Any nurses that love nursing and love their job??

RNstat123, RN · Jun 21, 2019

1 hour ago, Workitinurfava said:
I don't think it is a calling, of course you are entitled to your opinon. I wonder if other (paid)professionals think this way about a "calling"? Many people I talk to say they decided to do what they are doing because they are good at it (no calling involved), it pays well etc., but not because something in them said, hey do this, you are meant for it, and look for nothing in return. To me a calling is something you devote your time to, without pay and get very little back for it. We are getting paid to do this work. If we weren't how many of these, nursing is a calling nurse would still do this work? I think some people choose or have it in them to do the work in a caring way. I wasn't called to be a nurse, as a matter of fact, I ran from the profession due to the working conditions and because I didn't want to deal with death. However, I decided that patients deserve respect and caring nurse so that is what I give them but I don't have to be called to do this.

Good insight, quite true, whether called or not, all humans should be treated with dignity and respect. I guess what I'm trying to say is, based on what I've seen/heard, I see a big difference in attitude between those who have true passion for nursing versus those who does it for other reasons. But difficult working environments can also be a factor. Everyone can show care for humanity in many ways, but nursing is specific. IMO, I think that many are "called" without realizing it. Maybe called to care for others at a whole new level such as nursing.

MsQueensRN, LPN, LVN · Jun 21, 2019

I can honestly say I love being a nurse. If you keep in mind what brought you to nursing: caring for people, love of learning, being part of a team, teaching, changing lives (including your own). Then you have nothing to worry about. If you focus on the stressful aspects and let that take all of your energy that's when the burnout begins. I have seen many a charismatic, energized, hardworking nurse go through down periods, and it wasn't because they didn't want to be a nurse, there were times that their personal stress and work stress would feel too heavy, or they realized that maybe it was time for another specialty. Just keep in mind that you are also human, you need to decompress, and that you don't have to stay in one job forever if you realize that it's not for you.

nets5010 · Jun 21, 2019

6 hours ago, Lulu Belle said:
1. NP education is severely lacking compared to PA education, and there is a resulting theory-practice gap that should scare you if it doesn't already.
2. PA's don't specialize in school and have the freedom to move between specialties without additional schooling
3. Personally, I want to work in trauma as an NP, and it's going to be a much steeper uphill battle for me than for my pre-pa counterparts for the reasons I just outlined above
Sorry for getting on my soapbox, @MauraRN--I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth.
Also, sorry for slightly derailing this thread--I'm making 34.64 base as a new grad!

I think like another poster said...the grass always looks greener on the other side but I get your points.

Well to me that is awesome new grad pay!!! Congrats!! Were you a CNA or LPN beforehand?? What floor do you work on?

Lulu Belle, RN, EMT-B · Jun 21, 2019

8 hours ago, Lulu Belle said:
1. NP education is severely lacking compared to PA education, and there is a resulting theory-practice gap that should scare you if it doesn't already.
2. PA's don't specialize in school and have the freedom to move between specialties without additional schooling
3. Personally, I want to work in trauma as an NP, and it's going to be a much steeper uphill battle for me than for my pre-pa counterparts for the reasons I just outlined above
Sorry for getting on my soapbox, @MauraRN--I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth.
Also, sorry for slightly derailing this thread--I'm making 34.64 base as a new grad!

Wow, I thought I was still reading the thread about starting salaries.. thats embarrassing!

nets5010 · Jun 21, 2019

20 minutes ago, Lulu Belle said:
Wow, I thought I was still reading the thread about starting salaries.. thats embarrassing!

Don’t be embarrassed. Lol I was interested! Are you a new NP or new RN? I’m confused.

juviasama · Jun 21, 2019

13 hours ago, JBMmom said:
I never felt called to nursing. It's a second career for me, and the school requirements fit with much of my previous degrees and background. It was a practical decision, and coming from a much higher paying field, I usually laugh when people say the pay is great. If I want to work 60+ hours a week, I can almost make what I used to make, but not quite. There are jobs out there that pay better that don't include anyone's bodily fluids on me. So, if the money is a main draw for people I tell them not to bother. However, in the seven years I've been a nurse, I've found great satisfaction in many of my encounters. I am privileged to provide care for some very sick people, and have even cared for them and their families through life and death transitions. It's an honor to hold someone's hand as they take a last breath, or comfort a family and help them find peace with a dignified death. There are some tough days, and some aggravating days, but I think that somehow nursing is where I was supposed to end up. It wasn't my first choice for a career but it will certainly be my last, I'll do this is some way until I can't work anymore in a way that brings me fulfillment.

I agree that nursing doesn't have to be calling. I've worked with many wonderful nurses before, and I'm not exaggerating, 8 out of 10 didn't like their jobs. They clearly told me that they're there for paycheck and they didn't want to be nurses if they could do it all over again. However, they're still doing wonderful jobs, and patients like them. I don't have problem with that. However, I don't think they could last forever in the field, if it's not calling. Many of them went for NP school, one started business; planning that if she could run the business well then she would quit nursing.

I don't think it's really a calling for me. People just told me that they thought I could be a good nurse. Hence, I pursued the nursing degree. And the reality of being a nurse is so much different from what I imagined. I still love caring for patients, but I cannot handle the stress of dealing with BS from the management.

Lulu Belle, RN, EMT-B · Jun 21, 2019

1 hour ago, nets5010 said:
Don’t be embarrassed. Lol I was interested! Are you a new NP or new RN? I’m confused.

I am a new RN! I was a CNA, but not for the same hospital and my experience did not put me any higher on the payscale. There is a whole thread on the topic here if youre interested

frenchtoastwaffles, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2019

Love being a nurse, hate the bureaucratic bs that surrounds it. It’s hard to actually do what you love and what you trained for when non-nurses dictate how you work your shift. Too much time spent behind a computer.

SASARN53 · Jun 23, 2019

I have been a Nurse for 48 years,I learned long ago that you are the one that makes the job you have a satisfying experience. I tried to stay on my side of the street and worry about the patients I am responsible for that day. Naturally there are going to be some bad days but the good have always outweighed the bad for me . There are many areas to work in so if you are not happy choose something until you are. As far as negative comments just say I am sorry you feel that way and go about your own business. It only takes one toxic person to take the whole team down. A positive attitude will make you a winner!

smellyacres, BSN, RN · Jun 23, 2019

You’re never going to love your job every single day. I think that is universal for any career. I’ve loved both of my nursing jobs (switched to work closer to home), and though there are things I don’t love about nursing, for me, the things I do FAR outweigh the things I don’t. The work can be grueling, and sometimes I fantasize about other careers for variety and income opportunities, but even if I chose to do something else, I’d always be a nurse... at least per Diem. Even if I won the lottery. Never in a million years would I dream of giving up my license or my nursing practice. I love being a nurse.

nursemike, ASN, RN · Jun 23, 2019

I love my stupid job. It's hard, at times, and frustrating. Awhile back, I spent several months on the wrong side of the bedrails, and a year off on medical leave. Coming back to work, afterward, was one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I wanted it so bad I could taste it. 6-7 months into that process, I caught my self grumbling about something and thought, hooray, I'm back. A ***ing nurse is a happy nurse--sometimes.

With some ongoing issues I've been having due to medication side effects (GI stuff) I get asked about stress. There is stress. But I find there is bad stress and good stress. Handling a challenging assignment is, to me, good stress. Being swamped and falling behind, or drowning in minutia, is bad stress, The job includes both--that's why it's stupid.

I like to drive. Dodging morons on the freeway or sitting in traffic drive me crazy, but carving the twisties on a backcountry road or throwing up dust clouds on gravel, I feel powerful and in control. I might only be going 40 mph, but when I'm rowing through the gearbox and braking at just the right times, I'm not just getting from point a to point b--I'm driving. Nursing is a lot like driving.

Dragonnurse1, ASN, RN · Jun 23, 2019

I loved my nursing job. When I began school my intention was to work in the ER. I achieved that goal despite so many instructors wanting me to go into VA psych. Nursing was a "second job". I was older, had been in computers but I had always been the "family nurse" for too many years to count.

I knew when my kids had broken bones even when their pediatrician did not want to do an X-ray, I knew when ears were infected, wounds were questionable and so on.

I knew when a man in a hardware store was having a "heart attack" years before nursing school so I finally went. I decided on day one to go into the ER. In fact I started Nursing school 20 years after high school.

I loved that job every night no matter what came in or what occurred. The losses made the wins more sweet. The 13yo that looked so much like my son, discharged too soon from another hospital, whose chest we cracked but we still lost - I kept my son home that day. The 50ish brother and sister whose Mother was brought in from a nursing home at end of life, who wanted to make her a DNR and needed someone to walk them through the process. The residents were untrained in the nuances of how to talk to the family. The woman that came in who had been seen the night before at another ER (by the same Doc) complaining about chest pain. The Doc went in and told her she could NOT be having a cardiac problem and wanted her discharged but the other nurse and I had already started the Cardiac Protocol. She was having an MI. She went to the Cath lab that night and lived. The ER Doc told her the we saved her life. The little old lady that walked in with an O2 sat of 46 on room air, we got her admitted and administered levophed, she went home a few days later. The little things, the little wins became more important.

I would have been there still if not for the Anaphylactic Reactions to latex. I was 40 when I started working and not quite 50 when I had to quit. I miss my job still.