I actually have LOVED being a nurse

Published

I must admit, I have loved being a nurse for the past 19 years. Not only has it allowed me to get paid to learn many facets of maternal-child health care, I have been able to raise my children at the same time. The shift work allows for so much flexibility in scheduling when you have children - days, nights, evenings, weekends. Whatever you need to do to make it work.

I have loved Labor and Delivery in many different units: LDRP, alternative birthing center, Level I, Level II, Level III, Level IV.

I have loved assisting postpartum moms with lactation. Even though I have never taken the IBCLC exam, my employement and continuing educational opportunities (paid for by my employers) have qualified me to take the exam.

I have loved newborn care, from healthy term kiddos to very, very sick neonates and ELBW premies in a Level IV setting.

I have learned from every patient and family that I have cared for - and gotten paid for learning. My union contract gives me paid educational days and tuition reimbursement.

I have only missed a handful (

Now, I am taking everything I have learned and building upon it to become a midwife. A Nurse Midwife. A very happy NURSE midwife.

There are several routes to become a midwife, and not all of them involve becoming a nurse first. However, there are advantages and benefits to working as a nurse before entering into the midwifery role. I am very grateful that the ACNM is inclusive of CM's, CPM's, and CNM's.

The world simply needs more midwives!

But I am still going on record as saying that I have loved being a nurse.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hey there,

I was just wondering what areas of Nursing you worked in over these past years?

I'm currently a student Nurse (completing my bachelor of RN) and your message was really inspiring. I'm a bit of a worrier and sometimes I question whether Nursing is the right career path (especially as you get some real negative posts on this site/the internet from Nurses). But seeing your post gives me a bit of added confidence that Nursing doesn't make everyone bitter haha.

After I finish my bachelor and become a RN I was thinking about doing my post-grad in midwifery as every midwife I've met has been just lovely and I really like the idea of it! :)

My postgrad takes 1.5 years, so I was curious as to what areas of Nursing you enjoyed the most/found the most fulling? As I'll have to do a bit of Nursing (to earn money/experience) till I finish.

Thanks for any information and for this positive post :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Funny thing is, I almost quit nursing school because I really didn't like taking care of sick people. Then I hit my OB rotation and found my niche. I have worked L&D, Antepartum, Postpartum, Newborn Nursery, and NICU.

The best part about nursing is the variety. You can train to MANY different specialties. Ortho, neuro, surgery, psych, med-surg, outpatient, phone triage, pediatrics, OB, ER, ICU, school, community health, oncology, wound care, IV, interventional radiology etc. Then, you can change roles without actually going back to school. If your employer hires you for a department, they orient/train you to the job - and pay you for the education. Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow, you don't know how comforting that is for me to hear that. I'm hoping Nursing is the right degree/career for me and I'll admit I'm really worried that I'm possibly making the wrong decision (there's no direct/particular reason for me thinking this way, just simply worried I won't enjoy it as I read a lot of "you either love it or you hate/you're a natural or you're not" comments). So to see you not being 100% sure of things in your studies either but to come through with 19 years of experience and ending up loving the job is immensely supportive! :)

And I completely agree with you about Nursing being great for variety. I'm only a month into my nursing degree, so I really won't know if I'm cut out for it till I experience a lot more, but whenever I have my mini-intrusive thoughts of "oh no, what if I'm making a mistake and I don't enjoy this job" I really take comfort in the fact that even if I dislike one area of nursing I might really enjoy another.

Just a quick question: did you go right into L&D, Antepartum, Postpartum, Newborn Nursery, and NICU sort of work, or did you have to do some more basic nursing care initially (like ward/bedside nursing work) to get the experience to go into those areas?

Thanks for you post and good wishes, much appreciated! I really hope/aspire to be the kind of person you are and enjoy my job the way you do in 19 years time :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It really is nice to hear from someone who loves nursing who has a positive attitude towards their patients and their families, and who acknowledges learning from their patients and their families and valuing the knowledge/insight gained.

Best wishes to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Just a quick question: did you go right into L&D, Antepartum, Postpartum, Newborn Nursery, and NICU sort of work, or did you have to do some more basic nursing care initially (like ward/bedside nursing work) to get the experience to go into those areas?

:)

When I graduated in 1996, my state had been laying off RN's for a couple years as they were moving away from a primary care to a team model. There really were scant jobs for new grads. My husband was in the military, so I started off by volunteering at the military hospital on L&D. As a licensed RN, the American Red Cross sponsored me to volunteer as an RN, not just a paper-pusher. The L&D nurses basically gave me a 4 month residency (not-paid, but awesome experience). Then, they hired me. As we moved around the country, I got to experience different maternity settings. Eventually I moved to the NICU to gain more sick neonatal experience. The role has kind of evolved over the years. That is what is great about nursing!

Best wishes for your future career!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ah ok, that's interesting, thanks for the info. Very lucky you got into that field almost right away and have been able to continue with it for so many years!

Thank you for the best wishes, I hope I get as much out of my time in nursing as you have :)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am now starting my nursing career, and i love it so far. I've been an LPN for 3 years, and just received my RN license. I would love to either be a OR or NICU nurse

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I started this thread because I was getting discouraged that some people seem to get the view that being a nurse, first, before advanced practice, is a negative or a waste of time. Yes, being a bedside nurse is a different role than being a clinician, but the foundation you build while you care for patients is valuable.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion