Does nursing really suck that badly?

[Irish_Mist]

I know this discussion has likely been hashed and re-hashed several times. However, I wanted to discuss not only my concerns but my specific situation.

Here is some background information on me:

I recently graduated with a non-nursing bachelors degree. For the past two years, I have had my heart set on entering an ABSN program. But, I wanted to finish my bachelors first as I felt since I was almost done, I could apply for a one year accelerated program and essentially not "waste" my almost completed degree. I am taking A&P2 and Nutrition this semester and Chemistry and Microbiology in the fall with hopes of applying for two ABSN programs in my area.

Here are my concerns:

I read so many negative things on here about nursing. Whether it is someone complaining about their boss, a high patient to nurse ratio, backstabbing co-workers, patients who treat you like a slave, managment that doesn't get it, concerns about losing nursing license, etc etc. I understand that NO job will ever be perfect. I understand that people come here to vent. I am not judging the nurses who complain on here because everyone needs an outlet to release stress.

My fear is that I will get into a career that I hate. My fear is that I will be chewed up and spit out. I am already at a cynical point in life where I see employers in general as crapping all over good employees and rewarding the bad ones. I am at a point where I am so tired of my government internship that I will do ANYTHING to get away from it. I love the idea of helping people. I love science. I've thus far enjoyed the academic pursuit of nursing. Additionally, I consider myself to be a compassionate, loving person. I can take a lot of things in stride but I have my limits. Is entering the nursing field really that scary? Are hospitals really that toxic? Are co-workers really a reincarnation of that evil witch and her possee from junior high?

I could really use some advice from some of you RNs who are already "there" and have been in the trenches.

-Signed-

Someone who wants to help others and wants to be a nurse but is terrified of the future

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I've been a nurse for 35 years, and I don't regret it for a moment. Yes, there have been bad days (and bad years) but my husband and I have a very nice life, and nursing has allowed us to do that.

However:

If working "banker's hours" is important to you, you won't like nursing. I love working weekends and having my four days off during the week. DH is a nurse, too, so we have the perfect schedule. There's no one else at the movies on a Tuesday afternoon, I don't have to wait in line for hours to have dinner at the most popular restaurants and I've rarely had to stand in line at the ski lift. Even the most popular parks have a few free camping spaces for Monday-Thursday campers. No issues either with scheduling doctor's appointments or a furnace repairman.

If you're looking for bullying, you WILL find it, whether or not it actually exists. I don't understand why so many are determined to find bullying, discrimination and other negative social interactions in their new jobs. If you go in looking for friendly helpful coworkers, you're far more likely to find friendly and helpful coworkers. There are some -- and they seem to be especially vocal in some of these forums -- who blame bullying or discrimination for every negative interaction they have at work. I think those people need to take a far closer look at what they themselves are bringing to the interaction.

You will have to work nights, weekends and holidays. If that's going to make you miserable, opt out of nursing. Personally, I've always found that working on Thanksgiving was an acceptable reason to miss the family dinner and avoid my mean uncle Elvis. Mom never gave me any flack about that -- we just had our own Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday when Uncle Elvis was off at the football game. Or whatever mean uncles do on Sundays. Santa can find your house on December 23 or 28, and the Easter bunny might come on Monday next year. So what? Holidays are about more than a number on a calendar, but if you can't accept that, don't go into nursing. It's tough to sleep during the day, but if you're going to work night shift you need to figure out how to do it. If you can't accept that, don't do nursing.

Yes, some patients (and some surgeons) will treat you like crap. If you work as an accountant, some clients will treat you like crap. The surgeons, you can educate. You just have to be assertive enough to define how you allow people to treat you. I don't believe in giving free passes for unspeakable behavior because someone is "under stress" or "not feeling well." If you can't see yourself growing a thick enough skin to deal with rude, arrogant, demanding patients and rude, arrogant demanding surgeons, don't go into nursing. Of course, you're going to have to deal with those folks somewhere else, though. I don't guess they're any more polite or pleasant at the video rental store, either.

Management sometimes makes poor decisions. Take the nurse away from the bedside, and they start thinking like managers or something. It happens. My guess is that's not unique to nursing either.

Nursing is, like most everything else, what you make of it.

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

Hi Ruby. I think you bring up a great point about the work hours. Personally, I would rather work at nights than during the day. In various jobs I've had, I worked nights and weekends and I found that I don't mind versus the typical Monday-Friday 9-5 schedule.

You are so absolutely correct when you say bullying can be found in all places. No working enviornment is perfect. I suppose my questions regarded bullying stem from the number of posts I have read on this site where someone was seeking advice about a bullying situation.

Thanks for responding. Like I enjoy reading Esme's posts, I enjoy reading your responses too.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Thanks for your feedback, Esme. In fact, I was hoping you would respond. I like reading your posts.

Did it come off so wrong that I told Butterfly I was grateful to read something positive? I did not say that to discount what the other posters wrote. I respect their experience and their input. It was all honest feedback even if it wasn't what I truly hoped to hear.

Remember...you are dealing with nurses. We are amongst the most intelligent and opinionated group you will ever meet. We seldom mince words for we just don't have time to beat around the bush. You will get unedited (for the most part....) sampling of the general nursing population that will be honest and heart felt. However harsh some may be. Some nurses today are very disappointed in nursing...and it is not unwarranted in most cases.

The reality of nursing of the bedside is a far cry from the romanced notion that the general public perceives. Nursing school does not prepare you for the reality of actually working. That disconnect is difficult for some. I find many who came from a corporate world are slightly incensed at the lack of autonomy in some cases and are dissatisfied with the role of a bedside nurse.

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

You will get unedited (for the most part....) sampling of the general nursing population that will be honest and heart felt. However harsh some may be. Some nurses today are very disappointed in nursing...and it is not unwarranted in most cases.

Honestly, I did expect some feedback but not to this caliber. Perhaps I am a bit... Stunned? The general consensus of this board (at least the one I am getting) is to run away as fast as I can. I can see why many nurses are disappointed. Our economy sucks and nursing is the profession so many people tout as full of job security, opportunities and a never ending rainbow. I cannot begin to imagine the challenges you all face. I hope all of you who have given me advice read this because clearly, my comment to Butterfly was miscontrued as "me not wanting to hear the truth".

I have mixed feelings about this thread.

[Butterfly41]

Ruby and ESME are correct and I know I choose to focus on the positive and not the negative but it doesn't mean that I don't deal with the negative I just choose to have thick skin and let it go. As with everything else in life it's all about your perspective and what you choose to focus on and how you choose to look at things. You can be surrounded by negativity and experience horrible things and yet still manage to find something good to cling to from it whether it be a lesson learned or just that you were strong enough to survive. You just have to be open to it and look for it. I have chosen to keep a positive attitude and focus on the good because that is what makes me happy. I refuse to spend my life being miserable no matter what situation I'm in.

[kabfighter]

The general consensus of this board (at least the one I am getting) is to run away as fast as I can.

Bingo.

Jobs are as tight for nurses as they are in most other fields. This is not some panacea job that will take you from the poor house to riches in two years. With all the for-profit schools popping up and letting anyone who is capable of signing a Sallie Mae loan attend, there is a huge oversupply of nurses. If I had my way, no state board of nursing or accrediting body (CCNE or ACEN) would approve nursing programs other than those offered by nonprofits. Imagine if University of Phoenix opened a medical school; the Liason Committee on Medical Education would never allow this to happen. Yet, these money-grabbing schools are allowed to offer programs in advanced practice nursing, and are fully accredited. Something is wrong with nursing education, and it needs to be fixed. The flood gate to nursing is open, and you'll be competing with many, many other people for a scant amount of open positions.

[DoeRN]

Sometimes I do have good days. Even great days actually where I actually feel like a nurse. Had a couple of those days last week and then wouldn't you know it my overtime day was the worst day I had last week. I hardly ever work OT because the thought of working extra and being beat up doesn't appeal to me much. But I look back on my 2 good days last week. I was able to do a lot of teaching and spend time with my patients. I even had an emergency with one of my patients. I was so calm that it made everyone else calm including the code team, anesthesia, ICU doc. After we stabilized the patient and shipped her to the ICU, the ICU nurses and doc came over to me and said they hardly ever see a floor nurse so calm and have such an affect on everyone else in the room. So that made me feel great. The next day my OT day made me feel like I was a glorified babysitter, waitress, nail tech (one patient wanted me to polish and clip her toenails um no to both) hvac tech, referee, everything but a nurse.

Unfortunately for me I have to many bad days and I'm getting out of the profession for good Lord willing. Don't worry I'm not turning this into a religious debate so please no one comment on my use of Lord.

I'm tired, I'm defeated, I should have gone into nuclear medicine, radiation tech, radiology tech, histology, respiratory, (hint hint there are other medical fields you can go into besides nursing) anything besides nursing.

There is no nursing shortage unfortunately. So if you still want to be a nurse research your area first to make sure you'll be able to find a job.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Honestly, I did expect some feedback but not to this caliber. Perhaps I am a bit... Stunned? The general consensus of this board (at least the one I am getting) is to run away as fast as I can. I can see why many nurses are disappointed. Our economy sucks and nursing is the profession so many people tout as full of job security, opportunities and a never ending rainbow. I cannot begin to imagine the challenges you all face. I hope all of you who have given me advice read this because clearly, my comment to Butterfly was miscontrued as "me not wanting to hear the truth".

I have mixed feelings about this thread.

Take what you need/want and let go of the rest. Consider this your first nursing lesson. You have to take the good with the bad and make it better....let the other stuff roll right off your back.

There are going to be bad days....there are going to be worse days. There are going to be days that will humble you and days that will take your breath away. Look for the little things, keep the good things. take pride in the little triumphs like making sure that lonely elderly person from the nursing home doesn't die alone. That smile you get when they thank you for caring. That moment you touch someone however brief and change their day however small....even if it was a cool cloth to their face after they vomited.

I have always believed that my job in the ED was to make the worst day in someones life as unmemorable as possible. I didn't expect gratitude....I just want to make it the least traumatic as possible....I would tell the staff that if the patient didn't complain about the ED.....it was a good day.

You have to take the good with the bad...you will NEVER please everyone and some people you will encounter are just happy being angry...and that is ok.

[badbuggies]

I have been a RN for more years than I want to admit. I understand your post. I have been on allnurses for several years although this is my first post. Anyway, I have read many posts that reflect in one way or another your words. Yes, nursing is a stressfull job. Yes, nursing is hard work. Yes, even nurses can become short-tempered and mean and evil and cruel. Yes, there are facilities that are poor employers. But, in any career field in this world, this is true. When you reflect on what is written on AN, you must also realize that this site is only about nursing so of course you will see many negative comments. It is a safe place to vent and other people will understand what you are feeling. I love nursing. I have loved my jobs and my patients. I did bedside nursing for over 22 years in several different facilities in several different parts of the country. Were there times when I was short-tempered and mean and evil and cruel? Oh, you better believe there were. Do I regret being a nurse? NO.

[yogastudentRN]

No, nursing itself does not suck that bad. BUT some PEOPLE, both nurses and non-nurses, do suck that much, and make everyone they work with miserable. It happens in all jobs, but it seems that in many areas of nursing it was long expected that nurses take the abuse rather than stand up for themselves. I think that attitude among nurses is slowly changing, but changes in organizational attitudes take a long time. I have learned the hard way that if a job or assignment seems toxic....RUN.

[HappyWife77, BSN, RN]

I love nursing. If its your hearts desire, go for it. Some people come into to the field for the wrong reasons...and are never satisfied. Some people will complain because that's the type of glasses they wear to see their world. I would suggest working somewhere as a care tech or a CNA to get some groundwork to build up from-to start your healthcare networking asap.

There are a lot of people who's lives you can touch when you become a nurse or caregiver, that is what is about for me, the little things that make a difference in someone's day.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

Are most days good? No. Do I feel like I help people all days, hell no. Do the times you actually make a save, or actually help someone and I mean REALLY help them, make it worth it. It sure does. Nursing changed me. For good and bad. I have seen horrible things and done just as awful, but I have seen the good that can come from it. I think that I wish I would have done things differently from time to time, but I always come back to this.