Does anyone here love their job?

grinnurse, RN · Sep 16, 2005

I have been an RN now for 3 mos and 2 days on a busy Med/Surge floor in a rural hospital. I absolutely love nursing but get really frustrated by hosp policy in regards to staffing and the way they have let this hosp that I love go to he** in a hand basket. There have been several times that I have broken down and cried and wondered what the heck did I do this for? Then, I see a pt get d/c that I was their nurse and they are much better when they leave b/c of the team effort it took to heal them and then I get my faith back and know I chose the right profession. The longer that I am on the floor the more confidence I gain and although I don't see it most of the time, my manager and the charge nurse say that I am doing a great job and get tons of compliments from the pts on the surveys that the hosp does. I am beginning to learn better how to prioritize things and time saving tips instead of spending time chasing my tail. I definately see how giving things a year or longer is right b/f changing depts. I will be in nursing as long as my health allows. I sometimes cry when I see my pts leave b/c I get attached to people so easily, but I am not going to change that.

Good luck finishing up school and just know that you will have your share of both good and bad days and as long as the good days outnumber the bad it will all come out in the wash!!

ZASHAGALKA, RN · Sep 16, 2005

Many of us don't have a good place to vent about nursing issues to people that understand nursing issues. This is a great place.

But the result is that you might get a skewed opinion if you are seeking a balanced look at the profession.

I love my job. BECAUSE I LOVE MY JOB, I sometimes vent about how it could be better. If I didn't care, I wouldn't care enough to vent about it.

~faith,

Timothy.

AMARTIN1 · Sep 16, 2005

I have been an RN now for 3 mos and 2 days on a busy Med/Surge floor in a rural hospital. I absolutely love nursing but get really frustrated by hosp policy in regards to staffing and the way they have let this hosp that I love go to he** in a hand basket. There have been several times that I have broken down and cried and wondered what the heck did I do this for? Then, I see a pt get d/c that I was their nurse and they are much better when they leave b/c of the team effort it took to heal them and then I get my faith back and know I chose the right profession. The longer that I am on the floor the more confidence I gain and although I don't see it most of the time, my manager and the charge nurse say that I am doing a great job and get tons of compliments from the pts on the surveys that the hosp does. I am beginning to learn better how to prioritize things and time saving tips instead of spending time chasing my tail. I definately see how giving things a year or longer is right b/f changing depts. I will be in nursing as long as my health allows. I sometimes cry when I see my pts leave b/c I get attached to people so easily, but I am not going to change that.
Good luck finishing up school and just know that you will have your share of both good and bad days and as long as the good days outnumber the bad it will all come out in the wash!!

Couldn't have said it better myself!!! I had one of those great days today :balloons: AMARTIN1

Nurseinthemaking · Sep 17, 2005

hmmmm. today, I think I love my job, tomorrow might be different and yesterday, well, I am still not sure about yesterday.

I am a GVN who has not taken Boards yet and am working on a Dialysis Unit. Chronic's are great, it sucks, I love them, I hate it, I am happy, I am sad, I get frustrated, I feel Awesome, one minute I feel good about it, the next I feel like an idiot. I just wished I could give a kidney to each and everyone of them so they didn't have to go through this hell every other day.

The machines scare the bagesies out of me, the accesses, well we won't even go there, because as of yet, I have not accessed and access. There is so much to Dialysis Nursing, it is sooooooooooooo overwhelming. One minute their pressures are in the sky and the next second it is sitting in their boots. That right there is enough to freak a person out. I would also like to know how a person can have very low freaking BP sitting and then stand and gettin a VERY HIGH BP. I still have no clue how that man did that, but God Bless him.

I guess for this very second, I do love it, I really do. I work with a wonderful bunch of people who really seem to want to take the time to explain crap to me for the 75th time. (not realy, but I feel like such an idiot) Sometimes I think to myself, what the heck were you doing in Nursing School, picking your nose or something.

Nursing aint nothing like they say it is in School, just be ready for that. And I did here that a bazillion and one times in school and now I have to admit, those people were right.

Take the time in clinicals to really focus on what you are learning and watching. Think to yourself, do I like this rotation or do I totally hate it, nix the ones you hate and go back to the ones you liked. Hoepfully your Instructor will work with you like ours did.

Good luck to you, school is hard, nursing is hard too, but honestly I think so far for now, that year in hell has been so worth it. The patients give you that reward, you will see.

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Sep 17, 2005

Hi! I've been an RN for only 2 months now & I'm still on orientation in my med/surg unit....but I really do like my job. Sure I get scared & stressed out & still feel weird to be a nurse sometimes (I was so used to being a nursing student!) but I honestly find myself thinking as I'm working "Wow, they really pay me all this money to just help out my patients, this is great!" I especially like it when I'm having a quiet night (& I like 3-11 PM better than the day shift for this reason) cuz I can usually spend some time really chatting with my patients about whatever. :) Another favorite of mine is when someone asks me something & I actually can tell them the answer-like if I call a doctor for them & tell my patient the doc will be around to see him/her soon-they are always so happy I took the time to do what I can to help them out. :)

-christine

zambezi, BSN, RN · Sep 17, 2005

I have been an RN for 3 years in a CICU (medical and surgical cardiac). I really do love it. The unit isn't perfect by any means but we have a great staff. I have made so many good friends on the unit- we are like a family. I work primarily night shift- and I still work this because of the staff- once it gets mixed around too much I will go to days when a spot opens up. I just changed to working 2 day shifts and 4 night shifts and so far really enjoy it. I have liked my job from the days I started precepting in the unit as a student. I realize that most people aren't so lucky. There were of course days in the begnning that were not all fantastic and I can realate with wanting to know everything but hardly knowing anything, but it comes. I am still learning every time I work a shift but now I have confidence in what I do, the decisions I make, who I can trust when I have a question or need a second opinion, etc. Hang in there. There are lots of jobs in nursing. Once you get through the initial discomfot of learning a new job you will feel good about what you do...I think that workplace environment is soooo important. If you hate who you work with or the type of patients you care for, then you won't like going to work. One of my top priorities if I were to to find another job would to to find a unit with a good atmosphere, one that promotes teamwork and it fun to work with. If you have to be with these people for 12 hours a day and have to rely on them in emergent/critical/new situations, it is best if you can trust them and debrief when you are done. All of the technical stuff and learning the unit, etc- that just comes with time...just my two cents.

elainebenes · Sep 18, 2005

Wow, these posts are really great and interesting! Thanks for sharing your stories, I love to read about them! It's good to hear from both sides of the fence on the good things and bad things about Nursing. :)

dlhommer · Sep 19, 2005

I have been a nurse for 3 months now and I have to say that for the most part I love it. sure there are really bad days that I just want to cry, especially when it is really busy and one of my 5 patients is getting IV morphine every 2 hours and demands it on the clock even when she is sleeping???? but there are the majority of the times that I really enjoy taking care of truley ill patients that makes it all worth while.... I think nursing is like any profession... you take the good with the bad and hope that you have more good than bad, but that is just my 2cents.

Deb

Jenni_RN · Sep 21, 2005

I have been working for 3 mos on a Tele/Stepdown unit. My ratio is 7/1. I stay busy as heck, but I love it. It's crazy stressful at times, but my patients make it all worth it. I usually only have 5 or 6 pts unless we have a full house. Yesterday, everything that could happen, happened except for a code. I didn't get out of there until 1945. Still, I love it. I have great co-workers, and that makes a big difference I think. They all know I'm a rookie, but they don't treat me any different from anyone else. I know I can go to any of them if I have questions or problems. I think a big problem new grads face is organization. It's amazing how good organization can make your whole day better. I chose to work mostly weekends when I first got off of orientation three weeks ago. It really helped me get my own method of organization down without all the hustle and bustle of all of the daily procedures that go on during the week. Now when I work weekdays, I simply handle all my procedure pts first, then go on with my schedule. It works great and helps me to not feel so scattered. On days when I seem to get the high maintenance pts, I just add some extra prayers in there!

Brotherbob, BSN, RN · Sep 21, 2005

I love my job

lulu220 · Sep 21, 2005

You ask if I love nursing, it depend on the day! But I think all jobs are like that. I have moved alot in the last 25 yrs due to hubby's job and I can't think of any other profession where you can find a job anywhere, at almost anytime and make a good salary. I now work in the hospital setting but have worked in long term care, in a Dr's office and for an HMO. Where else could you get that much diversity and not have to go back to school. I started out in ICU for 4 years and got a good base to work from and try to keep up with continuing ed. It thinks it's definately more stressful now, the pts are sicker and nurses carry a heavier load. But every once in awhile someone will thank you or you'll do something that makes a difference and remember why you became a nurse.

So yes I love my job today, but if that changes there are tons of other options to explore.

rogramjet · Sep 21, 2005

Yes I love my job. I have been a nurse for 2 years. I worked a year in Med/Surg which I have mixed feelings about. I loved the patients, I hated nights, I hated some of the personalities, I felt we were vastly understaffed and overworked. For the last year I have been working in Diabetes Education and love it. I don't think itis that they hate being nurses I think it is the job itself. There are many areas of nursing and everyone just needs to find their spot. I know people who love med/surg, it just wasn't for me.