Do you regret being a nurse

Nurses General Nursing

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Do you regret becoming a nurse?

Specializes in Med-Surg/Long-Term Care.
Do you regret becoming a nurse?

Yes, I do. But don't let that discourage you. I just suggest you do some research and get the opportunity to get a taste of nursing before you make you final decision.

Don't get me wrong, when I first entered this profession, I had good intentions. I had the hopes of being there for my patients as well as be an advocate for my patients. Then I woke up and got a taste of the reality. And the reality, for me, is that nursing is still a very rewarding career. But politics often get in the way of the well-being of the patients. I feel that healthcare has become too big of a business and that patient care has taken the back burner and the bottom line is money. And that is very sad to me. Especially in acute care facilities where the need is the greatest.

Yes, i do regret it. At times, due to things beyond my control, I cannot always be there for my patient and I definitely can't do my job to the best of my ability without the proper resources and the support of management. And in hospitals and many other areas both are lacking.

Well, one day, it's going to have to change. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck.

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Specializes in Long Term Care.

DO I regret becoming a Nurse?

Yes and No.

Yes b/c there are somethings that are way beyond my control that impact my ability to do the job properly and in a timely fashion. Yes b/c I thought I would be leaping into this profession of comrades, and esprit de corp, and I only found back stabbing, biting infighting and division.

No because even though I am disheartened by other things, I can always find somethng positive to help me remember that I did this b/c I care about people.

Would I do it again? Most likely NOT. I HATE cattleprods and that is all that nursing school was for me. I would have stayed in the Army.

hmmmm Maybe I can go back to the Army as a Nurse...hmmmm

Okay maybe I would do it again.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

No, I do not.

I decided @ 4 y/o I wanted to be a nurse. I aimed for it throughout school, even w/some glitches here and there. I graduated @ 22 and I've been working ever since--38 years.

If I regretted being a nurse, it would be like saying my entire life was a complete and utter waste. I don't think that would be true. And I'm really beyond retraining for some other occupation. (Altho I wouldn't mind working in a library!)

I like being a nurse, I would do it again. No problem.

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No I don't regret being a nurse but I just worry how I will be holding up to the stress and physical demands of the job when I am 69 years old. I would like to think there is a desk job out there for me by then but after 20 years already there is no guaranty and would I really like that?

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Specializes in critical care: trauma/oncology/burns.

no. i would do it all over again (nursing school, that is. but i would go directly into a bsn program and not wait as long as i did)

i believe that being a nurse is a calling, not a job. not everyone should be a nurse, but this is my opinion.

athena

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Specializes in primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, NICU.

No I do not. But I am so glad I was naive about how challenging it would be. I'm glad I didn't know how hard it was to get into nursing school. I just went for it. I'm glad I didn't know what nursing school would be like or I would have chickened out. I'm glad i didn't know that being a real nurse was very different from nursing school...and that the true education begins once you get your RN and start working in the real world. I'm proud to be able to say "I am a Nurse"

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yeah!!! The good days are few & far between! All jobs have pros & cons, but nursing is a physically & emotionally demanding job with rarely an ounce of graditute. the only way to make it through most days, is working with a great crew of nurses, docs, & techs!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, DD, Peri-op.

Yes, but there are a lot of things that I would do differently if I had the chance. I can say that nursing has allowed me to stair step and obtain degrees in a fashion that suited my family. Marrying at 18 and having a child at 19...I have never had time to go to school for years and only reap the bennies when I am finished.

However, my attitude at work is not a poor one and my patients have no idea that I have any regrets. And, now it helps that I am working a peri-op floor. I work 0500-1330 with no weekends or holidays. And, I rarely have to worry about bedpans...except for the occasional post cardiac cath. If God would not have helped me get this job when I did....I think I would be loony right now. :trout: My BP has already dropped points since my stint on the cardiac floor.

One day the kids will be grown...then, I can go back and do what I really WANT to do....become a vet. I will just patiently wait and take care of my family until then. ;)

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Yes I do, however I am rectifying things by returning to professional school this fall. I should have done my research before pursuing nursing. If I had I would have realized that my personality, aspirations, goals, and lifestyle were a very poor fit for nursing. I am very driven and ambitious and nursing does not fulfill my desire to be one of the boys (ie a successful professional with a lucrative salary). Sometimes I really wish I had listened to that inner voice yelling 'DON'T DO THIS' DURING NURSING SCHOOL. Now I have students loans to repay while my current salary does not justify the loan debt incurred.

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No.

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Yes, I do. I resent a lot of things about this profession. It depresses me that if I continue to work the floors as I do now that in 20 yrs I'll be making barely more than those 20 yrs my junior. It angers me that I am the eyes and ears of the doctors and the one responsible for keeping the patients alive yet I'm the first to get eaten alive by the patients, families and doctors for every little thing including a cold meal, a late lab draw, an unwatered plant or a broken TV. I spend half my shift calling every dept. in the hospital making sure every other person does their job as well as doing my own. I track down missing meds, undrawn blood, misplaced x-rays and dropped urinals. My list of responsibilities goes up with every passing week but my salary certainly doesn't reflect that now, does it? I have told my kids over and over to never consider nursing as a career choice. The only good thing is... I'll always have a job. Woohoo.

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Absolutely not! I actually think it was the best decision I have ever made. I love my job, I feel that I have a purpose in life -- to help people to the best of my abilities, and I am content with the benefits and salary.

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