Discouraged by Nurses who hate their job

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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So I am VERY excited about nursing, I will find out in two weeks if I am accepted into the RN Program. It really interests me and seems like something I will enjoy. The only thing that bothers me is EVERY nurse I have spoken to tells me they hate their job and if they could take it back they would have went into a different profession. They tell me not to do it. Has anyone else come across this also? It really does bother me, it's discouraging to hear people who have the job I am so anxious to have speak so negatively about it. :confused: I want to become and RN and eventually go back to school for my Bachelors or Masters, possibly become a Nurse Practitioner. Do any RN's here have any input on why you like or dislike your job? Thanks for any info!

Specializes in NICU, ICU, Case Management.
nursing is a very tough job, so if you're going to go for it be prepared to work very hard. i find that my co-workers & i have the most "compliants" about being a nurse related to working crazy, long hours, often working holidays, not being able to take a lunch/break when you want & often not getting breaks. in addition, there is alot of verbal abuse taken from physicians, patients, parents, etc. those are the bad things that i see in my career, but caring for critically ill patients & making a difference to them (however small) is worth it for me. plus, it's nice to work 3 12-14 hour days & have 4 days off. good luck!

savvie - working 3 12s with 4 off is what i miss the most about working the units! now, as a case manager, i'm working 5 10-12hr shifts without the luxery of having more than sat-sun off!

i'm not complaining, though. i love what i do now and wouldn't change a thing!

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, Case Management.
how did you like nicu iii? do most nurses start out in med/surg and then move on to a different field? from what i have heard it seems like most nurses start out in med/surg or stay there. i would love to go straight to nicu :redbeathe but i feel like i need to get the hang of the insanely crazy (from what i hear) med/surg first. i feel like i need to deal the worst part of nursing just to get that experience in before i move on to a better (for me) area. anyone agree? do you feel it is crucial to get plenty of experience in other areas first? :confused:

i started out in the nicu - my one true love of my entire 30-year nursing experience. i worked in the nicu as a "pca" (basically a cna) while i was still in school and was hooked for life.

when i had kids of my own, though, i found myself neglecting my new family to stay and support the grieving parents who did not get to take a perfect baby home like i had. i then went to the adult icu until my kids were older. now, as a case manager, i am back in the nicu!

if you really want to be a nicu nurse, find a hospital that has a preceptor program where you can learn the ropes in a supervised role. i started at a teaching hospital where i learned sooooo much (and saw birth defects and other "oddities" that i never saw anywhere else). good luck...djmrn

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Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.

i started as a CNA in a nursing home, then hospital. Then worked in MR/DD facility as a CMT. I earned my LPN and worked Med-surg for 4 years, then worked med-surg for 10years as an RN. I did float to other units, so have experience in virutally all areas of the hospital. have to say, I loved Med-surg the most. Where else can you find such a WIDE variety of patients outside of NICU or ICU? NEVER the same each shift, always learning. I did not feel as if I were were on an assembly line(did factory work for 7 years). I took time, as I could, and was able to sepnd quality time with pts. NOT QUANTITY time, but made each moment the best teaching/touching/reaching out/professional moment I could. I held the hands of countless pts dying, ill or sad, and will never begrudge them the time they needed, or moan that I was behind because of the time I spent with them.

Now I work in LTC, and have more time to spend with residents. I would encourage new nurses to "play the foeld" alittle, and find what tickles their fancy!

I enjoy kids, don't mind the sick ones, but do not like dealing with their parents :) at times, so peds isn't my thing. Don't mind doing pushes, iv's or caths on labor/delivery, but have no patience with them delivering, so would not pick L&D full time. I enjoy ICU, PCU, Ortho, surgery/med-surgery the best!

Also enjoy behavioral nursing. You gotta find what you like, not everyone knows before they graduate.

BEST WISHES, DO what YOU wanta do!!! We're with ya!!!!

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Specializes in peds cardiac, peds ER.

I love my job, and so do most of the people I work with. Find a positive floor when you graduate. If you are having trouble, try peds!

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Specializes in psychiatric, UR analyst, fraud, DME,MedB.
Nursing is a very tough job, so if you're going to go for it be prepared to work very hard. I find that my co-workers & I have the most "compliants" about being a nurse related to working crazy, long hours, often working holidays, not being able to take a lunch/break when you want & often not getting breaks. In addition, there is alot of verbal abuse taken from physicians, patients, parents, etc. Those are the bad things that I see in my career, but caring for critically ill patients & making a difference to them (however small) is worth it for me. Plus, it's nice to work 3 12-14 hour days & have 4 days off. Good luck!

See there are kudos in nursing.....just like any other job, those 12-16 hours is doable for me , and get a lot of days off. there are always unhappy people out there------if you can stay away from them or minimize your association w/ them. Hang around w/ happy and succesfull people ....they are the winners. Life is short ,you want quality. In the hospital , you may not have that option, so surround yourself w/ positive thoughts and affirmation while working w/ difficult and negative people.:D

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Specializes in peds cardiac, peds ER.
Thanks to the OP, and thanks for all the nurses who have offered encouragement. I am 35, with 3 kids, returning to school for my second career as an RN. It is hard enough to balance family, work and school without having to worry that it may all be a big mistake. I feel very strongly that I am making the right choice, but all the negativity is disheartening. It is very nice to hear from those who enjoy their work. :yeah:

I'm 35, and this was a second career for me. I work full time and I am pregnant with our 5th/my 3rd child. My other little ones are one and two! Among other reasons I love this job, I can work full time, and only need childcare 2 days a week! I work one weekend day and two weekdays. I have all the benefits of a stay at home mom, and all the income of a working Mom.

The floor I work on is full of positive people who enjoy their job. I can only think of one person who complains about nursing and she's been complaining about everything since the day I met her. There really are good environments out there! I didn't find them when I was in nursing school. I thought I had made a mistake. Shadow when you interview. Find areas with low turnover...there's a reason! Get to your interview early and walk around and listen to the employees interacting with each other. See how long it takes someone to ask if you need help. See how often they offer to help each other. Find a good floor, and you'll enjoy nursing. On a good floor, people help each other and everyone gets a lunch break. With good management, they work hard to keep everyone happy with the schedule and people help each other out if they need time off.

The naysayers always spout of more than those who are happy. Just ignore them...or use them as a warning sign to look elsewhere for employment!

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I've only been a RN for two years and sometimes i wonder did i pick the right profession. there is a very big shortage of nurses and CNAS in the healthcare field. your patient to nurse ratio can be 6:1, thats alot!!!! i work on a med-surg/ orthopedic floor and we have 3 pods and each pod has 12 beds for a total of 36 beds and its 6 patients to 1 nurse. and it's 1 CNA for every 12 patients not only do i have to take care of 6 patients i have to share the CNA with another nurse who also has 6 patients, and that CNA might not be available when you need them because they can be tied up helping the other nurse with her patients. your nursing duties are head to toe assessments, passing meds, walking pt to and from the bathroom and by this being an orthopedic floor you can imagine how long of a trip to and from the bathroom can be, and in nursing time management is everything. also if you have total care patients you have to feed them, bathe them and wipe their butts, and turn them every 2 hours. you also have do certain procedures that doctors order, make the beds, make sure they have fresh water, and all other things they request. Not only you deal with the patient you also deal with family members and sometimes they can be worst than the patient. you would think when someone is in the hospital and they are sick and someone is taking care of them that they would appreciate that. nope, some patients dont. when you work for the public some people feel like you are beneath them and you should give them respect and they should not have to give it in return. not all patients and family members are like that but most of them are. and dont let me start talking about nursing school. nursing school is tough!!!!! and it doesnt get any easier as you go through the program. im not trying to discourage anyone because we do need nurses, but i also want those who are considering nursing to know how things can be. Nursing suppose to be fun and rewarding but right now for me it's not.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
I've only been a RN for two years and sometimes i wonder did i pick the right profession. there is a very big shortage of nurses and CNAS in the healthcare field. your patient to nurse ratio can be 6:1, thats alot!!!! i work on a med-surg/ orthopedic floor and we have 3 pods and each pod has 12 beds for a total of 36 beds and its 6 patients to 1 nurse. and it's 1 CNA for every 12 patients not only do i have to take care of 6 patients i have to share the CNA with another nurse who also has 6 patients, and that CNA might not be available when you need them because they can be tied up helping the other nurse with her patients. your nursing duties are head to toe assessments, passing meds, walking pt to and from the bathroom and by this being an orthopedic floor you can imagine how long of a trip to and from the bathroom can be, and in nursing time management is everything. also if you have total care patients you have to feed them, bathe them and wipe their butts, and turn them every 2 hours. you also have do certain procedures that doctors order, make the beds, make sure they have fresh water, and all other things they request. Not only you deal with the patient you also deal with family members and sometimes they can be worst than the patient. you would think when someone is in the hospital and they are sick and someone is taking care of them that they would appreciate that. nope, some patients dont. when you work for the public some people feel like you are beneath them and you should give them respect and they should not have to give it in return. not all patients and family members are like that but most of them are. and dont let me start talking about nursing school. nursing school is tough!!!!! and it doesnt get any easier as you go through the program. im not trying to discourage anyone because we do need nurses, but i also want those who are considering nursing to know how things can be. Nursing suppose to be fun and rewarding but right now for me it's not.

This is exactly what I hear alot of right now. And yes it is discouraging even if it's true. I appreciate all the info I get from everyone, even if it is bad because I want to know the truth. I guess it really does all depend on what area you work in. I will just have to find the right place to work and the right floor or field it sounds like! lol Also if you are so unhappy maybe you should consider doing the same. It puzzles me how so many nurses I have spoken with are unhappy but don't want to move from where they are. If I'm miserable you better believe I'm moving on! lol I spoke with a lady who had been an RN for 16 years and worked in Cardiology, I believe. She was talking about how she just can't stand it but she feels almost like she's stuck and can't move to a different area. I'm not sure why, I guess it's something you have to experience to understand but I say move on if you're unhappy. Life is too short. :up:

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Specializes in peds cardiac, peds ER.

You are right. People don't want to move because they are afraid of change. You always have the option to seek another position, there are alot of possibilities in nursing. There are GREAT jobs, I have one, and I found it right out of nursing school.

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I have to say, all the nurses I know personally love their jobs. Yes, they say things are frustrating and times and sometimes mention how hard nursing school is but overall, they do say they love it. :yeah:

I find this website a little discouraging sometimes but I have to keep in mind that I just have to try it for myself! :idea:

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Specializes in LTC, Rehab, CCU, Alzheimers, Med-Surg.

I have worked in two nursing homes and two hospitals in different parts of the country and I have NEVER had a nurse tell me that I should reconsider nursing, or that they didn't like their job! Nurses are almost always excited and supportive when I tell them that I am going to nursing school (and it is usually they who ask).

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i find this website a little discouraging sometimes but i have to keep in mind that i just have to try it for myself! :idea:

as i understand it, this website doesn't exist to encourage students, pre-nursing students or wannabe students. it's called allnurses.com, i suspect, because it exists as a place for nurses to chat with one another. i'm sorry if that discourages pre-nurses, but you have to understand that people are more apt to vent about their bad days, bad management, nasty patients and crazy families than they are to sing the praises of the above. that's just human nature.

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