Having Some Doubts....

[kitkat104]

I knew since I was sixteen that I wanted to be a nurse. Originally I wanted to go straight for RN but things didn't work out that way. I became a CNA and was planning on taking it step by step. I started working in a LTC and I hated it. Nobody seemed to actually care about the residents, I found a lot more bad than good. It was a rude awakening that had me reconsidering the entire profession. I planning on trying to go for assisted living or hospice. After this semester I'm supposed to be applying for LVN but I have no drive or want to do this anymore, it sucked it out of me. Because I didn't like working as a CNA for LTC does that mean I would make a very good nurse? When did you know you wanted to be a nurse? How did you bounce back after losing confidence?

[sarahsmile44]

Your job as a nurse will be a LOT different than your experience as a CNA. I didn't particularly like being in the nursing home either. The lack of empathy disturbed me the most. I cried to my mom for an hour after that clinical was over and she reminded me that if I wasn't disturbed by that, then something would be wrong with ME! Keep your sense of empathy for people and you will be a great nurse!

When I'm in a clinical rotation that I really don't like, and I feel like quitting, I just remind myself that there are so many fields to work in as a nurse, that one of them is going to be the perfect fit for me. I also remind myself that a lot of the things they make you do in school are for learning purposes and that my job as a nurse will be quite different than my experience as a student. Good luck!

[JROregon, ASN, BSN, RN]

I have not experienced what you have but know several nursing students who had to work in awful nursing homes in order to get the CNA jobs they currently hold, either in a hospital, rehab or long term care. There are other facilities and completely different experiences. Thankfully, there is so much more to nursing and being a RN than your experience.

[Teebee5]

You should take some time and reflect on why you want to become and nurse. Make you specific goals and focus on what you want to do.

Remember that LTC is not the same enviroment as LTC. There can be similarities depending on the area of the hospital, but in many cases, especially actue, it will be a different experience.

What type of nursing do you want to do??

Sometimes, in order to do one thing we have to make do with another until we are able to do our goal.

Nursing can be a rewarding career and is not limited to LTC!

HUGS!

[chinacatSN]

I, too, have worked in LTC as a CNA. I know what you're talking about and how disturbing it is. And they don't just treat the residents like crap, the CNAs get treated like second class citizens as well. The LTC facility I worked at nearly cost me the life of my child because they refused to follow my doctor's orders and I nearly had a miscarriage while working! When I confronted the DON several days later (I was in the hospital on bed rest) she told me that it wasn't her problem and that I wasn't meant to work in the health care field.

It's the awful things I've seen and been through that have led me to the nursing career. I know what kind of nurse I don't want to be. I know I will be a great nurse - I want to better the profession and help people. And those bad nurses just made me want to be a good nurse even more. You don't have to work in LTC when you finish school - hospice would be a great field for you. Most hospice centers/agencies are very stringent on who they hire and the quality of care they provide, so you know that your fellow nurses will be of better quality than those you dealt with in LTC. Hospice nurses are usually very much respected and the job they do is a very difficult one - nursing itself is a tough profession to deal with, hospice even more so.

Don't let your previous experiences burn you out now, before you've even started! Now you KNOW that LTC isn't for you - and like a previous poster said, if you weren't bothered by what you've seen, then there would be something wrong with YOU. The fact that you were upset by what you saw just shows that you have the building blocks to becoming a great nurse - empathy can not be taught, it must already be an essential part of your personality for you to be successful in this field.

Good luck!

[Bruce_Wayne, ASN, RN]

I wouldn't base your opinion on nursing solely on what you see at a nursing home. The job environments and opportunities available to a nurse are varied and as exciting as you want them to be. Yes the economy is tight right now but it will loosen up again.

There are a lot of other jobs you can do as a nurse besides LTC:

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgery Clinics

Emergency Helicopter Services

Clinics

Home Health

Educational Programs

Public health offices

Doctors' offices

Mobile healthcare clinics

Schools

Larger office buildings

Schools

Hospice

Mental Health Facilities

State health programs

Skilled-care facilities

Step-down units

Churches

Prisons

Cruise ships ()

And many others.