If you could do it all over again, would you choose nursing as your career?

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Talking to alot of the nurses in my hospital, if they knew then what the know now, they would not be nurses. I was a bit suprised to hear this. Anybody else feel this way?

Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry.

Nope.

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

I love being a nurse, wouldn't change a thing. For me, there are no other options. My husband often says if we ever won the lottery, he would put in a 2 week notice and I would take a two week vacation, lol.

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Specializes in A myriad of specialties.
i feel the same way. i wouldn't do it again. i'm stressed out, overworked, underpaid and unappreciated. this is also why i don't encourage anyone to go into nursing.

i sooooo agree with you. there is no appreciation for anything. add to that the threat of being required to work an extra shift 4 out of 5 work days due to short-staffing. add to that the constant threat of physical abuse(the verbal abuse is always present) and managerial abuse....in essence: no i would not choose this field again; should have finished my master's degree in speech pathology and worked with school children...but after 26 years in this field, it's a little too late; i'm too close to retirement.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

Some days I wonder. While I do enjoy nursing, I'm not impressed with having to cram 14 hrs into a 12 hour work day. I take a break every shift, and whatever doesn't get done can stay for the next shift. Time mgmt...yeah, but we all have very unrealistic demands placed on us, and I'm not buying into that. I'm a new nurse, but I'm also a second career nurse, so very wise to the guilt trips employers like to throw around.

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Specializes in Peds Hem, Onc, Med/Surg.

Its not that I regret nursing. I enjoy what I do, but I would have picked something else. Something that I would love without fearing that one day I am going to make a mistake lose my license and after studying and working so hard I would end up with nothing and be at a stage in my life where its too late to do anything. That is my biggest fear.. If the nursing world would be a little different then I would.

I would probably find a safe computer job.

Or I would work for Google. Because Google is awesome. :D

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Specializes in Mental health, substance abuse, geriatrics, PCU.

I don't regret nursing, but I don't plan on staying in it. I love taking care of patients, but honestly health care isn't about taking care of people anymore. This field sadly, shows the very gritty and ugly side of humanity, from the way that families treat the patients and the staff, to the way that the staff treat each other.

But I have learned a lot and will continue to be in nursing for a few years until my escape plan comes into fruition, and after all not all my nights are bad, but I have to confess sometimes I feel like the hospital is the Titanic, and I want to make sure that I don't wind up goin' down with the hull!

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agriculture or horticulture would have been a minor. peace, plants, sun, nature, and no one else...x-cept God :) :lttang::lttang: :heartbeat

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Specializes in Cardiac.
It makes me sad to read some of the responses here. I am in my 38th year of nursing. I have NEVER regretted it! Yes, I have been belittled, berrated, puked on, pooped on, yelled at by patients and obnoxious doctors and family. You name it - it's happened! But the next day when I wake up to go to work, I am still happy to be a nurse. I wish all of us could feel the same way. (and no, I am not high on xanax!) I just know that our profession is one of the best and we have so much to be proud of. WE know how much we contribute to our patients! That is all that really matters to me! I have to admit that I've also been very fortunate that I've never been without a job. I see many of the nurses on here who can't find jobs and that's very sad. I have always felt secure in the job market, my pay is OK, and the personal rewards always keep me satisfied.

You're awesome. Thank you for being a ray of sunshine in this saddening post. I sometimes get discouraged on my educational path to becoming an RN and in my professional life (CNA), but what you just wrote is what nursing is all about. Doing what's right for the pt. and we all know what we do for them everyday!

Thank you for this, I needed it. :) :up:

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Specializes in LTC.

This is my second career. I am regretful that I didn't do this or med school twenty years ago! I love most of the people, and have figured out that I can't help everyone and that not everyone is going to be polite to me--that's their problem. How I let it affect me is mine. I chose this profession because it uses and stretches all my talents and brains.

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Specializes in Hospice, ONC, Tele, Med Surg, Endo/Output.

Would rather be a mortician.

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Specializes in I like everything except ER.

I wish I never had anything to do with nursing and I had a great career.

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I probably would have, because that's what I wanted to be since I was about 14 years old. But - I would have been a lot more selective and done more research about my first job (back in '98, they were actually still hiring new grads and even offered some ICU internships; if only I had....) I was already in my 30's, so a totally different track - say, doctor or pharmacist - would have been unrealistic. And, again, I wanted to be a nurse and follow in Florence's footsteps; yes, I was that idealistic (naive?).

Hindsight is always 20/20, but that doesn't help us here and now.

DeLana

P.S. I guess if I had ever found my niche - and/or were employed right now - I'd be a lot more optimistic about it all.

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