Do You love being a Nurse

I work in a neonatal intensive care unit...and yes, I LOVE being a nurse in there!

I love the opportunities for those that are nurses. I have been a registered nurse for nearly 25 years and have loved where my talents, knowledge, and skills have taken me.

Yes, I would do it all over again, but instead of starting in my 30s I would have started fresh out of high school. I can't imagine doing and being anything else. Seriously.

Good luck.

I LOVE being a nurse. There are days that are so overwhelming that you wonder why did I go to school all those years to deserve this! But, then there are those days that you feel like maybe you have made a difference in someone's life, and that you were an advocate for the patient, when no one else would step up to the plate. Overall, I am very satisfied with being a nurse. It is just the drama that goes along with upper management, and unrealistic expectations of us as nurses that bothers me. I hope I don't make anyone mad, but I do believe it HAS to be a calling for you to be a great nurse and patient advocate. If I step on anyone's toes, I am sorry, but I think that you have to care so deeply about your patients well being all around to really make a difference, and to be happy at being a nurse.
Good luck to you in all your endeaveors.

God Bless!

Hello All,

I am also at a crossroads in my life. I am 30, I have a BA in Communications and have been working in the tech industy.I make a decent salary, but I feel no reward and I cannot bear to sit at a desk for the rest of my career.

I have been thinking nursing for a long time. If I had gone when I first started thinking about it I would be done! There is a well-respected program at a 2 year college close by. I will need to work, but I am flexible as to what I will do while in school.

The tough thing is I feel like anyone I tell tries to talk my out of it! I have heard nursing school is so Tough...there is a high failure rate..high drop out rate. I was a very good student in undergrad...

People tell me it is a thankless job that is why there is such a shortage.

I need someone to give me positive feedback, I really want to do this. I would like to work in a psychiatric unit if possible. I have always wanted to work in a field where I could use my compassion a strong desire to help people, but I am confused at this point. Please give me feedback!

To the OP: As another poster stated, I am grateful for the many opportunities that being a nurse gives me. I love the theory behind the profession of nursing. However, I haven't loved every nursing job that I've had (and I've had 4 in the 2 years that I've been a nurse). I've come to realize that I don't enjoy traditional bedside nursing. If all I'd have ever known was bedside nursing, I would say there is no way that I would do it again. Fortunately, there are lots of ways to be a nurse.

To Petie: I would never discourage someone based on the difficulty of the schooling. I never found the actual material to be very difficult. What makes it challenging is that it is an entirely different way of thinking.

I would encourage anyone considering pursuing nursing to spend some time volunteering in a health care setting or shadowing a nurse. Make sure that this is something that you really want to do and you can't imagine doing anything else at this point in your life. The nursing shortage is very complex and there is not just one reason behind it. However, nursing is very challenging and you should know this going into it.

nursing is the best career ever!!! 3 day work weeks, great money, so many different specialties to learn, you are constantly growing and helping people is the best!! i love working in labor and delivery and NICU...i am moving on though, i am changing specialites again, to learn and become an even better nurse, im heading to the PACU!!!