[malestudent-bsn]

I have hopes to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist, but I know I have to work in an intensive care unit as a RN for a year or two, before I can enter CRNA school. And quite frankly, Im a little scared, is being a RN that bad? Do RN's get the pay and respect? From what Im hearing on this website..it is no? someone please enlighten me....am i too worried or is being a RN really this bad? I havent started my clinicals yet..could that part of nursing school answer my questions about nursing??
thank you for your enlightments.

[ninaldunn]

I did office work for 5 years before becoming a nurse. I could not have made a better move. I love being a nurse. I learn something new everyday. I float in my hospital I work med/surg floors, post partum, peds, Neuro ICU, MS ICU, CCU, Pediatric ICU (not L&D or NICU). I've been a nurse for 5 years. I am hired to work 3 days a week. If I work extra days, I get overtime. If my husband gets a job with better benefits than me, I can work OP-Time for $30/hr. 5 years into my nursing career I feel like my opportunities are really opening. I can travel nurse. I'm considering MS ICU but I'm waiting for the cream puff position. They have a lot of 12 hr shifts, I'm waiting for 8 hr days, every 3rd weekend. If I were still in the office I would not have learned much, The office manager was only 8 years older than me, she's not died or retired yet, I would be the same position I was back then. Not to mention the difference I make in people's lives.

Nurses are very high maintenence picky people who like things perfect - so you hear a lot of griping, but things are usually much better than they sound.

[PhantomRN]

I think my question to you would be: Do you want to be a nurse?

I understand you want to be a CRNA.........ah you do understand that is a NURSE. No offense meant.

The basic tenets of nursing is of a caring profession. If that is why you going into the field than the junk that some of the unhappy nurses spew should be disregarded. We all make our own path in life.

[nursedude]

There is a nursing shortage for a reason...

[malestudent-bsn]

Nursedude, I understand what youre saying, but your response dosent help much. I need some more substantial evidence from nurses like yourself who have been there. Thank you.
malestudent-bsn

[nilepoc]

Are you becomming a nurse for the sole reason of becomming a CRNA? Or, are you becomming a nurse because you like to help people and feel good about what you want to do.

Ask yourself, what are my motivations for becomming a CRNA.

Do you want the prestige and the money? Or are you in it for more humanitarian reasons. It is perfectly acceptable to want both, but it is not going to work for you if you are only in it for the first reason.

Nurses do not usually just go to work and doa job, their practice involves a great deal of personal input and reflection on what the patient needs, not just what a patients illness requires medicine to do.

If you just want money and prestige, you should consider another route.

If on the other hand you want to embrace your career and feel like you accomplish something at work, consider the nurse route. Any hardships you encounter in becomming and being a nurse will wash off like water on a duck. your primary reason for being a nurse should not always be compensation. I can say this, as you can see, I am well compensated for what I do by looking in the thread on nurse wages.

Good luck

[canoehead]

Have you been listening to us post? The answer is that it IS really that good, and that bad. Every day is different though, the only consistent is the need to move quickly because there are just not enough nurses to do what you need to the way the books, and standards say you should.

If you are by the book, and anal, that is good, but you'd better loosen up a little if you want to get through the day or your mental health will suffer.

[luanne101]

Spare me...Nursing is the worst field to even consider as a means to survive. Prostitutes get the same recognition and treatment.

[kewlnurse]

No it is not that bad, if you get dumped on it's because you allow yourself to get dumped on, if you arn't happyu with your pay and your not in a union position, do somthing about it, don't like your job period, than leave your making others miserable along with you. The pay isn't that bad considering you only need a 2 year degree, it is bad considering what we are doing. The biggest problem is that a lot of people whine and none of them do anything about it. The floor i used to work on needed a lot of im needles, we always ran short but we had a tone (about 500) tuberculin syringes that are, in my opinion, useless, so i took them to the supply room got floor credit for them, get to the right syringes and told the manager that from hence fourth i was the only person to order syringes, worked out great til i left the floor. We needed prewritten MARS for post ops, i made them up, gave them to the manager and had a few hundred copies made, they still use them. If everyone were to quit whinning and do somthing nursing would be a hell of a lot better profession.

[ninaldunn]

Kwelnurse - Right on - that's what I'm saying. There's a lot of squeaky wheels out there. It doesn't mean everything's bad. To the person considering to be a nurse. If you don't want to hear it - just walk away from the gossip team and the gripe group. I'm sure everyone has 2 cents to offer - but take it as that - it's just 2 cents! A nurses' moan and groan about a PIA patient is the same as a stock managers' moan and groan about a company in the market. A smart stock manager can still make money when the market is down. Same as a good nurse can have a good day while everyone else is moaning and groaning.

At least as nurses we have such a variety of places and areas we can work, especially nowadays with the shortage - they'll let you move into any department. When I was a student only doctor's wives (and mistresses) got to be OR nurses. Now they have posted positions for over 4 months. They will new grads in OR.

The world is at your feet. I recommend getting as much schooling as you can and really committing to continuing your education - because once you start to work it's so easy for time to pass if you don't keep up your school.