I noticed this problem at the end of first year. I became a really negative person, hated life, thought everything was unfair, and I'm 100% sure it was because of my first year of nursing.
I did a complete 360 on my negativity the next year, and made many new friends and started my own business while in my second year of nursing. But, I only was able to do this because I started to focus on things outside of nursing. I still get straight As, but my heart is not in it.
Is it just me? Do I just not like nursing? Or does anybody else experience this?
It's called growing up and recognizing some realities of life. If you're a traditionally-aged college student, this might be your first exposure to some of life's more unpleasant aspects. Could happen with any major, but nursing sure does take you straight to the purgatory that dealing with sick, miserable folks and their relatives can be.
Specializes in Medical-Surgical/Float Pool/Stepdown.
It's made me a bit more snarky and a lot more cynical.
Same here. Nursing hasn't made me negative at all, I've always been an optimist, but nursing has made me more cynical and cautious of others in general...but then again maybe it was just the added life experience that did this?
Specializes in Family Medicine, Tele/Cardiac, Camp.
I may be the outlier here, but I think nursing has actually made me *more* tolerant of people and more positive in general. It's a really humbling profession and I'm not saying I don't have my days where I want to run screaming from the building in frustration, but by and large I was really negative, sheltered and cocky when I came into nursing and I don't think of myself as being that way anymore.
For the better, it's exposed me to people, places, things, and situations that I never imagined myself seeing. But I also agree that most of my pure happiness lies outside of nursing.
I may be the outlier here, but I think nursing has actually made me *more* tolerant of people and more positive in general. It's a really humbling profession and I'm not saying I don't have my days where I want to run screaming from the building in frustration, but by and large I was really negative, sheltered and cocky when I came into nursing and I don't think of myself as being that way anymore.
For the better, it's exposed me to people, places, things, and situations that I never imagined myself seeing. But I also agree that most of my pure happiness lies outside of nursing.
Everybody's stories and reactions are different.
I agree with this. I was just being snarky before.
I may be the outlier here, but I think nursing has actually made me *more* tolerant of people and more positive in general. It's a really humbling profession and I'm not saying I don't have my days where I want to run screaming from the building in frustration, but by and large I was really negative, sheltered and cocky when I came into nursing and I don't think of myself as being that way anymore.
For the better, it's exposed me to people, places, things, and situations that I never imagined myself seeing. But I also agree that most of my pure happiness lies outside of nursing.
Everybody's stories and reactions are different.
I almost resemble your description. I still find happiness in nursing sometimes more than my persoanal life. I'm in a great position now of being very experienced in a field I love and believe in which makes for more satisfying days and sometimes flat out fun and joyful. I did not feel that way entering nursing.
After my first year of nursing, I was definitely "hardened." The highs were really high and the lows were really low.
For instance, I was reprimanded because I found out that the lab had not collected our specimens in three days. I tried to contact my boss, whose phone went straight to voicemail. So I contacted who I thought was the local departmental lab director. I didn't realize that I contacted the Director of Lab Services (corporate) for the whole company. My boss basically told me I did it all wrong and wish he had been notified, or that his boss had been notified. I felt like I was a child when he spoke to me about it. And you want to know why I contacted lab services? Basically, there was a lab that needed stat results because we had to call DCFS. I was looking out for my patient, trying to make sure that this lab was taken care of ASAP so they could not only solidify the case, but make sure that chain of custody was intact. I'm not used to "corporate culture." The last clinic I worked was owned by corporate but still very much locally run, and everything was kept at a district level. None of this writing off to a boss' boss' supervisor boss' shenanigans that I have to deal with now. Corporate policy now dictates everything, and a lot of these people have no true clinical/medical background, only managerial experience. So people with no nursing experience dictate nursing policy, and a lot of it is ridiculous. My other gripe is people who abuse the Medicaid system, and that we allow it. We have so many FF, and they're all on Medicaid. We had one patient recently that had been there 7 times in two months for cold symptoms.
But there are also many days that are good and I really get to help my patients. It equals out for the most part. But yeah, I'm a bit skeptical when it comes to patients now. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
I noticed this problem at the end of first year. I became a really negative person, hated life, thought everything was unfair, and I'm 100% sure it was because of my first year of nursing.
I did a complete 360 on my negativity the next year, and made many new friends and started my own business while in my second year of nursing. But, I only was able to do this because I started to focus on things outside of nursing. I still get straight As, but my heart is not in it.
Is it just me? Do I just not like nursing? Or does anybody else experience this?
It's very easy to do! In my specialty, one spends a good part of their first year consumed with learning all that they can to survive orientation. As soon as that's done there is work, and call to contend with. You have to find a balance, but it's not easy to do.
I've had periods where I'm more positive and more negative than other times. For me, focusing on non-work stuff has helped. I'm involved in a professional nursing organization, and while work-related, this experience is totally different than patient care. I've also started spending more purposeful time hanging out with the furbaby - she loves it! My dog will never turn down a walk - and being outside is awesome (especially if it's sunny!). Another thing I've done is focus more on how I take care of myself - making sure I get enough sleep, making sure I make (mostly) good food choices, drinking more water than anything else, and making an attempt to work out more. I've posted about it before, but I've worked on some stress management/resiliency training which have also helped a lot. Ooh! Also - coloring. Very therapeutic!
I love to learn, always have. I also loved it when I had a break between classes. Then my free time was actually free! During the semester, if I had free time, I often felt a little guilty when NOT studying. There was always so much more to learn.
After I graduated, Oh!, the freedom to be able to go to work, finish, and then go home to do whatever I wanted to do!
School is hard, consuming, and it is easy to forget to take care of yourself.
When you can see an attitude problem, you're half-way to fixing it. I think you'll do fine.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
Why, of course Nursing has made me negative! I was once a positive Individual who merely wanted to help others and Nursing has made me into a cynical, sarcastic son of a biscuit eater!
I blame other People and things for my lot in life! I have no control over what others do or say and it affects me deeply! If everyone and everything was as they and it should be, I'd be okay!
Ouch! I bit my tongue! It's all the fault of Nursing!
Why, of course Nursing has made me negative! I was once a positive Individual who merely wanted to help others and Nursing has made me into a cynical, sarcastic son of a biscuit eater!
I blame other People and things for my lot in life! I have no control over what others do or say and it affects me deeply! If everyone and everything was as they and it should be, I'd be okay!
Ouch! I bit my tongue! It's all the fault of Nursing!
I noticed this problem at the end of first year. I became a really negative person, hated life, thought everything was unfair, and I'm 100% sure it was because of my first year of nursing.
I did a complete 360 on my negativity the next year, and made many new friends and started my own business while in my second year of nursing. But, I only was able to do this because I started to focus on things outside of nursing. I still get straight As, but my heart is not in it.
Is it just me? Do I just not like nursing? Or does anybody else experience this?
Could you please clarify - are you talking about nursing school or actually working as a nurse? Because both are stressful but in *very* different ways.
As a nurse, I became more cynical but also was amazed at what a lot of people can overcome.
roser13, ASN, RN
6,504 Posts
It's called growing up and recognizing some realities of life. If you're a traditionally-aged college student, this might be your first exposure to some of life's more unpleasant aspects. Could happen with any major, but nursing sure does take you straight to the purgatory that dealing with sick, miserable folks and their relatives can be.