new guy, nursing as a career, input plz

1. Hello! New guy here...finally a nursing board with more than 14 members.
   
   Anyways im a 23/m/canadian and considering nursing as a career and entering my first year introductory courses in july. Intended on Physical education but nursing seems more interesting. Why i finally decided to take nursing?
   
   -demand
   -interest in human anatomy
   -co-workers and classmates will mostly be female
   -pay seems good (lots of ppl disagree from what ive read)
   43 grand for new grads over here
   - medical/surgery looks like a lot of fun
   
   I'd like to know how nursing has been to you, how you found nursing school and what books or areas would your recommend for me to read ahead? I need an edge. No sugar coating plz, straight honest answers wanted.
2. 

   About nurse_gigolo69

   Joined: Mar '02; Posts: 19

   42 Comments

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3. 
   Mar 6, '02

   Originally posted by nurse_gigolo69
   Hello! New guy here...finally a nursing board with more than 14 members.
   
   
   I'd like to know how nursing has been to you, how you found nursing school and what books or areas would your recommend for me to read ahead? I need an edge. No sugar coating plz, straight honest answers wanted.

   
   Welcome to the group!! I too like this nursing board d/t the amount of people that post.
   
   As far as nursing school goes, I enjoyed it, I didn't find it as tough as some made it out to be (don't get that comment wrong, it was hard, but some made it seem impossible). I don't have any tips for reading ahead other then when you do get the books required for class....thumb through them to see what is what in them. I found audio taping class was a help, I could listen to the tapes in my car on the way to classes or to clinicals. I even taped myself reading my notes and explaining them, and would listen to them in the car. Just whatever you do, daily allow yourself a few minutes of "you" time, just relaxing or having fun.
   
   
   Good luck! And once again WELCOME! :chuckle
4. 
   Mar 6, '02

   I don't know. My feet hurt so bad, I don't want to get up. Yes my job is interesting. Its hard though. My DH got a 4 yrs BS in Comp. Science, makes more than me, sets his own hours, wears whatever he wants,gets every weekend off, every holiday off, no stress, not much work to do, takes leisurely walks at work every day, I could go on and on. gets to earn overtime by working at home, paid travel to take classes. and he says he is vastly underpaid compared to his colleages in private industry. (gov. worker) Ohh I feel so sorry for him.
   
   Me-hours suck, Working full time you will work holiday rotation, everyother weekend. Subsist on graham crackers and juice. Somedays you wont go to the bathroom. Families will harrasse you. I don't mind helping clean up incontinent pt, but sometimes it really stinks. The morgue is not my favorite place to go. Knowing what I know now, I really don't think I would want my daughters becoming a nurse. I want them to haav e normal familly life, nursing really can be stressfull on a family. No I'm not burned out. I love my job. I have a new job , my feet still hurt but at least my back and shoulders don't hurt anymore. I couldn't be anything else but a nurse...... but I still can't help but wish that I could be something else like a comp. scientist
5. 
   Mar 7, '02

   Don't forget things like "hurricane" rotations. New one for me. Nurses can't usually up and run during emergencies. Makes for an exciting and useful life. Good luck in your endeavors ! It's a tough road but in the end, with all the difficulties associated with nursing, I still have days where I come home exhausted but feeling great because I made a huge difference in someones' life. (translates; they ARE alive because of the nursing staff, myself included) Nothing quite like it. Take good care of yourself, read a lot,exercise, eat well, read a lot, have fun and work like the dickens ....oh yeah, and read alot. I still read everything I can get my hands on. You'll do great!

   Last edit by Furball on Mar 7, '02
6. 
   Mar 7, '02

   Hmm, Gigolo, I don't know quite what to say here and maybe I'm misunderstanding some of your post...like the part about enjoying being around females and enjoying anatomy? Are you being lighthearted here? (you will make a great target for a sexual harassment suit on the job if you aren't careful....)
   
   My two cents: Our profession is a lot of hard work and dedication for few rewards, which is why most men do not gravitate there. There is a nursing shortage for many reasons. The men that do go into nursing seem to gravitate towards the 'high tech, high action' areas such as ER and ICU. I've worked with some great critical care guys and it can be a rewarding career for a man.
   
   There is not a great deal of external respect for what we do, unfortunately; we do it for humanitarian/intrinsic reasons. It is a caring profession with personal rewards, but we are just an expensive workforce to today's hospital management team and they push us past our limits and take advantage of our compassion, IMO. We fight with management for safe staffing ratios and a decent work environment, pay and benefits. Unionized nurses in particular are making great strides here.
   
   Physically, men do seem to handle the workload more easily. Most older female nurses I know have bad backs, knees, arthritis, etc. The tense hectic environment (we are responsible for lives)with heavy, immobile patients take it's toll over 25 years. The guys' upper body strength seems to keep them healthier in this respect.
   
   If you're truly interested I say go for it and best wishes, but don't be deluded; it ain't just flirtin' with the girls...
7. 
   Mar 7, '02

   A majority of the women in my class are married, with children. (out of 80 seats in the class, I am one of the three other guys!)The friendly nurse mind set could be a disillusion. You start coming on with a carefree additude and the married nurse might resent that, and not tell you. Some people might take your light-heartness as an attack on them, and attack back with a brand of mean-heartedness you may not have experienced yet. Everyone has a reason for wanting to become a nurse. For some it's a "calling" and for others it's a job. Keep your additude in check. Many nurses may be juggling their own $family$ alone, with daycare stress or whatever. Being friendly and meeting people could be the furthest thing on their mind. You come on with "gigolo" and you may be insulting, without realizing it. And, if you are single, many of the women may fear that yule be trying to pick up on them, and shut you down by default. Save your strength for the academics of nursing, and put the socialization with students on the back burner, on warm.
8. 
   Mar 7, '02

   Oh - and of course - good luck. Don't give up, and expect to learn a great deal. Nursing school will present unique challenges for everyone. Congratulations! I think you made an excellent career choice!
9. 
   Mar 7, '02

   I personally think, that some of you need to lighten up, hes just being funny when he says, "cute girls"....you know that he isn't gonna just be a nurse for that reason, by the way, 50% of the nursing population is old women, so if ya like old women,..........no insult here, but just sayin'................and you can see some of them are pretty grouchy on here...........not all ............but some.........cant take a joke.........I SAY GO FOR IT......think positive and positive things will come your way, and if it wasn't meant to be, then something else will be on down the road! Good Luck in your endeavors...........kellie
10. 
    Mar 7, '02

    We "met" him last night on chat. Hmmmm is all I can say. Good luck J. if this is what you want. Study hard.
11. 
    Mar 7, '02

    50% of the nurse population is old women, eh, Kellie?? I think it's a tad more than that actually and we are the ones you'll see in charge of a short staffed unit plus new grads to spoon feed. Think about that for a moment please before you insult us.
    
    And believe me, if you or a loved one are ever in the ICU with a MI or just had a CABG or AAA with complications, you better hope you get one of those "old nurses" like me to save your life.
    
    And I am not grouchy, sweetie, just tired...and realistic. And after 25 years I THINK I am entitled to speak of my profession as well as the good and bad of it. We aren't gonna get new recruits of any caliber by sugar coating our profession, IMHO. And since he asked for input, I gave him just that. I'll step off my "old grouchy nurse" podium now. (with applause following from the 'peanut gallery, I'm sure...LOL )
12. 
    Mar 7, '02

    MattsMom
    
    YOU GO GIRL!!
    
    from another "OLD" nurse not necessarily grumpy (at least not ALL the time)
13. 
    Mar 7, '02

    Mattsmom81, you go -- ol' gal! :roll :chuckle
    
    I'm in the same crowd of "ol' biddies" as that youngun is talkin' bout, so I'll hobble on off to bed now fer I get perty darn upset e-nuf' to crack her on the buttocks! :chuckle Night ya'll! Can't cha' just hear these ol' knees a creakin' as I hobble on down the hallway towards me bed? Oh, my! Hep me, Lord, hep me! :zzzzz :zzzzzzzzz
    
    
    "I've learned that the best education one can ever receive is at the feet of an elderly person!" (Paraphrased form an Andy Rooney quote) :kiss

    Last edit by live4today on Mar 7, '02
14. 
    Mar 7, '02

    ok
    
    Im sure its obvious im a total newbie here, but thats why im here. I need to soak up some info before i start in 7 months, maybe this site can help. On a serious note, i've had a neighbor ive known all my life, helped mow here lawn, groceries etc and in the hospitol visiting her i felt "a need to be needed" maybe its cause i know her or what not, but it seemed right. Im getting ALOT of slack from my friends for my career choice and i seem to be the attention of ridicule for not picking a "masculine" job title, but im still going for it. . Dont take my nickname personally, its simply a joke, im a youngblood and a bigkid with a big heart .
    
    Can anyone recommend any books, sites, magazines etc for me to read ahead? I dont wanna be to overwhelmed when i start.

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