Career change/why so neg on nursing?

pat8585 · Jul 2, 2008

I am finding out that the nursing field is very negative.

I am not a nurse, but am working in health care.

and the coworkers and supervisors leave alot ot

be desired.

Sandy_dfw · Jul 2, 2008

I am currently in the aviation industry, soon to be in nursing school.

I have found the same negetivity and burn out in this field as in the nursing field. I have found that people who can not quit their job and go into

another field making the same amount of money do not leave jobs they

do not like anymore. It is easier to stay and be miserable then it is to

leave.

The people who are happy with their jobs are not as verbal as the ones

that are unhappy.

Sandy

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Jul 2, 2008

Remember, this is a nursing board so it is pretty natural for nurses to come here to vent. Other nurses are the most likely people to understand the problems.

There are many career change nurses here at this site. It's a pretty well worn path. We all had a lot of these questions. For me, despite many years as a CNA, I was pretty amazed at how grinding the hospital experience was. I did it full time for 10 years but never really got used to the pace or the overload of work. The great thing about nursing? Options. Most non-hospital RN jobs do require some clinical experience.

A lot of us here really love nursing. Many of us who are still active have watched friends and colleagues leave the profession in droves.

Clinically, I don't think job satisfaction varies much ADN/diploma/BSN. NP opportunities can vary a lot state by state. My BSN got me my current job so it can buy a few more options.

I got pneumonia from a kid in my peds clinical in nursing school. That's about it.

If I was in your shoes, I'd make an appt with a local nursing program and get their requirements for entry. You may find you need a lot of pre-reqs and getting those done can help form your opinion if this is right for you.

RS0302 · Jul 2, 2008

Well first off if you really want to become a nurse you should listen to your heart. In any profession you are going to hear negatives. Now to answer some of your questions...

You are going to hear that a lot of nurses dislike their jobs, because nursing is a stressfull profession and there is a "nursing shortage". Nursing shortage meaning their is a shortage of nurses that are willing to work in the profession due to staffing problems and unsafe work environments that are occuring in hospitals all over the country. It can be physically and mentally draining work. In my opinion this is why their is an abudance of nursing jobs. I am starting to become one of those nurses that are getting burnt out. These days its all about customer service in hospitals and coddling family members. Sometimes my patients that really need my attention dont get it, because I'm trying to keep a different patient/family happy. Its draining at times, thats the best way to describe it. I'm just telling you this to give you my perspective. Not all of nursing is like this.

I work in med/surg, but I have not really seen a difference in the happiness levels of lpn, rn, or bsn. There are some lpns that love what they do and bsn's that dont and vice versa. However bsn's usually do have more opportunities open to them outside the hospital environment.

If it helps you feel better I have taken care of lots and lots of patietns with MRSA and a variety of other infections and have never caught anything!

oramar · Jul 2, 2008

All I can say is just keep on reading. You will also see post that emphasize the good side. The people that say they hate it are usually describing experiences that I can relate to. The people who say they love it are also describing experiences that I can relate to. At least if you read both sides of the story you won't experience the shock and disappointment that others newbees seem to have experienced. Also you won't come back later and post "but I have small children and I HAVE to work Christmas", not to mention Thanksgiving, July 4th and a lot of other holidays. Also, from time to time there will be weekends and personal holidays that you will have to work, yes if a wedding invite comes after the schedule comes out you will either have to find someone to switch with you or work it. As for MRSA(drug resistant staff) there were usually 1 to 5 MRSA patients on my 24 bed unit at any given time. They are not the problem, as anyone who has a DIAGNOSED contageous disease is not the problem. You will have the equipment and training to protect yourself in these cases. Undiagnosed infectious disease are the problem. Ask a group of 100 nurses how many of them have cared for a person with an undiagnosed infectious disease for days to weeks and then they found out the patient has TB. I guarantee a lot of hands will go up. So I am not sure what you want to hear. Do you want me to say that the bad post are a lot of BS? I can't because the vast majority of them are right on the money. However, the good ones are right on the money also. All professions have good and bad things about them. Unfortunately in nursing the juxtaposition between good and bad is quite a shock to those that have not personally experienced it and are new to it.

dragonflycafe · Jul 2, 2008

From the previous post...

"So I am not sure what you want to hear. Do you want me to say that the bad post are a lot of BS?..."

Nope, I am just looking for some insight - not a pep talk - just the truth. Want to go in eyes wide open if I choose this route.

It truly seems that much of the problem seems to be in the hospital setting.

And I will have a lot of prereqs before I start the degree. I would probably be in my 40s before I become a certified nurse.

Thanks, all!

BradleyRN · Jul 2, 2008

According to a recent survey by the Health Resources and Services Administration,16.8% of RN's are not currently nursing. For years i have heard a similar stat that states 1 in 5 nurses leave the nursing field. This is largely due to high nurse to patient ratios which is an issue that requires a new kind of unity amongst nurses to combat, because over the years, the situation only seems to be getting worse.

According to a recent poll by the American Nurses Association (ANA)...

73% of nurses asked don’t believe the staffing on their unit or shift is sufficient.

59.8% of those asked said they knew of someone who left direct care nursing due to concerns about safe staffing.

Of the 51.9% of respondents who are considering leaving their current position, 46% cite inadequate staffing as the reason.

51.7% of respondents said they thought the quality of nursing care on their unit has declined in the last year.

48.2% would not feel confident having someone close to them receiving care in the facility where they work. You can read the whole article here.

Year after year the fight continues for new legislation and yet other than in California, i have yet to see any results. Consistently having too many patients, and management who denies that the issue even exists, leads to nursing burnout. This perpetuates the nursing shortage that facilities are more than happy to have as they can just spread the ones they have a little thinner and generate more profit. For every nursing agency out there that offers to alleviate the short staffing conditions, there is a facility that refuses to use them, at the expense of their nurses and patients. :twocents:

PS- There are many positive aspects to nursing as well...

Irish Nurse 89 · Jul 2, 2008

I don't think the nursing field is any more negative than some of the other "customer service" based jobs that are out there today. For the most part, I find that on any of the forums like this one, a person is more likely to post a bad experience than a good one, which may explain why there are more negative posts than there are positive ones......... :twocents:

joolia · Jul 2, 2008

If you are considering becoming a nurse, why not go and get your CNA? That is what I did, because I am a career changer also. I was able to become certified for a low cost rather quickly, and it gave me an opportunity to get a job in a medical setting, and get a first hand look at what nurses do. I also got an opportunity to expose myself to some of the nitty gritty duties of a nurse, toileting, changing beds, etc.

I was worried when I went into it that the work would be really tough. I have found that while it is the most difficult work I have ever done, it is also the most rewarding. I feel like I have truly found my calling in life. And, I am so excited that I will be starting LPN school in January!!!

xxgreenfirexx · Jul 2, 2008

And I will have a lot of prereqs before I start the degree. I would probably be in my 40s before I become a certified nurse.
Thanks, all!

Well, if it makes you feel any better, there are a lot of nurses starting out on here that are around or over 40.......I'm 37, myself.....

CHATSDALE · Jul 2, 2008

nursing is a physical and mental..you can come home from working short totally exhausting...if you can find a place that keeps a good staff then you can provide decent care and come away feeling about yourself

the initial base pay is probably better in nursing than in some other fields with the same amount of education but with nursing there is a wider variety of jobs that you can enter into

but of course with the number of nurses going into lateral fields it takes away from bedside nursing which has to be not only a job concern but a concern for us and for our families who may find themselves in a hospital bed with stressed out nurses to care for them