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?
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.
Started as nurses aide in 1973, LPN 77, RN 82 ---still love nursing. After 9years in hospital, fully transitioned to homecare --been with my HH agency 15 years. 8 months ago asked to create a new role PI Compliance Specialist responding to Medicare payment denials, compliance with government +insurance regulations and Medical Record release coordinator due to my computer expertise and always sending nursing/healthcare news links to management. I'm the VP's go to person to locate obscure healthcare regs. This is a position I can easily retire from in 7 years.
Nursing conventions attendance has allowed me to visit 15 states, keep up to date with current practice standards and renew my passion for nursing yearly.
I love my work :) Seriously. There are times when it is difficult and frustrating, but I find my job super interesting and rewarding as well. I was in a different unit before and transferred out, though, because I was going home crying very often - for me, that was a wake up call that I was starting to burn out (4 years into working !!). In my new unit, I have been working a year, and never cried, even though at times I want to scream at a frustrating patient or throttle an incompetent medical student.
I think that working in the medical field is very demanding, so I'm not surprised that people speak out often. I have read that it is one of the professions with the most risk for burnout and depression. I firmly believe that staying when you are suffering, you do harm to yourself and maybe your patients (short temper, loss of empathy) - if I start feeling that bad again, I will either change units for something more my pace, or change jobs. But right now, I love it ! I'm even studying to become an anesthesiology nurse later on :)
I love my job. My first job was not at a good place. They drain their nurses of all spirit. This job, however, has been wonderful. I actually got promoted after only the months because the DON saw something in me. It took me a while to find this job but I feel very fortunate to find one that I absolutely love!
"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 want to work with the author of this post!!!
Seriously, I'm in the 80-20 camp. I don't want to burst your bubble, because it is possible to retain the love for people and interest in your job for many, many years (I work with some veterans who continue to inspire me), but at least 20% of the time I wonder what the (*&^ I'm doing in this job. The pay is annoyingly low (I got paid more 20 years ago to teach Microsoft Word classes with NO training to do so!) for the amount of responsibility we have. Nursing school bears almost no resemblance to actually being a nurse (it has a different purpose: to get you to pass the NCLEX!), and I have faced a very steep learning curve that continues ahead of me after 2.5 years! The other night on call I got so depressed I was searching PhD programs instead of falling asleep.
And then I think of never caring for patients at the bedside, and I know I need to make this work. Besides being a mother and wife, nursing is the most rewarding work I have ever done, and it does make me happy to know that I am helping people with my growing knowledge and skill.
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
I have a great job and enjoy it very much. I will say that in order to get here I did "pay dues" and do some pretty crappy jobs. I also worked in some awful enviorments that had toxic cultures.
Most days I like my job but, that said, work is work. It's not meant to be the source of one's happiness or enjoyment, it's work not leisure. There are many parts of my job that I don't like- fighting with insurance companies, doubling as a social worker, anything to do with insurance companies actually but, for the most part, I like my job. When I start hating it, I'll start looking for another job, like I did when I left my last job.
That said, if I win Powerball on Wednesday I'm giving notice on Thursday.
I don't think having energy and wanting to get out of your jammie's on cold mornings determines if one loves their work. I could use a lot more sleep and I drag in the mornings, BUT I don't want to do anything at that point except drink my hot beverage of choice. Sometimes I'm tired or unmotivated enough to go do the things I inarguably enjoy. I don't even want to get off the sofa right now and pour some wine and slice some cheese, and it's not because I don't love both of those things.
Any nursing job is hard work. Being a large animal vet is hard work too, back breaking at times, but you hardly ever hear people calling them liars if they say they love their work, if not the weather, hours, and owners.
If a med surg nurse doesn't really like the procedures and patient interactions required of them then I would say they don't like their work, but I think it's possible to love your work if not always the conditions, and in that case a job change may be all that is needed.
Maybe I read the question incorrectly as whether I love my work versus do I love my employment.
Here's how I tell, if I could be transported to the bedside to perform wound care or teaching without any physical effort, would I want to be there? For me, at pretty much all times yes. It's my favorite sustained activity. Of all of the things I love to do, drink, eat, watch movies, shop, sex, lay on the beach (there's my ideal vacation right there) I wouldn't want to do any of those things all day long 5 days a week. Even the beach would get old. That's how I know I love my job. YMMV.
Specializes in Psych, Substance Abuse, Case Management.
I used to be a reporter. That's why I love psych nursing. It's kinda like I'm still a reporter. I do a lot of talking (interviewing) and writing (documenting).
Specializes in Clinical Documentation Specialist, LTC.
I like my job for the most part, but as in any other profession, I do have stressful/bad days. I work 8am -4:30 Mon-Thurs. and 8am-12:30pm on Fridays, no call, no holidays, no weekends. However, it's a redundant job and can be fairly boring since I do the same thing day in and day out, but I love to educate and that is a huge part of my job.
I love LTC but the bad experiences sadly outweigh the good ones. Not the patients, but the corporate greed and overall dissatisfaction of staff, huge turnover, terrible management, insane amount of call-ins, etc...After 18 years I had to get out. The only way I would go back is if something happens that I end up being booted out of my current job and LTC is my only option.
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
I like my job for the most part, but as in any other profession, I do have stressful/bad days. I work 8am -4:30 Mon-Thurs. and 8am-12:30pm on Fridays, no call, no holidays, no weekends. However, it's a redundant job and can be fairly boring since I do the same thing day in and day out, but I love to educate and that is a huge part of my job.
I love LTC but the bad experiences sadly outweigh the good ones. Not the patients, but the corporate greed and overall dissatisfaction of staff, huge turnover, terrible management, insane amount of call-ins, etc...After 18 years I had to get out. The only way I would go back is if something happens that I end up being booted out of my current job and LTC is my only option.
I worked a Mon-Fri 9-5 Dr's office (one doc Full-time, one doc Half-time) It was horrific as doc's were married and they bickered.....in what they thought was a cute and witty way.....but it was just tedious and embarrassing to be around them when they were at work at the same time. I hated having to commute when everybody else was on the road, and do my errands and shopping when everyone else was out there doing the same.
'Phone and computer' jobs would make me feel postal !
Only way I would even consider an LTC again is if it was like my very first job, when they were called 'Nursing Homes' and staffing was sufficient......in 1968! HAhahahaha! Like that will ever happen!
I love the health benefits for my family. I love my salary and the flexibility Homecare gives me. I mostly like the day to day work. I have, however, loved jobs before. It's possible!
NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN
10 Articles; 19,192 Posts
Started as nurses aide in 1973, LPN 77, RN 82 ---still love nursing. After 9years in hospital, fully transitioned to homecare --been with my HH agency 15 years. 8 months ago asked to create a new role PI Compliance Specialist responding to Medicare payment denials, compliance with government +insurance regulations and Medical Record release coordinator due to my computer expertise and always sending nursing/healthcare news links to management. I'm the VP's go to person to locate obscure healthcare regs. This is a position I can easily retire from in 7 years.
Nursing conventions attendance has allowed me to visit 15 states, keep up to date with current practice standards and renew my passion for nursing yearly.