I am doing a research project on why nurses become nurses

Jules A, MSN · Sep 15, 2009

I am a nursing student. I am doing research into why people become nurses and I was wondering if anyone could do me a huge favor and fill out this small survey.
Why did you choose nursing as a career?
How long have you been working as a RN?
What type of nursing education programs have you completed?
Do you have a specialty area?
What types of settings have you worked in as a RN?
What type of setting are you working in at this time?
[*]What do you like about nursing?
[*]What are some of the challenges that make nursing difficult at times?
[*]What are some of the benefits you see to being a nurse?
[*]What are some of the strengths and challenges for health care delivery in the 21st century?
[*]What advice would you give me, a new nursing student?
[*]Do you like the people you work with?
[*]Do you find it difficult working with other healthcare providers such as Doctors, physical therapist, etc?

I picked nursing because a nearly identical Vet Tech AA degree doesn't pay anything.
Got my LPN first, ADN second almost a BSN now
I work in psych. Love it and for the most part love other psych nurses. We are a wacky but great bunch.
I like the income, flexible employment options and feeling like I am helping people.
The biggest frustration for me at both jobs is the short staffing that is ignored by management.
For a nursing student; stay on top of your studies so you aren't freaking out over your grades, learn how to pass NCLEX style questions and be humble/appreciative of the time nurses at your clinical sites offer you
For the most part I love the Docs, especially the baby docs, most other staff is ok although they get on my nerves if they are looming around the nurses station, using my phones and have my charts when I need them

Good luck!

pinkiepie_RN · Sep 15, 2009

Why did you choose nursing as a career?

I chose nursing because I've always had an interest in working with people in a therapeutic sense and didn't want to have to get my MS in psychology to do so.

How long have you been working as a RN?

Just over 2 months. Still a shiny new grad.

What type of nursing education programs have you completed?

I finished a BSN program and will hopefully start on a nursing educator certificate/master's program in the spring.

Do you have a specialty area?

General adult inpatient psychiatry

What types of settings have you worked in as a RN?

Teaching hospital

What type of setting are you working in at this time?

Same as above

What do you like about nursing?

Being able to use myself as a therapeutic tool and never having the same day/shift in a row. Always something different.

What are some of the challenges that make nursing difficult at times?

Paperwork. We just switched over to a computerized documentation system and I feel like there's more paperwork to do now as a result, which takes away from time spent with patients.

What are some of the benefits you see to being a nurse?

Flexible hours, variety of work environments

What are some of the strengths and challenges for health care delivery in the 21st century?

It's tough to get everything done in the short stays that patients have. It's also hard accepting "the revolving door" of health care and psych patients. I think there needs to be a larger emphasis on community based health care and keeping people in the community rather than inpatient.

What advice would you give me, a new nursing student?

Figure out what works for you as far as studying goes and run with it. Make friends with your colleagues and learn how to work in a group setting.

Do you like the people you work with?

I love the people I work with. There's a great sense of teamwork and camaraderie. I think in psych it's very important for everyone to communicate and I think that's something my colleagues are great at doing.

Do you find it difficult working with other healthcare providers such as Doctors, physical therapist, etc?

I find that physicians can be impatient and insensitive to the fact that I'm a new grad, but for the most part they've been pretty helpful.

fridayannelpn1974 · Sep 15, 2009

You should have titled your research" Why do people become RN's if you only wanted their feedback. As an Lpn for 35years I am STILL tired of being excluded from the term "NURSE". "OH! are you a nurse or an LPN" ? MAKES ME GAG!! We ARE nurses. If you get out of the hospitals and into the rehab. centers, you will find that there are far more LPN's in these facilities than RN's. They work as charge nurses, wound nurses, Staff Development co-ordinators, ADON's,and in some cases Director of Nurses. For the most part the RN's in rehab centers and nursing homes are pencil pushers. Not that this is not an essential part of the process, but I get tired of being treated like a second class citizen. As a new grad, you will learn the VALUE of a good LPN and will get exposed to SOME of the RN's who are totally incompetent but managed to make it throught school. Don't get me wrong there are bad LPN's and bad RN's and there are good LPN's and good RN's. Please don't get a case of RN-itis before you've even been out in the REAL world of nursing. Not is all as it is seems. Respectively submitted, Laurie

spunky1281 · Sep 15, 2009

You should have titled your research" Why do people become RN's if you only wanted their feedback. As an Lpn for 35years I am STILL tired of being excluded from the term "NURSE". "OH! are you a nurse or an LPN" ? MAKES ME GAG!! We ARE nurses. If you get out of the hospitals and into the rehab. centers, you will find that there are far more LPN's in these facilities than RN's. They work as charge nurses, wound nurses, Staff Development co-ordinators, ADON's,and in some cases Director of Nurses. For the most part the RN's in rehab centers and nursing homes are pencil pushers. Not that this is not an essential part of the process, but I get tired of being treated like a second class citizen. As a new grad, you will learn the VALUE of a good LPN and will get exposed to SOME of the RN's who are totally incompetent but managed to make it throught school. Don't get me wrong there are bad LPN's and bad RN's and there are good LPN's and good RN's. Please don't get a case of RN-itis before you've even been out in the REAL world of nursing. Not is all as it is seems. Respectively submitted, Laurie

Thank you! I too, get sick of LPN's not being referred to as nurses.

geekgolightly, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2009

Why did you choose nursing as a career? I helped my bff give birth and was fascinated by the task of helping her get through this crisis. I decided I wanted to be a midwife, so I went to nursing school to achieve that goal. I got sidetracked, obviously.
How long have you been working as a RN? 7 years
- What type of nursing education programs have you completed? I have an ADN. I don't know what else you mean? I have a CMSRN as well, as certifying in ATLS and NIHSS. I am currently studying for my CCRN.
- Do you have a specialty area? I currently work in the MICU.
- What types of settings have you worked in as a RN? MICU, stroke, stroke research, telemetry, orthopedics, neurotrauma
- What type of setting are you working in at this time? as above.
[*]What do you like about nursing? Constant learning about the human body and how it functions as well as malfunctions. Especially how it malfunctions. I also enjoy helping people through crisis.
[*]What are some of the challenges that make nursing difficult at times? Too much to do and too litle time to do it in. Often on my unit we are given very heavy assignments. We are tripled up, given CRRT or IABP with a second patient and when we have a fresh critically ill patient with a zillion orders who is virtually crashing at every step of the way, we are still expected to take care of a second patient. Impossible to do well.
[*]What are some of the benefits you see to being a nurse? a paycheck. at times you can walk away from a shift knowing you gave the best care possible. if it all goes right, even if its a bad outcome, i feel really good about the myself and my place in the world.
[*]What are some of the strengths and challenges for health care delivery in the 21st century? advancing technology is a definite strength. the lack of research being done that isn't with profit in mind, as well as lack of basic health care coverage for everyone impedes our abilities to give excellent holistic care to all.
[*]What advice would you give me, a new nursing student? challenge everything including yourself. demand evidenced based care and rationales for every action you make. give love. in with the bad and out with the good, but don't take crap when it's unwarranted. people coming to you are in pain, but it doesn't mean you are a punching bag.
[*] Do you like the people you work with? yes! im lucky.
[*]Do you find it difficult working with other healthcare providers such as Doctors, physical therapist, etc?

for the most part no. i do not enjoy it when physicians balk at giving good care, and i dont enjoy being berated by physicians either. other than that, working with other HCP has been pretty great.

whipping girl in 07, RN · Sep 15, 2009

* why did you choose nursing as a career?

my mom was a nurse (an lpn) and it just seemed like the thing to do. i was a candy striper one summer and i really liked the hospital environment. i started out majoring in english but i decided about a year into college it just wasn't for me.

* how long have you been working as a rn?

i graduated in december 2001 and was licensed the first time in march 2002.

o what type of nursing education programs have you completed?

i have a bsn.

o do you have a specialty area?

i am a certified nutrition support clinician (cnsc). it is a specialty certification for nutrition support nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists.

o what types of settings have you worked in as a rn?

i have worked in a general med/surg icu (we took all kinds of critical care patients except burns and organ transplants). i have worked in surgical icu, neurotrauma icu, coronary care unit/medical icu, burn unit, stepdown icu and nutrition support.

o what type of setting are you working in at this time?

i am a nutrition support rn. i do nutrition assessments, dose and manage tpn and tube feeding, and place nasal small bowel feeding tubes.

* what do you like about nursing?

i like the versatility. there are so many areas to work in. there are specialties you may have never heard of. i did not know there were nutrition support nurses until i applied for this job!

* what are some of the challenges that make nursing difficult at times?

i think one of the biggest is, "oh the nurses can do it." like when they got rid of monitor techs on tele units. "oh, the nurses have to pay attention to the monitors anyway, we can do without the techs." "the nurses can get this patient out of bed, pt can cut back to only once a day." "the icu nurses on nights can manage the vents, we don't need an rt assigned to the unit." we do have a broad scope of practice and a lot of the ancillary services came out of nursing. the ancillary departments shouldn't say we can't do something, but admin shouldn't expect us to do it all.

* what are some of the benefits you see to being a nurse?

flexibility, job security, respect. i encounter very few people who do not have enormous respect for the profession.

* what are some of the strengths and challenges for health care delivery in the 21st century?

nursing is the biggest group of health care providers. we should be the loudest voice! the challenge is to stop the infighting (hospital vs. nursing home, ward vs. unit, lpn vs. rn, asn/adn vs. diploma vs. bsn) and band together!

* what advice would you give me, a new nursing student?

find a mentor and learn as much as you can. realize you will never know everything and don't be afraid to admit you don't know some things. spend time studying on your own time, you will not learn everything on your shifts.

* do you like the people you work with?

i love the people i work with!

* do you find it difficult working with other healthcare providers such as doctors, physical therapist, etc?

it's difficult if everyone involved in a patient's care does not think each team member is valuable. i have worked hard to form relationships and to not be territorial and that really helps. i don't think any one team member is more or less important than the others

86toronado, BSN, RN · Sep 16, 2009

why did you choose nursing as a career? i was working 55+ hours a week as a catering manager, and realized i could make the same, or more working 36 hours a week as an rn, and use my brain at work as well!

how long have you been working as a rn? just about 2 months

what type of nursing education programs have you completed? i completed my adn in may of 2009, will start my bsn in 2010.

do you have a specialty area? right now i am loving working in neurology, but the er intrigues me as well

what types of settings have you worked in as a rn? i've just worked at a community hospital as an rn, although i worked at a teaching hospital as a patient care tech, and hated it.

what type of setting are you working in at this time? 300 bed community hospital, on a 20 bed neuroscience step-down floor

what do you like about nursing? i like the flexibility of my schedule, and my paycheck. i also enjoy being with people who are going through some very trying times in their lives, and hope that in some small way i can make it a little bit easier for them.

what are some of the challenges that make nursing difficult at times? i'd have to say that seeing patients you are caring for need something (a test, surgery, rehab, or just another day to get stronger before going home) and knowing that their insurance company will deny them. it's also difficult seeing patients who's family's are keeping them going with feeding tubes, vents, etc and knowing that the patient gave up a long time ago.

what are some of the benefits you see to being a nurse? as i said before, you can't beat the flexibility of your schedule. also knowing that if i get bored doing one thing, there's always something else to try is huge for me, as i'm a little scared of settling into a rut.

what are some of the strengths and challenges for health care delivery in the 21st century? where to begin? health care should not be a for-profit venture. ever. for anyone. i think the main challenge for health care delivery in the 21st century will be to get health care to those who need it, whether or not they have insurance, or money to pay. healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.

what advice would you give me, a new nursing student? keep your options open. don't go into school with the mindset that "i'm going to be a l&d (or pediatric, or icu etc) nurse, so i don't need to know these things, because you do... you will find people with multiple problems that you need to know how to treat, so don't write anything off. also, get an nclex review book if you don't already have one. it took me until the second semester to see that i knew the information, but wasn't reading the questions the right way to figure that out. also, when you are at clinical, realize that you are a guest there, and that if a nurse takes some time to show you how to do something, even if it's something you already learned, show some appreciation and learn from it. you don't learn everything form your instructors.

do you like the people you work with? i adore 99% of my co-workers, and the rest i can tolerate.

do you find it difficult working with other healthcare providers such as doctors, physical therapist, etc? not usually. some other providers have bad attitudes, but then again, so do some nurses. i will say that i infinitely prefer working night shift, when you don't have as many of the "suits" hanging around.

hope this helped, it was fun thinking about my answers!