What I love about nursing

nursecher · Nov 5, 2006

Ok, the thread about how nurses hate nursing and that we're depressing made me want to start one about why we like what we do. Please, if you don't have anything positive to contribute - don't add negatives.
What I love about my job:
1 - I love the flexibility of nursing. When I was pregnant with my oldest (now 19), I had a full time school nurse position, a dream job for most nurses. I quit that job to go back to work three evenings a week, including every other weeekend, because I wanted to be home with my kids as much as possible. It helped my husband become a very involved dad, helped me earn an income and be home as much as possible.
2 - I love the flexibility of moving about within the profession. I've worked in medicine, ICU, private, school, rehab, and many others. I'm now in palliative care. I love that I can move to another areas if I get tired of or don't like anymore the area in which I work.
3 - I love that I will always be needed. When I went into nursing in 1978, I didn't go in because I wanted to save people, or anything like that. I chose nursing because I knew that no matter how involved our lives get, how technological the world gets, we will always need nurses.
4 - I love palliative care nursing. In all the years of nursing, I have found the one I really, really like. I love being able to help patients in their final days. I love being able to help families cope with their impending loss. I love the satisfaction of knowing that I finally helped get a patient's pain under control. I love talking to a frightened patient in the middle of the night, to see him or her relax enough to finally go to sleep.
5 - I love the wonderful people I've met throughout my career. Sure, I've met some I'd rather not ever spend time with again, but for every person like that I meet, there are many more who I was so lucky to spend time with.
Sure, there are things about nursing that I really don't like. But there are things about many things in my life that I don't like. Nursing is not a dream job. There are problems and issues that need to be dealt with. But, it is the profession that has allowed me to touch many lives. It has allowed me to use that knowledge and convert it and use it to further my medical writing *and* remain an active nurse at the same time.
If I could live my life over again, I would not change my choice of nursing. I may change approaches I've taken to it, but I would not change my choice. My choice of nursing has brought me to my oldest and dearest friend (we met in college), my husband (we met through a nursing friend of mine), and many of the things I enjoy in life right now.
I am sorry that many nurses are not happy, that they work in less than desirable circumstances or that they just made the wrong choice. But I hardly believe that I am the only one who is not sorry that he or she chose nursing as a career and a profession.

I am a nursing student and I just wanted to say "Thank you" for posting this. It is very refreshing to hear all of the things that you have said. I think alot of people do not realize that there are bad things about every job. It is up to the person to focus on the bad or the good. You are very inspiring.

NCVegRN · Nov 5, 2006

Clemm - I am just getting started in my nursing career, but you have mirrored a lot of my reasons. It is truly a dynamic profession with so many options. I had a career before nursing and know that most jobs have their share of negatives. It was up to me if I focused on those aspects or the positives. I learned when more days than not all I saw was negative, it was time for me to move on. In nursing there are so many avenues to take if that happens. I am getting into Critical Care now and could see myself doing nurse education in the future. The options are limitless!

RachieH · Nov 5, 2006

Thank you Clemm! I doubt a monsoon could knock me off my intended path to becoming a nurse, but it does get a little discouraging reading about all the negatives.

That being said, I do appreciate this forum as a way for nurses to vent. Some of the vent/ethical issue threads have opened my eyes and made me think about situations and how they were handled. I admit to a bit of starry-eyes about the whole thing so it's good to keep it in perspective.

MrsMommaRN · Nov 5, 2006

i am a nursing student about to graduate in may and love this post.

what i love about the thought of nursing is the the fact that i can care for someone that may not have anyone that cares about them. i also have a captive audience that i can educate. these may be naieve ideations of nursing but these are some of the things that brought me to the profession.

muffie, RN · Nov 5, 2006

i love nursing

my job

my coworkers

allnurses

cats

the world

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 5, 2006

Nice post. :)

TazziRN, RN · Nov 5, 2006

I love making a difference. Last year I had a 3-year-old patient sent from the clinic for a stat heat CT because of headaches and unsteady gait. She had a brain tumor. We had her at Stanford within hours and she had surgery the next morning. MONTHS later a man came in with a minor complaint, accompanied by his wife and little girl. That little girl pulled on my shirt, gave me the SWEETEST grin and threw her arms around me. We really hadn't done much compared to Stanford, but her mother was so grateful about the emotional support I gave her that she kept talking to her daughter about "that nurse that helped us."

JentheRN05, RN · Nov 5, 2006

I love everything I do as a nurse.

From keeping dying patients out of pain, and comfortable to the end.

To finding the right mix of medications (of course with doctors orders) and the patient telling me she feels better than she has in years!

To having a someone grouchy alzheimers patient (whom I personally took in and got diagnosed and put on medication) who finally started talking to me instead of ignoring me. Seeing the difference the medication has made in her, and everyone has noticed.

The 'Thank-yous' I get from all of my patients for 'taking such good care of me'

The - 'your the best nurse we've had here' from staff members who have been there for 20+ years.

Feeling of being needed for those calls in the middle of the night - yes those are important, even though disturbing, they are important.

Showing emotional support to other residents when a 'family member' aka other resident passed away. Just being there was enough.

Being able to correct a problem such as diarrhea which was spreading rapidly, using both medicinal and herbal medications.

Hmmmm.... right now I can't think of anything I don't love about my job as a nurse - for once in my career :)

All_Smiles_RN · Nov 5, 2006

Making a difference...

Not only in our pt's lives, but in the lives of their family. I had a 50ish male pt have a stroke in his frontal and parietal lobes... affected his personality greatly; making him very hostile and aggressive as well as problems with short term memory. When he was out for a test, I had time to talk with his wife who was putting on such a strong front. Letting her know that I cared and that she had someone to talk to... Reminding her to take care of herself as well. I think reaching out to the family members is so very important.

My end stage COPD'er.... the sweetest little elderly man. I watched him go from a NC to a non-rebreather. He was so anxious... Sitting by his side and holding his hand, just letting him know that someone was there... Other nurses then being assigned him on other nights were having increasing difficulty with him taking his mask off and his sats dropping dangerously low... I'd go and sit with him throughout my night shift and just hold his hand so that he'd calm down.

I love nursing for these reasons. I love showing people that I care and that I understand. It's not all about the paperwork and the tasks. The element of human comfort goes such a long way in someone's journey either to recovery or down the final road.

ragingmomster, BSN, MSN, RN · Nov 5, 2006

I can be having the worst day at work and if one patient just says thank you, or looks at me like I made a difference - I start to cry.

Tearing up now just thinking about it.

Makes me feel like I got that one thing right in the world today.

Epona · Nov 5, 2006

Clemm... hi.. what type of medical writing do you do??