Did you start off like me? (With a bright spirit and very optimistic)

Nurses General Nursing

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]Hi!

]I am a nursing

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

To be honest your question is begging for the negativity gurus to come and eat you up.

I am not really sure what to tell you. It is good to have a positive outlook, as many things are amazing in nursing, but it is also healthy to understand that nursing is hard work as well.

Best of luck and keep it all in perspective :)

Tait

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It is great that you are so optimistic. I think most people who enter into nursing (or any profession for that matter), go into school with a bright outlook. Then you start your actual nursing classes. Nursing school is tough. Very tough. And not just intellectually tough. They like to stress you out, worry you, make you cry. It is 2-4 years of constant stress. That wears down some of your optimism.

I'm not trying to scare you. They make nursing school tough because nursing is tough. Lives are on the line. If you make a mistake with a teaching job, all that happens is some kid fails a test. If you make mistakes in nursing, people can die.

That being said, you'll get through it. You will feel relieved. You will start your job with a little more realistic approach. You don't have to turn into one of those cold-hearted nurses, but you will have to learn that you aren't going to save the world.

I just try to focus on each day. When I come in, I greet my patients, tell them "My name is DA314. We're going to have a great day together!" I try to start the day off on a good foot, so my patients will think positiviely of me. I do not let yesterday linger in my mind. I do not try to predict what tomorrow will bring. By focusing only on the day at hand, your job will be less overwhelming.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Bahahah Welcome to the real world. I'm sorry someone glorified the CRAP out of nursing while you were in school, shame on them ! Nursing is not what they tell you it is in nursing school. In school they make it seem like it's the best thing since slice bread! I was also one of the 'disillusioned' ones when i first came out of school, and boy was I in for it..... Nursing is a hard job, most of the time it sucks, and the other portion of that time...well it sucks just as much. But I will say this, I love my job and I love what I do. You gotta learn to separate life and work and you'll be ok..leave it all behind you when you walk out of the hospital doors and let it stay there. Taking it home with you will only burn you out faster. A good night in the ICU is still bad no matter how you slice it, rarely do we have...and do i dare say the 'Q' word....QUIET ?!?!..On a bad day, you'll be lucky if you get a chance to sit down for 5 seconds...Nursing is by far the most mentally, physically, and emotionally draining job I've ever done, but in some strange way I wouldn't have it any other way.

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Specializes in Ortho / Nuro / ICU Step Down.
]Hi!

]I am a nursing

Have you found a job as a Nurse yet? if so, I can understand why you might be a bit on the optomistic side. If your still in school, Hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride and a hard road from now until the day you find employment. Even then...Hold on thight

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Specializes in Cardiology, Management, Community Health.

Hello, luv. I started out just like you, bright and very optimistic. Various situations I encountered as a nurse tried to take alot of that away from me, but what I ended up doing was making nursing work for me. Whoever you are - MAKE NURSING WORK FOR YOU! Dont believe for one minute that you have to stay in a hospital or a nursing home. You can do home health, school health, research, get an advanced degree and be a Nurse Practitioner, become a teacher, an occupational nurse, work per diem, case management. You can work in an office or clinic or an urgent care center and have daytime hours available to you.

You know what was wearing me out? Working those crazy shifts and the disrespect I received and saw many nurses receive in the hospital setting. You know how I made nursing work for me? I wanted better hours and more respect. You can do what I did after 3.5 years and become a manager and make sure that personnel under you do not get the same treatment that you received when various situations in nursing tried to take away your bright spirit and optimism. I still deal with patients, mentor staff and most importantly make my environment conducive to staff retention and happiness. I have been in management for the past 1.5 years am most likely going to get a grad degree such as an MPA or MBA. I work M-F 830 to 430 with flex hours, no on call, no holidays, 4+weeks vacation and PTO days available to me. I do not allow staff to be disrespected, bc the buck stops with me. Yea, I have crappy days, but you know what, I love being a nurse - still. 5 years into it.

So, the point to all of this is make nursing work for you. Keep that spirit. Think outside of the box and look at the many many opportunities that nursing offers. Dont listen to the Negative Nellies that chose to stay miserable in one or two positions. Move around, see what works - see what fits you best and GO FOR IT! Good luck! :yeah:

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Specializes in ICU.

Wow, that's a lot of advice for a post not even written yet.

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Wow, that's a lot of advice for a post not even written yet.

There was a post there originially. It appears that the OP went back and deleted most of it for some reason.

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Specializes in LTC.

Which is too bad that she did delete it.

And yeah I did..but it got sucked out of me too..oh well.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

I am a nursing...what? Student? Guru? Educator? Lawyer? Hater? Lurker? Auditor? Assistant? Philanthropist? I could go on....

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Specializes in Home Care.

My bright spirit and optimism got burned out when my children became teenagers.

And that was before I went into nursing.

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I have been working for 8 months as an RN and I started out optimistic, smiley, excited!I always told myself that if I was ever faced with the feeling that I didn't like my job or wasn't excited to go to work, I needed to move on! Well, unfortunately I am almost to that point and it is not because of the patient's I care for or the setting I work in, it is the faltering team work and lack of motivation from my co workers. With the job market an economy in the slumps, it isn't as easy as I thought it would be to move on. I am just trying to fine peace in the care I give my patients and remember Philippians 4:6-7. This gets me through each day.

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