Is nursing as bad as some say???

Satori77, ADN · Sep 19, 2013

I have nothing to add to this discussion (not being a nurse yet), but I just wanted to say to LadyFree28, I love reading your comments on AN! Always objective and positive (or realistic at least).

Larry2016 · Sep 19, 2013

Hillary will not allow the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to be even more implemented.

#scrubs · Sep 19, 2013

I've been through nursing since the early 2000s.
I have been a CNA, LPN, and a RN...
If I wasn't happy with this profession, or felt I couldn't be objective and assertive or personally happy with this profession, I would've probably found something else to do, or found a rich man, lol. Seriously.
I have friends in healthcare, public safety, military, education, research, business, IT, real estate, construction, public health, social work...people are people are people...personality does not always transcend professions....the most important aspect in interacting with people; especially peers and the public is your expectations of YOU...The only expectations that I have of myself in this profession is to remain objective and to maximize myself and my profession; I have the attitude of "what can be done?" MOST of the time throughout my time in this business in each role I have been in. Do I vent? Sure; but I vent and move on; tomorrow is another day; life is too short to be unhappy.
As far as discouragement; I remember ping to a career day when I was in middle school in the mid 1990s-around the time when the other financial crisis occurred, there were new changes to insurance and the delivery of healthcare back then as well; a nurse outright told me not to go into the profession; I'm very fortunate that I was very objective at the time; she was VERY negative; and if I think back on what she stated, it was most of the venting that people talk about ad nauseum; if I had listened to her instead of remembering the nuggets of what my parent and family instilled in me, and being the objective child I was, I would've missed out on a career that has been a wonderful fit in my life.
As far as the ACA; I am VERy supportive of it in twofolds: a) One of my nursing instructors was a part of the healthcare team that provided evidence-based practice for the first stages of the ACA; and helped craft how the expansion of NPs will help with primary care. She was my research teacher in my BSN program. She has met an collaborated with the nursing theorists that you will learn about in nursing school-these, along with MANY nurses in our profession and on AN, are the people who have the "what can be done" attitude; they are the "changers" of the profession.
And the second reason is b) I am a direct recipient of the benefit of the ACA. I had a major medical issue occur, and insurance priced me out; I had to get in SSDI and Medicare in order to survive, save my home, and achieve my goal for becoming an RN. I enjoyed having private insurance, to be yanked away because of a condition that I had control over. I also have pediatric clients that can have insurance now...keeps them having the ability to MAXIMIZE (my favorite word to describe nursing and my patients ) and in turn keeps their nursing services, thereby keeping us in business-and that's a good thing. :)
OP, I suggest to be objective; seek out nursing chapter leaders and organizers; nursing union and organizers your area. Find out about the ACA DIRECTLY from the bill itself; there are also free classes that are taught by nurses online that provide information in an objective way.
If you decide to be a part of this business, understand the various people and the intimacy that is invoked with patients of various backgrounds an culture and personalities; this business is NOT for the weak or faint hearted but it can certainly be as satisfying as any other profession, it's what YOU put into it.

Wow thank you so much for taking the time to type all that!!!! :yes: And I do like your first suggestion :inlove: Lol. as for the ACA i am not against it. I'm just hearing so many different things contradict each other therefore have no clue what to think!!!! i myself have Juvenile Diabetes and am finally getting an insulin pump!!!! (Yaaayyyyyyyy!!!!!!) :yeah: I was looking at the prices of supplies and died a bit inside. I am under my mom's insurance at the moment however im growing up and wont be on it forever! Lol But i was under the impression that there was a cap on the ACA????

#scrubs · Sep 19, 2013

"Obama care? Senator Kennedy's big idea? Governor Romney's folly? What will it do Other than line the pockets of big insurance companies and force and already struggling middle class to fork over more money to the elite few, cause small business to close and hospitals hire only PRN workers and deteriorate health care itself at the bedside......no one is sure."

-----possibly the best point i have heard about the ACA!!! :up:

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Sep 19, 2013

I have nothing to add to this discussion (not being a nurse yet) but I just wanted to say to LadyFree28, I love reading your comments on AN! Always objective and positive (or realistic at least).[/quote']
Why thank you
I think objective and realistic is the best course to take...whether by forum, or by voice, and usually the better or best choice in life...keeps me sane, lol

Mamabloomer · Sep 19, 2013

You have to ink back to why you want to be a nurse. If you thought that being a nurse would have great hours and high pay then you may have issues with 'Obama care'. If you want to be a nurse because something in you strives to care for others, educate them, and give them the best tools possible to care for themselves, all the while being called horrible names, having your hands in things that are unmentionable in normal conversation, and seeing a man for his veins instead of any other quality, then focus on that and don't worry about the rest. There are a few things that are not going to change any time soon, there will be birth, sickness, and death, all of which need nurses.

betterlatethennever · Sep 20, 2013

Nursing is NOT for the faint of heart. It it a very tough job......whether you love it or not. Nurses have immense responsibility but have little authority. We are responsible for every flaw... but have very little authority to change anything
There are two camps in nursing...the "CALLING" crowd and the "Money" crowd...the two just do not see eye to eye.
The "CALLING" crowd "LOVES" their jobs! They LOVE their patients. This is ALWAYS what they have wanted to do!!!! While disappointed by the present state of affairs.....but love caring for people. You have a Subgroup here that went into nursing because it was a calling for when we graduated we weren't paid much over minimum wage....we fought and clawed for benefits, wages, patient ratios, and respect.......and we are watching it go backwards and we fear where it will stop. We are disillusioned and heartbroken
The "MONEY" crowd do it for a steady paycheck. They came to nursing because of the "Nursing shortage" (which doesn't exist anymore) and/or because they lost their "other job" and we offered re-training by unemployment AND be paid for and since nursing was a guaranteed JOB with a good paycheck......flocked to nursing in DROVES! Ended up being very disappointed, and shocked, at how nurses were treated, what we are expected to do, HOW MUCH we are expected to do.....that the money, in reality, isn't that great. To them....it's just job.
Then you have those that use nursing as a stepping stone for the real jobs that pay the big bucks.....like Nurse Practitioner and CRNA. They have their sub groups...... but in the last 5 years the class of "using this position to get to my real job" have grown disproportionately.
Both sides are angry....... for we all are being abused by a system that doesn't care about the bedside nurse and seem to be single handedly destroying the profession that some love and respect and others need and respect. One side can't believe what they are being asked to do and will not eat lunch sit or take bathroom breaks for the patient comes first, they LOVE their patients....the other side is the same thing and is extremely disappointed at the profession as a whole.
Both sides are ANGRY.
Here is the deal.
Nursing isn't what it once was....nor is it what it should be. I believe it will be again...however I think it is going to be a while before we return to some semblance of order...history will tell the ending of this story.
Nurses are being asked to do more with less. We don't receive raises for they are frozen. Our benefits are cut. We have NO pension and NO benefits when we retire. We watch our quality of living decline while the CEO..... who preaches budget and hands down arbitrary decisions that endanger patients and ourselves....talks about tightening "OUR" belts (give me a break) receive MILLIONS in corporate bonuses for "successfully" "saving the system...which is code for corporate.
We are angry.
The "shortage" (which never really existed) is over. Many parts of the country are referencing a plethora of applicants for each position. In some parts of the country the unemployment of new grads is 47%. For profit schools propped up over night...opportunists/capitalists.....looking for quantity of applicants/graduates NOT QUALITY. Nurses have become a "dime a dozen" which has dropped the "value" of the nurse.
Many new grads...now with hundreds of thousands of debt now can't find work and are going to default on their loans...the next financial crisis. Older nurses can't retire. Hospitals have decided to have a narrow window of who they want to hire....because they can....so if you are a new grad or a laid off experienced nurse over 50.....you WILL BE unemployed or underemployed ESPECIALLY if you do not have your BSN
We are angry.
Somewhere along the line.......Hospitals have decided that they no longer want to train new grads. They refuse to train the next generation.... the good news is....without training the next generation adequately......you won't have replacements........those who are waiting will move on......the good news? eventually we will be back in the bargaining chair.
Obama care? Senator Kennedy's big idea? Governor Romney's folly? What will it do Other than line the pockets of big insurance companies and force and already struggling middle class to fork over more money to the elite few, cause small business to close and hospitals hire only PRN workers and deteriorate health care itself at the bedside......no one is sure.
Is nursing worth it? Crazy enough...I think so. I'm the "calling camp" I love my patients and love being a bedside nurse.

Is nursing worth it? YES......If you're tough enough it is.

Wow. Very meaningful and powerful I'm the "calling camp" Here and ready too fight for our rights

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Sep 20, 2013

I suggest you get a healthcare job such as PCA/CNA or tech or even secretary/HUC in a hospital or nursing home so you can get a look yourself first hand or shadow a nurse. Better to find out sooner than later before you become indebted with student loans. I wouldn't recommend it myself and I think overall nursing conditions are worsening due to cost pressures and corporate business managers running the show. There is so much stress and micromanagement and impossible expectations and now the customer service patient satisfaction and the computer big brother. But it is up to you can you do it and do you want to?

I'm trying to pay off mortgage and save as much as I can so I can retire early or at least cut my hours down. The micromanagement by computers has left me angry and frustrated. It is like being spied on if you ask me and then the pt satisfaction which frankly is impossible these days as so many people think they are at a spa and not a hospital!

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Sep 20, 2013

As far as Obamacare or the affordable care act it is also affecting us in many different way, some good, others not so much. The flex spending account has been cut down to only $2500 a year, before it could be alot more, even $5000 which was useful for those with chronic illnesses and predictable expenses or expensive dental work. Workers can now keep their children on their insurance till 26 that is an improvement. They also added a 50% penalty for smokers and a 30% penalty for unhealthy workers who either refuse to participate in a wellness program or find themselves unable to meet the requirements of cholesterol, blood sugar, BMI, smoking, etc. These new changes start in 2014 and so now you will find yourself micromanaged even more, weighed, measured, poked, prodded, etc, although you can refuse but then you will have to pay a lot more for your health insurance!

While insurance companies have to accept people with pre-existing conditions, employers were given an additional year not to offer insurance, yet the workers are still being mandated to get insurance on their own or face a tax penalty. If you get subsidies and at the end of the year you received too much pay you will have to pay back the subsidies. That is if the subsidies are actually available as some in the govt is trying to block funding for them at this time. Some insurance companies are refusing to participate, some states are refusing to expand medicaid. Companies are making their employees part-time less than 30 hours to get away without offering insurance. Companies and some state and local govt's are pushing their retired employees onto the health exchanges to save money on benefits. I expect that individual insurance will rise to the level of high risk pools and many will find the premiums unaffordable, yet alone the high deductibles and out of pockets. I expect some health insurance companies will go out of business and there will be layoffs at the very least. Hospitals reimbursement has been cut and that is why we are seeing cutbacks in staffing and benefits as well. It is a mess and I don't expect things to get better anytime soon. Prepare for a very bumpy ride!

Sugarcoma, RN · Sep 20, 2013

Esme12, a brilliant, eloquent, and dead on summation of the current state in nursing. Bravo!!!

OCNRN63, RN · Sep 21, 2013

Thank you so much for this honest to goodness response!!! It feels good knowing that there are nurses that really do love there job and don't just feel stuck in their position. So thank you very much for enlightening me on the realistic view. :)

There was no internet when I was contemplating going to nursing school. Back then, computers were programmed with some sort of punch-card system; no one had a Mac or PC at home. So, I just made the decision on my own.

I'm always baffled by people who say they're having second thoughts about becoming a nurse because there are negative posts here. People come to this site to vent. Nurses want to talk to other nurses about the stuff at work that irritates them. I know I've never thought, "Hmmm...maybe I shouldn't post that. A prospective nursing student may read this and get discouraged."

It's important to know accurate terminology, no matter what you're discussing. It's also important to know factual information, not just sound-bites.

If I were a prospective student today, I would be interested in employment opportunities and pay rates in my area. I would be looking at nursing programs, the cost of attending them, if there are BSN programs available. What is the percentage of students passing NCLEX? Will you have to be waitlisted?

These are the things that would interest me; not random opinions on a website.

OCNRN63, RN · Sep 21, 2013

"Obama care? Senator Kennedy's big idea? Governor Romney's folly? What will it do Other than line the pockets of big insurance companies and force and already struggling middle class to fork over more money to the elite few, cause small business to close and hospitals hire only PRN workers and deteriorate health care itself at the bedside......no one is sure."

-----possibly the best point i have heard about the ACA!!!

How can you say this when you just said you know nothing about it? Didn't you also say you're a beneficiary ofg the ACA (insulin pump; get to stay on Mommy's insurance longer)?