As bad as they say??

Nursing is a great profession. At the same time there are many problems in nursing. As to weather or not its a good profession to get into it depends on the person. For me the good things I get out of my work are enough to put up with the bad. Other things that help are having good communication skills, Good stress management and a high amount of emotional stability.

People are going to abuse you doctors, nurses, patients, family members, housekeepers, etc etc... If you fly off the handle or just take it you're going to burn out fast. You need to be able to communicate in a way that resolves these issues and allows you to keep your piece of mind while always making sure your patient gets what they need.

You are also going to have to deal with the stress of being responsible for patients. Many times you will be understaffed and feel like you are failing your patients due to lack of time. Still if you are able to balance things and make sure your patients get the care they need it is a nice feeling of accomplishment.

As to pay, it's relative to allot of things. Areas very a bit and some people may expect more then others. I'm fairly happy with what I make. I'm 3 years out of school and make quite a bit more then people I know in other fields. You could never pay a nurse what the work we do is worth but when compared to other industries and comparable education we do pretty well.

My advice is to take a job in a hospital see what it's like for nurses. There is no other profession like nursing and you have to see it to get an idea what it's really about.

What about being a mid-level practitioner? Are they more respected? That is my final goal-to become an NP or PA. But I like everything ideally about nursing without all the negative factors. I could probably deal with occassional verbal abuse from docs/families/patients and I am good at time management and multitasking, but having that for 12 hour shifts nonstop seems kind of rediculous. Do people think that nurses go into the field just for the heck of it?? I have a desire to make a difference in peoples lives, but if I am going to receive hell from EVERYBODY I work with or around for trying to make that difference, screw that. That just doesnt make any sense to me. When lives are at stake, I would assume that teamwork and proper attitude among coworkers is crucial...wouldn't you?

I'm a nurse practitioner (over here thats an advanced level of nursing) and I love it!!

what you have to remember is that at work we have to turn the other cheek, so to speak. we work hard and sometimes this board is used as a place to vent feelings and get opinions on situations that have occurred. As a student nurse, for me this meant going down to the pub with my mates, crying at some of the stuff that I had seen and then getting on with the work. Remember, as nurses we see and hear stuff that can break your heart and often does, as well as the joyful stuff.

Nurses make a difference........thats why we do what we do. Holding someone while they cry, handing a newborn baby to a father, holding someone while they die...... and everything inbetween. Of course we make a difference but its not always a difference you can measure. we save lives sometimes but its not something you brag about at the local supermarket!! its not like ER either (is it? I've never worked in an american ER- just a british one and its not like ER!)

we work as a team with medical collegues.. I work in great enviroment where i am valued ( been told my feet are being nailed to the floor next time I want a holiday!!) so its a job I love and I really cant imagine doing anything else.

oh and you will get verbal abuse from patients.....when patients are scared, its the nurses who get abused a lot of time because we are soft targets. you have to learn to smile and not react badly. I just tell them if they want to abuse me verbally, please find some words I dont know.. I'm a navy Brat....... I think i can swear better than most of my patients......... But today I have been hugged, given christmas cards and a couple of boxes of chocolates...so its a great job!

Karen