I think I might hate nursing

Nurses General Nursing

Published

As of right now I'm still just a CNA. I've been moving along pretty smoothly with my experience as a CNA. I began my career in a LTC facility and before the first year was over I acquired my CNA2 certificate which helped me to land a job in a hospital part time. As of today I am still working both my LTC job and on the med-surg unit at the hospital and I plan to pick up shifts in other units like ICU and PACU so that I might have a more well-rounded experience in the nursing world. The thing is I have already become bored with both of these jobs. I always feel like I'm busy at the expense of being productive, like my body is in motion but my brain is asleep.

I thought that maybe once I become a nurse, hopefully after nursing school, that I would have more to think about and to focus on but as I watch the nurses I work with it seems that mostly what they do is pass meds and do whatever to fill the time in between med passes. Even in the hospital I see nurses on their phones playing Candy Crush once they have all their tasks finished. :D

I've also met quite a few nurses, young and old, who are tired of nursing. Some of them even hold other part time jobs so that they don't have to pick up more shifts in the facility.

So I guess what I'm asking is; is there more to nursing than just passing meds?

Feel free to correct me where I'm wrong and I hope I haven't offended any nurses. I'm on this forum to learn so I appreciate any feedback anyone has to offer.

Thank you all.

Nursing is a very broad field with very many types of jobs. Like all jobs it has its plusses and minuses which is why we get paid every two weeks. Personally I think its a great career. It has taken me from being an aide to graduating from my NP studies in about 15 years. It's like many jobs / careers and is what the individual makes of it. Have I been around nurses who ignore there patients, complain constantly and play on their phones while ignoring their patients? U Betcha!!! I've also been around incredibly dedicated professionals who seek to help, look for solutions instead of perseverating on the same problems over and over again and have grown in their careers? Absolutely. At the end of the day the choice is up to the individual to grow in their career and seek a fulfilling position. Happiness is the responsibility of each individual adult. In my experience nurses often get stuck in jobs / life's that they hate and simply complain about the situation instead of doing something about it. Don't be one of them as we got too many already

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Sour Lemon,

I didn't really mean to make it sound like I had the impression that CNAs did all the work while the nurses sat around. I think I have a hard time explaining my thoughts through writing, especially in these online forums.

I know it's true that I really only see a small amount of what the nurses actually do and the rest might be a mystery to me.

I've been privileged to work with nurses who are gracious enough to help me a lot of my CNA tasks, like turning, changing, and bathing patients, in addition to all that they have to do.

Teamwork is a huge aspect of nursing that I am thankful to have.

The "nurses sitting around" was my own impression as a student. I'm just saying that things aren't always what they seem.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Peds, Education, Infection Control.

Excuse you, I play Township.

...kidding. I do play it, but when I'm working the floors, I'd only ever have time to do that on my break...if I GOT a break.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am currently hoping to get a position as a phone nurse. I would not be able to do this without my RN degree so with that, nursing can offer you many options in terms of the positions you work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

There is a whole lot more to nursing than passing meds. And passing meds itself might take some work at times, especially if you have a patient with dysphagia, or any other kind of swallowing alterations.

You have to do assessments, blood glucose checks, vital signs, titrate drips (on some floors), wound care, tube feedings, trach suctioning/cleaning, discharges, admissions, transfers, dealing with new orders, reporting changes in status, etc., and it varies depending on where you work.

I very rarely get to check my phone. I only look for a split second, then go back to work.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Nurses do a heck of a lot more than pass meds though like mentioned above that does take some thinking and work too. You have to be able to focus and do math!

If you think you hate it now maybe its better to find something you love. What else do you love?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wondern, thanks for reaching out. As I said before I appreciate everyone's input. It's hard to say what I really love to do. All I know is that I need to choose a career path fast and nursing seems to be the most logical thing to do. I do know that I have to be mentally engaged in order to get any fulfillment from what I do. I'm also a very hands-on person so I enjoy doing things physically as well as having to think things through.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in CVICU, MICU, Burn ICU.

Haven't read through all the comments, but just wanted to say there are plenty of areas in nursing where you get to do physical work and use your brain at the same time. We don't use CNA's in our ICU (a lot don't, I think). I go home exhausted after every shift. I don't stop moving with the exception of charting -- ALL care is given by nurses. As a CNA you have experience with that. What you don't have experience with is how nurses have to be critically thinking through everything that happens with their patients. If those patients are very ill -- there is MUCH to sort through. I work in a place where I need to know the science of what is happening in front of me, because while I'm not the physician, the physicians and the rest of the team expect the nurses to have input and help shape the plan of care. This could be anything from should we culture this or that, or check that level, or change that drug to this drug or get a consult to how should we best position the patient for lung recruitment and is it OK for MR. Smith to have ice cream?

1. Not all nurses function the same. Skills and expertise need to match the patient population/area of specialty. You may have worked in an area where (observation-wise)nurses primarily pass meds. Those areas exist. If that is the case for you, you have a whole world of nursing opportunity ahead of you that you just haven't seen yet.

2. You might consider shadowing a nurse in an area you think you might someday be interested in working. This might give you some more food for thought.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

As an LPN all I do is pass meds in nursing homes. I did the same exact thing as an RA in assisted living homes. A TMA does the exact same thing as me I just can do some treatments as well and get paid more.

I hate it. Right now I'm battling scabies because I fainted from heat at an interview at a nursing home (my butt was the only thing to touch the ground) and ended up catching it from the carpet or the staff chair I sat in afterwards. They had JUST discovered it had affected half of their residents and some staff and were starting treatment THAT NIGHT.

I'm trying to get a job elsewhere (non nursing related) but it's basically impossible at the moment until I get these scabies under control. And all because this nursing home cared more about getting workers asap then actually caring about their workers and residents and potential workers (seriously, how hard is it to give some warning or rescheduling for a job shadow?).

I'm in serious debt from nursing school, have no full time job, no benefits, no health insurance, the part time job I do have I can't go back to until I'm no longer contagious and I'm running out of money on these treatments (permethrin, neem, ivermectin) as well as living expenses. I'm 25 and I've had to live quarantined in my parent's basement until further notice. All because I can get paid about five dollars more an hour to do a job I've been doing for the past four years without any need for school. My sister was making more at a grocery deli with almost no salary cap and raises about twice a year than I can as an LPN.

I was even taught at my school how to do everything an RN can do (which was grueling) only to be turned away from jobs because when they give me an emergency scenario I answer like an RN instead of like an LPN, who by the way is just supposed to say, "I need to get the RN".

I understand this isn't everyone's experience but as an LPN I: get yelled at by angry staff, patients and family members as I'm running around like mad trying to pass meds to 30 residents at a time (often without a TMA or CNA to help), do treatments and followups, take care of all my diabetics in a 15 minute window by myself, chart, communicate with doctors, send residents into the ER, deal with lazy staff who sit on their phones, miss all of my breaks, get nitpicked to death by other nurses and give report to staff that want to sit and talk for over an hour. And then get yelled at by the building's executive director for passing on to them issues that were reported to us by resident's family members-like everything is the Nursing Department's fault.

All I wanted to do was help people and earn a living. Now I can't do either. I'm getting out of nursing with all the sanity I have left. It takes a strong I-won't-take-****-borderline-military attitude to be a nurse and I just don't have it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Katbug,

Aww, wow! I'm so sorry to hear about your misfortune! I really hope you find something you like to do better or perhaps a better nursing job. Whichever you want most. I have to say that despite the rant I opened up this topic with I have actually had a very good experience in both my jobs. It is true that I feel a bit discouraged from going into nursing but overall I've been having a pretty good run.

I really hope that you get your health back soon and get onto something you really love doing. :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

They have time to play candy crush ?. If I was a nurse at that hospital , I would be bored out of my mind too that , I would have started helping out the CNAS just to pass the time .

I can't believe places like this exist because, when I did clinical for my CNA course at the hospital and nursing home those nurses never took a break .

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If you're basing your decision on how other nurses act and feel about nursing than no you shouldn't become a nurse.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment