I am a brand new nursing student, and I was instructed to join allnurses.com for a class. Now, as you can expect I have this picture of my head when it comes to nursing of helping others, having awesome co workers, and just having an awesome job in general! I understand that it is not always sunshine and rainbows, but I hope the good will outweigh the bad that could possibly happen. This is why I decided to become a nurse, but coming onto this website scares me! All of the threads I see are titled "I hate my job", "I should not be a nurse", "My co workers hate me", and things like that. It seems to me like these are all new nurses just starting out and still trying to find there way in the nursing world, but all of these posts are very intimidating to someone who will be in their shoes in just a few short years. So, I guess this brings me back to my original question. How many of you actually enjoy your job?
I love mine; of course every profession has its bad days. But I keep working even though I don't have to, if that tells you anything. :) I love being able to help a patient and their family on, as one of my daughter's friends' mother put it, "on the worst day of their life." Seeing people get better is a joy, and being there for the family when they don't is an honor.
I agree with the other posters though, that people are more likely to post about their frustrations than about their contentment.
99% of people are lying if they say they love their job... unless you're a millionaire who gets paid millions to play a sport.
Absolutely not true. I know several people who love their jobs, us rare few maybe, who were fortunate to find and work in their niche.
I don't love paperwork (I actually like it in moderate doses) but I walk on air some days. From the simplest to the challenging aspects, the core of my job is my passion.
Oh wait, maybe rare few = 1%.
I think it's a personality thing as well, I have had personal passions ie my horses, but my nursing roles have carried as much fulfillment.
I love my jobs and have really loved most of the nursing jobs I have had. The ones I either didn't love or started not loving I resigned from so its all good. Nursing is too difficult, imo, not to love what you are doing.
I have a question for you: Do you enjoy school or dislike school? Think about your feelings about school and you will have most people's feelings about work.
It is something you have to do and you feel great when you luck into a good facility, you enjoy the people you are around, and your stress level is low. Conversely, you feel crappy when you get into a bad facility, the people around you aren't welcoming, or the stress is high.
As far as my personal experience goes, I love the core of nursing. I love patient contact and teaching. I love wounds, I love ostomies, I love picking dead skin, I love bringing people back from the dead, I love brushing an old lady's hair while she tells me her little dementia stories about the people living in the hall.
I HATE having to deal with clueless administrators that make changes that don't make sense, computer charting that takes three times longer than the actual intervention, and all the CYA that I have to do because good intentions mean zilch if something goes wrong.
While your post has a simple question, there isn't a simple answer.
Today, I enjoy my job because everything is going well. Administration isn't breathing down my neck, family members have been reasonable, my patients are precious, and my coworkers have been incredibly supportive. Tomorrow, any one of these things might change and I may hate it.
I have a question for you: Do you enjoy school or dislike school? Think about your feelings about school and you will have most people's feelings about work.
It is something you have to do and you feel great when you luck into a good facility, you enjoy the people you are around, and your stress level is low. Conversely, you feel crappy when you get into a bad facility, the people around you aren't welcoming, or the stress is high.
As far as my personal experience goes, I love the core of nursing. I love patient contact and teaching. I love wounds, I love ostomies, I love picking dead skin, I love bringing people back from the dead, I love brushing an old lady's hair while she tells me her little dementia stories about the people living in the hall.
I HATE having to deal with clueless administrators that make changes that don't make sense, computer charting that takes three times longer than the actual intervention, and all the CYA that I have to do because good intentions mean zilch if something goes wrong.
While your post has a simple question, there isn't a simple answer.
Today, I enjoy my job because everything is going well. Administration isn't breathing down my neck, family members have been reasonable, my patients are precious, and my coworkers have been incredibly supportive. Tomorrow, any one of these things might change and I may hate it.
I relate a lot to this post.
Except for truly horrid times, I equate it to something like baseball. Does a baseball player hate baseball on the days of injuries, bad calls and shut outs?
I can love my job while being annoyed with bureaucracy and such. It matters that I'm not directly disrespected by the people I work with and for.
I think your perspective of your job matters as well. What I want to do for both pleasure and income is to go out and do my nursing thing, I simply need my employer to provide the venue. And I like my thing as much as a baseball player likes theirs. I didn't plan it that way but that's how it turned out.
People come here for help and advise, therefore you are reading posts from people who aren't finding life all rosebud and glory! Tons of us love our jobs.
Nursing is hard-and that makes it rewarding.
Nursing is emotional and that makes it both hard and rewarding.
Nursing is sometimes soul destroying-but being able to help those we can help makes it very worth it.
new grad nursing is probably one of the most difficult times in someone's life (except maybe studying for NCLEX), its hard and it hurts! But it is very much worth it if this is what you really want to do.
In short-if you are in it for the money-get out now! if you have a true calling, the difficulties will be small compared to the rewards.
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Oh wait, maybe rare few = 1%.
But she didn't say 99% of people don't love their jobs. She said 99% of people who SAY they love their jobs are lying. I am actually offended by that statement. What would anyone gain by lying about loving their job? If they don't love their job, they can just say "It's okay" or "I don't mind it" or "It pays the bills".
Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN
5,047 Posts
I love mine; of course every profession has its bad days. But I keep working even though I don't have to, if that tells you anything. :) I love being able to help a patient and their family on, as one of my daughter's friends' mother put it, "on the worst day of their life." Seeing people get better is a joy, and being there for the family when they don't is an honor.
I agree with the other posters though, that people are more likely to post about their frustrations than about their contentment.
Welcome to AN!