I am a middle-aged professional considering a career change. I have been thinking about nursing, but many of the things I have read about on this forum are beginning to give me doubts.
The whole 'boot-camp' atmosphere, where asking seemingly innocent questions can get you fired, where rudeness is considered a privilege... the 'when they say Jump only ask How High'... I was never good at putting up with this sort pf BS, but especially not at this stage in my life.
There has been much made about the shortgae of nurses, and how to attract people to the field, but the current environment is hardly inviting.
Fear is NOT conducive to learning. Back-stabbing and one-ups-manship are counter productive... but this seems to be the norm in medical settings.
i am a middle-aged professional considering a career change. i have been thinking about nursing, but many of the things i have read about on this forum are beginning to give me doubts.
the whole 'boot-camp' atmosphere, where asking seemingly innocent questions can get you fired, where rudeness is considered a privilege... the 'when they say jump only ask how high'... i was never good at putting up with this sort pf bs, but especially not at this stage in my life.
there has been much made about the shortgae of nurses, and how to attract people to the field, but the current environment is hardly inviting.
fear is not conducive to learning. back-stabbing and one-ups-manship are counter productive... but this seems to be the norm in medical settings.
are any efforts being made to change things?
i have read others responses to your issue and i hope that u take heed. this is not the place to judge the nursing profession. it is however a wonderful place to share the bad and yes...the good. i would only hope that you would take a look at the bigger picture of nursing before you make any decisions or judgements.
this is a very rewarding profession to me and i wouldn't do anything else!
I believe that men are NOT brought up to believe that they have to put up w/**** and that they can't change it. Women do think this way. If a guy doesn't like something - he is vocal w/out being petty - and he is aggressive for the change not whiny.
This is also the reason, however, I did not get along in the corperate world before. I'm not one to kiss tail. I will work my behind off and I expect to be judged based on my work, not if I stroke the ego's of my supervisors. Doesn't happen unless you have a good supervisor. If you don't, move on and find one that is good. I still managed to find good ones and advance. Higher up you go I think it's harder to find good ones though...lol. I do know I will research very well before I take a job. I did my reasearch on schools and made sure I found a great one before I applied.
I believe that men are NOT brought up to believe that they have to put up w/**** and that they can't change it. Women do think this way. If a guy doesn't like something - he is vocal w/out being petty - and he is aggressive for the change not whiny.
All through nursing school we were told, "BE DIFFERENT" because nurses are known for "eating their own young", I could not agree more! At least within my own department, NOC shift that is. It does help to have an enviroment to work in that you feel ok to ask questions,etc. I love what I'm doing as stressful as it is, but yes, this forum gives people a chance to vent and have a commonality among stories. Best of luck!
Specializes in ER, Neuro, Geriatrics, Psych, Med-surg...
Had to give you my heartfelt advice - even though I have loved what I do - I couldn't encourage anyone to enter this profession.Nursing is it's own kind of hell where you constantly work dangerous staff to patient ratios and live with the anxiety that provokes.
I make fairly decent money - however if you have other options I am sure there are jobs with less stress and better remuneration...by the way, ask any nurse you meet if they have a back problem..and consider how that would impact your lifestyle.
Hope this is helpful - it's a shame nursing has fallen into this state.
Don't do it. Trust me. Forget all these positive hopeful posts. They are trying to be nice and encourage you. If you want the truth- you will SOOOO regret it!! :smackingf I'm sure there is something out there- just keep looking. How about being a lab tech? You'll have to go back to college just like nursing and it does make decent money. Radiology techs do too- I had one nurse in my class that graduated with a BSN in nursing and decided to keep her current job as a nuclear med tech because she made more and it was easier! I'm assuming you want a decent paying job that requires a degree- otherwise you could be a Wal-Mart greeter or something. The world is wide open to you actually- there are MANY options. Why on EARTH would you torture yourself with nursing? Very few people will be BRUTALLY honest with you because no one wants to totally burst your bubble. I mean, if your heart is SET on it- go for it by all means. I wish someone had sat me down when I started college and REALLY talked to me about nursing and what it would do to my life.
"If I were lookING FOR A JOB to retire from I would look for a desk job ."
I've been sitting on my butt, in front of a computer terminal, since 1984. I feel like I could die at my desk and the only impact it would have would be the smell. So the thought of hard physical work is just fine by me, thanks.
As far as being a med tech, I WANT a position where I get face-to-face interaction with humans. The patients don't worry me - it's the potential collegues that are scary!
i am not speaking for anybody. if you read my original post you will see that this is an article posted at another site by another person, who happens to be a women. let me posted again.......
i am currently a nurse working in a pediatric hospital. i have felt for a while all the frustration that i have seen displayed on various responses and original postings. all talk of leaving the profession, feeling sorry for those who enter. how will things change? i really don't know the answer to this - and honestly want to try to find out - not just complain. [color=#3366ff]is it because it is a "woman's profession" that it has this stigma of backbiting, and the "woe is me" attitude? why do we allow this? why do men do better in "our" profession than we do? i believe that men are not brought up to believe that they have to put up w/**** and that they can't change it. women do think this way. if a guy doesn't like something - he is vocal w/out being petty - and he is aggressive for the change not whiny. i think it is time to stand up and try to be the voice of change. it won't happen overnight but if we allow it to continue then the professional image will never change, the attitude will never change and we will continue to be disappointed in our choice of profession and the path it follows. do we really want to leave this legacy to the next generation of nurses or do we want to be the advocates and make this the profession we imagined when we were in nursing school?
I think you will love the nursing profession if you love to meet people, are self-motivated, and eager to learn. Every profession has "catty" people. I have been a nurse for a year and I love it. There are plenty of nursing jobs out there. I was lucky and found the perfect place my first try. Try to find a place with a conduct policy (i.e. it is required that everyone have mutual respect). Like every profession, if you treat people with respect they will do the same.
I think the true differance between posts in this thread are simple. There are many good posts because some have had great experiences. They have gone to schools with good instructors and have had jobs with good people. Others have gone to schools and had jobs with nurses that "eat thier young." It all boils down to, if you want to make sure you will have a good experience, check out your schools and jobs before you accept that place to learn or work.
Specializes in PICU, Nurse Educator, Clinical Research.
I am a middle-aged professional considering a career change. I have been thinking about nursing, but many of the things I have read about on this forum are beginning to give me doubts.
The whole 'boot-camp' atmosphere, where asking seemingly innocent questions can get you fired, where rudeness is considered a privilege... the 'when they say Jump only ask How High'... I was never good at putting up with this sort pf BS, but especially not at this stage in my life.
Props to you for considering a career change- I worked in the booming tech industry until the stock market tanked after 9/11, when I was laid off and forced to seriously consider my career options. I went back to school at 31 to get a degree in nursing. While I didn't hear about many of the negative aspects of nursing that you mentioned, i certainly discovered them when I began nursing school, and they were only magnified once I started working in a large hospital (first as a nursing assistant, then as an RN).
First of all, the rudeness floored me. I was SHOCKED at how many times nurses yelled at their colleagues, insulted each other, sabatoged one another, and generally acted like third graders in their interactions with others. No, not all nurses are like this- but I encountered so many of them so quickly that I questioned my decision daily after entering school.
Verbal abuse is pervasive in some schools and work environments. Like dogs in a pack, if one individual behaves in an inappropriate manner and isn't corrected, then bad behavior is implicitly condoned, and it becomes the new norm.
I've always been a big fan of the 'question authority' bumper stickers. Not because I think all rules or leaders should be challenged, but because I *DO* believe that positive change only takes place when someone sees room for improvement and suggests a different way of doing things. Without that drive, medicine would still be stuck in the dark ages.
Maybe other healthcare providers don't face this as much, but i see a HUGE resistance to nurses being agents of change. Some of the attitude comes from outside the nursing community, but a lot of it comes from within. When I worked in a hospital setting, I was labeled 'difficult' because I wanted to understand WHY things were done the way they were- most of the time, my curiosity was seen as threatening or disrespectful, even though I took pains to treat everyone in a professional and respectful manner.
I guess my background in marketing and strategic planning in the corporate world led me to believe that creativity and innovation would be valued in the field of nursing. In the hospital where i worked, I discovered the opposite was true- nurses were largely treated like interchangeable cogs in a wheel. Just a few months into being a nurse, I absolutely hated going to work, and the amount of misery I felt for such a ridiculous pay rate, not to mention the physical stress of the job, made me question the decision to go into nursing. Every single day.
There has been much made about the shortgae of nurses, and how to attract people to the field, but the current environment is hardly inviting.
Fear is NOT conducive to learning. Back-stabbing and one-ups-manship are counter productive... but this seems to be the norm in medical settings.
Are any efforts being made to change things?
Well, I think the best way to change these problems is for every nurse to find a way to make an impact. For me, a medical problem led me unexpectedly to a new environment and position- I'm working in a LTC/rehab facility as a facility educator, and I absolutely love it. My primary objective is to change and improve current processes, and create a better environment for patients AND healthcare providers. For me, this is the perfect fit- using my existing skills to make positive changes in nursing. For now, my efforts only affect a small (134 bed) facility- but this is how I can best make a change.
Do your homework before deciding on a nursing career. Talk to nurses in a variety of settings- acute care, long term care, nursing education, school nursing, occupational health, case management, clinical research- the list goes on and on. See if you see a place where *you* can make a difference, and where you think you could thrive and love your job. Don't listen to those who say you MUST take one path (a year of hospital staff nursing, for instance), and stay away from environments where there's a culture of not 'rocking the boat'. Don't believe the crap you hear from some about how the 'boot camp' mentality of nursing school is neccessary- it's not. It's abusive, and wrong. Never lower your expectations, don't 'settle' for a job that you don't love, and NEVER let anyone abuse you.
IMHO, eliminating the culture of abusiveness is the change that can have the most positive impact on nursing!
OK- I've spent enough time on my soapbox. Hopefully my long-winded diatribe was at least a little helpful.
Very few people will be BRUTALLY honest with you because no one wants to totally burst your bubble. I mean, if your heart is SET on it- go for it by all means. I wish someone had sat me down when I started college and REALLY talked to me about nursing and what it would do to my life.
Beary-nice
514 Posts
i have read others responses to your issue and i hope that u take heed. this is not the place to judge the nursing profession. it is however a wonderful place to share the bad and yes...the good. i would only hope that you would take a look at the bigger picture of nursing before you make any decisions or judgements.
this is a very rewarding profession to me and i wouldn't do anything else!
beary