Am I in nursing for the wrong reasons?

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2015

This is because it was your second day and you're going through the rehab doldrums. The whole person aspect of nursing will come later as the initial patho/treatment excitement wears off and becomes more mundane as you master it. It will become more exciting soon as you get to see the challenges people have in dealing with managing chronic conditions. You also will learn how challenging it is to have a full patient load and start to identify where your weaknesses are and a different type of excitement/anxiety sets in as you rise to meet the challenges this brings. As you learn what doctors really have to do, you will be glad you went to the nursing path. :)

elkpark · Nov 7, 2015

Every nursing program "starts small" with the clinicals and works up from there. You have to learn to crawl before you can learn to walk, as the cliche' goes. Hang in there -- it will get more interesting as you go.

lieutenant dan · Nov 7, 2015

Thanks guys, I just needed a bit of reassurance that this wasn't all I had to look forward to. You really put my mind at ease.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2015

Maybe you should have researched or shadowed a nurse before starting nursing school. If you don't like it quit and do something else. Nursing isn't about "excitement". The job is not about you it is about your patients. You are already referring to patients as "disgruntled"? I kow if you were my nurse and you were a doing a lousy job I would be "disgruntled" as well. Please. Quit. Find something else that provides the "excitement" you crave. Asking a patient "how they were feeling" is part of the assessment process. Using their words combined with labs and vitals you can provide feedback to the doctor. I have identified patients becoming septic using my assessment and it is VITAL to your job.

selectallthatapply · Nov 7, 2015

Maybe you should have researched or shadowed a nurse before starting nursing school. If you don't like it quit and do something else. Nursing isn't about "excitement". The job is not about you it is about your patients. You are already referring to patients as "disgruntled"? I kow if you were my nurse and you were a doing a lousy job I would be "disgruntled" as well. Please. Quit. Find something else that provides the "excitement" you crave. Asking a patient "how they were feeling" is part of the assessment process. Using their words combined with labs and vitals you can provide feedback to the doctor. I have identified patients becoming septic using my assessment and it is VITAL to your job.

It's good to be excited about your job, nurse or not. Who said the OP was doing a lousy job? It's their second day of clinicals, so they aren't really anyone's nurse yet.

What's wrong with using "disgruntled"?

direw0lf, BSN · Nov 7, 2015

"Should I have went into medicine?" Well no one but you can answer that. I have asked it of myself before. When I was bored in nursing school this semester it was because I wasn't thinking enough about the rationales for all my actions and past what I was just directly doing/learning. Do you know all the actions of the meds you passed out and the pathophysio of the diseases and how to make your disgruntled patient feel better..see what more you can be learning and doing. Maybe you'll never find a passion or not. I agree it's too early to tell for a second day though.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Nov 7, 2015

OP, I also love pathology, but you do have to be realistic. Realistic in several senses here. Realistic in what nursing school clinical are, and what your job will be when you enter the workforce, especially as a brand new nurse.

First of all, it's first semester. You don't do much at all first semester. You aren't going to get the highest acuity patients. You are learning. This is a process. Even when you graduate, you are still a long way away from being proficient as a nurse. Being responsible for lives is an important job and you don't jump into the fire right off the bat.

A nurse does pass meds. Your patients are sick. Sick people are not happy. You will be dealing with disgruntled patients and their family members. You need to know why your patient is receiving those meds. What do their labs say? How is this medication helping and affecting the patient? Is it hurting their liver or kidneys? Is this med helping their heart? All of this is important. Also, yes you need to know how the patient is feeling. It's part of assessment. You assess their mental status with that, their pain levels, neurologically. That small question can tell you a heck of a lot about your patient.

You need to know what it is a nurse does. I know you are in your first semester but you should be learning assessment. Whether it's head to toe or focused, it's one of the most important thing a nurse does.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Nov 7, 2015

The OP is the one saying they are just asking people how they are doing. When you are talking to a patient you are assessing...they are not just a person you are asking "how are you" while getting a burrito at chipotle. As far as "excitement"...so if you are not excited does that give you the right as a nurse to provide substandard nursing care? Good work should not be dependent on your "excitement". If "excitement" is the determining factor to a job then go find something offering what they are looking for. IF this person was my fathers nurse I expect my father to get excellent care whether the nurse is "excited" or not. This is not complicated. DO the job well and to the best of your abilities whether you are having fun or not. Simple. Easy. As far as "disgruntled"...so did the OP talk with the nurse regarding this? If the patient was "disgruntled" maybe they are in the same soiled undergarments for 5 days. Maybe they haven't eaten. Maybe they are in pain. You ASSESS then provide an intervention or contact the doctor. You don't walk out complaining that the patient is annoying you. IF this annoys you and does not "excite"..and "excitement" is your priority...then better to find a career you more fitting to your interest.

selectallthatapply · Nov 7, 2015

As far as "excitement"...so if you are not excited does that give you the right as a nurse to provide substandard nursing care? Good work should not be dependent on your "excitement".

No one said this.

As for everything else, no one is going to be perfect on their second day of clinicals. The options aren't "be an excellent nurse on your second day of clinicals or quit". Not to mention, a nurse can do an excellent job and their patient can still be disgruntled. Bad idea to assume that someone isn't doing their job because of the patient's attitude.

la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2015

Thanks guys, I just needed a bit of reassurance that this wasn't all I had to look forward to. You really put my mind at ease.

Also, going forward, I would like you to pay attention to the ages and personalities of the nurses you see in other specialties in compared to the rehab place you're at now. I went to a rehab place my first clinical and it was kind of a snooze fest as far as the actual work was concerned, for me at least. Thank god our clinicals only were twice a week for 6 hours instead of the 12-hour stretch that followed. Anyway, the majority of the nurses I noticed were older, very efficient and good with their routines. They were strong, good with the patients and good with their aides. As I got into other specialties, I noticed a change. There were younger nurses who did not have the luxury of having help but had fewer patients to take care of. They were a little more into teaching and some of them were getting onto the clinical instructor track. What I'm trying to say is, it all kind of depends on where you are and what you're doing in terms of "excitement."

Just for example, when I graduate, if I could go into peds hem/onc ASAP, I would be thrilled. It just what I desire to do. As I go along, I would like to instruct in peds rotations. As I get further along, I may switch over to public health nursing as this is also a passion of mine but seems suited for a more experienced, older, patient type of person. There are many paths in nursing. For some, the end of the road is rehab nursing and for some, it's the start. It just depends and each will definitely have its own type of excitement. As you get more familiar with the different types of nursing you can do, you will see the more nuanced things you can do and the thrill ends up coming from figuring out new and/or better ways you can provide care then what you were doing before. You know what I mean?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2015

Back to the topic at hand...

Are you in nursing for the right reasons, OP? Other people cannot determine that for you. Some would say I'm not in nursing for the 'right' reasons because I entered the profession for the steady income, career mobility and educational advancement. However, these were the right reasons for me.