[watergirl]

WOW! Not many post have moved me like yours. You sound like a really great caring nurse. I am going to graduate (RN and have been doing really well), in 10 months & have been having slight doubts lately about nursing , after seeing the care going on in the new hospital I've been working at. There are a couple of nurses who REALLY do care, and some that just don't & I can't figure out why they ever entered the profession to begin with. I am only a secretary now, but when the "RN's" don't seem to have time to even speak to a family member who really needs just someone to talk to..I stay, after I have punched out, to talk with them. Sometimes people just need to talk & the felling I get from them..just having someone to talk to is much more than the money they could pay me! You are not alone, a lot of nurses do care. And a lot of nurses seem not to. I hope I never become on of them.

[wornoutnurse]

As my name implies I'm a worn out nurse and it's not from the work load from the residents in the nursing home that I work for, it's from the seemingly uncaring attitude that my fellow nurses have developed. I'm tired of hearing, "no one else does it so why should I," "I don't get paid to do that," and on and on. My favorite is "I don't get paid enough." Honestly who do they think does! With the nursing shortage that everyone is having it seems to me that we should be banding together not fighting against each other. We're our own worse enemies. I don't see how we can hope to bring in new nurses when all we do is complain about how horrible our jobs are to anyone that will listen.

[nurse-lou]

Hello everyone!

I just got home from work a little while ago. This past week on my floor has been extremely busy. I work on a 30 bed medical/telemetry/respiratory unit. I have been on this unit for 8 months now and have been an RN for 4 years. Wednesday night was just so horribly busy! I was ready to cry! I am sitting here right now typing this and am reminding myself that the reason I went into nursing was to "help people".
This helps me put things into perspective and when a patient or a family member tells me that I am a good nurse this helps to re inforce why I became a nurse. I know that I am a good nurse--I try my best anyways. It helps the esteem a little when another person tells you that. I love being a nurse and know that there is nothing else that I would rather do with my life-career wise.
Don't get me wrong, I have times where I just want to chuck it all. That was what I was thinking on Wednesday. But it is better where I am at now than where I used to work plus I have tons of bills. The bottom line is that I love being a nurse!


Kelly

[nurs4kids]

Annie,
Beautifully spoken from an obviously beautiful person! You put it all in perspective! Congrat's on your son..proof we should never let science/medicine dictate what we are capable of doing. Again, thanks for the breath of fresh air!

Tracy

[avolensky]

I am truly touched with what I read and all the replies that you got. I am also a nurse-graduated 1992 but only had the chance to volunteer as an ER nurse for a few months. I had to let go of my career for years to take care of my two kids. But pretty soon, I will be back, finally to make this dream come true "being a nurse". But my problem is I am afraid of going back knowing that I have been "lost" for a long time. But I share your thoughts on being a good nurse in the truest sense of the word. I really just hope and pray that when Im there again, I will not experience the "old eating the young" We all had our beginnings. If and when I surpass this entry..I know I will always remain true at heart as being a nurse.

[MRed94]

My comments consist of asking you to read my post in LPN corner, under "How was your day?"

It 's scary out there some days, and we all have to rely on each other. Too bad so many of us work with nurses who just plain don't care about anything but themselves.

There are so many of us who DO care, but yet, we seem to be in the minority.

MRed