How much do you enjoy being a nurse?..pros, cons..quality of life..happiness?

miwukman · Nov 18, 2009

I am 45 and male, I am in the RN program now and I am going to switch my career after twenty years in law enforcement. I believe that this will be the best choice for me and I am really excited to be in this honorable career.

Crux1024 · Nov 18, 2009

Ive been an RN for 6 months and so far, so good! I love it. Ive actually had a TON of time with my family, since I work only 3 nights a week. I sleep while the kids are in school and they get home and I wake up and were already to spend some time together.

Before this i was still in the healthcare field, working five 8hr days and I felt like time with my family, and time with friends was limited. I couldnt go out during the week b/c I usually had to be in a 7am the next day.

Im glad i made this choice.

purplerabbit2012 · Nov 18, 2009

I'm wondering the same.... I know some people who after graduating school only practiced for about a yr and quit nursing altogether..... I'm not sure why....

Anyways I'm only still a students so I can't really speak for experience but when I got an internship following a Director of Nursing I knew I would love her job

Does someone know anyone who quit being a nurse and why they came to their decision?

Tait, MSN, RN · Nov 18, 2009

Nursing is a profession that demands a lot.

It demands your mind.

Your heart.

Your feet.

Your favorite pen.

Your closest drug book.

Your patience.

Your love.

Your families good nature.

Your spouses kindest ear.

Your forgiveness.

Your empathy.

Your faith in humanity.

Your blind eye.

Your other cheek.

Your longest sigh.

Your deepest breath.

Your tears.

Your smiles.

Your vision.

Your knowledge.

Your best shoes.

Your compassion.

Your commitment.

and really in the end, a little bit of your soul, as it will change you in ways you never thought possible.

For some it is a job, for others a passion, but for all something meaningful, whether viewed as good or bad, positive or negative, hurtful or helpful.

I personally love being a nurse, and I hate it sometimes too. I work nights, I miss my husband, but at the end of it all I feel I have truly made an impact on someone's world each time I cross back over my threshold and lay my head on my pillow.

Tait

PS. Take a little time to search the site and you find many stories of what nursing means to all of us.

Best of luck!

tencat · Nov 18, 2009

Nursing is a profession that demands a lot.
It demands your mind.
Your heart.
Your feet.
Your favorite pen.
Your closest drug book.
Your patience.
Your love.
Your families good nature.
Your spouses kindest ear.
Your forgiveness.
Your empathy.
Your faith in humanity.
Your blind eye.
Your other cheek.
Your longest sigh.
Your deepest breath.
Your tears.
Your smiles.
Your vision.
Your knowledge.
Your best shoes.
Your compassion.
Your commitment.
and really in the end, a little bit of your soul, as it will change you in ways you never thought possible.
For some it is a job, for others a passion, but for all something meaningful, whether viewed as good or bad, positive or negative, hurtful or helpful.
I personally love being a nurse, and I hate it sometimes too. I work nights, I miss my husband, but at the end of it all I feel I have truly made an impact on someone's world each time I cross back over my threshold and lay my head on my pillow.
Tait
PS. Take a little time to search the site and you find many stories of what nursing means to all of us.
Best of luck!

:yeahthat: Really can't say it any better.

sunnycalifRN · Nov 18, 2009

Wow, where to begin? Been an RN in ICU for past 4 yrs and was an RT for prior 10 yrs. The 10 yrs as a resp therapist gave me an up close and personal intro to what RN's do, as I would be working closely with them . . . I enjoy being a nurse, get satisfaction from it sometimes (when you see a great save or a textbook outcome from surgery). But, it is not an easy job as you will see if you read some of the other threads on this site.

The pluses: being thanked by my patients and patient's family for my care; seeing good outcomes and a few miraculous saves; making a patient's last days comfortable

The minuses: being hit, kicked, and spat on by delirious patients, being harassed by patient's family, being cussed and called names by the same delirious patients, getting no breaks and working past the end of shift without pay, only hearing from management when something goes wrong

My advice: before jumping into nursing, arrange to shadow RN's in various units for several days so you can see firsthand what we do. Some JC's have a class you can take where this is all arranged. Good luck with your decision.

fany_top · Nov 18, 2009

we are also students of Nursing, is a fine career but requires much research and learning self-management, social skills required to complement your management team and with the user (patient) .- complicated is that if you do not have the tools to guide you personally. but the race is good and very skin because you can get involved with life and reality of the patient. I hope that helps you in your question and choose the race. good luck. chilean

littleneoRN · Nov 18, 2009

Pros: Getting to use my heart, hands, and mind daily in my work. Feeling like science has direct bearing on my every action but I am not working in a lab somewhere (because that is just not my work style). Making a difference, not always in the outcome, but in the way a family experiences a difficult time in their lives. Having a flexible schedule. Not flexible in that you can choose your hours and days week to week but in that there are all types of positions with all types of hours out there. The opportunity but not the requirement to pick up overtime. (This varies place to place). KNOWING that what I do every day matters. The knowledge that if I get tired of being in one place, there are a million other options within nursing that don't require me to go back to school. The knowledge that work can be found anywhere (in a better economy) and that I am not limited to living in one locale forever. Always learning something new. No day is the same as the last. I have learned to communicate with, respect, and on some level understand all sorts of people. Knowing there will never be a time in my career I will stop learning. In my field, getting letters and Christmas cards later on showing you how well the child is doing and/or how much you meant to that family.

Cons: Working holidays. But really, this isn't that bad. I don't work them all, and my family has adjusted that often we celebrate the day after Christmas or something else like that. Working weekends, but again, not so bad. I really wouldn't trade this now because it gives me some days at home during the week to run errands, relax, etc. Not always being appreciated by patients, families, and management for the way you tirelessly give all your energy toward your work. (Find me a career where you are always appreciated and valued). Sometimes having to carry out courses of action you don't agree with. Having an all too intimate relationship with tragedy.

My pro list is infinitely longer than my con list. But those cons are a bigger deal for some people than others, so you need to think about what they mean for you. One thing to know is that work conditions and environment vary GREATLY geographically and from facility to facility. You may want to post your question specifically in the forum for your state to find out more about the work environment. I am blessed to work in a part of the country with relatively higher pay and generally good working conditions. It is not for everybody, but I can not imagine doing anything else.

Ace587RN, RN · Nov 18, 2009

im a male RN, and i love being a nurse. Nursing is not easy, but its def manageable. Its demanding on all aspects, but the pros outweigh the cons, and we need more representation in the nursing profession :)

SoundofMusic · Nov 18, 2009

Great conversation starter.

I've only been doing it for 2 years now, so take this for what it is. Here are some random thoughts.

It is not what I thought it would be. I am very PROUD I have made it this far. It is MUCH harder than I had expected.

I love my days off.

I'm glad for the salary. It has allowed me to do great things, the best being putting my son in a private school which has benefitted him and me greatly. In this way, it really enhances my life.

I have time w/ my kids on THEIR time. Can make school events sometimes, etc. that I would not be able to do if I was working full time.

I have a LOT of career options now -- a dizzying array of choices -- and that is FANTASTIC at my age (46).

I get a lot of satisfaction from it, and it boosts my own self esteem to know that I am in such demand, that I can do so much for others and have them be so appreciative at times. It's a real boost at times.

It is also very tough to take at times when people are not at their best -- horrid patients, horrid situations, horrid family members, rude docs, rude co-workers, and the STRESS of trying to beat the clock every single shift.

It is exhausting. I am burnt out often. I need breaks from it or I go crazy.

I go crazy on my breaks because I miss it -- the craziness, the co-workers I like, the "gossip" the funny stuff that goes on around the unit, etc.

It's a tough field -- and I think it's a very hard field for women -- and yet it is a good field to go into for women. You have to be TOUGH.

(I never knew I was so tough . . . . Had no idea . . .)

EarthChild1130 · Nov 19, 2009

I've been a nurse for nearly 5 years now, and I still love it as much as I did the day I started out.

Pros: I have a steady income and pretty good pay...I REALLY like the patients I work with...the job I have right now allows me a lot of autonomy...Flexible hours...a science-based job that is very interesting...I care for the people who are sort of the 'cast-offs' of society and I love being their advocate, and I love giving them the knowledge and education to become better participants in their care.

Cons: My only con is that my patient population can sometimes be quite violent but even that's not so bad once you learn to read the signals they give off.

My quality of life has been improved by my being a nurse...I have a career that I really enjoy, and a career which can travel easily...before I became a nurse I lived barely above the poverty line and had to roll change to buy groceries and gas...now I don't have to worry so much about money.

Good luck to you!!