Am I too shallow to be a nurse?

RedhairedNurse, BSN, RN · Jun 8, 2009

Thank you for all your honest responses...even the bad ones. I wish I could say that nursing has been my life long dream ever since I was a tiny school boy. But unfortunately thats just not the reality of my situation. The reality is that I haven't been able to make a living doing the things I'm naturally passionate about and I simply need to start making more money. But I also enjoy experiences that bring about self growth and I thought nursing would really put me out of my comfort zone enough to achieve that. Which brings me back to the original question of whether I'm just too shallow to be a good nurse lol.

I honestly think if you are that shallow, you'll never make it through

nursing school. Good luck at whatever you decide.

RNandRRT · Jun 8, 2009

I love that this thread has so many pages.

I love that the question sparked such interest.

When I was young and single and working in phlebotomy while trying to determine a career, hell yeah all the females in the hospital were part of my decision to pursue healthcare. It's a shallow piece of me, perhaps. But in the big picture that is me, it certainly does not make me a shallow person.

There are so many personalities in the world of nursing and healthcare, that I don't believe there is any kind of template. I know there's an ideal theory of what a nurse is, but those are few and far between. Most people have some of the ideals of being a nurse, but rarely does anyone have them all.

I say just like any other decision you make in life, you should weigh the costs and the benefits and go from there.

Best of luck.

I really did meet my hot BSN/RN wife while working so who's to say..........

beachbutterfly · Jun 8, 2009

I think you should stop watching ER and Scrubs.

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Jun 8, 2009

At the risk of getting blasted with insults from all of you in the nursing community, I'm just going to be honest. I am thinking about becoming a male RN. But my reasons for becoming a nurse are pretty selfish and are the following in no particular order: Excellent work schedule, good money, great opportunities for advancement, relatively short training, beautiful female nurses, travel opportunities, and ofcourse helping people. However, I'm honestly afraid that I may not be a good enough human being to do the job of a nurse. I'm already a germophobe, I'm really not a big fan of bodily fluids, and most of all I have a hard time dealing with vommit and excrement of my own family, let alone perfect strangers. I don't even like changing diapers. With my personality, I also unfortunately will likely retaliate to all those old school nurses who like to "eat their young" and will probably cause drama by standing up for myself. And finally adding to that my ego and insecurity is not looking forward to the "male nurse" title. Ya ya I know, how dare me and I'm a total jerk...but its true.
Was anyone like me before they went into nursing? Did nursing make you a better person or did you already have the personality and compassion of a nurse before you went into it?
Thank You[/quote
I'm always the first to say that I'm no Mother Theresa..I expect just compenasation for what I do and I believe being a martyr does no one any good. But, I went into nursing mainly so I could feel at the end of the day that what I do matters.
Have you thought about X-ray school? They make great money, and aren't as exposed to body fluids. You can also branch out into other things..CT scan etc.

Vitruvian man · Jun 9, 2009

I don't understand how you can relate it to ER and scrubs?

pawsomepooch47 · Jun 9, 2009

I think if you suspect you're too shallow, then you probably are.

rngolfer53 · Jun 9, 2009

At the risk of getting blasted with insults from all of you in the nursing community, I'm just going to be honest. I am thinking about becoming a male RN. But my reasons for becoming a nurse are pretty selfish and are the following in no particular order: Excellent work schedule, good money, great opportunities for advancement, relatively short training, beautiful female nurses, travel opportunities, and ofcourse helping people. However, I'm honestly afraid that I may not be a good enough human being to do the job of a nurse. I'm already a germophobe, I'm really not a big fan of bodily fluids, and most of all I have a hard time dealing with vommit and excrement of my own family, let alone perfect strangers. I don't even like changing diapers. With my personality, I also unfortunately will likely retaliate to all those old school nurses who like to "eat their young" and will probably cause drama by standing up for myself. And finally adding to that my ego and insecurity is not looking forward to the "male nurse" title. Ya ya I know, how dare me and I'm a total jerk...but its true.
Was anyone like me before they went into nursing? Did nursing make you a better person or did you already have the personality and compassion of a nurse before you went into it?
Thank You

Nursing likely won't lead to a "Road To Damascus" transformation of your personality, but I don't see anything in particular about what you wrote that indicates you need one to be a good nurse.

As far as the dislike of discharged fluids and solids, you either will or won't get over that thru "conditioning" for lack of a better term.

:twocents:I think the secret to being a good nurse is the professional attitude and integrity of doing the best job for the Pt, regardless of what your attitude may be that particular shift, or to that particular Pt. Emotions and ideals come and go. Your patients shouldn't have a clue if you're having a good or bad day, and while that's not always doable, get as close as you can. It takes work some days.

It's funny, because I don't consider myself particularly compassionate at all, but I get told by Pts and families that I am. Go figure. You don't always appear to others as you seem to yourself.

There are lots of different careers available in nursing, so you can likely find a spot that fits. For me, hospital nursing is something I just don't want to do. But home hospice nursing is a good fit.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Jun 9, 2009

if you go into this field given the factors you listed, i predict fast burnout. I am not saying that you won't over time get used to things like bodily fluids and the constant presence of germs -most of us do, but if the person before you in the bed simply represents a decent paycheck and a gaggle of attractive co-workers, there will come a time that the co-workers aren't so attractive and the money won't be worth the cost of earning it.

Seagate · Jun 9, 2009

If I were you I would not become an RN. There are better jobs suited for you if you're in it for other reasons. One I can think of the top of my head is working on an oil rig. You can make $100,000 a year easily but you'll be away from home for 6 months and I don't think there are any beautiful women there lol.

pattymac · Jun 9, 2009

No doubt in my mind that you are shallow, but I don't think you are a bad person because of it; more like normal. You were honest and I appreciate that. I just think you would be happier doing something else. There are lots of hospital jobs out there that would suit you better most likely and you might actually get some of those things that are important to you...

leslie :-D · Jun 9, 2009

i think your insight of yourself, disqualifies you from being shallow.

petty?

yes.

shallow?

no.

you might have a shot at it.

God knows, we've seen all kinds.

leslie:)

beachbutterfly · Jun 9, 2009

i think your insight of yourself, disqualifies you from being shallow.
petty?
yes.
shallow?
no.
you might have a shot at it.
God knows, we've seen all kinds.
leslie:)

Thank you for a good laugh!!!!