discouragement from RNs...

live4today, RN · May 19, 2003

Originally posted by CA-FNPtobe
Hi there. I have wanted to go to nursing school.............
I have heard the expression that "Nurses eat their young". Frankly, I think they are licking their lips!! Will I be devoured when I get through school? Do their comments make sense to you? Has nursing changed in the past decade to become as bad as all that?
Any comments(or encouragement:D ) would be appreciated.

My personal opinion about nurses "eating their young" is this:

SOME Nurses eat nurses period! Not all nurses are in the nurse eating business, but the ones who do not only enjoy their nursing meat "young", they enjoy their nursing meat "seasoned". For the nurses who eat each other regardless of "seasoning" I say this: We are all in this nurse eating business together - only we should stop eating one another and begin to eat the crap that keeps us eating each other. Anyone know what I mean? :nurse:

Mimi2RN, ASN, RN · May 20, 2003

Originally posted by jnette
My only advice to you is to follow your own dream ! Your life, your satisfaction, your joy, your contentment and fulfillment will be what YOU make of it...others' opinions are just that.. opinions.

You are the captain of your own ship. Don't look at the storms and the waves all around you...you'll surely drown, and your dream with you.

I wish you the best in forging your own reality and materializing your dream. :)

Jnette, I love the way you wrote this, you do have a way with words!

:) :) :) :) :)

mimi

Mimi2RN, ASN, RN · May 20, 2003

CA-FNPtobe

Don't let the insecurities of others get to you. You want to head into a different world, and some people have to put down anyone who does anything new. If you have the desire to go into nursing, do it. School will be hard, but it goes by very quickly.

I have found that the most negative nurses are frequently ones who have been in nursing a long time, have burned out in their area, but have not wanted to grow. There are so many different areas, if one does not suit, try another. I did a year and a half of med/surg before moving to peds. I now work in a level two nursery. We do not eat our young, we all enjoy what we are doing, and I think this is understood by our new nurses. We do orient new grads to float in when needed, some of them have liked it so much that when they were able, they applied for positions as core members of the unit.

Every area of every hospital is different. Take the opportunities as you find them, and you will learn what fits you. I think that hospital work will be a good grounding if you do go for your FNP.

Good luck!

mimi

Overland1, RN · May 22, 2003

You will always find those who are consistently negative, as well as those who convey their own positive thoughts and ideas. Pay heed to the latter, and ignore the "advice" of the former.

The latter are on the train (and may well be driving it), while the former will likely be left at the station (or may be run over by the train).

Go for it, and do the absolute best you can possibly do!

CA-FNPtobe · May 23, 2003

Thanks everyone for your advice. You are right...I should(and will) follow my ambitions. And ignore the naysayers....Yes, I know nursing will not be a cakewalk but it will be worth the hard work.

And....

I'm excited to say theat I get to go on my first ED nurse shadow soon. :)

TyRH · May 23, 2003

What other profession allows you to touch so many lives in a positive way? If you want to become a nurse, there must be a reason why. Don't let unhappy people bring you into their circle. Make them come into yours. Nursing is about feeling, heart and sacrifice......the paycheck only helps.

leenie71 · May 28, 2003

I'm sure that you will be a great nurse...you are determined and have the desire! I hope to get into an accelerated BSN program that I applied to recently. My mom and sister are both RNs....my mom has been a med/surg nurse for almost 30 years and loves it. My sister is a peds nurse but is now doing L&D....she tries to talk me out of it. I don't talk to her about it.

My advice to you is to not listen to the negative. There's always going to be something bad about a job, no matter what it is. But hopefully, you find that the positives outweigh the negative.

I work in healthcare now (as a Physical Therapist Assistant) and I have had experiences where nurses and co-workers have told me that I'm crazy to be even thinking about going to nursing school. If they hate it so much, then they should change careers. They're not helping the patients if that is their constant attitude. I'm finding that I don't enjoy being a PTA any longer and that I do need to change careers.

Good luck to you!

Eileen

babs_rn · May 28, 2003

Originally posted by Hellllllo Nurse
I have been a nurse for ten years, and I want out. the working conditions, heavy work-loads and lack of respect have worn me down.
Not to mention that I am in constant pain from back injuries.

I'm sorry that other nurses have told you you won't make it as a nurse. That is very cruel of them.

But, nursing has really gone down-hill, and I fear it will continue to do so.

No one discouraged me from becoming a nurse, but I wish someone had warned me about what a rough field it is.

Fifteen years here, and ditto.

studentdeb · May 28, 2003

I think there is negative in every job. I have worked in the same area for 14 years now and am making a career change to nursing. It is no different in an office environment as far as complaints about co-workers, pay etc. The problem with where I work I cannot make a change to another area as easily as nursing, as a matter of fact is is pretty much not heard of and also there is no such thing as working part-time, they would not hear of it.

So I guess it's just a matter of how everyone feels and are willing to put up with.

Good luck.

NancyRN · May 29, 2003

I was an older student, graduating in my late 40's. I, too, wish I had realized how physically demanding it is. I cannot work enough hours to get the experience I want, and I never get considered for any type of administrative job because I can only work part time. Its a Catch-22: I can't work my way into an easy job because I can't work hard enough at a hard job!

jeannet83 · May 29, 2003

:nurse: Hi, CA-FNP! This nurse is telling you to go for your dreams, go for where your heart tells you to go and as others have said, if you feel a calling, then go for it.

I have been a nurse for 20 years now and I know I will never change fields. There is so much that one can do in the nursing field that if you are feeling bored or burned out or stressed, you can switch to something different. And it's not like I have had some cushy job for 20 years. I've done 9 years of critical care, 9 years of coordinating research studies and now 2 years of trauma/er. Certainly, I have had my fair share of ups and downs, ie. supervisors that weren't the greatest, difficult co-workers, but it all pales in comparison to what I have gotten back.

You will definitely find pretty much two groups out there. Those nurses that enjoy what they do and get alot back from helping others and those nurses who are negative and ready to devour everyone in their path. Unfortunately that is one of the drawbacks to the field but I imagine there are negative people in other fields as well. I just avoid the negativity as much as I can, stay around positive people and keep learning as there is always something new to learn in medicine and nursing.

I imagine that some of your coworkers may be feeling jealous or angry-afraid of your positive ideas for career advancement. Just like positive people can be drawn down by negativity, I think it is hard for negative people to be around people who are upbeat and have plans to better themselves.

So ignore the negativity and forge ahead. You are on the right path! Keep us posted, Jeanne :)

neelyt · May 30, 2003

Each person has a goal in life, perhaps in the beginning they chose that goal rashly and later on realized it wasn't what they wanted. Sounds like to me though that you have thought this through and have known for sometime this is what you want to do. I believe that if you have had something in your heart for so long that it can only lead you to great things as long as you continue to follow that desire and don't stop short of your goal because of other people. It took me 4 years to figure out what I wanted to do and now 8 years after that I finally get a chance to realize that dream. I am not a nurse but my dream is to become one. That chance will be given to me in the next 7 months if I am accepted as I will finally be stable enough to pursue that goal. As far as things being bad in the nursing field. I have been home only a year out of the past 3 years and in my last 12 years have lived with some pretty crappy conditions and treatment and even with all that I find myself looking at the good things about my job more than the negative. Remember that altough there will be times you will hate your job there will also be times you find complete satisfaction and joy in it. So continue with your dream as I am and you will succeed in the end. Signed //Stuck in Afghanistan//