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

kaycee · Dec 26, 2001

I would never discourage anyone who wanted to be a nurse.

BUT, after 26yrs of pushing, pulling, lifting, on your feet 8-12hrs on hard floors, ACLS, PALS, TLS, yearly ED compentency testing, being treated like crap by MD's, PT's and families with an occasional thankyou but mostly whining and complaining, shift work, overtime, weekends, holidays, missing family events, exposure to all kinds of crap, positive ppd since the 90's, generally getting no respect as a bedside nurse, and a whopping $22.00/hr after all this, I would have to say,

You decide, personally I think it's a no-brainer.

fergus51 · Dec 26, 2001

All right, I am not that experienced (just less than 5 years), but I do think that nursing does have its upsides and I would recommend it to someone going into it with their eyes open. You can make a decent amount of money, you can switch fields easily, there are a lot of jobs out there and you can help people. No you won't get rich and there is a lot of political BS, but I wade through that and I like my job.

-jt · Dec 27, 2001

YES.

They'll always be in demand. Their skills are respected and valued - more so outside of the hospital environment. They have opportunities in many different directions in nursing & in almost every other field there is. From home care to law to business. The opportunities for nurses are endless. Id even recommend hospital bedside nursing but with a dose of reality and a few courses in pro-activity and nurses rights. Direct-care has its rewards but its not the only place for nurses. Sometimes its hard for us to see while stuck in our own box, but its a big world out there for RNs.

PhantomRN · Dec 28, 2001

I too would recommend nursing to people as a career. Nursing is very diverse. I currently do bedside nursing, but in a few years I want to try research.

kids · Dec 29, 2001

Sorry but...NO.

If somebody wants to go into Nursing thats fine but I would never try and "talk" someone into a career in Nursing. And it' has nothing to do with the current state and conditions in Nursing other than I can see better fields to invest in an education. I've encouraged 2 of my kids to go into telecommunications, the third is bound and determined to go military so I'm encouraging the Coast Guard.

-nancy

wildtime88 · Dec 29, 2001

PhantomRN,

You could have gotten into research without ever becoming a nurse. This is a position that was generated by those who chose to escape nursing at the bedside.

3651bht · Dec 30, 2001

If I interpret that word to mean to give someone courage then that is the only way to go......

bobbi ( Here I am again)

May the sun shine brightly on you, in peace, and may the wind be always at your back..or something like that.....

P.S. They're gonna need it...

funnynurse · Dec 31, 2001

I would certainly recommend nursing as a career. There are so many areas you can go into (psch, cardiology, surgery etc.) and you can always find a job! If you don't like one area, you can try another one without having to get another degree!! Don't like floor nursing? Then you can get a nursing job elsewhere..... there are so many choices I really do like being a nurse, if only the pay would improve.......

crispix · Dec 31, 2001

I voted no...only because I would not encourage anyone to go into nursing,to be an LPN anyway.At this time.Too mnay hospitals and other places trying to do away with us.I do understand they have tried this several times and have always come back to us,saying,"hey,I guess you are valuable to nursing after all"

Perhaps I am too freshly burned by my former employer's lack of respect for LPN's.

If a person has a genuine love for people,has caring in their heart,,has common sense,and cares more about people than money,perhaps I would recommend it to them,but only after telling them about all the political BS they will have to wade thru.If they can survive that,they will do fine.

Sorry to rant....I think Im done now..:)

Christine

debalina · Jan 3, 2002

Recently my daughter asked me this question. Resisting the urge to scream ARE YOU CRAZY??, we proceeded to have a calm discussion.Talked of the things I came to hate during 15 years of nursing, such as: the politics, the budget, the budget, the budget, should I say it again??,the budget!I worked in a LTC facility for 10 years as house supervisor to treatment nurse. I hated the politics of nursing.

What do I love about nursing? I loved tucking my little ladies into bed and getting a good nite kiss from them. I loved talking to the guys about fishing. I loved bringing in mellow music to help folks in hospice fall asleep a bit easier.I loved holding the hands of family as their mom entered the final stages of life. I love

them all so much.I loved providing the best medical care I could to make this stage of life the best it could be.

Now I do School Nursing.I work to provide a safe place for all children that attend my school-special needs or typical kids. And again I have to deal with Politics!!!However the hours and vacations do ease that a bit and the pay has recently gotten better.

So here is what I told my daugther:If you can roll with the flow and hopefully find your place, then maybe nursing is for you. If you're willing to work holidays and crazy hours -then do it. And if you love people-all kinds- then do it. Do I make myself clear? probably not -just roll with it!!

magelio · Jan 4, 2002

Yes, I would encourage anybody interested. I feel that the individuals who feel upset, frustrated, and even hatred towards nursing should either exit the profession or find a different track within the profession. Do I get frustrated at work? Sure, I do--what worker doesn't? However, this doesn't mean that I hate nursing and wouldn't recommend it to anybody. I don't believe that there is a perfect profession; ask any attorney, teacher, broker, or mother. Nursing is a challenging career, especially now. I am up for the challenge and invite anyone interested to join me.