doctors treating you like your nothing. I mean it goes on and on. Even international nurses saying the same things go on in their countries. I wanted to be a nurse because I love medicine and love helping people(cliche, I know) and I always told myself at the end of my days I want to make sure I have touched as many lives as possible. Thats what life it about for me. I wanted a job that will help my soul grow, but I heard nursing just sucks the life out of you and so many nurses have health as well as mental problems (depression,anxiety,suicide,etc) and thier families are suffering because of it. So... I need you guys to be honest with me. Is it really so bad? Would you do it again if you could? For god sakes, is there a positive working enviroment where nurses empower each other and everyone works as a team? Ive heard some people say that Lpn's have it better because not only do they not have the liability that RN's do, but they actually get to spend time with the patients. Is this true? Should I just go to be an Lpn and actually get to practice NURSING? Whats your experience, and your recommenedation ladies and gentlemen? Thanks you so much for taking the time out to respond. Im really lost here.

You know the saying, hindsight is 20/20. Thats not always true. Take my case for instance.

I was in school, working on prereqs. when a landscape boss convinced me to come on full time, leave school for a crew boss position. At first, I was hight on life making the best money I ever had and loving what I did. In the long haul though, it was not the field for me. The complany folded because it had no direction and I was a landscape laborer again, but now with defaulted school loans.

I busted my hump for a year an a half and got my loans out of default. Once out of default, I was able to go back to school and finish what I started. I was at a bit of a crossroads at this point. I had to choose between two career paths that interested me, nursing or accounting. Very different I know, but those were my interests.

I picked nursing because of a number of personal reasons. This is where the "hindsight is 20/20" comes in. Now in nursing for 3 1/2 years, looking back I often wonder if I went the right way. Nursing has burned me out in some ways, lifted me up in others. I sometimes imagine what it would be like had I picked accounting. Problem is, its not fair to nursing to compare it to accounting at this point. I have an in house, up and close relationship with nursing. I only have an outsider's aquantence with accounting. So, in the end, I am really comparing nursing to my "idea" of accounting. This is why hindsight is not 20/20 in this case. I dont have a clear picture of what accounting would be like right now, so its no comparison.

I've talked to many people who, like me, got into nursing because it was their way to be a valuable asset to their community. Then, as we began our careers, we realized most around us do not have the same idealistic goals in mind. Administration makes decisions based only on how to earn that next bonus. Insurances put restrictions on the care that leave us powerless to be humane towards patients. Politicians and policy makers view us as the enemy, placing the blame for many of healthcare's shortcomings on our shoulders. Policies and laws are bias towards protecting patients, which at first glance is how it should be, but there is little consideration given to our safety and ability to perform our role. Refer to any thread concerning PG scores or one hour rounding to see what I am refering too. All this and the iceing on the cake, the one that pushes me towards burnout more than any other, is the fact that the public's perception of us is that we are undereducated, lazy and judgemental.

I'm sure if I found a board like this one for accountants, I would see complaining about random downfalls of the profession just like here. If not, if it were the perfect career like I build it up to be in my mind sometimes, there would be droves of people trying to get into it.

My point, in short, is that every career is not exactly what we think it is/could be. You really cant tell if a career path is for you until you have gone down the road a good ways. At that time, if you decide to change your mind, it will be a bit more work than if you had started out the other direction in the first place. Sometimes, unless you despise your first choice, it really isnt worth changeing your mind.

Whats to do with all this info? Maybe the answer is to not let your life be defined by your career choice. Maybe approaching work like a job, something you just do to survive. IDK. I'm still seeking my niche in nursing, I have come to the realization that M/S is not my route to take if I ever want to be satisfied with my work environment.

I would decide for myself, based on my own experiences, if nursing is for me. That way, if you regret your decision, you know you went that route for the right reasons. Having that at least keeps me going a lot of times.

The concern that you have is completely normal. Every job has it's pros and cons. I became a medical asst. when I was 21. Now, ten years later I am getting my LPN license , the bridging to get my RN. I love the medical field. The thing to remember is that there are many more job opportunities for you than just in a hospital. At the clinic I worked at as a medical assistant, they also had LPN's, they made twice as much money but did basically the same thing as me. You can do home heath care. Phone triage, school nurse, the possibilities are endless. The education you will receive will allow you to work in a wide variety of places. Anyone who complains and hates their job should really consider finding a new one. After all, your job is a very big part of your life. I think it is best to be happy where you work. You will find that place.

Wow. Thanks so much for your comments. It really touched home. A

I would definitely work as a patient care tech to get get a feel as to whether it's something you want to do. Good luck.

i am in the nursing program in tennessee. its VERY hard work it is VERY fast paced and it will be VERY worth it.

The first week you will cry, the second week you will second guess your decision to to it, but after that first class is over and you PASS. That feeling of accomplishment is so great that you will stand a little taller, walk a little prouder and know that when it is all said and done you WILL be a NURSE. I am sure there are horror stories out there and someday i WILL have one, but for the lives i touch and that have touched mine i would do it all over again. good luck in making your decision. i hope this helped

Your letter makes me cry...Of course, I've been crying for the last several hours...I feel your heart, and it is mine...the reasons I went into nursing. My heart is broken tonight at all that you have mentioned...and then, I read that you were looking for a place your soul could grow...Well, It definitely challenges your soul...your whole being....