So after reading enough posts, I can't help but wonder..

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm a nursing student in progress, and my dad has been an RN for 17 years now, and he, as well as a vast majority of nurses that I am around on a daily basis at work more often than not tell me, if they could do it all over again, they wouldn't do nursing, and I've had some of them go as far as to try and talk me out of going to school for nursing. Even as I read various posts on here, I read about nurses saying if they could do it all over again, they would do something else. So my question to you nurses who may feel that way is, why?

Specializes in Peds Hem, Onc, Med/Surg.

I love what I do, I really do but its exhausting. You give and you give until you can't give anymore and for what? No one understands where you are coming from, some days you get the worst patients in the world, then you have awesome patients that pass a way and to top it off you get the regular stressors of work!?! Crappy schedule, mean managers, not so supportive co-workers, crazy administrators. All that for a measly thank you every now and then. Its really a love-hate relationship for me. Its like I gave up my life for this!?! Then I have that rare moment of clarity where its like oh this is why I am doing this. But those moments are very rare.

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Specializes in critical care; community health; psych.

My regret is that I should have become a nurse sooner when I was younger and leaner. Good God, so many opportunities are open to young nurses to become autonomous. CRNAs, nurse practitioners. Yeah, I just wish I did it sooner.

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

I love being a nurse. I wouldn't do any other job for all the money in the world. Yes, it is a lot of work. But, I have never been accused of being lazy, lol. (just bossy ;)

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My personal perspective is that nursing is hard work when done right. You are exhausted at the end of your shift, and it's rarely possible to leave work at work because the job is so stressful emotionally.

You don't have the perks alot of other professions offer. Breaks are short and sometimes you don't even get a break.

Nurses may be overweight and unhealthy, because food is grabbed from a vending machine or fast food joint and wolfed down quickly.

As with most things, education is the key. CNA's have little job security and harsher working conditions than LPN's, and up the ladder it goes. Get your nurse practitioners license and you'll probably be happier. You'll have the respect of your colleagues and likely get to choose a schedule that's convenient for you.

Your salary will be great.

In short, the higher demand you are, and the most educated you are, the better your situation can be.

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Specializes in LTC.

Nurses come on this site to vent. As a student I have not let these posts keep me from pursing my goal. Nursing will have its good and bad days, I'm sure of it... however I can't see myself in any other career than nursing.

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Specializes in Cardiac.

here's what i understand:

i understand that nursing is hard work. i understand that it's exhausting. i understand that it can be abusive and that patients, management, doctors, and unfortunately, other nurses can be the perpetrators of that abuse. i understand that often, the units are severly understaffed and nurses are severly underpaid.

the list just goes on and on and on...

here's what i don't understand:

i don't understand how some nurses allow themselves to be abused, belittled, and berated over and over again. this is a field that i went back to school for because of the unbelievable amount of opportunities.

i don't understand how when i speak with some rns it seems as though in their mind, hospital nursing is all that exists. on this site, i've raved over and over again about how many different areas of nursing exists out there (and i'm not talking about different areas/units of hospital nursing).

there's telenursing, rns that work for insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. there's crnas, nps, clinical nurse specialists, nurse researchers, nurses that work for the centers for disease control, the world health organization and the united nations; nurse educators, nurses that are entrepeneurs (they run their own staffing agencies or home health agencies), rns that are lawyers...

i mean the list just goes on and on...these are the benefits to getting into nursing. i guess i just don't understand the concept of feeling "stuck" in this field. the opportunities for fulfillment in this field are ridiculously endless. ofcourse i'm not saying that these other areas of nursing are perfect but, c'mon, we have choices! we're not powerless.

***if you got into this field because you wanted to help people but are unhappy about the sad reality of what you've found, don't fret...there are other areas in nursing besides hospital nursing***

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so this is the first time i've gotten on today since i posted this, and after reading all of your posts, well, first i would probably quote something from every post lol:yeah: but i won't, so i'm just going to summarize.

but let me say this, believeallispossible, your post is almost identical to how i feel. about everything. i too was an A & B student in high school, general studies in college same, A's & B's, but that stopped there. I have done nothing but bang my head against a wall for 2+ years now. Right before i graduated high school, my dad took me to work and let me shadow some of his co-workers, just so at least i could get a taste of nursing and to see if i would like it. and i did. i loved it. i still do love it. it's my passion. but before he did that, i was on pace to go to college for my journalism degree. that is my only other passion, as far as a career goes, and it's something that i know i'm good at, and have always been good at. it's funny, just the other night, one of the many nights i have felt so discouraged with nursing, i pulled out some of the articles i had written back in high school and i couldn't help but wonder "what if"... but i digress, lol.

also, believe, i am in the same boat when you say you have friends graduating with a 4 year degree next year. i do too. a ton. and i sit back and think, 'how in the hell...' it makes me reflect on just what have I PERSONALLY accomplished? not a whole hell of a lot.

going from being an A student to struggling like I have has taken a toll on me mentally, emotionally, going from the top and free falling to the bottom now. not that i expected ANY of this to come easy. it's supposed to be a challenge. you want to weed out the "bad" ones, so to speak. but i mean, where do we draw the line? it's to the point now that it's discouraging young future nurses like myself and others from even wanting to pursue this.

i LOVE nursing with all of my heart, every ounce of me, but i'm really beginning to wonder if it's even worth it.

and summersent, you're right. i have been listening to my dad. he is burnt out. physically, mentally, emotionally. he's been an ICU nurse for 17 years now, and maybe it's because he hasn't really done much of anything else but ICU, but idk. i think what he's feeling he would begin to feel in any other part. i can't tell you how often he'll call me after work and i can just hear it in his voice. he's spent. it's taken it's toll on him, to the point now where i don't even think he enjoys it. he has his routine there, and now i think it's just going through the motions. he says to pursue whatever i want, but i can hear it in his voice, i think deep down he feels the same way as some of the posters on here and other nurses i have met along the way.. do something else now, while you're young and have the chance. :smackingf:

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One criteria that runs through nursing is that you need that "1 to 2 years clinical experience" to move into other areas. Without it chances are slim moving into another area and even if you are well connected. I got into medical sales after nursing school and it was a great position at the time, now that I want to move into a different area other than sales , such as research, I dont have that 1 year experience, most of my cohorts have done their year and have successfully moved into other areas and are elgibile for certification in their areas.

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Specializes in Med Surg, Specialty.

TheFuture2010,

I think you need to do it because you will always wonder if you didn't. Most of us need to see for ourselves. Some people are lucky and not only find their niche in nursing but also find a company that has good and supportive working conditions. My experiences have been poor working conditions in hospitals and good working conditions outside of hospitals. Maybe I've just had bad luck when it comes to hospitals, I don't know.

Nursing school is difficult mainly for the sheer amount of time that it takes to study for the classes. Hospital nursing is difficult because of chronic understaffing. While I love what I do, I am not always able to do it and sometimes feel the situation is unsafe because I am overwhelmed with very sick patients. That is the part that bothers me the most, when the situation is unsafe and management knows and doesn't care. Like Eriksoln said, it is about the money for them.

Why don't people stand up against bad working conditions? Well, at least currently, they are afraid of losing their jobs - they explicitly say if they complain to management they'll be fired. I've spoken up about some of the poor conditions in the hospital to management, and for the most part I have been ignored, but I have been given a talking to about how I need to be more positive.

I love being able to intervene so much with patients though. It really is love hate, at least in the hospital.

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