How stressful is nursing?

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Jun 6, 2012

It's very stressful, but it is worth it. Every profession has it's pros and cons. You never really know what another person does unless you can walk in their shoes. I look at other professions that may be less stressful, but I'm not interested in doing any of them. It all boils down to "what do you want to do, and what is it worth to you?"

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Jun 6, 2012

I hear alot of mixed feelings about how stressful nursing really is.
I want more opinions on how stressful you think nursing is.
Is it worth it?

No one can tell you if it is worth it or not.

I can tell you this: life is stressful. People crack up from stress at just about every job - or no job.

I find nursing very challenging, but not really stressful. If you told me my job was to sell widgets and if I didn't sell enough widgets that week or month, I would lose my house I would feel a heck of a lot more stressed than I felt today when I received that transplant patient with a SBP of 101 from PACU.

ImKosher · Jun 6, 2012

What is stressful in your definition? What do you think in Nursing will cause you stress?

RockinChick66 · Jun 6, 2012

Yes, to me, it's very stressful. There is a LOT of multi tasking which can be very stressful at times.

It's more stressful than I thought but I'd do it over again, if that helps.

Morainey, BSN, RN · Jun 6, 2012

I think some people don't handle stress well IMO. With most any profession you will have stressful days, but there is a lot of concentrated complaining on this message board. I think I've written about a horribly stressful day I had, and if a new grad or nursing student read that they might think nursing is always CRAZY STRESSFUL! But I wouldn't agree. I don't come home and post about the mundane, boring shift with a low census or the nights when all my meds got passed on time and got all my documentation done early.

AZMOMO2 · Jun 6, 2012

Yes and if anyone tells you differently they aren't doing it right. :uhoh3: But seriously is this a real question?

Zookeeper3 · Jun 6, 2012

a day in my life as a nurse:

1. potential to make a med error and cause serious harm/death

2. dealing with death and dying

3. begging for a peaceful death because it is humane and right

4. working so short, you can't do right, and are held accountable for failing to do so

5. doctors that don't talk to patients/family and you are held to a two hour needed talk, while patient go without care

6. training new staff continuously, that leave after a year exp. it's exhausting to give so much constantly!

7. written up for clocking in one minute late, what other "profession" even clocks in, let alone has a one minute timer?

8. hospitals have become full service hotels where providing coffee to family is more important than patient care!

9. no visiting hours, keeping family happy is more important than patient rest and recovery.

10. management doesn't care what is done, just be sure to chart it was done, with no ability to do it all

11. the patient without family that can't speak for themselves will be ignored for the unrealistic, angry, demanding family that brings all their personal issues into your shift, because it's all about them and their drama, they need their "moment".

12. patient satisfaction scores are more important than saving the patient!

13. family will keep patients alive until the social security check comes and they will drop them off at the er for made up reasons on the holidays to get a "break"

14. the frequent flyer, the dka, that you have spent hours on that you finally have gotten through to, will be admitted next week.... with dka.

15. fill out umpteen papers, or computerized charting that is occasionally fudged on times or time adjusted because you can't be everywhere to comply with the policies joint requirements, you do this because you were holding a hand for an hour with a new cancer diagnosis and 5 minutes late on reassessing pain. charting the pain assessment 5 minutes late will cause you to be written up, falling out of joint commission compliance.

16. when you take a break to pee and eat, the thoughts of all you need to still do is running through your head, and your patient is hitting the call buzzer, and your peers may be ignoring it, even though they really promised to "listen out" for 5 whole minutes.

yes this is reality. you will need to find a way to be ok with all of that and still show up and do your best to provide the safest care, in the toughest circumstances, with (sometimes) everything against you, because you just might make a difference. when you do... on those rare moments... it is breath taking, and unexplainable to do so. it's those rare moments, that keep nurses, nursing. i wish there were more of them, but when they happen, they make me whole.

i just wish there were more of them... that keep us going...

minnymi · Jun 6, 2012

i'm assuming you're a student or considering nursing school.

personally, i thought nursing school was more stressful than the actual job. maybe it depends a LITTLE bit on which program you choose. i did a BSN program (although ADN programs are difficult too) and it was the SINGLE hardest thing i've done and biggest accomplishment i've made in my life. i had other degrees, other professions, juggled children throughout all of them, but NONE of that compared to nursing school. several of my classmates (many who were older and also had other professions and even master's degrees) agreed. we would all say, "this is the hardest thing i've EVER done!"

granted, when you're actually working as a nurse you have the responsibility of people's lives in your hands and that's obviously stressful. however, i enjoy my job and i don't dread going to work or leave feeling drained. it's not that kind of stress for me personally. most days are good. there are days (like there are in every profession) where you feel like you can't possibly get caught up....everything goes downhill, and your strength is tested. however, i've done much less important work that stressed me out more (and paid me much less) than being a nurse.

looking back though (and it wasn't long ago) i have to say for ME that getting through school was the most stressful part. it makes sense now why it was so tough because if you can make it through school aka "the hardest thing you'll ever do" then you have what it takes to make it through the stressors of being a nurse. so, if you want to know if it's "worth it" you'll have to find out for yourself. if you go through school, enjoy your clinical time, and make it to the end without doubting your decision, it'll probably be worth it. again, that's just my opinion.

jodyangel, RN · Jun 6, 2012

lol Zookeeper I loved that so much I just posted it as my FB status. Thanks.

sauconyrunner · Jun 6, 2012

I have been a Registered Nurse for 12 years next month. I will say, the first 4-5 years were EXTREMELY stressful. After that I seem to have either gotten enough experience, or something, but it seemed much less stressful, until I got promoted into a new position this year, and yes, the stress is back. School was easy for me, I don't know why but I never found it that difficult, I also did a BSN program, but it just was not that big a deal to me. (And it was after getting a Master's, I found the Masters more challenging than Nursing school...one reason was that Nursing school- the expectations are very clear, you meet them or you don't....other programs can be kind of vague at times.)

Is it worth it? Nursing is one job where you can make a decent living right out of school with just an Associates degree.

If you find yourself in the right place, it can be a really enjoyable job. You do have an opportunity through work to make a difference at a critical point in people's lives etc. In the end you have to decide if it is something that is going to be worth it for you and your personal situation.

TheMediaLies · Jun 9, 2012

It could be worse. Back then(the 1990s in my experience), the nurse to patient ratio was ludicrous. It wasn't uncommon to have 1 RN take care of 8 patients. Well, in some cases(seldom), that lone RN had an LVN and some CNA's to help her/him out. Today is 1 RN and 3-4 patients with an aide answering the call lights (my hospital does this). If an RN has only 3 patients, the next admission was his/hers. 10 more years. I don't care if I have to eat Ramen noodles and baloney sandwiches days a week . I'm hanging up my scrubs.