I am a lurker here and decided to post yet another 'should I become a nurse?' question.
Quickly: I am a 35 year old stay at home mom with a bachelor's in another field and think I might want to do nursing with a BSN and then Master's. I am attracted to the medical field, having a job 'that means something', the flexibility, the good pay and abundance of jobs.
HOWEVER, whenever I do a search on nursing I get hundreds of links to something like "I HATE NURSING!!!" and it is starting to make me think!
What is your opinion on this? Is it because there are so many nurses that of course you will find a LOT of unhappy ones? Do BSN's and NPs generally have a better experience than ADNs and LPNs? Is there a part of nursing that has happier employees? Perhaps it's because nursing is populated by women who like to vent?!
Also - do you always have to do a certain amount of time in a hospital after graduating? Seems to me this is where most of the unhappiness is. (don't laugh, I just don't know!). I would think you would learn a LOT in that setting however.
I would hate to judge the entire field without getting more detailed info.
Also, I must admit to being worried about MSRA and Strep. My husband was in the hospital for 4 days with a strep infection in the elbow and was super ill. (Yes, another 'germs' question!)
Any and all help will be appreciated. Thanks to all you nurses that have taken care of me and my family! You are an inspiration!
-Many nurses are older and near retiring age. When they started nursing, it was NOT necessarily because they WANTED to be a nurse, it was because that was one of the few "approved" and attainable careers offered to them. Women have choices now. Anyone "forced" into a job is not likely to be a happy camper. Especially not after 40 years of "hard labour".
-Which brings me to my next point...burn out. Nursing a not a while collar job. You are running around doing hard physical labor (at least for your early years), and doing many personal care tasks that nobody else wants to do (where is the CNA/CA when you need them?! ). You are disrespected at times, dismissed at times, are overworked and overloaded at times, and at times, you have to work with a group of largely catty overworked competitive women. You haven't a hope in hell.... You also (in most settings) work as part of a team on the floor. Whereas an MD or RT usually can solve problems and work with patients on their own, you are not given that opportunity to "get away". Your knees, back, and head will ache after each shift after doing lifts, turns, and pushing wheelchairs for 10 years straight while being yelled at by agitated doctors (hey, they're stressed too...but usually no one yells at them).
-Your work *can* be monotonous. You get to see bodily fluids, puke, stool, etc. on a regular (no, guaranteed) basis. And you get to see it all throughout your shift, day in, day out. While the doctor simply assesses a wound, adjusts the care plan, writes an Rx and walks on to the next patient, you are there all day to manage that wound and change dressings. As a nurse, you are generally always working for someone else. Doing their "dirty" work. And you are working HARD. That's not to say that nursing is not an awesomely rewarding career. But this IS part of the job description.
-While the lay public is generally respectful, you often get the "you're only a nurse" and "ew, I could never wipe people's..." comments that make you want to scream. Especially when you have a BScN and worked hard to become DON at your local nursing home or hospital. Yep, some people STILL see you as a glorified @ss wiper...truly sad. Many nurses do NOT get the respect they deserve.
-You are always told that there is "room to grow". And there is, sort of. But usually only if you get more education , training, and experience. For the typical tired and worn thin nurse, by the time they balance OT with family, there is just no time to hit the books or find another job. It's a tough cycle to break. So many just throw in the towel and start fresh.
-A lot of people use nursing as a stepping stone to another career. If they are an LPN or Diploma RN (2 year), they don't feel that they are throwing away a "big degree" if they quit.
-Nursing often attracts people because of the money (and often you can be a diploma RN in 2 years). Anyone who does this just for money will not be happy doing it for long. And there are a lot of those people.
-For whatever reason, the "glory" and honor that nurses used to get has gone the way of the nursing cap....I'm not sure what happened...maybe the white dresses and caps should come back (to my husband's delight.....;0)? :chuckle
These are only my opinions as a lowly student. The truth is, people flow between ALL fields, but since nursing has such a high turnover and shortage, and because they're a vital resource, we hear about it more. Until working conditions improve, the situation won't either....
Nursing is love/hate to me. I'm proud to be a nurse and am glad I became one. I love the focus on pts and the fact that I can have a job that I enjoy but yet, I still can have a life.I do feel like I make a difference.
What I hate about it: the lack of respect by some doctors, administration and the public. I think we're all underpaid. Did I mention I hate administration?
However, I still have a lot of p*ss and vinegar in me yet, and am still fighting the good fight. :argue:I believe nursing needs people who are willing to do this, rather than kiss the butts of the PTB.
Well, maybe it is because our places of work don't care a thing about us as people, only as warm bodies? We watch our hospitals lay off fifty employees who were about to retire or have poured their heart and soul into their jobs, greatly neglecting their families and personal lives. And were laid off for no apparent reason save they were paid more than someone else or about to retire.
We show up to work and regularly hear the phrase, I know you are all by yourself but we called everyone and couldn't get anybody to come in.
When the pressure is on, you can count on your co-worker to announce to everyone and your boss that you failed to complete a task or failed to inform them about a task and that is what caused them to screw up, even if it is a totally false accusation and you never had a chance to defend yourself. And that same person is notorious for giving lousy report and sits there saying, It was so busy and I'm so exhausted, I can't remember if it is on the left or the right. But as soon as you turn your back, they blame you for being so lousy.
And maybe it is because no matter how much your back or head hurts, or bladder, you have to answer that light and explain to that patient or family why you are an abject failure and they haven't been treated perfectly and immediately and like royalty because they are paying an extremely high price for you to do so. And you will receive an email from your supervisor that everyone must work harder, faster and more perfectly because the hospital hasn't met expenses that month.
I tell myself that it is like this in other fields too. Is it?
I'm also a second career nurse and love it so far. I would say yes to all of the reasons you listed as why people gripe about nursing, plus it is hard. Personally I didn't buy into the thought that I had to do a year of med-surge and went right into my field of choice which sure helped. I also think it is important to be on a unit you love with a team that works well together. Most of my team is fantastic and the ones that aren't I mostly just ignore. Bottom line is that if someone is that unhappy, they need to leave! There are too many things that nurses can do for someone to be miserable or maybe its time for them to consider a second career.
Check into the pre-reqs again, or maybe another school, because with a Bachelors I can't imagine you need that many additional credits. There are Bachelors to BSN programs that I think are only a year long! Good luck.
I myself went into nursing with a 2nd degree and at the age of 42-44 or so. All i can say is try it on for size by being a tech for 3 months or so. It's an easy post to get and you can truly see what nurses are going through before you spend the enormous time and effort to get through nursing school. I highly advise this. Because if you think getting into nursing school is hard, wait until you become a real nurse!
I'm also proud of what I've done so far as a nurse, but there are some extremely really, really stressful days. Everything everyone here says is true -- and, until you experience it for yourself, you'll never really understand.
CanuckStudent
102 Posts
I think this question has multiple layers:
-Many nurses are older and near retiring age. When they started nursing, it was NOT necessarily because they WANTED to be a nurse, it was because that was one of the few "approved" and attainable careers offered to them. Women have choices now. Anyone "forced" into a job is not likely to be a happy camper. Especially not after 40 years of "hard labour".
-Which brings me to my next point...burn out. Nursing a not a while collar job. You are running around doing hard physical labor (at least for your early years), and doing many personal care tasks that nobody else wants to do (where is the CNA/CA when you need them?!
). You are disrespected at times, dismissed at times, are overworked and overloaded at times, and at times, you have to work with a group of largely catty overworked competitive women. You haven't a hope in hell....
You also (in most settings) work as part of a team on the floor. Whereas an MD or RT usually can solve problems and work with patients on their own, you are not given that opportunity to "get away". Your knees, back, and head will ache after each shift after doing lifts, turns, and pushing wheelchairs for 10 years straight while being yelled at by agitated doctors (hey, they're stressed too...but usually no one yells at them).
-Your work *can* be monotonous. You get to see bodily fluids, puke, stool, etc. on a regular (no, guaranteed) basis. And you get to see it all throughout your shift, day in, day out. While the doctor simply assesses a wound, adjusts the care plan, writes an Rx and walks on to the next patient, you are there all day to manage that wound and change dressings. As a nurse, you are generally always working for someone else. Doing their "dirty" work. And you are working HARD. That's not to say that nursing is not an awesomely rewarding career. But this IS part of the job description.
-While the lay public is generally respectful, you often get the "you're only a nurse" and "ew, I could never wipe people's..." comments that make you want to scream. Especially when you have a BScN and worked hard to become DON at your local nursing home or hospital. Yep, some people STILL see you as a glorified @ss wiper...truly sad. Many nurses do NOT get the respect they deserve.
-You are always told that there is "room to grow". And there is, sort of. But usually only if you get more education , training, and experience. For the typical tired and worn thin nurse, by the time they balance OT with family, there is just no time to hit the books or find another job. It's a tough cycle to break. So many just throw in the towel and start fresh.
-A lot of people use nursing as a stepping stone to another career. If they are an LPN or Diploma RN (2 year), they don't feel that they are throwing away a "big degree" if they quit.
-Nursing often attracts people because of the money (and often you can be a diploma RN in 2 years). Anyone who does this just for money will not be happy doing it for long. And there are a lot of those people.
-For whatever reason, the "glory" and honor that nurses used to get has gone the way of the nursing cap....I'm not sure what happened...maybe the white dresses and caps should come back (to my husband's delight.....;0)? :chuckle
These are only my opinions as a lowly student. The truth is, people flow between ALL fields, but since nursing has such a high turnover and shortage, and because they're a vital resource, we hear about it more. Until working conditions improve, the situation won't either....