Remember why you became a nurse...

Nurses General Nursing

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Hey, everyone!

I just wanted to say that I've noticed that a lot of these posts are just b****ing and moaning. I get it; believe me! I'm not a nurse, but I am currently in school. As you all know, nursing and nursing school is NOT a walk in the park. But, I'd like to say something.

I just want everyone to reflect on all of the great times we get to have as nurses/nursing students, along with the bad. Yes, sometimes our days are total crap, but in our profession, we have the ability to help people when they're at their worst and not many (if any) other people in other professions can say the same. Take a look at how lucky we are and don't forget the reason that you went into nursing in the first place.

The reason that I'm going into nursing has a lot to do with my dad and my aunt. Both of them acquired AIDS from blood transfusions due to their hemophilia. My dad spent 6 weeks in the ICU with feeding tubes and anything else you can think of before he passed away. My aunt died 6 weeks after my father. Her death was speedy and I'm eternally thankful that it was. I have yet to meet someone that was as caring as my aunt. She always told my grandparents that when she died she didn't want us to put flowers on her grave, but to spend the money on a toy for a kid that couldn't get it otherwise.

When I was little, my mom always told me that she was sure that "Aunt Sally was taking care of all of the babies in heaven that didn't have their mommies around".

Being an only child and only grandchild, I spent most of my childhood in hospitals and spending the day watching my grandma give injections to my dad and aunt at the kitchen table. I read a ridiculous amount of Highlights magazines.

Every time I look at a patient in a hospital bed, I think of my dad and my aunt. I don't look at them and reflect with grief; rather I look at them as someone else's dad or aunt. I want the best care for them.

In a few months, I will start working in the same hospital that my father died in 18 years ago. The thing I will be thinking about the most isn't the memories of my father's death, but the care I will be giving to my patients.

I hope you all will think of patient care the same way. Remember, no matter how crappy your day is and no matter how much you hate nursing for a split second or longer, think of those people in the beds. Think of why you became a nurse.

Love you all. Thank you for all of the advice that you give me on a DAILY basis. I respect you all so much!

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Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

What an inspiring post! I'm so sorry for your loss, very tragic. You sound like you will be a very caring nurse, and because of your experience, most likely non-judgmental, since your family members acquired AIDS in an atypical way (this is not implying that one should judge anyone at all). That probably taught you at an early age to look at the whole picture, and never judge people. Even those that are drug-addicted, and exhaust your time as a nurse since they are going through withdrawal, they need compassion, as well, especially since you just might be the only person that treats them with respect. (This does not mean that you can't have a firm voice at times; you definitely need to set limits, but every patient deserves quality, compassionate care).

I love being a nurse! I have been a nurse for only 1.5 years, but I love it for the reasons you mention. I'm an ICU nurse, and I love the attention I'm able to give patients, as well as the "rush" that happens from time to time, and the nurses I work with are awesome, and have a good sense of humor. While the hours can be tough on a social life, it's a very rewarding profession, and you learn to make your hours count at home that you do have. For instance, I work tonight, so I napped when I was tired, and now I'm cleaning so that I won't have as much cleaning on my weekend off :).

Best of luck to you! I hope that you find an area of nursing that you enjoy! (but learn to enjoy an area that may not be a great fit for you at first; I worked in a different area that was not my dream prior to ICU, but those patients needed care, and that's what kept me going).

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Specializes in none.

We never stop thinking of the patients in that bed or of the other that someday you might take the reads,"...and dedicate myself to those placed within my care." We, that walk the halls as nurses, ***** because Nursing is a back & spirit braking job. Sometimes it has crazy rules and we have to vent this somehow and so this board give us that opportunity.

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Specializes in LTC and School Health.

What a great post. I advise you to print this out, so before you come on AN to B%&^* and moan you'll have this to read.

We come here to vent. I don't see it as how you described.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

If you don't like vent threads, don't read them. Maybe the "Student" forum might suit you better.

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Specializes in Acute Mental Health.

I remember getting into health care to help people. As a CNA, I did so much with pt's, as a LPN in LTC, I ran all night stuffing pills and doing tx, as a RN now, I spend my time charting and asking if so and so did such and such. Seems like the higher your degree, the more you get paid, the less time you see pts, and the more reponsibility you have. I still love my job, but coming here to vent or read vents can be comforting and allows me to go on. Most of us feel the need to vent and also get support along the way. We can do that here and not many other places.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

definitely, your post is like a breath of fresh air, i just hope that you don't lose this vision, even on those hard days at work... wishing you the very best on all of your future endeavors...aloha~

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Allnurses is big enough for everyone---from idealistic students to new grads to grizzled veterans. There's a place for all of us at this table and it's great that we can sample anything that looks good to us from the bountiful buffet offered here. Some items may not be quite to our tastes, while others draw us back for seconds and thirds....but the variety just can't be beat. =)

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Oh, I remember. I am still very appreciative of the nurse-patient relationship.

30 years in and still enjoy taking care of people.

Just don't appreciate the b.s. inserted by administration to regulatory agencies to lawyers.

They have added so much to my overloaded plate that ...

that very relationship is nigh on to impossible.

Best of luck in your career. I hope working conditions improve in your generation.

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

i prefer to call it sharing and decompressing.

i'm curious to know why you think the cardboard cutout person that an online forum represents is an indication of their attitude about all things in life, or that it means we've forgotten why we became a nurse?

we're all multi-dimensional people. if you could actually see and talk to someone you perceive to be spouting meaningless noise you might come to a different conclusion. even if you decide otherwise, a burnt-out nurse is a person in pain who really needs to reach out.

i spent an evening reading through some of this thread a while back. maybe it would be of interest to you, too.

[color=#2f4f4f]what's your story? why did you take up nursing?

https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/whats-your-story-346920.html

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Hey, everyone!

I just wanted to say that I’ve noticed that a lot of these posts are just b****ing and moaning. I get it; believe me! I’m not a nurse, but I am currently in school.

I beg to differ. Being a nursing student is nothing like being a nurse.

I love my job. I love what I do. I routinely care for patients who inspire me or pull on my heart strings or who I think about long after they've stopped being in my care. I feel like I do work that is important to society which was a major need for me. I am proud of my growing confidence and skill as a baby nurse.

AND: I have bad days and frustrating situations that I need to vent about. I have patients it takes every ounce of willpower I possess to remain professional with. I generally use my coworkers for that but sometimes I need outside perspective and some things I want to shield my family from. My need to occasionally whine, complain, and process in no way effects the care I give to my patients nor does it reflect my overall love for the profession.

I find it frustrating to read tons of other people's vents too sometimes, so what I do in that situation is skip over the vent threads or take a break from AN. I trust that the folks posting the vent threads are in touch with why they went in to nursing and if they are not, I recognize that it's not my job to "help" them with a pep talk that dismisses their experiences.

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Specializes in Cardiology and ER Nursing.

I'm doing it because my parents said I couldn't do it and even if I could I wouldn't be very good at it. Why else do people do things?

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