Confused LPN Student

Lisa CCU RN, RN · Jan 16, 2007

Do what you want to do.

Every job has stressors. I guess woking with people's lives is a little more stressful.

I'm not sure why some people get into nursing and then complain. Then again, there are few people who don't complain about their jobs.

My mom is a cafeteria manager and she complains, I know teachers who complain about their jobs. When I worked at fast food places and warehouses, I complained.

Go with your heart.

If you want to know about the differences in nursing distinctions, browse through the threads.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2007

hi, pinkchanel17!

i've been an rn for 31 years. i went into it with no nursing experience except what i heard my mom say about her experiences at home. she was an lvn (same as an lpn). is it crazy? well, there were days when the defecation hit the ventilation at work, but what business doesn't have those? stressful? yes. you are dealing with people in all shapes, sizes and personalities and trying to do your best to not only please everyone, but to do the right things by each and every one of them. do you have kids? are they stressful? have you ever been to a family gathering where you know there are people there that don't get along very well? is that stressful? life is filled with stress. i have to say that my days at work were not all stressful. there were a few times when it got a bit hairy, but then doesn't that happen everywhere? the thing is that you are trained to deal with it. you work on strategies to cope with it. those that can't handle it leave the profession. and, a lot of people are still working in it, so they must not have the same complaint. you need to question the motives of people who are nurses and are telling you these things. if the people who are telling you these things are not nurses, they don't understand the profession. if the people who are telling you these things used to be nurses, they got out of the profession because they don't know how to cope with stress in the first place. nothing irks me more than my own colleagues who trash our profession. they've got a few loose screws. and, that's what i have to say about that!

most people go into nursing because we have to. there is something within us that makes us want to help others for no other reason than we just want to help. we aren't looking for pats on the back and kudos, although when they do come they do make us feel awfully good. there is something spiritual about doing this work that pulls you into it. now, that said, those are the lofty ideals. there is also the practicality of it. check out this thread:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/day-life-registered-nurse-185298.html - a day in the life of a registered nurse thread on general nursing discussion forum

i'm listing some websites for you to do some reading. you will find information about what the profession of nursing is like, information about what an lpn and rn does, how to become a nurse and the last link is a very well-known site sponsored by johnson & johnson called discovernursing.com where you can get oodles of information about the profession of nursing.

as a new member of allnurses, i'd also like to let you know that you can get information that will be of help to you in completing your assignments and in helping you to understand things you might be having trouble learning at school here on the student forums. you can always search for old threads to find information at well. here's where you can find a list of all the nursing student forums: https://allnurses.com/forums/f196/ welcome to allnurses! :welcome:

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/majors_careers/45263.html - "ten questions to ask yourself" about nursing and if it might be right for you

http://nursing.about.com/od/becomeanurse/bb/beforenurse.htm - "before you decide to become a nurse". things to consider about being a nurse. lots of links to information about what skills you need to become a nurse. and, what if you're really bad at math and science is discussed.

http://nursing.about.com/od/becomeanurse/a/notforeveryone.htm - "nursing is not for everyone". this is a very down to earth and honest article that broadly discusses what a nurse does and what you can expect on the job as a nurse.

http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos102.htm - about lpn nursing from the u.s. department of labor

http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos083.htm - about registered nursing from the u.s. department of labor

http://www.awhonn.org/ncc/student.htm - a very nice information page from the association of women's health, obstetric and neonatal nurses on being a nurse, salary you can expect to make, types of nursing degrees, nursing specialties with weblinks to some of the major professional nursing organizations, the nurse reinvestment act, and some information and how to search for scholarships and financial aid.

http://www.discovernursing.com/ - lots of information at this site about nursing, how to become a nurse, different types of nurses, different areas of nursing you can specialize in. a lot of reading and information here!

DarciaMoonz, LPN · Jan 16, 2007

Experiences are individualized in my opinion. Many things can cause one to hate the field that they are in. Remember that nursing isn't just passing meds and doing bedside care. There are so many different directions you can choose to approach your career as a nurse. I have met people from both ends of the spectrum, and from my personal experience, there are days when I love the profession and days when I hate. Good luck to ya.