What are the reasons?

IndyElmer · May 24, 2012

Alas, I'm in the same boat. I see a lot of negativity in nursing posts (not just on AllNurses) and I often wonder if this is going to be a giant let down. I think I have realistic expectations about the pro's & con's but I wonder if in the current "culture" of the healthcare industry, even my "realistic" expectations are impossible. I do have friends who are nurses who absolutely LOVE their jobs, but they tend to be in outpatient facilities rather than being in hospital settings where I suspect most nurses have to spend some time "paying dues."

For some positivity, I really like Nurse Nacole's blog/vlog. She seems to keep it real while also staying positive.

In addition to looking for more stories like the one that the OP asked for, if anyone has any "positive energy" blogs or other resources, I'd love to hear about them. (Please note, I do actually seek out "positive energy" threads on All Nurses too. If there are any that you have marked as favorites for presenting a balanced take on nursing, I'd love to know about them!)

cally527, RN · May 24, 2012

i have been a member of allnurses for awhile now and initially felt that it was a big help in terms of getting pertinent information on nursing and for students as well.

lately, i am starting to feel the complete opposite, i have seen so many posts on reasons why "not" to be a nurse on here than any other place on the net, and it is starting to bother me.

i completely understand how you are feeling. i am waiting to hear about my application for an adn program starting in the fall. i have been seeing a lot of negative comments on here not only about nursing, but about job prospects and adn programs. it is hard to not start second guessing my choice to go to nursing school. the way i see it, there is a reason why i decided to go to nursing school and that has not changed. i have friends and family members that are nurses and they all seem to love it! just like any other profession, nursing has its pro's and con's. whenever i see negative comments, i remind myself that 1) i have wanted to go into nursing for years and let myself get talked out of it a while back. i have been miserable and disliked working in business (which is what i was encouraged to pursue by certain family members) 2)the job market is not going to be miserable forever. i may have to look for a while after graduation, but i will get a job at some point. 3) only a few hospitals in my area require a bsn. i know that can change, but i also know that i can do an rn-bsn program once i have a little money saved up. 4)i will be much more unhappy if i let others discourage me from what i want to do.

i hope that this helps you a bit. try to remember why you want to become an rn whenever you see negative posts.

good luck, i hope you get into the program you want!

FineAgain · May 24, 2012

I would like to add...usually when people post on public forums, it is the bad stuff they talk about. Not often does somone write when they have a great day. They write when they have had an awful day and need to vent. This forum and others provide a safe place to say whatever they are feeling and air frustration. Yes, there are lots of negative things said and bad days are had by students and seasoned RN's alike, but there are also some very positive posts (as I am sure you have noticed ).

Keep your nose to the wheel and follow your passion!

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · May 24, 2012

I understand your points, and they are certainly valid.

However, please know that what you view as negativity, many of us simply view as honesty. I've seen many, many posts that ask "How hard will it be to get a job after graduation?" or "Are hospitals hiring ADN's?" or, my favorite "I'm going to be a pediatric nurse when I graduate because I never want to work with adults."

While it may not make you feel warm and fuzzy to read that, 'Yes, it probably will be hard to get a job after graduation' and 'No, many hospitals are requiring BSN degrees' and 'Actually, you might not be able to be a pediatric nurse right after graduation,' that is nevertheless the reality of the situation.

I realize that it's hard to read information that makes it seem like your goals will be harder to reach then you would like. But I post on these forums so that I can provide accurate information and advice. I don't think it's right for me to put a positive spin on everything and provide false reassurance just so that the poster can feel happy and inspired.

Believe me, I've also seen many "Nobody told me it would be like this!" posts from new graduates who have found it very hard to secure a job. They went into nursing school with the false idea that there would be a dozen jobs waiting for them after they graduated and were shocked and dismayed to find that that was not the case. I don't want anyone to come back on me on AllNurses and say, "You should have told me it would be hard!"

IndyElmer · May 25, 2012

For me, the negativity is much more about the job itself, rather than about job prospects post-graduation. It seems like a LOT of nurses are burnt out & bitter. I doubt any of them ever thought they would feel that way when they chose nursing, so I worry that it could happen to me too. Even those who profess to love their jobs (and I do believe them that they love their jobs), even they have plenty of times where they are "dealing" or "coping" with negative aspects of the job in what seems to be much greater frequency than I felt that my colleagues and I had to deal with in my old profession. Often, it seems like the way that they get through it is by having a very resilient (water rolling off a duck's back) personalities, rather than actually being able to DO much about the negative aspects of the job.

I guess I'm looking for what makes nurses who love their jobs, love it and not let the "stuff" get them down. As I said before, I think I have a pretty realistic expectation from previous experiences volunteering in an ER/ED and from working in an LTC facility as a CNA, but I do worry that I too could become one of the burnt-out & bitter club, which is definitely not what I want for me or my patients!!

Phoenixbyrd · May 25, 2012

OP, I have to say that I echo your sentiments. When I first found AN 2 years ago, I devoured it. I spent all my time trying to imagine myself as a nurse, accustoming myself to what I thought would be a "nursing lifestyle". I read about issues of doctor/nurse relations (and checked myself for authority issues), patient safety and a plethora of other things I won't list here.

I do understand that working nurses need these forums, perhaps to expel the negatives they face. But like you, OP, I miss being inspired. Long before I thought about becoming a nurse, I used to marvel at the nursing gear, the mugs, the books (chicken soup for the nurse's soul, etc). It seemed to me that nurses had a distinct professional identity, one protected by principles and support groups (to combat burn out, for example). All this talk about lateral violence really pierces through my earlier idealization of the profession. I am aware that my earlier veneration of nurses may have been ill-informed, but I do miss the inspiration. While visiting the hospital recently, though, I talked to a couple of patient care techs who spoke of the "love of nursing" and even the "love of the patient" that got me to thinking about how I will develop and practice my own therapeutic care. I would like to hear more stories of nurses who love their career or who have a professional philosophy that incorporates a professional manifestation of love and caring. When I start my program in the fall, I am going to address this issue with my professors.

dudette10, MSN, RN · May 25, 2012

I've been a working nurse for almost a year now. What I like about my job:

--Every shift, there is at least one thing that takes creative thinking to work out. I need to be intellectually stimulated, and I do get that.

--I enjoy wound care, and I give myself opportunities to do so by doing the dressing changes early in the morning (I work night shift). The dayshift nurses are often grateful for that because dayshift often has the task of dressing changes.

--I have found that I'm very good at the soft skills of nursing. Demanding, alert and oriented patients irritate me, but I am often able to satisfy them (for the moment). Confused little old ladies calm down with my approach. Families have often shaken my hand and thanked me as they leave after their loved one is admitted. I don't know what it is that I do, but I see the effects of my actions. It makes me happy to know I've satisfied/appeased them somehow.

--I'm a neat freak, and I enjoy the look of a patient's room that I've just tidied or cleaned up. When I get a chance, I also tidy up the nurse's station. I have never understood why it's so difficult for other nurses to place garbage IN THE GARBAGE. I find it on the meds carts, the floors, next to the computers, under patients' beds, in the nursing break room, etc. Even when I pick up daylight shifts, I can hit the garbage can with my waste, despite those shifts being busier. I guess I subscribe to the now-antiquated nursing notion of cleanliness and tidiness for patient care. (Sorry, there was a rant in there...)

The only thing I absolutely hate is rude doctors at night. I am not waking them up just because I want to...

rubato, ASN, RN · May 25, 2012

I'm sorry that AllNurses discourages you, but this board is here for everyone. And, a lot of people like to have a place to vent. They can't do it at work. They can't do it at home. Their friends either won't understand because they aren't nurses or they will understand but they work together. Nursing is not a career that is all happiness and lightness. It's a hard, demanding job that requires everything you have. Some of the aspects of it are amazing and some are not. This is a safe place for people to get rid of the frustration so they can go to work and do their job. What's wrong with that?

IndyElmer · May 25, 2012

I'm sorry that AllNurses discourages you, but this board is here for everyone. And, a lot of people like to have a place to vent. They can't do it at work. They can't do it at home. Their friends either won't understand because they aren't nurses or they will understand but they work together. Nursing is not a career that is all happiness and lightness. It's a hard, demanding job that requires everything you have. Some of the aspects of it are amazing and some are not. This is a safe place for people to get rid of the frustration so they can go to work and do their job. What's wrong with that?

I'm don't think anyone is saying that it can't be a place for venting. The OP is simply trying to start a non-venting thread looking for positivity, inspiration and encouragement. Perhaps you could share some of the "amazing" that makes you keep going and skills that help you to be better able to deal with the "not amazing aspects."

allnurses Guide · May 25, 2012

Really? You are going to let a bulletin board on the Internet determine your career path? Think about that for a second. Recognize that as you get closer to being a nurse, the realities of nursing are going to get more...welll...real. The drive to become a nurse is all inspired and roses and pink hued. Then the honeymoon ends and you get what nursing is really like.

Now, that being said, are the negativities here representative of what nursing is really like? Of course not. Negative experiences lend themselves to being vocal where contentment lends itself to being content. Therefore contented nurses generally aren't on bulletin boards posting about how contented they are.

The negatives you read about vary in intensity depending on the economy, the job, the person, the weather, the patient population, the status of the moon's phase, whatever. It isn't the job of current nurses to "inspire" you. That's your own responsibility, as inspiration comes from within and tends to be found when you look for it.

I am a new graduate nurse, on the job three months now on a busy ICU stepdown unit. I am knee deep in new nurse hell and I am both loving it and yet struggling. You see the stuff all over here about what makes it hard and to look away from those realities is to fool yourself about what you are getting into. That being said, here's the stuff that is keeping me going:

1. I learn something every day, whether about people or about medicine. Even when those lessons come with ego bruises because they happened due to my missing something a more experienced nurse would have caught, they make me better for the next patient.

2. I am on a great floor and work with a great team. There is ZERO eating of young on my floor. None. Nada. I am happy to see my coworkers and enjoy working with them.

3. The patient nobody else wants is the one I am good at. I often don't want them either, but once in a while, by the end of the shift, I have a breakthrough with them and it is a very sweet moment.

4. I worked damn hard to get here. And here I am. I am proud of my accomplishment.

5. I am becoming slowly more independent. I start IVs without anyone watching me do it now. I change dressings without needing another person to walk me through it. I recognize the basics of when a patient has a change in status and if I don't know what to do immediately I do know where to find answers. That is energizing.

6. I am making pretty good money compared to what I used to make and earning pretty good paid time off.

7. I have four days off a week and I love that.

8. I am developing a sense of humor that anyone who isn't in the medical field would probably find kind of perverse, but those who are in the know laugh with me. There's a sense of finally being part of the club.

9. I am learning not to be so hard on myself. 12 hours isn't going to be enough to change the course of someone's health most of the time. I am learning to be good with what I did in the time I had and to let it go when I leave.

10. Seeing my name mentioned in the surveys after the patient is discharged as being a nurse they want recognized as outstanding makes me feel awesome.

11. Being flirted with by little old men cracks me up.

And many more.

Take responsibility for your own drive and motivation. If a random website you go to is demotivating, maybe it is time to step away for a while.

Good luck and keep your chin up.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · May 25, 2012

there are few venues for us nurses to be able to vent. So you are getting a bias of the actual population. Nursing is hard, but many stay in it for years and years. There has to be a reason. For me, it is always being challenged (makes me feel good about myself) and working with smart and caring people. Of course the pts are another reason and I have met some interesting people. Plus, I get paid pretty good. I have a feeling if I were in any other job I would find negatives and positives. Human nature.