[Tweety]

For an ex-nurse to go to a student board with that kind of post seems a bit like a troll to me. But perhaps that nurse is sincerely trying to get the students to see reality. The reality is actually what she says for a lot of people. But the ex-nurse is way to angry and bitter to be even surfing on a student nurses board. That nurse needs to move on with his/her life and get over it.

[weetziebat]

Very well said, Tweety.

[Sheri257]

I don't doubt there are problems with nursing jobs. Look at any jobs board. You'll see people telling everybody to get out of every profession (lawyers, teachers, etc.) I mean ... a lot of jobs do suck.

BUT, unlike other professions, the demand for nursing is high and will continue to grow. Which means you have lots of options if one job doesn't work out.

I see a couple of problems with that nurse's post. For one thing, check the rules of your state BON. In California, for example, you cannot be charged with patient abandonment if you refuse to work OT.

And, in California we have a ratio law which, by most accounts, has made work loads more manageable by reducing the number of patients per nurse. This person probably worked in a non-union/non-ratio state.

Pay may be lousy in other places, but USA Today recently reported that new grads here are making up to $60,000 a year. And the California Nurses Association (the union in this state) has been negotiating 20 percent or more pay raises in their contracts. So at least some nurses are getting pretty good pay raises here.

Consequently, I either plan to work for a union facility, where you can't be forced to work OT or holidays. Or work for one of the hospital chains that glady complied with the ratio law early, and has actually gotten the number of patients down to four per nurse, well below what the law requires. Hopefully, it's a sign this particular employer is friendly towards nurses.

And, if worse comes to worse, I'll get out of bedside nursing all together. Complaining nurses never point out that at least a third of nursing jobs don't involve the bedside at all. I know happily employed nurses who work for drug companies, blood banks, regulatory agencies, insurance carriers, law firms, nursing schools, theme parks, etc.

There are always options. You just have to do some homework on employers and employment options, and be willing to make changes to avoid trouble.

[lisamc1]

I'm just a student nurse myself. My mother, aunt, and 2 uncles are nurses, however, and they all have very positive, very encouraging things to say about the nursing profession. They have all been nurses for well over 15 years! I agree with Tweety, this very unhappy ex-nurse needs to move on!

[hypnotic_nurse]

I love my job.

[MandyInMS]

I can only speak for myself..I love nursing...I HATE the stresssss involved a LOT of the time....they really need to add Stress Management courses in the nursing programs IMO.

[DianaJH]

[quote=lizz]I don't doubt there are problems with nursing jobs. Look at any jobs board. You'll see people telling everybody to get out of every profession (lawyers, teachers, etc.) I mean ... a lot of jobs do suck.


I have to agree with Liz here. I think every job I have had has negative things about them. Life is what you make of it. I do think going in without blinders as this board helps people do, is a good thing. If you can read the negative posts and still keep sight of why you want to be in the medical community then it should work out OK. Also, the comments about hospitals not being the only place a nurse can work.
For those complaining about the copy and paste of the comments in red, there is a report button at the bottom of that post. Maybe the actual post can be removed and a link only there.
Diana

[klone]

For every nurse I've met who hates her job and tries to dissuade anyone from entering the profession, there are an equal number of nurses who love what they do, say they never have regretted it, and have given me encouraging words for entering nursing school.

I imagine it is what you make of it. IME, there are people who are just unhappy, period.

[memphispanda]

Better get a reality check. The "red ink" posted was pretty much true, with the exception of the statement about every nurse wanting to get out. However I think about half the people I work with talk nightly about what else they want to do besides nursing.

The post isn't negative talk about nursing just for the heck of making something sound bad. It's the reality of the job. If you aren't prepared to deal with that, then look for something that has fewer drawbacks.

[Sheri257]

"So before you jump on the “nursing shortage is good for me” bandwagon, ask your self what you want out of your job…if it’s respect and upward income potential, you may want to look elsewhere…remember, there’s a reason there’s a nursing shortage…."

I agree that lousy working conditions probably have contributed to the shortage. But so has the aging RN workforce (retirements and deaths jumped by 150,000 in the last survey). As well as high failure rates both in pre-reqs and nursing school itself (up to 90 percent at my school.)

If the existing RN pool is getting older, and potential entrants experience high failure rates, certainly these factors contribute to the shortage as well. But complaining nurses never talk about it.

Not to mention, aging baby boomers are expected to increase nationwide RN demand by 11,000 vacant positions just this year alone ... 800,000 projected vacancies in the next 16 years.

The reasons for the shortage are pretty complicated and is not necessarily an indication that most nurses are unhappy in their jobs.