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

[jordanl]

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?

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

If I don't get my first nursing position in 6 months, well hey, that may be a sign to go to PA school. I have worked as a scribe for nearly 2 1/2 years and those hours could count towards the contact hours required by many PA schools. I do want to work as a nurse, as that is what I'm being trained as, but if I cannot get a job as a nurse, then I'm moving on.

[Conqueror+, BSN, RN]

In a skinny minute. Is has allowed me to learn more about my fellow man than I ever thought possible. It has also given me a constant reminder of how blessed I am and to always be grateful. I have traveled on someone elses dime, made twice as much as my parents by the age of 23, taken care of soldiers who protect us everyday, come face to face with everyone from ministers to murderers and learn to give equal care. Most of all I have learned myself in a way that I never could have in any other profession. On a superficial level it helped me meet a very sexy 6 foot 5 angel to marry and make babies with :) Nursing is the business !!

[noahsmama]

Nursing is a second career for me, and I'm very happy with my decision to go into nursing. I enjoy nursing way more than what I was doing before (creating spreadsheet models to do cost/benefit analyses of energy efficiency standards).

However, if I had gone into the health care field at a younger age, I think I would have chosen to be an MD. They make more money and are more respected than nurses. Plus, I'm fascinated by pathophysiology and disease processes. I think I would have liked to be the person doing the diagnosing, or maybe I would have gone into medical research.

But then again, if only my parents had paid for those ballet lessons I wanted when I was five, maybe I would have become a ballerina!

[RocktheBoat]

Probably, but only because being an RN is a stepping stone to becoming a NP (I'm half-way done with NP school. There are days when I love my job, but there seems to be more days that I don't like my job. I work in an ICU and love it when I have very critically ill on the constant verge of coding patients. I don't like it when I have awake patients that I'm not sure why they are there and I spend my time playing waitress...When I'm an NP I can enjoy awake people because I don't have to play waitress (although I will still grab a pt a blanket if they need one and not track down the nurse). I just feel like the nurse wears too many hats--PT/OT, dietary, housekeeping, maintenance, RT, social work etc...Whenever anything goes wrong its the nurses' fault and we have no power to do anything about it. I also hate how it seems everyone else is unable to do anything for the patient--it's always "I'll get your nurse"--nurses don't have the luxury to pawn stuff off on other people.

[snuggles49]

So what is stopping those of you who "would not choose nursing as a career if you could do it all over again "?? Many of the posters are young just starting in thier careers... so get out now and work toward another career. You would be happier, your co-workers will be happier, your patients will be happier and possibly safer, and you would open up a job for someone who really wants to be a nurse. Think about it.

[chicookie, BSN, RN]

So what is stopping those of you who "would not choose nursing as a career if you could do it all over again "?? Many of the posters are young just starting in thier careers... so get out now and work toward another career. You would be happier, your co-workers will be happier, your patients will be happier and possibly safer, and you would open up a job for someone who really wants to be a nurse. Think about it.

The post wasn't about hating what you do. It's if you could do it over again, would you pick nursing.

That doesn't mean they hate what they do or that they are unhappy about their choice.

Heck I've met nurses who hate their jobs but they are excellent nurses. They hate the amount of politics involved, they hate the abuse, they hate the amount of paperwork they have to do, they hate administration, etc.

I would pick something else but I don't hate nursing. I am definitely not unhappy about it either.

I enjoy being a nurse, I just wish I wasn't at constant risk of losing everything I worked so hard to get.

I hate to say this but don't judge others like that, you have no idea what others are going through or how they feel. Just my .

[mystory, BSN, RN]

Probably, but only because being an RN is a stepping stone to becoming a NP (I'm half-way done with NP school. There are days when I love my job, but there seems to be more days that I don't like my job. I work in an ICU and love it when I have very critically ill on the constant verge of coding patients. I don't like it when I have awake patients that I'm not sure why they are there and I spend my time playing waitress...When I'm an NP I can enjoy awake people because I don't have to play waitress (although I will still grab a pt a blanket if they need one and not track down the nurse). I just feel like the nurse wears too many hats--PT/OT, dietary, housekeeping, maintenance, RT, social work etc...Whenever anything goes wrong its the nurses' fault and we have no power to do anything about it. I also hate how it seems everyone else is unable to do anything for the patient--it's always "I'll get your nurse"--nurses don't have the luxury to pawn stuff off on other people.

Amen. ESPN has fuzzy reception? Trash needs emptying? Patient wants lime jello instead of cherry? A visitor wants a blanket? It's all the nurse's fault/responsibility. This is the single most frustrating element of nursing, the poorly defined (even nonexistent) boundaries our role encompasses. I am in NP school, and I optimistically anticipate that this gets better as an NP.

If I had to stay a staff RN, no I would not do it again. I'm hoping I have a different answer re: advanced practice nursing.

Sorry this is almost a year old..but it is an interesting thread, I read every response and wouldn't mind reading even more.

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

Absolutely not.

While there are times I've been very happy doing what I'm doing, and I certainly don't hate nursing, the overarching theme after twenty years in the biz is a resounding "oh hell no."

[Guttercat, ASN, RN]

No I would have been a vet

^^^THIS!^^^

[0402]

This is a 2nd career for me, and I would have to say no. I went into it d/ t an interest in the science of it and the education part; I'm am 100% not the touchy-feely type and definitely don't find nursing to be a "calling". I never worked as a waitress before, for a reason- not my cup of tea, yet that's what I find myself doing now. Looking back, I would not have incurred the student loan debt that keeps me working (we can totally afford it, and I found a job pretty much right out of school, so this isn't a financial vent or anything); I would have transitioned from the active duty military to a reserve position and gotten out of funding the child care business and stayed home. I have an MSN, but for now, I'm working at the bedside, and though I'm pretty decent at my job, the part I really enjoy is teaching. I love working with new nurses and helping to guide them and build their confidence. If we didn't move every 2-3 years (husband is still active duty), I would definitely be getting a post-grad cert in education and seeking out working at a nursing school and stay at the hospital PRN. This is definitely where I see myself after my husband retires and we "settle down." OK, you got me- I guess I do like the variety of opportunities that nursing offers; I just really dislike where bedside nursing is right now.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I like nursing, but sometimes I wish I'd stayed a small-town bartender. The pay was better.

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

I would have considered being a pharmacist.