I have read articles, posts, opinions, etc. that being a nurse is difficult, unappreciated, awful, horrid, etc. I have read many things that a nurse indicates that she wished she had never entered the nursing profession.
My questions to you current nurses: Do you wish you weren't a nurse? Do you hate the job(I mean as a whole not just the job itself. Take into account your working conditions, difficult co-workers, managers, etc.)? Where have you ended up (hospital, research, etc.)? Would work in a hospital right now?
You don't have to answer all my questions. I've become afraid to pursue a nursing degree due to all the negative feedback I have seen. I've seen posts about nurses leaving the profession in droves and that there is no nursing shortage. I am still going to pursue the degree. The worst that can happen is that I won't like it. I will just do something else if I absolutely can't stand it. It's my dream to work mother/baby. I welcome all feedback good and bad! :)
What great answers on this thread! They make so much sense to me. I think we are feeling the same things. Maybe you don't have to be a special kind of 'nurse' person to do the job, but you have to be that kind of person to love it even when you hate it? Makes sense to me.
I actually do regret ever going into nursing school. There are so many other things I could have done. But, I thought this was what I wanted..... I remember those good ol' days when just the thought of starting an IV got me so proud, and excited. Now, I just think "why did I do this?"... I am TRYING to like my job by becoming good at it, and I probably will, I have recently started in the OR. But, if my son/daughter ever wanted to go nursing school..told them I would not pay for it!!!! lol and I mean it.
Right now for me, I am just trying to find an area where I can at least not be miserable on, or off work. Sorry to dampen things, I heard all the nay sayers (like me) talk and tell me I was crazy for wanting to become a nurse, and I didnt think it would be like that for me..... but it ended up that way!!!!
I love being a nurse. I sometimes dislike what happens in management, involving the mighty dollar and the politics (I'm a Care Coordinator for an Assisted Living facility).
I'm a nurse by day and an artist by night, besides being a Mom to three grown sons and a wife to a loving husband, I can come home and often forget about my job as I get engrossed in my art or family. I don't regret becoming a nurse, I love the challenge and it pays the bills!
I love the aspect of the job that allows you to take care of someone who needs you, and I think that's what keeps a lot of people in this profession. Making a difference can be very enriching. Having said that, I resent(strong but true) nursing in today's world and I wouldn't want to be a nurse anymore than I have to. This is a stint for me till I can move on to my NP degree. But then I work in toxic environment, to be honest. I know other places where I can be much more contented, even in a hospital setting. I have my reasons for not leaving, but it's hard to survive just on that. I used my own coping mechanisms, such as being proactive, assertive, and joining the Policy and Procedure committee so I can have a reason to stick around. I figure, if I speak out, and make positive changes, and refuse to compromise on my principles, I'll make it count, and I can feel good about myself for that. It's the hardest the thing I've ever had to do. There is only so much of your inner resource you can tap into until want to scream and cuss and tell certain people to shove it where the sun don't shine.
My advice if you are sticking around? Find a workplace you love, which loves you back.
Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.
I love my job, when I dont like what I am doing I go to another aspect of nursing. Maybe that is why I love my job. Where else can you do that, just change jobs, move to another place worldwide and still make enough to live on... at least eat and have a roof over your head.
I love my job but I can tell you that it took a lot of job changes to find the hospital that was right for me. I couldn't stomach working without breaks, for example, or with the threat of mandatory OT, or not being able to dothe job in the time alotted. You can get into places here it is physically impossible to do the job they give you. Don't get stuck in a job where you go home every day thinking you didn't do a good job, and even worse, you can't imagine how you could have done it right. Chronic failure is not healthy for anyone (except the penny pinchers)
Please take what you read here with a grain of salt. We all need some place safe to vent and for many of us All Nurses is it!
Yes, please keep that in mind when visiting this website!
Every profession out there has it's ups and downs, it's politics, it's management problems, etc. There is really no getting away from that. So I don't even consider that stuff when I think about the actual question at hand:
Do you love/hate your profession?
I love it. I am so proud to be a nurse, you have no idea. Taking care of critically ill babies is a very special job, and I can't imagine wanting to do anything else with my life. Period.
Well, I guess we all have our own opinions about the Nursing Profession. My main problem is my Nursing School has put a bad taste in my mouth. Its all about the numbers to them, they could care less how much we have put into this. Got to keep up those Nclex scores so our School can be the best, meanwhile, Students are leaving or failing out because they make the exams so hard that the median score ends up being 76%. And the fail rate is so high, 15 people out of 35 failed Med Surg can you believe that? Oh well enough rambling. Maybe after I get over all of this I will find a better School and try this again.
JaneyW
640 Posts
What great answers on this thread! They make so much sense to me. I think we are feeling the same things. Maybe you don't have to be a special kind of 'nurse' person to do the job, but you have to be that kind of person to love it even when you hate it? Makes sense to me.