Why should I be a nurse if it's so awful?

Nurses General Nursing

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I've been reading allnurses.com for about six months. Started posting today. I've read over and over and over about nurses in tears--not due to patients, but due to other nurses. This is disheartening, and as one who is starting school full of the enthusiasm and idealism that is the norm for student nurses, I'm truly beginning to question whether or not I will have wasted a LOT of money and my time, only to find the work environment so horrible.

A sincere question: if this profession has a work environment that is extremely hostile more often than not, why should I become a nurse then? If patients are hardly ever the "problem," then they aren't the solution, i.e. "You're helping people!"

Specializes in obstetrics.

Your "enthusiasm and idealism" will pull you through if you are faced with unpleasant work environments. And, I'm hoping that we'll see the day where lateral violence in nursing is a thing of the past. That's my idealism coming through, after almost thirty-two years!

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Specializes in med/surg, vent dependant peds.

If you want to be a nurse and really help people, you will be fine. Don't worry about those other nurses, just do your job. I have been a nurse for 6 yrs and don't regret it. There are places to work that are great!! and there are places that aren't. Find your spot. Help the people who need it and let the other nurses do what they are going to do. We need people like YOU!!!

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Specializes in Rehab, Infection, LTC.

It's not nursing that is the problem. it's us. women. WE are the problem!

we are mean, conniving little creatures that love it when someone else is miserable. we love to gossip. we love to fight. we get our feelings hurt in the blink of an eye.

i dont know why we are like this but we are.

i worked with all men for 15 yrs. working with men is completely different! they dont sit around talking about each other, they dont try to hurt each other. if they are mad, they have their say and then it's over, back to work.

so that's the way i was "raised" at work. i leave there and start a new job with all women.

oooooh, they chewed me up and spit me out in a heartbeat! it took me years to get used to working with women.

and now, i'm very sorry to say, i've become one of them.

i'm not real proud of that either.

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Specializes in Psych.

If you believe nursing is a good fit for you, then you 'should' be a nurse in order to BE the change you want to see in the world. What kind of world would this be if people held back on offering it their particular talents and strengths for lack of a guarantee that it'll be nothing but a bed of roses the entire time? (What IS a 'sure thing' anyway, other than death and taxes?)

There may be particular work environments that are better and worse than others, but 'it' (nursing) is not awful. 'It' may or may not be the right job for YOU, but you'll never know for sure unless you try.

Trust your instincts and good luck on your journey of career self-discovery!

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Specializes in Hospice.

Why should you be a nurse? You have answered this question when you made your personal decision enrol in nursing school. Thats is not our business.

After reading posting for several months you come to a conclusion that its awful to be a nurse. With this you can decide on whether to continue or not.

Conflict exist anywhere... home,church,school, hospital, manufacturing plants, restaurant, everywhere. thats part of life... How you handle and deal with it depends on you as a person. Nursing students are awful too..

Dont get me wrong.

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It may be my imagination but I have noticed that there have been several nurses either on this board or elsewhere who seem very insecure, for some reason, about their own jobs, and seem to want to always scare off other potential nurses with horror stories, although they have no intention of getting out of themselves, so really how true can those horror stories really be??? I will not let those people deter me from my goals and neither should you.

I sooo agree w/ this statement. Also they scare potential RN students off with the 'no jobs available' warning. I do not know any RN students who were not able to find a job after passing the NCLEX.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Specialty.
I sooo agree w/ this statement. Also they scare potential RN students off with the 'no jobs available' warning. I do not know any RN students who were not able to find a job after passing the NCLEX.

The area you live probably has a lot to do with it. Take a look at this thread here, there are a lot of people who truly had/have it rough getting a job.

https://allnurses.com/graduate-nurse-forum/still-dont-have-403749.html

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Specializes in ccrn, cmc, csc.

Why should you be a nurse? Daily you are exposed to phlem, fecal matter, urine and every other form of bodily discharges, patients getting oob and falling and this is your fault, your hated by the family members and doctors alike, and god forbid you call too late. But.... every now and then you get to see someone get out of the hospital after you have cared for them. While in your care you titrated 3 vasopressorrs and 2 inotropes, managed a IABP, and also managed their CRRT, as well as their ventilator. No one ever thanked you, no doc ever said good job, but you know you played a big part in seeing them walk out of there. This is why we continue to do what we do, because we know.

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Specializes in Emergency/Trauma.

A lot of people have made good points. My 2 cents may or may not help, but here it is: When I graduated high school I started my prereqs for my RN. I also started working at the same time as a CNA, I wanted to get all the experience I could along the way to my exciting journey to become an RN. Well... unfortunately I let co-workers affect how I viewed the field. I worked in long term care and saw too many other CNAs that treated patients in unimaginable ways. I decided I couldn't work in a field where people were so horrible to the sick and unfortunate. I left and went to corporate america. I stayed in that environment for 10 years, and began to fall prey to the cut throat environment where many people will step on others without the blink of an eye to get ahead for another dollar. I came to a point were I began to realize my career wasn't making me happy, if anything it was making me like others, more cut throat my own self, and I didn't like that at all. So... with the fabulous support of my husband, I returned to nursing school thinking that at least in nursing I could be true to myself, my heart and knowing that regardless of others I'd have a chance to do better in this world. Being that I love the blood & guts of things, along with chaos & challenge, I went into emergency/trauma nursing. Do I see people in this area that are like my days as a CNA that should probably find a different job? Of course. But do I have the sense about me now to know how I can remain an advocate for my patients and to stand up to those who have lost the spirit of the job?... absolutely. The point of sharing my story is, I truly believe that this job is something I can do in spite of any negative coworkers (and I am lucky to have a fabulous job where most of us love what we do!), and I do it because I have the heart for it. I want to care for my patients, even the cantankerous ones or the hornery drunks or the outright rude ones, because I know in some way I am still helping them and helping their hearts (sappy as it may sound! I really believe it!). That's why I'm a nurse, that's why I want to do this job and that's why I can do it in spite of anyone around me that wants to be negative. I'm solid and resolute in what I do & how I want to be a nurse and no one will stop me. So, I implore you as others have asked... think of why you want to do this job, what it means to you & how will you handle the negative reactions you will encounter? Good luck in your decision making!

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Specializes in telemetry/oncology/icu.

I agree 100% with emergency nurse in that all environments you will encounter difficult situations. However, that said, look at the question you originally posted.

"Why should I be a nurse if its so awful?" ???????????

Examine your values and beliefs into what attracted you to the field of nursing. Do you have that same passion to want to continue? If so you will find a way to work with the situations that are not always the happy go lucky days. And when you do have one of those great days you are more appreciative of them. I hope this helps you to make your decision.

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I have been wondering the SAME exact thing. I'm going to take a stretch and say that VERY few nurses knew the field was going to be hostile and were driven by a "calling" or $$$. The rest are just in denial. I'm sure I will get a lot of kicks for this one..but I have seen way too many miserable nurses who refuse to get out of the field. I can understand why this would be hard, for many reasons. However, I don't give a diddly squat about what I have read in re: "caring" etc. I love to help people and I was born to "care"..but in that comes "caring" about myself and my family and you cannot do that when you are miserable. If nursing ever becomes too miserable for me, I will certainly leave the profession. Some are lucky enough to land that "great" job..hopefully that will be me, but I'm not counting on it lol...which is why I also have a business in the works.

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...there are always some days when we wonder why but hopefully for most of us the good days outnumber the days when the poop hits the fan. You have to find your niche. Try a different field of nursing maybe it will give you a better perspective. I started in Cancer and left the field for 10 years and guess what I am now back with renewed energy.

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