[Spatialized]

I'll throw my in too..

1. What are some of the worse things you have face on the job?
poop, vomit, blood, mucus, screaming family members, screaming docs, screaming patients, inadequate/incompetent ancillary staff and on...but really none of these things bother me. The hardest things to deal with is the inflated expectations brought on by our fix-at-all costs mentality. Some folks you are just not going to fix and until they (and family) realize this it can be a very big challenge.

2. Have you ever decide on areas you would not work in?
Peds, OB - no kiddos or mommies for me. I did long-term care and won't go back, not my cup of tea.

3. What are some of your experiences in non hospital settings and how do they differ?
Like I said above, I worked in LTC for awhile and did not enjoy it. Felt like my license was on the line every single day. But the people (the residents) were wonderful people who I felt I actually connected with which made it palatable. As I student I rotated through out-patient surgery (high turnaround), correctional (in the local jail) which was very unique, home health (didn't care for it) and public health which was intellectually intriguing, but didn't have as much hands-on as I wanted. Many times outside the hospital you don't have the rigid structure, except for corrections, and you have to be more self-motivating and able to work without direct close supervision. At least in my small experience.

4. Are you ever squeamish at the things you see and have to do, and if you did, did that pass in time?
Every now and then I may get a moment of stomach-churning from a particularly horrid wound, but nothing really hits me. It is said that all nurses have their "yuck" factor (renal/liver failure urine, y'know when it looks like motor oil...gives me the heeby-jeebys), some can hold it together better than others. The first couple of times I felt ribs crack and/or move during CPR freaked me out a bit as well.

You have to be very realistic about why you want to become a nurse though. If you're in it only for the prestige (..snort..) or the money you will fail. Financial gain wears thin by the third full bed change on a demented CDiff patient in the first 2 hours of a shift. There should be some altruistic side to it, without that, why help people? I work with nurses who are only doing it for the money (anymore) and they are bitter, burned out, and as uncaring as you might see. It isn't pretty.

Yes, there are many jobs for nurses out there that are not full-on bedside nursing. But to get to them usually requires a little commitment on your part by spending time at the bedside. If you're in this for the money, but don't want to be a (bedside) nurse, there are things you can do in the medical field: CT/MRI/Radiology tech, Ultrasound, vascular lab techs, PT, OT, Speech and on and on.

Bottom line though, I love my job. Dealing with the poop, vomit and blood, the codes the death and all of the assorted detritus of modern medicine is part of that. It is intellectually, emotionally and physically challenging, more than any other job I've done. It works for me. Not everyone though is cut out for it. Don't push yourself into something you fell isn't for you - it won't work, trust me.

Best of luck,
Tom

[nursemike]

I don't entirely disagree with any of RN1989's points. Nursing can be a tough way to make a living, and I think if all you cared about was the money, there must be easier ways. I've spent much of my life doing hard, physical labor, but in the past few years I've left shifts tired in ways I didn't know you could be tired. Being self-employed, I knew a bit about stress, too, but as a nurse I've known near-panic anxiety, along with all the usual stress.
That said, it's possible to love this job, and you don't have to be a selfless martyr to do so. It is necessary to care about people, but what kind of sick soul doesn't care about people? I try hard to keep my patients safe and comfortable. I genuinely like most of them, and I get downright attached to some of them. One of my patients once asked whether I was deliberately bringing his meds last because he liked to gab, and appreciated it when I admitted I was. More than one of my patients has asked that I make sure to stop by at the end of my shift for a hug before I went home. I assure you that I am not even remotely saintly, but any reasonably nice person who doesn't mind working hard can enjoy little victories like these. Probably the most I've ever done to actively save someone's life might be washing my hands so they don't get a lethal infection, but every once in awhile I can notice something and call it to a doctor's attention before it becomes a more serious problem. It's a pretty decent ego boost when a doc tells you, "Nice catch."
Bedside nursing is tough, but it isn't thankless, and it can be downright fulfilling. There are individuals, units, and entire facilities that can be crappy, but I work alongside some of the best people I know--smart, strong, compassionate, and ready to do pretty much whatever needs to be done. If I were to win a big lottery jackpot, I'd miss my job. (But I'm pretty sure I could cope.)