Kinda Worried!!! Advice Please!

Nurses General Nursing

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I was reading some posts on another board and became alittle worried.....any advice you can give me is really appriciated. Here's my story...

I will "hopefully" begin Nursing school Fall 07 or Spring 08. Anyways, I am really interested in this field, HATE 9-5 office jobs, love moving around when I work, and also need to have different obsticles in order for me to not become bored with a job.

Furthermore, I am entergetic and VERY much a people person! I can't say I have an undying urge to "help" people, but I do love people and would enjoy helping and caring for them.

I was recently reading some nursing threads on another website (that I was directed to from a thread on this site) and the things people were saying about their jobs were AWFUL!!! They pretty much said it was the worst decision they've ever made. Some people even said it changed them as people and ruined their once good marriages b/c they became so depressed and angry.

The major reasons these people seemed to hate their jobs was b/c of the way they were treated by pt. family members, md's, and managers. They said if you have a good attitute you are a target and you will be broken down to be one of them.

Sooooo....my question is if this is true?

Is Nursing so awful?

If you had to do it all over agian would you be a Nurse?

Are you treated like dirt by everyone?

Do you "truely" enjoy your job?

If so, why do you enjoy it?

Why is there so much negative talk about nursing?

Thanks for your answers!!!!!!!!!!

Don't let some of the discussions on this board turn you from becoming a nurse. Look up the many discussions about nurses who love their jobs, amazing experiences, or the discussions about why they became a nurse. Of course there are challenges in the field of nursing. That is why this website is so great, it can be used to vent, ask questions, discuss wonderful things that have happend, or just to find support from people who know what nursing is about. Follow your heart, this is a wonderful profession! I am an LPN, on a waiting list to become an RN, I love my job, and wouldn't trade it for anything.

Specializes in LTC,Hospice/palliative care,acute care.
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Sooooo....my question is if this is true?

Is Nursing so awful?

If you had to do it all over agian would you be a Nurse?

Are you treated like dirt by everyone?

Do you "truely" enjoy your job?

If so, why do you enjoy it?

Why is there so much negative talk about nursing?

Thanks for your answers!!!!!!!!!!

Hi-I will encourage you to get started in the field.Most nursing homes and hospitals train nurse's assistants on the job and offer education re-imbursment.Get in the door and learn what nursing is really about.It can be awful-awfully smelly and dirty when you are dealing with body fluids..But-after your training there are plenty of places you can work where you may never have to deal with those things again.You get back what you put out there for the most part.We are dealing with people that are usually not at their best but if you treat them with respect that's how they'll treat you.But every now and then we come across real "a " holes-however nowhere in my job description does it state that I have to stand still and be treated like crap..I think alot of people still have no idea of what nursing really is-I think that is where some of the negativity comes from.As for that other website-some people are chronically miserable.....Good luck
Specializes in Flight, ER, Transport, ICU/Critical Care.

yep, we b&$%@ and moan here - and there are some truly some bad situations out there - but i think the key is to find your niche. it is out there. keep in mind, it is nature to bemoan the bad - not champion the good.

i guarantee that there will be times that you question your decision to be a nurse. i will guarantee that there will be times that you are treated so bad by patients, families, management, doctors, ancillary staff and each other that you will just go blind with hurt, anger, disgust, rage, and disbelief. it will happen. but that is just the way it is. thankfully, it should not be an everyday event. if it is you are in a toxic spot and it is time to go. that is the best thing about nursing....you have lots of options.

the biggest mistake i have seen nurses make is:

once you are in a toxic atmosphere - take a clue from the fire guys - either you have the right protective gear or you pull out. but there are nurses out there who:

want to make the best of it.

i'm a good nurse, it'll get better

or the worst- i can fix it.

this will only add to your profound professional unhappiness (and then becoming one of those nurses) and will lead to bad things in your personal life (don't risk that!). home has to be your sanctuary!

i was near quitting after 3 1/2 years an an rn. i took a time out. i am back at work at a job i love, being paid a small fortune for the work i do and generally love my co-workers. (but, yes it can still be a bit difficult - but only infrequently). but, to be fair - i had to have all the experiences of the past 16 years that have led me to this point. but, there are good places to "practice" all over.

don't give up.

try not to be discouraged.

more often than not, you will find a place to thrive and be happy.

don't just settle. always work to improve yourself and your practice.

good luck! ;)

It was not on this site that I read the negative comments. I mean, there's venting on this site, but not like what I read. Here's the link below. It directs to to a good comments but read some of the threads and you'll see why I was a little thrown.

love nursing and always will!...nurse -

Thanks again for the reassuring comments!!!

Nursing school had me pulling my hair out, stressed out to the maxiumum and almost calling it quits. However, my career thus far as a nurse has been all "I dreamed about." It is an amazingly rewarding and exciting career. I haven't once regretted my decision since my graduation 6 years ago and whenever I do, I pray to God that I have the strength to take a break.

Nursing school had me pulling my hair out, stressed out to the maxiumum and almost calling it quits. However, my career thus far as a nurse has been all "I dreamed about." It is an amazingly rewarding and exciting career. I haven't once regretted my decision since my graduation 6 years ago and whenever I do, I pray to God that I have the strength to take a break.

I'm so glad to hear you say that about the hair pulling, because I feel that way a lot during school. It's nice to know it really is rewarding in the end. I'll remember this post when I'm on the verge of giving up. Thanks.

Specializes in med-surg, step-down, ICU/CCU, ED.

You are going into nursing for the exact same reasons I went into, and I am loving it!

Let me tell you though, I didn't get that vibe going into nursing school or even while thinking of going into nursing school. I did almost everything everyone recommends doing before entering a new field- I shadowed a nurse a couple of times, I volunteered at a hospital, etc. and I remembered being weirded out by it all. I flip-flopped on the nursing school thing for quite a while until a co-worker gave me the simplest yet most compelling advice, ala Nike, "just do it. And if you end up not liking it, then do something else". Duh!

Three years after graduating nursing school (not a pretty experience either), I'm still "doing it", and loving it! Thank God I went for it cuz if I had based my decision on all that research and volunteering I did I would still be stuck at my old boring office job.

Good luck! I'm sure you will love it!

Specializes in Accepted...Master's Entry Program, 2008!.
It was not on this site that I read the negative comments. I mean, there's venting on this site, but not like what I read. Here's the link below. It directs to to a good comments but read some of the threads and you'll see why I was a little thrown.

love nursing and always will!...nurse -

Thanks again for the reassuring comments!!!

PFFFFFFFFFT! BWAAAAAH, HAAAAAAH, HAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please, please, please, please do not pay attention to that website. It's the worst one I've ever seen. It's a place where haters go to post hate about life and jobs and everything else in the universe. I actually believe that it's a bit of a contest to see who can write the most hateful job experience. You should just ignore it.

Sure, there are bitter and dissatisfied nurses, but no more than you would find in any profession you can name. I know scores of nurses and I don't know a single person that would say "I hate nursing". They all talk about how much they love it.

They have their complaints like anyone else, but in general they seem to like their jobs more than most.

There is a reason there is such a shortage of bedside nurses. Most nurses I have talked to would go into nursing again if they had it to do over. Personally nursing was a inconvenient necessity to anesthesia school for me and a lot of classmates. The key is to find an area you like to work and choose that path. Nursing isn't for everyone. Most jobs over the years have gotten easier with the physical demands due to technology. Nursing is the same back breaking profession it always was except the patients are sicker, the families are ingrates etc etc. But you need to see nursing first hand and judge it for yourself

Should have been would NOT go into nursing again.

There is a reason there is such a shortage of bedside nurses. Most nurses I have talked to would go into nursing again if they had it to do over. Personally nursing was a inconvenient necessity to anesthesia school for me and a lot of classmates. The key is to find an area you like to work and choose that path. Nursing isn't for everyone. Most jobs over the years have gotten easier with the physical demands due to technology. Nursing is the same back breaking profession it always was except the patients are sicker, the families are ingrates etc etc. But you need to see nursing first hand and judge it for yourself

I am a little worried, too. I just started LPN school in August 2006. It is a 16 month program and we are on a compressed schedule. I completed the first semester which was 8 courses with 1 B and the rest A's. I am just so burned out and even after being out of school for winter break, I just don't know if I can do this anymore. School is so stressful. I have 3 years of college behind me taking full course loads, but never been this stressed out and this is a technical school. I am glad to see some positive posts about nursing because I too was starting to think that maybe all this was not worth it.

Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.

You have to remember that there can be bad working conditions or bad management in any profession. It is not just nurses who complain about their jobs, and people are more likely to post with complaints rather than to talk about how much they enjoy their jobs.

I think that supervisors and co-workers have a huge impact on people's level of job satisfaction no matter what they do for a living.

The fact that many nurses (and people in general) have a difficult time standing up for themselves or leaving negative work situations has a lot to do with the level of dissatisfaction that many nurses express on this board.

I know that in my current position in the lab as a Medical Technologist, I am very happy (if slightly bored). In my previous position, I was completely miserable. The difference is the type of management and the level of autonomy that I am given. It is important for you to learn what makes you happy and then strive to find a position that fits your needs.

Just my $0.02 and good luck in nursing school. I can honestly say after all is said and done that I enjoyed the experience.

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