Does this bother anyone else?

whoknows56 · May 9, 2009

Everyone should remember that it IS unhealthy to LOVE your job. If you have the ability to go to work everyday being happy with what you are doing, that is great. If you are able to go to work everyday and just do the work that you need to do in a competent way, that is perfectly fine. You aren't hurting anyone in the process and you can support yourself and anyone else that you may need to support.

The only thing you should love is your family. Everything else you should just enjoy doing. Once you get too attached to your job (aka love your job), you are most likely to get emotionally attached to the job. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much you love your job, your employer can still give you the pink slip on any random day. I know of a couple of nurses that said they loved their and were laid off (one after 30 years during surgery). They called her out of the surgery and told her she is now laid off. So don't get too attached to your job. Just make sure you are competent with your job so you can move to a new job if the time calls. Being in love with your job and not being competent will only backfire in the long haul.

kcochrane · May 9, 2009

Everyone should remember that it IS unhealthy to LOVE your job. If you have the ability to go to work everyday being happy with what you are doing, that is great. If you are able to go to work everyday and just do the work that you need to do in a competent way, that is perfectly fine. You aren't hurting anyone in the process and you can support yourself and anyone else that you may need to support.
The only thing you should love is your family. Everything else you should just enjoy doing. Once you get too attached to your job (aka love your job), you are most likely to get emotionally attached to the job. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how much you love your job, your employer can still give you the pink slip on any random day. I know of a couple of nurses that said they loved their and were laid off (one after 30 years during surgery). They called her out of the surgery and told her she is now laid off. So don't get too attached to your job. Just make sure you are competent with your job so you can move to a new job if the time calls. Being in love with your job and not being competent will only backfire in the long haul.

There is a difference between loving your job and loving what you are doing. It is not unhealthly to love what you are doing. It is unhealthly to stay in a job or profession you don't like. Just as I'm not going to knock someone for getting into a job for the paycheck as long as they have a good work ethic and care about those they are taking care of..please don't knock those that actually do love what they are doing. I am not emotionally attached ot the JOB, I'm emotionally attached to the profession. And yes, I know what its like to be laid off.

And btw somedays I hate the administration, the way health care is these days, etc..but I love what I am doing. I believe I made a difference. The day I stop believing that is the day I leave nursing.

LilPeonNo1 · May 9, 2009

I think the reason so many here are angry about those who say they're in it for the pay check is upbringing. How many of us heard repeatedly by ministers, pastors, or priests (etc...) growing up that money is the root of all evil? Many of us were taught as young children that money should never be a motivator for making decisions in life. It breeds corruption and immorality. At least that is what we heard. So, I think the concept is hard to grasp for some. But, this is the 21st century. Times are different in the here and now and for most of us it is a matter of survival. We have to work, we have to feed our families, so why not have a career in something that pays relatively well. Certainly I could think of many occupations that would have made me happier in life, but they were not practical. Nursing was not my first choice in a profession either, but I'd been told I might be good at it from previous experiences and so when it came time to make that decision I opted for it. I wasn't sure going through school that I would even continue, but afterward I felt I was good at what I do and found I enjoyed many aspects of nursing. Although I sometimes hate it as well. Everyone has their own reasons for going into this profession and it doesn't mean they'll be better or worse than someone else, they just have a different approach.

muffylpn · May 10, 2009

sorry-guess it doesn't bother me cause people have been choosing nursing for about the

last 10 yrs cause of the pay. And as far as recession proof - I guess these are nurses that

work in states other then MA. and CA.- ask the new grads from those states how many of

them have jobs in those states.

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 · May 10, 2009

Some good, thought provoking responses on this discussion thread - thanks everyone for posting them. We all have our own reasons for wanting to get into nursing. A secure job that pays well so you can support yourself and your family is a valid reason IMO. But I do believe that having a desire to help others and to do more than just make money helps. I'm a guy, in his mid-fifties, and have done a lot of things in the past - mostly for the money. Taking a bit of a different route now, and not by my own instigation. I am trusting to someone else that this will all work out in the end. I don't know if anyone nowdays can really understand that. Not saying that it's the best way or the only way, or that others who don't feel the same way aren't right - It's just the way I've decided to take.

The advice given that you shouldn't love your job too much is spot on. I've always believed in keeping your professional life and your personal life seperate, no matter how much you like what you do. I've been laid off in the past myself, and for me standing in an unemployment line is more than just a metaphor - I've actually done it.

No, nursing wasn't my first choice for a career. I look back and think, I should have done something like this ten or fifteen years ago, but oh well, here I am now and that's what counts. If I could do absolutely anything without regard to money, the economy, society and it's needs, etc. I probably would be on a ranch somewhere in Montana, hunting and fishing in my spare time, and tramping through the mountains. But God has placed me here in this time and in this place, and so far it's been interesting, and it looks to be an interesting and exciting ride.

paddlelady, BSN, RN · May 11, 2009

I have seen in other posts about those wanting to go into nursing as it is recession proof. That makes me very uncomfortable. It is not good for the instituition, the team, the patients and family. Someone mentioned the stress involved the hours etc and no the pay does not compensate a person for all the stress involved. I also think about my family or myself that might end up needing care and it frightens me to think that there are those that are just in it to have a job and not really care about outcomes and look at the whole person. To be a nurse involves being fully present, knowledgeable, caring, a case manager, social worker, pharmacist, nutritionist , mediator, spiritual an educator and so much more. We deal with all those aspects of patient care. We may not be trully knowledge in all .However, we are aware that a patient may need these specific servies. I think one can have other passions such as music and art , sailing and climbing moutains, travel. This makes us much more rounded as a person and better to deal with the stress of nursing. If I didnt have my music and sailing I would have been a basket case a long time ago. I went into nursing years ago as I wanted to help and care for people. It was not just a job for me. But I made sure that I had a life and didnt become my profession. You need the other things in life. Knitting, sewing reading, walks in the park and animals. These things also give us the ability to communicate with pateints. Finding a common ground when someone is fearful in the medical setting can alleviate some of the patient fears. I hope those that think nursing is recession proof will rethink. It is not. Years ago when the hospitals were closing many RN's lost their jobs. Yes, I was around when the hospitals closed. Day surgeries were becoming the new wave and we didnt need the inpatient care. Some nurses relearned others changed professions. Many clinics went from RN's to medical assistances and these nurses had to find other specialities. This was difficult for some during this transition. There will always be changes in medicine and nurses are usually the ones that are hit with the transitions and sometimes it can be your job . It doenst have to be in a time of recessions. We are so use to our routines which are good but medicine needs the varaiations and changes to make way for new therapies. I rest my case

Paddlelady

psychrnmsn · May 12, 2009

i have been a nurse for a number of years. it was not my choice of professions but was something my parents would support. i have had the opportunity to teach nursing students at two colleges. for some of the students nursing was a first choice. for some it was not. what i found in working with them. the reason for becoming a nurse did not seem to equate to the commitment and nursing care that was given. one of my first students was a second career student having lost a job coal mining. he wanted job security. i did wonder how he would do in the real world of nursing. he found a position in a nursing home and i have heard nothing but rave reviews about his care and his ability to work as a team member. i think that to believe that someone has to be passionate about nursing to be a nurse is a rather elitist concept. i have worked with nurses who had chosen nursing as their field passionately but as the years went by burn-out took over and they were not happy in their job and were not happy in their lives. so early on i determined i had no desire to feel trapped into the profession or job. thankfully, i have had many experiences that others have not. for me the changes keep me from feeling stagnant and keep the passion in nursing, even if it was not my first choice as a profession. i do not think i am alone.

allnurses Guide · May 12, 2009

I think the reason so many here are angry about those who say they're in it for the pay check is upbringing. How many of us heard repeatedly by ministers, pastors, or priests (etc...) growing up that money is the root of all evil? Many of us were taught as young children that money should never be a motivator for making decisions in life.

It is the love of money that is the root of all evil. All money is is a representation of labor: I work, get "tokens" representing the worth of my labor which I trade to you for your labor or goods. It is when those "tokens" become more important than integrity, honesty, lifestyle, family, relationships; all the things that make life worth living and enjoyable. Money definitely needs to be considered when making decisions, just not the only consideration.

As I said before, you can do good work without being passionate about it. I would not continue to do what I do at this stage in my life if I did not also enjoy it. The people who are in nursing only for the money are quite capable of doing it well. However, if you hate your work, I doubt you will do it as well as those who are either just willing to do a good job for the money, or those who actively enjoy it.

paddlelady, BSN, RN · May 13, 2009

I think you can be passionate about your profession no matter what it may be.

It means that you care enough to learn and do well. I have had many other experiences instead of nursing. I drove a cab, worked in retail and it a bank among other positions. I lasted 41 years in nursing and decided that more variation in my life would be good for my neurons. We get into a routine which as humans we need. However,the neurophysiology of our brains requires variations in our life. So I decided to do something different. I have found that folks that have had another professions sometimes do well and bring a new prespective to nursing. There are those that just go into about anything for the money..not just nursing. I think this discussion is good as it shows a variety of opinions and caring in our individual manner.

Thanks

Paddlelady

whoknows56 · May 13, 2009

In all honesty, when I leave the hospital, I don't want to think about what I did at work. I want to concentrate on fantansy football during the football season and I want to focus on my own health and working on my cars when it isn't football season. When I go to work, my focus is on the patients that I provide a service for but I don't get attached emotionally with any patient. I work 3rd shift if that makes any difference to anyone. Why 3rd over the other two shifts? It pays more.

smarti15 · May 13, 2009

I went to nursing school because it takes more years to get a teaching degree than a nursing degree, and the pay is better. Once i got into school, I realized that I absolutely LOVE nursing! I think that if everyone went into a profession for the same reasons, this would be a very boring world. As far as nursing being recession proof....HA! I am a new graduate who has looked into every place in town that employs LPNs and at every place I hear the same "sorry, but we don't have any openings right now". I am now going to have to work in a non-healthcare field to provide for my family until a position opens up at a facility. I am not against this, but it proves the point that nursing is certainly NOT recession proof.

AZ_LPN_8_26_13 · May 14, 2009

In all honesty, when I leave the hospital, I don't want to think about what I did at work. I want to concentrate on fantansy football during the football season and I want to focus on my own health and working on my cars when it isn't football season. When I go to work, my focus is on the patients that I provide a service for but I don't get attached emotionally with any patient. I work 3rd shift if that makes any difference to anyone. Why 3rd over the other two shifts? It pays more.

Actually I am that way myself - no matter how much I like my job, even if it happens to be something I believe that I am being called to do, it's still my work, and I leave it at work. I think it's just healthier both mentally and physically. I'm the type of person that needs to "chill" and have time that's just "my time" outside of work and it's concerns - no matter what it is that I happen do. Give 110% at work and focus on that while at work, but then leave it there when it's time to leave....