does anyone regret this career?

[cantdoit]

just curious.

I regret it every single day. I had good intentions when I started, and I wasn't idealistic either. But it is a FAR worse job than I imagined. I feel like the life has been beaten out of me.

I consider myself a good nurse, and I do give it my all for patients when I'm at work. But I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this.

Just wanted to know if I was alone. My family and friends don't seem to understand.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

This is another enlightening discussion on the same subject:

https://allnurses.com/nursing-career-advice/no-i-wouldnt-7423.html#post33313

[JMBnurse]

I would even suggest a good old fashioned job search, where you type up a really sweet resume with a cover letter, dress up in nice interview clothes, and go in person and hand deliver your resume at different places where you think you might like to work, even if they don't have any positions posted.

Interesting... I am pretty old school, but after reading all of the problems with finding a nursing job here, are people not doing this anymore? Every job I have ever had, except my current one, I applied for in person. The only reason I did not for my current position is because it is with an insurance company and they have very tight security, so you can't just go there unless you have been invited for an interview. I know we are in the internet age of google and monster.com, but are nurses seriously not dressing up, hand delivering their resume, filling out an application in person, knocking on doors and shaking hands when they are on a job hunt? If not, in my opinion, that is obscuring possibly one of their greatest assets- themselves. Live and in person! I want them to see me, not just my resume or an online application.

[kcmylorn]

After reading some of the posts here- I think it's going to be very interesting to see when the economy and job market picks up, just what the Number's of nurses's actually left in nursing are, especially in that ever so coveted, sacred, gotta have a hospital job "hospital environment".

The older nurses are going for the door first- had enough and seen enough to make them puke, thankful to be getting out of nurse prison with out being sued- not why they went into nursing; the younger ones are going to be fighting to get out the door because it is not what they thought it would be- just one big disappointment and disillusion ment in the land of "Oz"; then there is everyone in between, who for a variety of reasons are not going to stay either- too hard of work, no glory, bad pay, not optimumal hours, accountability.

Seems to me - these PTB( academia to CEO's) are manipulating a man made "nursing shortage" so they don't look like greedy fools who pumped out new grads in the mist of an economic depression/meltdown and can continue to live with themselves.

For me- Do I regret this career- Yes, this nursing "body by Victoria " bra doesn't "fit" anymore!!( another nauseating word used by the Nursing Machine "not a good "fit")

[lifeisgood2012]

I am a brand new nurse (LPN) having worked 2 months in LTC and terminated

because they found an LPN that could work my schedule (2nd shift - apparently

not a desirable shift) that they wouldn't have to invest time training.

The only thing I regret is seasoned nurses who forget that they were once

brand new nurses too who had to go through training because they wanted

to become the best nurse they could be. I don't mind doing the work that it

takes to find a job - going in person, dancing a jig, jumping in and being

proactive about learning - I just want to be given a shot to prove to myself

and others that I am worth the time and effort to train.

I am so gun shy now about being a nurse because I was terminated after they

found someone with experience during my orientation period - but what can

I do? Keep pushing forward.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I am so gun shy now about being a nurse because I was terminated after they found someone with experience during my orientation period - but what can I do? Keep pushing forward.

How long was your orientation period at this particular facility? A two-month training period seems unusually generous and abnormally lengthy for most LTC facilities given their limited budgets, even for brand new grads with no nursing experience. As a new LPN in LTC in 2006, I never received more than a couple of shifts worth of orientation before being cut loose to work on my own.

In my metro area (Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas), three days is a normal orientation period for a new grad LVN in nursing homes around here.

[flo136]

I don't regret it. There is so much variety, every day is different, and what we do is so important. But I am finding it harder, 20 years down the track.

I love doing critical care but I find today's nursing not particularly patient-orientated. Some of the younger nurses are not even very kind. They like the 'kudos' of crit care nursing.

But I think I'll stay in this career for another 20 years. My whole family has done various types of nursing for over 50 years, and that is something important to all of us: to 'keep going'.

Maybe you are just burnt-out?

[Mulan]

Are you able to switch to part time or PRN?

It's a lot easier to do when you don't have to do it full time.

[lifeisgood2012]

Maybe orientation period is the wrong word? I got fired within my 90 day trial period? They told

me when they terminated me that it was my orientation period still - thats why I worded it the way I did.

Regardless,, I am still gun shy. And I still regret the fact that it is difficult for me and so many others who

are brand new nurses to find the time to train us so we can get that experience in. Thats all. :)

[nurseladyb]

I can understand where you are coming from...Being in career that you hate makes life even more stressful. I have been a nurse for the last 23 years and and in some part of the healthcare enviroment since I was 15 years old.I have worked in acute care,PICU/NICU,LTC,hospice,outpatient care .I have been pushed,shoved,smacked,spit on,bit,felt up,groped,cursed out, chairs have been thown at me and this was not all done by patients either.

Often on my way home from work, I often think..If I hear one more complaint or whine, one more phone call,one more thing of somebody needing something yesterday...One more comment of how my tax dollars pay your salary....I honestly could pull out what little hair that I have that has not fallen out already. My biggest problem now is dealing with a much younger and much more inexperienced manager and all of the "numbers games". I was just switched to another team this past week due to this very same numbers excuse.Then sometimes one of my patients will smile at me ,hug me,or say Thank You and then I can take a deep breath and think maybe I can do this for another 20 years...God willing that is.

[nekozuki, LPN]

I can't say I regret going into nursing, but it did reveal to me that I'm more interested in the scientific aspect of nursing, not the social component. I like my patients, they like me, and I receive plenty of praise during clinicals, but I have no desire to be a floor nurse. I know I definitely want to go into critical care, but sometimes I see myself in other roles within the hospital, like playing in a lab with microscopes or working with infectious diseases.

[NewTexasRN]

So interesting to hear you say that it has never been a higher calling for you. I felt that way for a long time and felt really guilty about feeling that way. What could be better than being a nurse? Honestly, I rarely have problems with the patients or family members. As a matter of fact, I believe that they love me because I truly genuinely care about about them. I don't have a problem with providing care. I just feel as if I can't do my job without the politics, staffing making me feel overwhelmed and stressed out and disrespectful staff members, i.e. doctors.

I'm trying to complete my bsn so I can purse a MSN degree. Honestly, I don't know if that's the solution. I really don't know what lies ahead.

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I am a relatively new nurse (2 months into my first job and just passed NCLEX too) ... this is a 2nd career for me, having worked in another profession for over 10 years. Some people may call me disillusioned when I say I really love what I do, that I am still in my honeymoon phase, and they say it in a way that makes it seems like I will change my mind eventually (most all these comments have come from other allnurses users). It's like they can't believe that one could be happy in nursing and believe that they all one day will hate what they do. I don't care to listen to these haters, because I know deep in my heart how I feel about things. When I went to school for my first profession, I knew from Day One that it was not the right move, but out of stupid pride I continued on, refusing to perceive myself as a quitter and convincing myself that things would get better. Sure enough, 10 or so years followed of misery and searching for something that would fulfill me emotionally and financially. I needed the balance. Day One in nursing school (for prereqs even) until now, never had I had a day lacking excitement and enthusiasm. I get up every work day excited to go to work, why do people see something wrong with that?

This is not to say I will never have hard days as a nurse, I know I will, and in such an early window of my career have seen previews of what that can be. But I know deep down nursing is my last career move. I may do other things within nursing later on, but I'm done with major changes.

Many people here know what I used to do before nursing, but I don't like to give the impression that I am throwing my weight around. That's not me. So I no longer explicitly say what my prior career was, but if you come across my past posts you will eventually figure it out. Know me in person and you will see a very modest, calm and shy person. I am no better than anyone else. I just think nursing is the best fit for my life. If I am going to invest 80 hours every two weeks working for someone else, I should have fun with it. Life is too short to do otherwise.

But regretting going to nursing? I would have to say no. I just wasn't ready in my life to enter this profession until now, and the timing could not be better.