to nurse or not to nurse?

Published Jun 9, 2004

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You are reading page 2 of to nurse or not to nurse? by swedishchick

Hey guys I am new to this online community as well as the world of nursing. I am a college student who is studying to be a nursing student. Up until now I have never questioned my decision to study to be a nurse. I am getting ready to transfer from my current school to a very prestigious medical school that I have dreamed about for quite some time. The only problem lies in a book I read that voiced concern about the corruption of medical care in modern times. This book left me with some disconcerting feelings. Then I looked on this site and saw a lot of people that hated being a nurse and also a lot of accounts of the headaches and politics. *Sigh* I saw nurses that praised their job as well and I have talked to a lot of nurses in person who say they love their job. I guess all jobs have their pros in cons. It is just that I want to know if I the cons of nursing are something I am willing to accept. I have had a very Pollyanish ideal of being a nurse up until now. I want to be a nurse because I want to help people more than anything. I have always been told that I am good with people. I love talking to people and helping people. When I was very sick in the hospital their were these nurses who were so sweet to me and so compassionate. I asked them how they liked their job and they told me they loved it more than anything and I thought to myself that was what I truly wanted to do. However, now that I see more of the reality of it I don't know if it is something that would make me happy. Do nurses get really desensitized? I would imagine that it would be hard having to see things like a guy a who beat up his girlfriend holding her hand as she lay in the hospital bed. I have heard that in hospitals a lot of times at the hospital crack babies will be abandoned at the hospital and when they cry they scream the most horrible screams ever heard from most infants. I suppose these are cases that nurses usually do not see every day. I imagine that nursing is not for the faint of heart. I know I could deal with seeing horrible things, I am a strong person but I could not promise that I would not be depressed. My problem is that I usually want to do much more for hurt people than is in my power to do for them and I have a feeling it would break my heart. Maybe I am too empathetic, but isn't that what is needed? However, I do tend to be very capable and clear thinking when their is crisis around. Another concern is what I have heard about coworkers and patients being very rude to nurses. I am a person who is very intolerable to any type of rudeness I am the kind of person who always refuses to reply to any request that was not presented in a polite manner. I simply cannot stand an environment where people are rude and I feel underappreciated. I know this from experience. Blood and bodily fluids and things like that do not bother me however the thought of giving someone a shot makes me a little nervous for some reason. Science and the human body fascinate me as well as the prospect of improving people's health. I just don't know what to do. I don't want to go any further with my studies of nursing without understanding what I am getting myself into. Can anyone who is an RN tell me about their experiences and how they feel about their job. Also from a professional standpoint and from what I have described about myself do I seem to be a person who is suited to be an RN? Thanks for any input.

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