Anyone want to share why nursing has been a POSITIVE career choice for you?

crazyearrings · Jan 31, 2005

I agree with all the posters that said - we love nursing, it's just the politics we hate.

I used to tell my husband, "I love my job, I just hate where I work." For example, the powers-that-be have decided everyone in the hospital will start wearing solid colored scrubs with each department identified by its own color. I work on Peds, the area that first went to fun scrubs, and we aren't thrilled with this prospect. I wonder if anyone who decided on this even has to wear scrubs! So much for nurse governance! (We're applying for magnet status)

I'm sorry - this is supposed to be a positive post. What I love about being a nurse;

1. Being home 4 days a week

2. Good pay/job security

3. Making a difference

4. Watching the way kids bounce back

5. Getting to know the families

6. Having the honor of watching someone peacefully leave this world.

7. Patient teaching

8. Hearing that the docs know when I say a child isn't doing very well, they better listen.

weetziebat · Jan 31, 2005

Secong fiddle, the negative posts you read on here are simply a bunch of nurses who are frustrated - usually due to the workplace politics, administrators who sit in ivory towers making rules that are ridiculous cause they don't have a clue about what really goes on, and the bureacracy, with all the hoops one has to jump through, and short staffing.

When I went into nursing, centuries ago, we each had 2 patients. Folks who would spend weeks in the hospital. Now, with much sicker patients we are getting 6 to 8 patients each. And it is extremely frustrating, because you can't give the care you want to give.

But, after all these years as a nurse, I'm still in the field. I enjoy being able to work different hours, having days off in the middle of the week, being in a fantastic postion to make a positive difference in someone's life, getting paid a wage I can live with, and being able to go just about anywhere and be assured of finding a job. Personally, a huge benefit is being able to even work overseas. And when you know that you are responsible to saving someone's life - well, not many jobs have that benefit!

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2005

For me nursing has always been enjoyable. I feel I make a difference to peoples life I work hard to ensure the patients in my care recieve the best possible care and advice. I have always been the patients advocate and have spent many years working with Student nurses and Student Midwives, ensuring they get the best possible training and that they view their experiences as a student as positive.

By training our students to be forward thinking,questioning and caring we are ensuring our profession continues to grow and develop.

When things do go wrong, refection is a very positive way to manage future care. Supporting junior collegues through traumatic experiences.

Listening to others and respecting their views.

On my ward we deal with negative issues promptly and do not encourage staff members to gossip but to deal with situations AS THEY HAPPEN. We have worked hard at promoting this lovely working environment, and it is something you cannot become complacent with. As each new member staff joins our team the dynamics change as you would expect it to, and then we have to support all staff to make the ajustment.

We have not recieved in 3 years one letter of complaint, that is something we all feel proud off.

From reading a lot of threads I feel that we are very lucky.

Kay :Melody:

secondfiddle · Jan 31, 2005

Everyone -

Thank you so much for the responses! l certainly understand that much of a forum's purpose is to provide an outlet for people who understand each other's profession to vent and counsel. I just wanted to make sure that the general consensus was not that nursing has become an undesirable career.

I am just a little wary of my decision because I went to law school right out of college, ignoring the warnings I had heard and read about the profession. I was truly miserable in law, and though I did fine in school, I left halfway through and never looked back. So I don't have a great track record on big career decisions, and want to make sure I don't make the same mistake again!

Like someone said, it does seem to be a little like teaching - both my mom and husband are teachers so I know that the bureaucracy & legality of the world makes teaching very different than it used to be. They both still love their jobs, but have some major annoyances to deal with. I can imagine how that would apply to healthcare tenfold, and have heard some of it with my dad being an MD.

Thank you again & any more advice is greatly helpful!

Clipper · Jan 31, 2005

I keep hearing (and reading on this forum and elswhere) some pretty negative things about nursing as a profession in general. As a prospective nursing student as a second-career, I am attracted to it as a career because of the interesting subject matter, importance of the role in other people's lives, job availability and flexibility (among other things). But I sometimes wonder if I'm making a crazy choice.
Anyone care to share if nursing has been a good life choice with you? If you find it personally fulfilling, or better than other jobs you've had in your life, I'd love to hear. Thanks!

To be honest I was looking for a positive post and while I was urged to make my first post in the Greetings page, I looked at all the hellos in there and thought well there's enough in there to keep that area going so here I am. :)

I haven't been nursing long - about two and a half years now - but I have come from another profession in which I worked for about eight years and I haven't regretted my decision to switch to nursing. I do agree with you: there's a lot of negativity in nursing both here and outside and a lot of people I believe would be better out of it but you get that everywhere in life. As for politics, I enjoy the politics. Game playing is yet another skill one must master and I believe it keeps me astute and ever wary which I believe a good nurse needs to be in this day and age. The honest truth is that I could not give a fig about being in charge or worrying about doctors or telling people like it is. My belief is that once you start thinking you are better than someone else is the day you lose your way in this life for we are all the same: the titles are made just to confuse us I just do my job, a job I trained hard for, and I leave my shift knowing I did a sound day's work helping the community and that makes me happy. It fulfills me and I sleep well at night.

That's the philosophical bit over. The practical bit is this: I work shifts that allow me to have the time I need to do what I want when I want. I can work almost anywhere in the world and in just about any environment should I so choose. And I have. There are at least 60 different avenues I can pick in my industry and the money isn't bad at all. In fact, I'd say it's one of the most versatile professions around.

And I couldn't be happier.

Thank you for such an enjoyable post that made me want to respond.

DDRN4me · Jan 31, 2005

Why I love nursing: being the one who really cares, and having my patients and families know it.

Knowing that everyday, ins some small way, i make someone's life a little better.

the joy that comes from working with God's most precious, the disabled children

Everything else, the negative stuff we endure :extraneous bullsh#t!!!!