Discouraged by Nurses who hate their job

CBsMommy · May 27, 2010

OP, keep up that positive attitude and you will go far in life! Good luck!!!

ekidsmom · May 28, 2010

I have been getting discouraged too. I have wanted to be a nurse since I was 5 years old and it has taken me 30 years to finally pursue my dream. I think I need to stop reading the posts where people are complaining. Everyone is different and just because they hate the profession of nursing, it doesn't mean that I will. Maybe a lot of these nurses went into nursing for the wrong reasons or had unrealistic expectations. We will bring a fresh wave of enthusiasm when we become nurses, and our patients will benefit.

Tooimpatient · May 28, 2010

Thanks :)

Tooimpatient · May 28, 2010

@ekidsmom, I hope so! Just from the replies I've gotten on this post I already feel better about it so thanks everyone! Don't you get discouraged either, it seems we need all the positivity in this field that we can get lol

LindseySmith · May 29, 2010

Wow, personally I would NEVER do something that I hated. I have the ability to choose if and when I want to work, go to school or just stay home. I sure wouldn't want to be taken care of by a nurse who hates me, because they hate their job. Once you start school, you will know if this is for you. I start in the fall. If it becomes something that I hate, I will stop the nursing program. I will be no good to anyone if I hate my job, no matter what the job is. I am not drawn to nursing because of the money, my husband makes more than enough to support our family. I am drawn to it because I want to be able to make a difference and help people. If that is HONESTLY something that you do not want to do, you will probably hate being a nurse too!

closetoyou21, CNA · May 30, 2010

My experience was totally different. I meant a lot of nurses who love their careers and wouldn't change it for the world. However, I did run into one nurse, who didn't exactly say she didn't like it,but that she wishes she had went into the profession when she was younger. My opinion is that nursing isn't for everyone and that you should definitely continue to do your research...

kyotosong · May 30, 2010

I just started the process of career change, and it was because of the wonderful nurses that touched our lives over the last 6 years. I've had two preemies out of four children, and the nurses in L&D and NICU were the most fabulous, caring, loving and understanding people I ever met. They touched me so much with both of my NICU boys that I knew I had to give back, and this is how I can. I can be there for other mommas for the ups & downs that come with having a baby. For me, I want to be a midwife, but my backup is NICU if I decide not to pursue my Masters. I've been there, done that, and I really feel like I can make a difference and help someone else through the same thing, be it a joyous or terrifying moment in their lives. Money is great, but for me that's not the reason for doing this. I think the nurses that hate their jobs probably never had the type of wake up moment that is your calling to do a particular job. Regardless of what you choose to do for a living, if you don't feel in your heart & soul its what you need to be doing, its probably the wrong choice & you'll regret your decision later. Just my 2 cents...

trainscotch · Jun 2, 2010

I just finished 32 years of nursing in the emergency department. I loved it. The pateints were interesting to say the lest. Amazingly some of the ones who appeared to be a challenge turned out to be great people and I was able to learn from them.

Do what I did, try not to spen too much time with those who dont like the job, most of those dont like anything, probably dont liek me for not spending time listening to them whine.

Good Luck with your career choice.

Boognish · Jun 2, 2010

I'm also about to start nursing school, and while I am certain that I'm going to love the nursing field, I'm a bit apprehensive about working with people who aren't into it. But then, in any workplace you're going to find people who hate their jobs. Especially in a field as demanding as nursing. People don't always choose their careers based on what they most want to be doing, and that's almost always going to lead to resenting one's work. I believe it's especially true of nursing because it pays comparatively well in relation to the amount of money you have to pay to go to school to get into the field.

I currently work in assisted living as a medication aide, caregiver and RCC, and I love what I do. And many of my coworkers love their jobs despite the insanely low pay. It is unpleasant working with those who don't want to be there, but I have yet to find a job without those people.

FNPGrad · Jun 2, 2010

Ugh! This makes my cringe! :spbox:I have been a nurse for 19 years and absolutely love it. It is the best profession in the world and I couldn't imagine not being a nurse. Those nurses who say they hate nursing are poison to the profession. We need (and will desperately need in the future) all of the eager and dedicated people we could get in nursing.

I have worked in so many areas over the last 20 years. Each area is different - even each unit is different. If a nurse is unhappy in his/her job, she should try a different area. I went from ICU--> Home Care-->Anesthesia-->MD office-->QA-->Nursing Instructor--> FNP. Each area was entirely different. The nursing profession is unique in that it is very broad and offers tons of opportunities. Nurses can be found in all areas - writers, teachers, small business owners, consultants, lawyers, salespeople, recruiters, information technologists, inventors, politicians - the possibilities are endless.

There is absolutely no reason for nurses to do what they hate. Chances are if they hate what they're doing, they're probably not doing a good job anyway. My advice to those nurses is get out of where you are and try something else. My advice to you is ignore the naysayers, go for it and never look back! If you ever need reassuring, you can ask me. I just thought of another role...cheerleader! Yay Nursing!!:anpom:

mbdirt · Jun 2, 2010

"The only thing that bothers me is EVERY nurse I have spoken to tells me they hate their job and if they could take it back they would have went into a different profession."

Well, what does that say? That maybe a majority of nurses are unhappy for some reason? Likely. Where do these nurses work? What kind of hours do they work? What kind of patients/job do they work with? What are the drawbacks they can list? How long have they been nurses? How much interaction with people do they have at work?

There are a lot of reasons many nurses don't like their jobs. I can't speak for every nurse, only for myself. I would say that the fact that hospitals and corporations do satisfaction surveys tells you something. Why not check out some of these surveys online?

I happen to work in an ICU in a government hospital. I've been there over 20 years. I also worked in 2 other hospitals in areas of urology, lithotripsy, and substance abuse rehab. There were drawbacks to them all. There were political issues in them all. There were interpersonal relationship problems in them all. And except for one, there were problems with staffing in them all.

It is not so much about DOING the job, as much as it is getting the job done and getting through the shift. Nowadays there are a multitude of responsibilities for nurses which only are learned on the job. There are educational requirements to keep up with. There are inspections to prepare for. There are ever-changing medication information and administration to keep up with. There is the advent of computerized charting, medication administration, and records. There is the constant changing of technology to deal with. There are the usual jealousies and petty sniping that goes on in every environment. There is an increase in caution and monitoring for transmittable diseases. There is the threat of disability from chronic physical overworking as well as acute and temporary disability. There is concern with confidentiality and sexual harrassment to cope with. There is the near-universal issue of short staffing and management oppression/disconnect.

These are some of the issues we deal with that make taking care of the patient's needs more difficult. Try working a swing-shift or all-nighter for years with your family living a day shift life, and see how happy you can be. Like I said, there are a LOT of reasons. I honestly don't think it is because nurses don't like NURSING. I believe it is the environment, the mandatory policies and administration that make nurses most unhappy. There are a thousand issues to put between a nurse and the patient, making nurses seem distant to patients, and making patients seem demanding/needy to nurses.

Oh, and let's not forget the recycling culture of "customer care". We want to operate like a hotel, now, with maids and bellhops and Disneyland attitudes in the presence of pain, suffering, wasting, and death. What a GREAT idea! Can you say, PTSD?

JMHO. I like caring for the sick. I HATE being told how, when, where, and with what tools or devices to do it with. It is not a Florence Nightingale world anymore. It's more Apollo 13 than you would think. Keep this in mind as you go to your clinicals after admission. Look around at many areas of nursing to see what you might enjoy doing. As the writer above said, you have a wide variety of choices in the field to try to find your niche. Talk to the nurses who work in those areas and get their opinions on likes and dislikes so that you have a better idea of what to expect once you graduate. And good luck in your endeavor, whatever it may be.

Tooimpatient · Jun 2, 2010

I believe it does all depend on the area of nursing you go into. I always thought I would enjoy working with infants and the more I read into it the more I feel I would LOVE NICU. Yet there are others I read about that I am pretty sure I would hate so I guess it all depends on the individual. Either way I am excited and following my dream! About a week to go until I find out if I was accepted into the nursing program! I am getting nervous~! :uhoh3: