Give me some hope...Is ANYONE happy being a nurse??

Rebekah1882 · Apr 3, 2014

Thank you all for your replies!! I certainly will make my decision based on my gut however, it really did just seem as if being a nurse was a losing battle in this day and age. No one seemed satisfied. I am 31 and have already spent 11 years in a corporate job where I was absolutely miserable. I know why I want to be a nurse I just wanted to be sure that you could still nurse with your heart as well as your head and be fulfilled as cheesy as that may sound.

FutureNurseK · Apr 3, 2014

As others have stated go for nursing if your heart says yes...as for the worries about getting a job as long as you're ok with the possibility with starting off at a nursing home you'll be fine..gotta crawl before you walk

naptimeRN · Apr 3, 2014

Good advice given here. Everyone is so different and every situation is so different. Personally, I am not totally happy as a nurse (wasn't totally happy as a waitress or as an aide, etc and probably wouldn't be totally happy doing anything that is "work"). Kind of indifferent/content/some days I would rather hide under the covers.

But it's a job. I am not a "career woman" or work is life type of person though to begin with. I do my job the very best that I can when I am there (just as all people in all jobs should do). I work hard and I give my all for my patients. I have good days, okay days, and bad days. I go home and enjoy my non-work time doing non-work things that I love! (Because no one is going to pay me to take naps or for my mediocre singing or camping or playing with my dog...the things I love to do hehe). I hope you are able to decide what is best for you :)

ArtClassRN, ADN, RN · Apr 3, 2014

I switched careers a few years ago and I love being a nurse! The only thing that ever really bothers me is ROAD (Retired On Active Duty) burnout coworkers.

Otherwise though, I'm very happy and look forward to a long career!

Nurse Medicine Woman, ASN, RN · Apr 3, 2014

I attended teacher's college after high school and for lots of reasons did not return. I also attended law school. I ONLY applied to nursing school to "have something to fall back on".

I am nursing for 20 years experienced in all hospital departments from the Burn unit to the OR to Labor and Delivery Med/Surg,Peds etc. My two favorite places in nursing is Labor and Delivery and the OR room. When i worked in Labor and Delivery I also circulated in the OR during C-sections.

I HATED nursing when I first started - came home crying from teh dormitory and told my Dad I cannot do it - it is too hard. He promptly took me back to the hospital and left me on the nurses quarters steps and drove off with me crying watching him go. He refused to let me quit. I am all of 18 years old.

I went to my room (Dormitory) that I shared with 6 other nurses and thankfully no one was back from their week end off. I cried for hours. Then I washed my face and told myself I have no other option but to finish my studies. I am SO GLAD I did- I am now so glad my Dad was "cruel to be kind".

I am a nurse - it is in m y blood and I thrive on patient interaction.

At least try it- you might end up loving it and staying for 20 years like I am.

Guests · Apr 3, 2014

Rather than typing a bunch, I'll direct you to a post I made a while back...

https://allnurses.com/nurse-colleague-patient/just-has-said-891220.html

The positives aside, I am a nurse for purely pragmatic reasons of compensation, employability, and stability. I don't love it at all but I am quite satisfied with it as a career choice.

My only regret about becoming a mid-40's nurse is that I didn't do it 20 years earlier...

RNperdiem, RN · Apr 3, 2014

The employers a lot of us work for are as "corporate" as the company you once worked for.

See if you can do some "shadowing" where you spend time with nurses in their workplaces to get a good idea about the actual work and culture of nursing.

Let your choice be an informed decision.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Apr 3, 2014

There is a difference between enjoying NURSING and enjoying ones work environment. Today's belt tightening by corporations due to decreased Medicare + insurance payments is causing razor thin staffing in many facilities severely stressing nurses.

Starting in homecare in 1985, left the hospital entirely in 1993 and couldn't be happier.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · Apr 3, 2014

Internet folks cannot/should not be the basis for your life's decisions.

This!!! Please do not rely on what some people say on the internet to make a major life decision. This is for the most part an anonymous web site where people feel free to vent about their day.

zzbxdo · Apr 3, 2014

People are more likely to post bad reviews and opinions then positives, such is the internet. You said you are in clinicals already.. Ask the nurses you see at your work place. It'll be more productive then the internet will ever be.

But depending on where you are from, I would not mind being a radiology tech from there beginning.

imintrouble, BSN, RN · Apr 3, 2014

I'm happy I have a job. Does that count?

hope3456, ASN, RN · Apr 3, 2014

A lot of the "complaining" that goes on here on AN is about the job market. The experienced nurses know it is crappy - but especially for new graduate RN's. All the while, the news media and the for profit nursing colleges claim there is a "shortage."

I'm not saying nursing is an all bad profession but I would do some serious research about the job market in your area (or where you want to live)- as opposed to how many nursing schools/graduates there are. In many areas there is a "glut."

Yes there are nurses who have exciting jobs but they also are not leaving their jobs - delaying retirement, ect.