I want to be a nurse but is nursing really that horrible??

[kgheen09]

Hello fellow nurses. I really want to become a licensed practical nurse. I could start this fall or sooner for a lpn class at a vocational school. I'm kinda scared. Im pretty good at school, 3.0 gpa so the tests wouldn't be my problem maybe just the clinicals. My boyfriend who is a certified nursing assistant said to become a lpn. He said it really isn't that bad. He said all they pretty much did at the nursing home he worked for was pass meds, paperwork, and IVS. I know there will be more than that. I am a very sweet person and I love helping people. Blood and guts wont kill me, im just scared about giving IVs because what if I do it wrong. i just really want to know If nursing is really all that horrible as people say! Please fellow nurses help me out. I figure I could at least try as an lpn and if I absoutely hate it, I could change my career. Please help!

[Ginger's Mom, MSN, RN]

Nursing is wonderful but a very demanding career. Lpn school is not easy but a good way to enter nursing. Why not become a CNA to see for yourself if nursing is for you.

[interleukin]

Nursing is wonderful but a very demanding career. Lpn school is not easy but a good way to enter nursing. Why not become a CNA to see for yourself if nursing is for you.

Do you really think someone not trained as an RN can realize/appreciate what an RN's demands and responsibilities truly are?

[Plain Vanilla]

I am a nursing student and I am worried about that too.

A few days ago I went to a nursing seminar at my school and they were pretty informative. The best piece of advice they had given was that "if a person has no humility, they cannot be a nurse."

Maybe it has to do with how humble you can be when working with people in sorry states. An LPN there mentioned that it is like if a patient vomits on you, you can't get mad. That humility advice is going to stay with me...I hope it helps!

Like AlexK49 said, it won't hurt to become a CNA. I am going to take a CNA class to get an idea of what it is like to work in that kind of environment.

[xos4eva]

Nursing is hard and it's stressful but if you love what you do you can make it. There are various positions in nursing such as school nurses, camp nurses, nursing homes and various departments within a hospital. It's all about finding your niche, it may not be your first position but if this is your passion you will find your spot. You will have days where you feel drained and you hate it but it doesn't tarnish how you feel about the profession overall.

[Thornbird]

It really depends upon the person and how they view things. Some people can make anything seem awful. There are employers who treat nurses badly. There are rude patients. A nurse does have to deal with blood and other body fluids. There can be nasty dressings to change. But it's not just constant disgusting horrible tasks.

Becoming a CNA first is a good way to find out if you generally like patient care and won't get grossed out too easily. I have no clue what interleukin is talking about as there is no discussion here about the demands of being an RN.

LPN's are entry level nurses. Everything you do is practiced in clinical with supervision. IV management is covered in detail. Starting IV's (putting it in the vein) is not a basic skill for LPN's. In the places that even allow LPN's to do that, it is taught separately at a later time.

[CHATSDALE]

i think that your bf has a very limited idea on what an nurse [lpn/rn] does during the course of a shift..maybe this is all he sees but while that nurse is passing meds she is observing the patient, checking v/s to determine to give or to hold certain meds, whether they look like their blood sugar is up/down, the manner of breathing etc . the list goes on..

but all these things will be what you will be going to school to learn, nursing school is hard because you are not only acquiring knowledge but you must learn skills at the same time

if you want to be an lpn and you have a good school it is an excellent way to enter the nursing profession

if you have a choice and can financially manage it you might consider going to an RN program...the doors that will be open and the paycheck will be much more

good luck

[mondkmondk]

I started as a CNA and worked my way up...CNA, CMT, LPN, and now RN. The first semester of LPN school for me anyways, was like a CNA review class. The second semester dealt with actual LPN duties like being in charge etc. I was on the Dean's honor roll in LPN school and for me, it was pretty easy.

Now, RN school was something different entirely; I literally had to study my butt off. It took me 3 tries to pass boards. I basically decided to be an RN because I work in LTC, and basically the LPN's can do most everything the RN's can (except for IV pushes etc.) without RN pay.

My job can be stressful of course, most any job could at least sometime...but at the end of my shift, I feel good about myself inside, knowing I helped people who really needed it.

Good luck to you!

Blessings, Michelle

[MS._Jen_RN, ASN, RN]

There are negative people in every career and life in general. Don't let those people cast the whole field in a bad light.

~Jen

[1styearsucks]

Do NOT let anyone discourage you or intimidate you. Make your decision based on your goals and life experiences. I have seen that website. I hope none of those nurses ever care for me or a family member of mine.

[cherrybreeze, ADN, RN]

There are nurses out there that shouldn't be nurses. We all work with them. There are days that the best nurses, who love nursing, don't like their jobs. There are bad managers, bad coworkers. That goes with ANY profession, though! To insinuate that any nurse who speaks of their career highly is just still disillusioned...I can't get my head around that. Yes, some of the things we do as nurses aren't pretty. We handle body fluids, whatever. I try to think of THOSE things as, if it were ME, or my mother, or someone else I loved, how would I want them to be cared for? Someone has to do it, and if I can do the job and give that person respect and care for them with dignity, then I have done them a tremendous service. There ARE the days that I leave my job and don't ever want to go back....and then, I have a little time to relax, and I get my head back in the game. It's the little things, a thank you card, a hug, a smile, that remind me why I do what I do. Last weekend, I took care of a gentleman for 3 days in a row. Both he and his wife were very nice (he'd been a patient a couple times before, he's had multiple small bowel obstructions). On the third day, his wife brought me in a couple of homemade muffins. That small gesture meant a lot to me, it made my day. Just muffins.

There will always be the patients that treat you like crap, manipulate you, that you can never please, no matter how hard you try. Healthcare is going to always be about money, and that's going to make giving good patient care more and more difficult. But, to counter that, there will be the patients that will always be grateful to you for the care you gave to them. It's usually the little things that go the farthest. A heartfelt smile. Honest empathy. Their KNOWING that you honestly care for their well-being.

[NeoNurseTX, RN]

There are ups and downs as with any job.

Even in nursing school, you don't really get a good idea of what being the 'real nurse' is like though.