Has there been an incident that made you question your decision to become an RN?

Nurses General Nursing

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Has there ever been an incident that has made you question your decision to become an RN?

I echo Caliotter3's sentiments. Sadly.

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That's like asking has there ever been an incident that made you regret getting married?

So yes there have been brief moments .... when they admit the foul mouth, over dose who is kicking, bitting and spitting at everyone. And I have to call the local police to help hold her down so I can give her a sedative injection.

Perhaps we should ask -- Overall do the negatives of being a nurse out way the positive?

Then my answer is no. Most days I can come home from work and feel like I've done something good for someone.

I understand, I'm actually asking for a class assignment. It was one of the questions we needed to ask nurses, go figure.

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When I'm told that I have to do the unit secretary's job on nights because we do not have one (no extra pay for that)

When a patient rings to call bell to tell me to change the channel, make his/her coffee over because it wasn't done properly, clean up the mess they made on the bedside table, etc.

When I look around at other healthcare professionals (OT, PT, etc) and they are smiling and enjoying their work, while my RN co-workers look like they will quit any day now.

I'm actually thinking of going into an OT program after my BSN ( After hearing all the negative comments on the nursing profession, it seems like the best option, I'm young and still have time to continue education), but I will have to work as a nurse to support myself while I do it. I hope something is done to improve the working conditions of nurses, a lot of nurses will quit the profession and what will this world be like without nurses!? From what I hear from nurses, hospital are already understaffed. It's very sad and it makes me respect nurses even know, that they are there to take care of patients when they are themselves being mistreated. And what's this I hear of nurses eating their young? Maybe nurses should stop backstabbing each other and unite to try to do something about it.

Thank you for the response, I actually asked for a class assignment. I'm writing a reflection paper on these questions I need to ask RNs and how it affects my commitment to nursing ( HA!) .

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Specializes in PACU, OR.

Sure! Several! In fact, every time I open a newspaper and read about politician's salaries and lifestyles, I ask myself whether it would really be so bad to swim in a septic tank...?

Nah, no branch of nursing makes you smell that bad! :smokin:

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Sure! Several! In fact, every time I open a newspaper and read about politician's salaries and lifestyles, I ask myself whether it would really be so bad to swim in a septic tank...?

Nah, no branch of nursing makes you smell that bad! :smokin:

Hahaha very true :lol2:

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Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.
I'm actually thinking of going into an OT program after my BSN ( After hearing all the negative comments on the nursing profession, it seems like the best option, I'm young and still have time to continue education), but I will have to work as a nurse to support myself while I do it.

Occupational therapy was voted one of the least stressful occupations. Hope you do it. Good luck.:)

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Specializes in Med-surge, hospice, LTC, tele, rehab.

Yes. Every day when I clock in. I was disillusioned with nursing very quickly.

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Specializes in PACU, OR.

Ok, here's a more serious answer; I have always loved my job-PACU RN, and originally when I started work after qualification, back in 1990, it was not essential for me to work from a financial point of view. My husband had a secure job, fairly good salary and I was working for the pleasure of it and to have a few cents extra in my pocket.

Ten years later that changed, my husband's "secure" job was no longer secure, and he was retrenched in 2001. So instead of working because I wanted to, I ended up working because I HAD to. That had a profound effect on my whole mind set and attitude, at least for some considerable time. I felt as if I was trapped, and during that dark time I frequently felt as if I could just chuck it all up at the drop of a hat. Happily, I got through it without doing anything stupid, because it would really have sunk us if I had given up.

Our emotional status has a great deal to do with our ability to tolerate the daily stresses of nursing, and sometimes incidents that would normally just roll off our backs become blown up in our own minds to such proportions that it simply seems easier to get out of the profession altogether.

I think in the current economic situation you will find a lot of nurses going through something similar.

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