Is nursing worth it?

[RainbowHead]

Hi, I've been obsessed with thinking about what I want to do after high school and even though I keep wandering out and researching different careers I always find myself looking back at nursing. If I decide to go this route, it would be easy for me to get into because I can be a CNA and work towards getting into nursing school right here at my state college in town. But from all that I've read about nursing it seems like very few nurses like their job and that concerns me.

I've been told that I have a colorful personality. I know for a fact that I always put others before myself and I always have a sense of pride doing acts of kindness for my loved ones. I also don't seem to mind doing the dirty work that everyone else seems to dislike. I'm just afraid that I will turn out to be a bad apple who hates her job if I choose this profession like many other nurses.

So from your experience, how has it affected you and your life? Is it worth it?

[TopsDrop, RN]

It is very hard to tell someone else if it's worth it. Most people honestly have no clue what a typical bedside nurse has to put up with on a daily basis, including probably yourself. I personally feel getting your CNA and starting "at the bottom" is the best way to go, that way you get introduced to the very basics of nursing. That's what I did. It won't necessarily make you a good or bad nurse if you don't, but at least it gives you an idea of if nursing is something you can do, and jump starts your assessment abilities.

You have to take a lot of the posts on here with a grain of salt. People come here to vent because only other nurses can truly understand, and relate, to the frustrations in this field. I don't think many nurses are as bitter as some of the posts make it seem.

I personally love my job. There are a TON of things that drive me nuts about it, but I really do enjoy my work. It's challenging and always different every day. There are days I want to scream (like yesterday) and days where I really feel like I accomplished something to actually improve my patients well being; whether it be in education or helping to improve, or take their mind off their symptoms.

Get your CNA, it's a great college job anyway. Do a lot of research and shadow some nurses and see if it's what you really want to do.