For experienced nurses, can you honestly encourage anyone to enter nursing?

nursebarb · Mar 31, 2002

yes,i would encourage anyone who wanted to become a nurse.we all know its not an easy job,the paperwork alone is enough to drive you nuts.but at least once a week one of my patients will say something totally sweet to me.and i go home feeling good ,that i have made a good choice on becoming a nurse

and would not want to do anything else.

caddie · Apr 1, 2002

After 15 plus years of nursing, I've seen it all. Nurses, CNA's of today don't share the same committment, dedication of years gone by. In the past nurses, and cna's would take pride in their job. Today all you find is staffing shortage. People calling in with flimsy excuses, leaving co-workers shorthanded. Case in point. I"m a 24hr weekend supervisor who works EVERY weekend and fight the battle of trying to get help in the longterm care facility I work. I'm constantly on the phone calling perdiem staff and agencies alike but all to NO AVAIL. Today I had 2 CNAs call=in on a 41 bed subacute unit, in which I normally have 5 CNAs. Had to shuffle staff around, leaving other shifts short. It's a continual ongoing battle. Many of my friends and peers have LEFT nursing, frustrated and discouraged because management let's shortages go on , in turn, burning out the good dedicated nurses. If I had it to do over , I would do something else. Many novice nurses are already looking for other careers. Nurses are overworked, under appreciated and dispensable. So I would therefore advice young people to seek another occupation.

offdoodykcrn · Apr 2, 2002

Tough call. Things have really changed in the past 15 years, then again, maybe not. If you go into it for the money or job security (whatever that is) - you can do much better with half the effort elsewhere. If you go into for the satisfaction of helping others - and want to make a difference in people's lives in a big way - go for it. That is what keeps me here.

Furball · Apr 2, 2002

Hey........

Where did Wildtime go anyway? :confused:

sparkle flower · Apr 14, 2002

I have been a working RN for 41 years and there is a light at the end of my tunnel. I can't wait. Nursing has changed so much in those years, that I have finally removed a button (that I wore for most of those years) that said "I love my job". Not anymore. Patient care is lost on shortage of staffing, computers, JACHO expectations, hierarchy expectations in charting, and more critical patients. Most of my time in ICU's, and some management. It used to be rewarding, not anymore. Why take physical abuse, verbal abuse, work related injuries, mental and physical strain, and receive no compensation for same. There are a lot more jobs around that pay more, give you time off without begging, allow you to plan your life, and appreciate you. Sorry, but I'm realistic, I too, had ideals and thought I could make a difference. We older nurses are going to have to take care of each other in our later life. You younger nurses look for another job while you can. This is now a thankless profession and looked down upon by many. Sorry, but I'd get out if I could. I never, ever, thought I'd say that. This was my life and I lived nursing until the last few years. Of course, this is a different world today, not like it was 41 years ago.

bjpeace · Apr 15, 2002

I voted Yes, and I do actively talk to people about being a nurse! Several posts brought up the money issue and the work load issue. There are many jobs out there that make you work hard, and pay marginally. I'm not going to tell you that money isn't important to me, because it is. What I will tell you is that as an Lpn I make much less than Rns, and usually have a heavier assignment both physically and mentally. I have worked my way up from a CNA in hospice care, to a medical assistant in a MD's office to a Lpn in stepdown to where I am now, in a surgical ICU. I am graduating in May with my RN. I have worked under the strain of Rns who felt that an Lpn didn't belong in critical care, and I have held my own against my husband's EMS circle who still ask me "why be a bedpan dumper?" There are hard days. What keeps me moving forward are the many things about nursing that I love. The number one reason is that I was called to do this job. This, no matter how hard, is what I was put here on this earth to do. I can care for someone. The glamour or drama is certainly in the codes, and the life saving measures ( don't get me wrong, I love the adrenalin moments too!) But the quiet victories are the hand holding moments, speaking up for families, and of course knowing that I am the last line of defense for my patients - these are the aspects of my job that I treasure. I'm very selfish and controlling when it comes to those in my care because they are depending on me to do and say and question what they can't. And one day I know I will be depending on someone, and so will everyone that I love. So if I can help to encourage someone else to answer their calling, and to stand strong when it gets tough, I will do it, again and again.

micro, RN · Apr 15, 2002

bjpeace........well said......i ditto you

DF-LPN · Apr 25, 2002

to me it all depends on the person asking me. if it is someone who i see as a caring, a commited to helping others, and a person who has a tall bs meter, then i would say YES!!! please become a nurse and help us. but if its someone who is just there for the money, and easily pop off about anything and everything then i say no way.....don't need ya!

prn nurse · Apr 27, 2002

The hospital envoirment 40-60 hours a week is un natural for anyone to experience. Are you ever off for 4 -5 consecutive days and appreciate being around "normal" people and experiencing a "normal" routine that most people take for granted? And how long does it take you when you return to work to realize that you are in an "unnatural" envoirment?

Brownms46 · Apr 28, 2002

I didn't vote...but I have to say...that all things considered....nursing had done well by me and my family! But only because I was able to work agency...and make some of my own rules! If there was NO agency....I would never have stayed!

I encourage people to go for their goals in life! I don't judge who I think will be good or bad in whatever they want to do...I just encourage them to go for it! I'm not the person I started out to be when I first entered nursing. You can't stay the same and see the things many of us have. The events and situations in our lives has an impact on us all.....and many times they effect changes in us....no matter what! So who's to say how someone might be changed for the better or for the worse!

Seek your dream....and let the chips fall where they may... :cool:

Fgr8Out · Apr 28, 2002

For someone with the right frame of mind and a sincere desire to make a difference in a persons life, I can sincerely encourage them to enter the Profession of Nursing.

ALL careers have their drawbacks... Nursing seems to have more than its share at times. But I'm able to raise a daughter, and still have some left over to make a comfortable life for us. I enjoy being in a profession where I am constantly learning everyday. And while I don't care for some of the poor attitudes that have arisen as a result of understaffing, poor management and less than optimal compensation, I CAN get through that when I remind myself that I DO make a difference.

My prayers to all of you... happy, unhappy, or indifferent in your career. We all fill a very necessary place in this world. I'm happy to be among you.

Peace:)

Dr. Kate, BSN, RN · Apr 29, 2002

I went into nursing because I needed a salable skill. I have stayed because it suits me. I am now qualified to do other things. It's tempting to think another field would be better than nursing when you look at it from the outside. It's a lot different when you've gone outside of nursing and the greener grass is still growing somewhere else. Dream jobs are few and far between. For me, one of the best things about nursing is that I never have to think about whether or not what I do is significant. Nursing touches people's lives in deeply personal, intimate, and significant ways. Even if they never realize it. As a nurse I know what I do makes a difference, even if some days it's not a very big difference.