Nursing, is it really that horrible of a job?

sissiesmama, ASN, RN · Aug 6, 2009

Thank you all for taking the time to write to me! The insight that it could be a lot of venting helped my perspective a lot. I certainly have experience with venting. It's hard when you come from no nursing background, so what could be venting, I take as meaning everyday occurrences.
Sometimes I worry that I don't have the stress tolerance to do something like this profession. But other times I surprise myself by taking command of projects for my capstone course at school, or sticking around for eight hours to get a project done for that same class. I have a very high perseverance limit, I'm just not sure how well I do with high stress situations.
my attitude? I used to think I complained a lot. But in high school I was nominated for the Optimist's Club... so maybe my perception of myself wasn't right. lol. I do get annoyed with things at times, but overall I always try to find the best in a situation, or a person, whatever.
Sometimes I worry that I'll be too emotional for this field. I get invested emotionally with people easily, which I think could lean to burn out in this field. But, I'm 25 - so I have some room to grow. At least, I hope I do. :)
I'm thinking of volunteering at a hospital near my house. Do you guys think this would be a good way to get a feel for an environment nurses work in, or is it a totally different type of thing? Thanks again for all your insight!

Hello Michelle - While reading your post, I could see myself in those words. My husband and I are both RNs. I have been nursing for 19 years, and dh has about 4 years more than I do. When I decided on nursing as a career for me, I did what you were talking about, getting a job in a hospital to help make my decision about going into the field of nursing. I worked as a ward clerk on a med surg unit and also in medical records at the same facility. I do feel that it helped me see different aspects of the job.

Like other professions, there are positive as well as negative aspects. I know it does seem that there aren't many people out there that are satisfied in their profession, but some of it is just people blowing off steam, and venting after a really crappy day. We all have the need to have a place that we can "let our hair down" and vent or ask questions, get opinions, ect.

I am glad you are here and care enough about making the right career choice for you to ask questions and make sure this profession is for you.

After 19 years, I have had a LOT of bad days to go along with the good days I have had.

Do I wish I had chosen another career then? No (I met my hubbie at work, so I am definetly glad I did make the choice I did then to go into nursing.)

Would I make the same career choice again knowing what I know now? That would be a very tough call to make. I don't know that I would, but some of that is due to some of the other BS that goes along with nursing as a career, but you will find some of that anywhere, with whatever choice we make.

Good luck to you - Anne, RNC

SunnyAndrsn · Aug 6, 2009

It's the hardest job I've ever had, the most demanding emotionally. But I love it most days. I hope that the ppl who are that unhappy are able to find a way out.

Like any workplace, some are better than others. There are things I love about my workplace, and things I don't. I get along better with some co-workers than others. There is gossip--but I have a choice, I can contribute or respect my coworkers and ignore it. I'd like to think that I always take the highroad, but I'm only human.

Hi everyone, I'm new here. I'm not a nurse, but I'm thinking about going to school to become one. I'm pretty concerned about all of the nursing-hate I'm finding online though. Like, the site, aboutmyjob for example. It lists story after story about people, usually nurses, that absolutely hate their job. All I hear about on that site mostly is about how terrible it is, how the work loads are astronomical, how you get blamed for everything, how nasty co-workers are...
Is this really the general opinion of the nursing field as a whole? That nursing is a horrible horrible profession to be avoided at all costs? Some of the people on that site make it out to be like their life's greatest mistake. I'm really hoping that there's some jobs out there that aren't total nightmares. I'm not talking about low stress or not dealing with problems. I just mean, I would like to know if there's jobs out there that are tolerable, and give at least a little back in terms of feeling like you're helping people. Thanks for any comments! I'm honestly hoping most of the people on that first site were just having a really crappy day and decided to rant, and that their careers aren't really horrible 24/7.

NeoNurseTX, RN · Aug 6, 2009

Some nursing jobs are truly awful and others are not. But I think what you see online is a lot of venting..there are a lot of us out there and it's good to know you have company. :)

**All Heart RN** · Aug 6, 2009

i hope i have the strength to weather it, because some day i am the one venting about crappy nursing! also--any job that is predominately women is going to be tough. sorry, but it is. we NEED a little more testosterone in our field to mellow out the cattiness. good luck in your decision.

Please tell me why this has to be?! In almost every job I've had, this has been the case. Alot of the horizontal violence that I have seen has been from woman to woman. Most of the gossip, most of the catty maliciousness that plagues this profession and other professions dominated by women, (in my experience, at my hospital) has been from other women. I'm not saying that men cannot and have not been part of this problem, but it seems that when men p*** each other off at work, they try and seek revenge through competition, through action, through trying to be the best. When women p*** each other off at work, we malign one another with our words, we tear one another apart emotionally...

emmalou* · Aug 6, 2009

Like others have said, it's a tough job but well worth it on those good days. Honestly, any job is going to give you the $#@(& sometimes, particularly if you work in human service type occupations.

I no longer work as a nurse, but was an RN for 14 years - I don't regret being a nurse at all. I feel it defines me, even now, and has made me a better person. Some jobs, like nursing, increase your knowledge, give you insight and perception, give you better communication skills and help you understand people better. What could be bad about that?

I also think nursing could benefit from more males - if only for the fact that having a variety of genders, cultures etc makes us all try a bit harder to get along.

StNeotser, ASN, RN · Aug 6, 2009

Please tell me why this has to be?! In almost every job I've had, this has been the case. Alot of the horizontal violence that I have seen has been from woman to woman. Most of the gossip, most of the catty maliciousness that plagues this profession and other professions dominated by women, (in my experience, at my hospital) has been from other women. I'm not saying that men cannot and have not been part of this problem, but it seems that when men p*** each other off at work, they try and seek revenge through competition, through action, through trying to be the best. When women p*** each other off at work, we malign one another with our words, we tear one another apart emotionally...

I think it also goes back to a primeval thing with men - if a man messes with another man too much there's some potential for physical orifice kicking. Women don't do physical violence much so the bullying is all verbal and never really comes to a head. It's also why there are more men in prison than women.

Having said that, I've seen a a couple of male nurses get away with things that if it was a female nurse would be instantly fired. Not giving drugs routinely, not doing assessments, not changing dressings but signing them out. I will say that I've seen female nurses do this too, but they've been fired for it. I'll also say that this is the culture I've seen in my own workplace and don't expect every one is like mine.

mappers · Aug 6, 2009

I'm a new nurse, graduated last August, but I'm 39 years old. Before nursing I worked in IT and HR. I had thought for a long time about doing something medical because it interested me, but my first degree didn't give me any background in that and I didn't want to start over with college. When I found an accellerated nursing program, I thought it might be a great entry into the medical field. I'd worked with a lot of nurses before and knew the opportunities were boundless for nurses.

Now I work on a telemetry Med Sug floor and I'm not happy. I loved nursing school and learning about disease processes. (Patho was my favorite class.) I loved the logic behind treatment modalities and prioritization issues. (Remember those ABCs.) These things really appealled to me. I find working the floor to be nothing like that most of the time. (Well, we prioritize but it's rarely ABC, its usually poop, pain and where's my tray.)

So many nurses on our floor are negative. Maybe it's the nature of Med Surg, I don't know. But they look down on the patients, on management, on the families, etc. I try to stay away from them but it's exhausting. There are some people on my floor whom I love. I try to stick with them, but that's not always possible.

On the other hand, there is so much policy and procedure BS it's sometimes very hard to do our job. I think that management gets so caught up in the minutia that they forget how hard the job can be. I've been on mission trips to third world countries and when I compare what type of medical care they have available to them and how they function on so little vs. all the red-tape and paperwork we have to deal with, it's ridiculous. We really can't leave Butt Paste in the room because it's a medication....Really??? The patient might eat it or something??? They might eat the alcohol gel and the soap in the bathroom too.

Anyway, I'm using this as a rant. I'm looking around for something else. I still think nursing has a ton of opportunity and I keep telling myself I'm in the gathering stage. Gathering as much experience and knowledge so that I can move onto something else. And there are lots of times when I feel satisfied with what I do. I love working three days a week. I'm on dayshift, I don't have to work weekends. I love getting paid for overtime (I was salary before). I love when I really get to teach patients about their conditions and why we're doing what we're doing. They respond "No one has ever told us that before. Thank you!" (That's when I get into that patho stuff I like so much.

I still think nursing is a great field with a lot of opportunities. You just have to take the good with the bad I guess and expect to start at the bottom and work your way up.

buttercup99 · Aug 7, 2009

As a counsellor, you cannot get involved with clients. There is a concept called "Professional Boundaries." As a nurse, you can hug your patients. As a nurse, you can tell your patient about your dog and your husband. As a counsellor, you can do none of these things.

My advice, start as a CNA (or more if you like.) A volunteer doesn't see what nursing really is. It's like someone said on your other thread, there is a lot of internal planning and prioritisation that goes on in a nurse's mind. The tasks are the least of the job. The only way to know is to try it. And I think you would be fine.

The bad parts of nursing all come from the politics and workplace issues such as not enough staff, not enough resources etc. Nursing is fun, it is challenging but in a good way, not in an unachievable way.

It is very rewarding and you get to help a lot of people. However, you don't get to spend as much time talking with patients (and caring for their psychological and non physical needs) as you would like to because of work pressure.

If you go to school, you will find out more about what nursing is really like. I don't think you can understand until you do it. It's like childbirth in that sense, LOL! i thought i was educated but I learned a lot about what nurses do that i didn't realise before. And like i said, it's not the tasks, it's the mental frameworks that they teach.

And yes, you do need to be able to do Maths. Giving medications, adjusting IV drip rates. if you understand fractions and can multiply and add up, you'll be fine.

work&play · Aug 7, 2009

Volunteering would be an excellent idea. I completed a nurse assistant course during my last year in high school. I love it.

I agree with a lot of what you hear is venting. I know when I had a horrible day as a sub teacher, I would go stright to the computer and vent on a sub teacher website. I was able to stop that awful habit. I noticed it peaked when I was PMSing, or on my period. Just my experience.

If you get a chance go to indeed.com, read how the occupational therapists vent. It's worse than the rns. Again, mostly women venting.Don't be scared.

metowe · Aug 7, 2009

What remains unseen is the reasons people view 'caring' to much as a detriment. Because I care to much I found myself continually frustrated and angry. When I searched for the reasons behind my own dissatisfaction I initially was at a lost. I wrote a book called "A Good Day in Hell. The Flatlining of Nurses Across America" to begin the process of revealing the causative factors behind the negative blogs about Nursing ex aboutmyjob.com. The book was written in a frustrated tone (because I was frustrated). The only way to survive is to lower the standard or not care. This is Congnitive Dissonance at it core. Because we all went into the profession to care for people and now caring to much is deemed a fault.

Seagate · Aug 7, 2009

Basically you'll be working as a glorified waitress.

work&play · Aug 7, 2009

I also learned while working on my CNA that the foreign trained nurses complained less and were more satisfied. It made me really think while I was complaining about bathing patients with my partner.