[Emmanuel Goldstein]

If you'd asked me this 20+ years ago, I'd have said "sure".

Now?

No way.

[Havin' A Party!]

Interesting, Emmanuel. I've just the opposite opinion: So many opportunities now.

C'est la vie!

[Ayvah]

For regular floor nursing, no I would not. You go through enough in nursing school to then have to deal with overwhelming, unsafe patient loads, lives at stake, etc. And it is often the health of the nurse, and the family that suffers. Nursing has the potential to be a phenomenal job, but far too often, it is dangerous in more ways than one. The amount of times I have seen tears from experienced floor nurses (and had myself) is one of many reasons which keeps me away from floor nursing, and from recommending it. I know I have done very meaningful work on the floor, but it took a serious toll on me and my family that should have never occurred.

[TravORNurse]

Absolutely not. I have worked in many areas in many different professional roles and never have experienced the level of back stabbing and poor leadership that I've seen while in the medical field. Glorified maids and yes men is what it seems is acceptable to hospitals not nurses who really care about providing good care.

[PrincessAnnie]

My mom is a RN and has a masters degree and has taught RN at a college. She told me about all the crap,but said it is a good career to go to school for. I wanted to go into teaching,but need a better paying job now.
I'll let my kids do whatever they want and support them both.

[hlfpnt]

I will support any choice my dd makes, but I will not encourage her to go into nursing. For one thing she's a germaphob. I know my kid very well & I know that she just wouldn't be happy doing what I do. I can support her, but I can't encourage her to do something I know she'll be unhappy with. I think with as much of our lives that is spent on the job, we should be happy doing what we do.

[End Game RN]

I don't have children, but.....This is not a yes or no question...

What I do have is the opportunity to influence nursing students and young people and a few older students in their late 20s and 30swho are thinking about going into the field of nursing.

I first listen to the person who is asking my opinion about entering nursing. I ask a few important questions about the individual's personal life, what is important to them such as family, friends, hard work, sacrifice and loyalty. I ask them to tell me what is it about nursing that interests them, why did they choose this? I ask them if they looked at nursing as a way of "becomming" of growing both spiritually as well as intellectually. Could they see themselves celebrating with patients' and families and crying with them tooo. Could they share a "Cuban Coffee" with a family or patient and honestly engage in frank discussions of a patient's diagnosis, treatments, prognosis, etc....I ask if they could feel comfortable teaching interested family, friends how to provide the nursing care the patient may require during hospitalization and maybe at home as well. Are they willing to learn and practice Cultural Nursing, especially in a multicultural community as we have in Miami-Dade County.

Could they see themselves as part of a family's and patient's deeply personal, private lives and keep secrets that can never leave the patient's room. Could they be non-judgemental when caring for patients'.

Lastly..could they Love the patients' and their significant others as they do their own family and friends.

I am often surprised by some of the answers. But one thing stands out as a frequent response by these wannabee nurses. I am often told that they are discouraged from continuing their studies in nursing and to get out while they can. Many of these students have told me that the people who gave this advice practiced nursing in a way that showed they did not like their job, complained about patients' and familys' and co-workers. Some of these "future nurses" told me that this gave them a bad impression of not just those nurses they were looking up to, but a bad impression of nursing as a career.

If I am asked directly about recommending nursing as a career I tell the truth. ABSOLUTELY THE BEST DECISION I MADE IN MY LIFE!!!!!

I tell them ultimately they must decide for themselves if this is the path they will take. I tell them to take everything everyone has said about nursing, good or bad or indifferent, with a grain of salt. In the end, it is they themselves that must look back and decide if they made the right decision. I often tell these persons that nursing is not a dead end..it has hundred or more branches, try one branch, doesn't quite fit? see what does..nursing simply is...life!

As for me....I am the sum total of my experiences. The Dark Side as well as the Light, absolute despair to the ultimate high of success. A roller coaster of emotions that eventually lands safely back at the starting gate, beginning again with a new day and a new patient assignment in our ICU.

I decompress by practicing my art with our horses. Equine nursing. Its a perfect fit. I tell my "young" that this is just one more branch in my nursing tree. I am pretty damm good at it too!!!

Nursing as a career??? GO FOR IT!!!

[RN2008LPNfirst]

I am just beginning my career as a nurse, but my mother has been a nurse for over 25 years and she loves it. I have worked in the medical field down through the years and other fields and I must say, at least as a nurse, despite the hateful patients, there are patients and families out there that a nurse actually makes a difference in their lives. I have been a patient in critical situations where I almost died from septicemia due to a surgery gone bad and my nurses are who kept me from dying. I will always love them for that. That being said.......I have a 10 year old daughter and a 13 year old son and I would encourage them strongly to get into the medical field if that is what they want to do.

[Havin' A Party!]

Liked the response End Game!

[danissa]

Actually..after hearing my babe..nursing sounds fab!
She's 17, (18 in Nov), left after 6 yrs high school , which is great here, keep goin as long as poss in school, gaining further education!!
For as long as she has been able to talk...she wanted to be in the Police!!! (actually, just what I wanted at that age, but did not project...honestly!!)
Thing is, she would be so fab as a police officer, but told us she is thinkin of the FIRE SERVICE!! NO WAY HOSE (or anyone else!!!), Cant have my wee girl in the midst of liftin folks from a fire, and ALL the other scary stuff that comes with it! She Is SO GROUNDED!!!(until she is 35ish!!)
Please Dee.... be a nurse or a midwife instead baby!!!!!!
Am absolutely freakin here, no way my baby girl can be a fire officer!!!!!