Do You Regret Becoming A Nurse?

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · Sep 16, 2004

My first job was cleaning stalls in a stable to pay for my ponies board. Next was babysitting the kids of the pediatrician who took care of all 3 of my kids from birth. One summer in high school I hand dug graves in a little local graveyard with some friends...1972, we made what we thought was big money with that venture. I went on to blacksmithing, horse training and nurse aid to pay for my gas and insurance while I developed a business. On to waitress, bartender then housekeeper. Back to health care as a nurse aid then clerk in an ER. From there, dispatcher for local ambulance service then EMT. Paramedic then RN. Somewhere between paramedic and nurse I did behavior modification training for dogs. Longest time I have ever worked in one place was as a nurse. Med/surg, ER, ICU, Trauma, CCU, specialty flight team, clinical coordinator, reference nurse for a sub-acute unit and now team leader for a BICC unit. Nursing has so many options I don't regret it. If I don't like where I am, I move on.

Oh yeh, I really like challenges.

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · Sep 16, 2004

I am a NICU nurse and there are days that I do regret becoming a nurse. I only work part time right now, which has made me infinitely happier with my career. I'm past the point where I want to be super-clinical-bedside nurse. That got knocked out of me pretty early on. Now I just want to go in, do my thing, get my check, and move on with my real life. I have considered doing something else part-time (non clinical) but I do not know what yet. I'm also considering neonatal practitioner, but the market is so glutted with NPs of all kinds right now that if I worked full-time, I would out-earn our NNPs. A sad statement, but true nonetheless.

If you think it would help you - you could tell why you think you want to be a NICU nurse - what it is that attracts you...maybe some of us NICU gals (and guys) can give words of wisdom. What I seem to hear the most is "I just love babies" -- those do not tend to do well. We don't deal with healthy newborns and happy families. We deal with sick babies that may never enjoy a normal life, no matter how long they survive. It is difficult to see a child die before that child has ever gotten to laugh or play. It is difficult to see a baby suffer, who has never know joy or pleasure. NICU is not for everyone and I do not paint a rosy picture, because most people have the "rocking and feeding babies" image in their heads already. We deal with families in crisis and it takes an emotional toll over time. Don't get me wrong, I love the kind of nursing I practice. If I did not work in the NICU, I would get out of nursing altogether, as I have tried other specialties (all clinical) and did not really care for any of them. The problems that I have with my career are more inherent to nursing as a whole rather than my specialty in particular.

I'm not trying to discourage you. I just want to help you make an informed decision, since that seems to be what you are searching for. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or just want someone to "talk" to about it. :)

pricklypear · Sep 16, 2004

Maybe you need to think about what drew you to nursing in the first place. Nursing school usually sucks. That is the first time your idealistic notions are challenged. You hear rumors, get treated badly by instructors, other nurses, etc... I never thought about quitting school. I knew I wanted to be a nurse, and knew I had to put up with the bull to get there. Believe me, the rest of my idealistic notions went out the window soon after I got my first job, but I still couldn't see myself doing anything else. I still have days where I think "McDonalds workers have it easy." But while I'd leave my job at McDonalds with only grease singed into my nosehairs instead of the unforgettable aroma of GI bleed , at least I know as a nurse most days I have made some kind of difference in someone's life. Even if I rarely get thanked, I don't care. If you think you don't like nursing, don't go back, maybe it's not what you really want. I've never regretted it, and I'll be a nurse till the day I die. For everybody who seems overwhelmed by their jobs, GET ANOTHER ONE. Nursing is the only profession I can think of that has so many options.

allnurses Guide · Sep 16, 2004

No. I like what I do. 23 years, + NA, +candystriper. Going for my masters, in Nursing Ed.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Sep 16, 2004

So, my question is, does anyone regret becoming a nurse? Looking back on their schooling choices, do you wish you pursued something else?

I love being a bedside nurse, and I'd love to continue doing it forever, but I don't think I'll be able to hold up physically.

I'm looking into alternatives to the bedside. I probably ought to have had a second major in something sedentary to fall back on, especially when I see how hard it is for an injured nurse or a nurse with a disability to get a job.

angel337, MSN, RN · Sep 16, 2004

unfortunately people get into nursing for all the wrong reasons and then are dissappointed when they find out bedside nursing is not a glamorous 9-5, no weekends, no holidays fluff job. i work in a teaching hospital so we get alot of nursing students. i am always amazed of what they think bedside nursing entails. i had a student tell me once that she would not have to clean poop or anything else because she would only work in clinics when she graduated or she would be a supervisor (had to laugh at that one). i am in chicago so we have a lot of nontraditional nursing jobs open to new grads but they are still difficult to get without experience. like any career you have to go through phases to get to where you want to be. diane sawyer did not become who she is over night. she was at the bottom of the barrel filing charts and getting screamed at day and night by reporters before she became the top anchor woman in america. my whole point in saying this is you have to first realistically think about the career you chose. what do nurses do? who do they provide services to? what part of a nurses job do you think may be unbearable? these things are important and can impact your entire view of nurses. i approached nursing slowly because i did not have a clear idea if it was for me or not. i was a MA, ER tech, CNA before i became a nurse and it helped me tremendously. i am a new nurse and NOTHING about my job surprises me because i knew what i was getting into. i am slowly working my up to where i want to be and am enjoying the learning experiences that are available to nurse (cerifications, CEU's). i won't be at the bedside forever maybe only perdiem as my career progresses but i don't regret one day of it. if it is truly what you want you won't let others discourage you but OTOH patients do deserve people who have a little compassion so if you hate your job it is always best to get away from it before a patient suffers or dies. just my 2cents :)

ladylou88 · Sep 16, 2004

Thanks for all your honest responses! They are really helping me...

Nursing school for me was not the problem- I actually really enjoyed it and my instructors were wonderful. However, the only aspect of nursing I am interested in is NICU. Then I began to wonder what would I do if I ever got sick of the NICU? Or what if I really hated it? Then I panicked, dropped out, and decided to go for my master's in physical therapy. I moved to a new city (which I hate), with no friends or family here, and my classmates are just plain rude, catty, and unsupportive. This is when I began questioning if I made a mistake...I am a first year PT student, with the goal of working as a PT in the NICU. I do not know if my doubts are due to my bad environment right now, or if I really DO want to do nursing.

Another question, why does it seem that NICU nurses tend to be overall more satisfied with their jobs?

Euskadi1946 · Sep 16, 2004

Hi everyone
After earning a BS in another field, I decided to give nursing a try and went back for my BSN. After one year, I dropped out due to burnout working as a CNA and hearing negative comments about nursing. All I ever wanted to do in nursing was become a NICU nurse. Now I wonder if I made a mistake. I don't want to go back to nursing school only to decide it is not for me...again, seeing as I would be losing a lot of money.
So, my question is, does anyone regret becoming a nurse? Looking back on their schooling choices, do you wish you pursued something else?
Comments from NICU nurses would be a bonus, but all are welcomed and appreciated! Thank you!!

There have been times when I wonder what I did, but at no time have I regretted my decision to become a nurse. In spite of the shortage and back breaking work in the hospital, I'm so glad that I have contributed in some way to pts getting great care and getting better. Nursing is not for everyone but I'm sure every nurse on this site feels the same I do and have never regretted going into nursing.

enurslw · Mar 16, 2009

I am a good nurse and I love my patients, but yes, I have to say I do regret

becoming a nurse. Most of the way I feel has to do with co-workers who will

not be team players, but try instead to get out of doing something and managers

who are afraid to be in charge for fear of losing employees. I recently completed a

BSN and am started a MSN in education. I don't know what needs to be done, but

when a nurse cringes because they have to set foot in a hospital to work, well,

that is very disheartening to me.

Riseupandnurse · Mar 16, 2009

yes and no. Bedside nursing is horrible and getting worse all the time. Once you get some experience you can move into some more rewarding and SANER type of nursing. But it is literally a crying shame that so very many of us want to get out of bedside nursing because the powers that be have made it so unworkable. And even worse that we ourselves could be the powers that be, but we are too busy backbiting and blaming each other to work together for our profession and our patients to create an environment that truly promotes health and would let the bedside nurse do nurisng.

nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN · Mar 16, 2009

Let's see...in my life, I've been a map maker, an assistant manager in a retail store, a computer programmer to analyst to disaster recovery engineer for a multinational. Worked a lot of different places, done a lot of different things. Worked with people I loved, worked with people who needed to be shot. Immediately. With a really, really large caliber bullet.

My mom, who's a retired shrink, told me something years ago, and the older I get, the truer it is: You are not responsible for other people's emotional states. You are only responsible for how you react to them. The things that made me crazy in computers (stupidity, corporate games, kissing up) still make me crazy in nursing. But stupid human tricks don't change, whether you're a nurse, a PT, an MD or an astrophysicist. You can't get away from people.

I guess the short answer to a long explanation is: I like it, except when I don't.

abundantjoy07, RN · Mar 16, 2009

I feel 50/50 about it. Sometimes I regret it, other times I don't, and then there are those times where I don't care and just want to get home and into bed.