If you had to to do all over again...

I haven't been a nurse very long (6 months), but at this point, I still would. The whole process has been hard, and challenging, and I have been angry and frustrated and cried and whined, but I still love it. I live for those moments, rare as they seem sometimes, where I know I have done at least a little bit of good for my patients.

My last two shifts (my 4th and 5th off orientation), were very challenging and I was faced with a lot of the crud mentioned in this thread. One brief example -- a lady who had a CVA and fell, broke her leg, which is only in a brace, who has expressive aphasia. She would put her call light on every 2 minutes and cry "Pain! Pain! Ow!" but I couldn't medicate her for another 3 hours and the meds she had ordered didn't work. I called the Dr. and all I got was an order to increase her xanax dose, and a fleet's enema (for.. leg pain..). I was frustrated at the constant calls from the unit clerk about the call light, frustrated at the constant interruptions from the walky talky needy lady down the hall, frustrated at the demanding physician who interrogated me about why things were or weren't done overnight.

So I went in, for the 20th time, to tell the lady I couldn't give her any pain meds, but as soon as I was able to, I would bring them in. She took her good hand and touched my cheek and said "I love you anyway. Thank you for taking such good care of me."

And then I remembered why I love my job in spite of my job.

Yes. It's something I wanted since I was in my 20's. BUT, I would have tried harder, done more research and stood my ground to make it happen back in my 20's. Back then understaffing wasn't the issue it is now. I never regret having become a nurse. I've enriched peoples lives. I've even saved a couple. But I'm tired and it's getting harder every day. Everything in its season.

If you would have asked me this question 5yrs ago the answer was emphaticaly yes, now NO NO NO. I used to have a job that facillitated great nursing care, worked with a great group of staff and worked for a hospital that strove to be the best in the state. The philosophy of the hospital changed and so did nursing here. At this point I would actively discourage anyone I care about from going into nursing. It's a horrible job with backbreaking working conditions and is almost universally without respect or thanks. The pay isn't bad for a BS based career but the way thing are now, and the direction they are going, nursing isn't a sane way to earn a living. I long for the days when I was a dishwasher at the local pancake house!

I agree with one of the responders here who suggested that you have not yet found your niche. Hospice nursing sounds like something worth exploring. It may be that the ratio and the pace of the unit where you are now are simply incompatible with your work ethic and the level of care you believe your patients deserve. It sounds as though you are trying to address your patients' physical and emotional needs while the institution for whom you work displays a blatant disregard for your quality of life. You have the right to address your body's needs during a shift. And as long as we're talking about this word "deserve", it is nonsensical to say that someone does or does not deserve to be a nurse. Nursing is the application of clinical judgement and skills. A profession is not something that is bestowed upon the worthy. That's a part of what's wrong with the profession today; the profession has not been separated from its religious roots and this idea that martyrdom is part of the job.

For me it depends on the day. When I have bad stressful days, no, but today I had a great victory so today, yes I would do it again. I think a job is like any relationship, ups and downs, but I stick with it because its what I like

threads like this really make me nervous

im a nursing student, just finished my first year

duno if i could handle some of this extreme stress and being pulled into

several different directions

I would definitely do it again...but only if I could work psych! LOL I hated the year I spent on a med/surg unit (may the deities bless you med/surg nurses!) but I ADORE psych nursing...I adored working inpatient psych, and now I work in a county mental health office...I too like having more time with patients, and I particularly like educating patients, and I get my fair share of both in county mental health...

There are many options in nursing...maybe do some research and see what you might like, and experiment! Best of luck!

Yes, BUT....I would not be an LPN and never find the time to finish my RN. If I could do it all over again, I would get a BSN RN first. My job opportunities would have been multiple, and it wouldn't have taken me 24 years to find my dream job.

YES, YES, YES! No hesitation, no thinking twice, no reservations. I've been doing this for 20 years now and I love it just as much as when I started. There are things about nursing that I don't like, but no one would like every single aspect of their job no matter what it is. Are admins unfair? Yes. Are we overworked? Yes. Are we often hung out to dry? Yes.

Then I think of all the times I've made a difference to someone.....the man who came in with an evolving MI. The girl who cried in my arms when she miscarried and had no one with her. The 3-yr-old who came in stumbling, complaining of headaches, who had a brain stem tumor.......several months later she came back with her mom walking steady and with a bright smile, and she gave me a hug. The 4-yr-old whose face was mauled by a dog, who remembered me a year later and said "You're the lady who helped the doctor fix my face."

Yeah, I would choose nursing again. In a heartbeat.

Absolutely yes.

if i got a "do-over" i would probably work as a cna/tech prior, as they taught me some valuable things when i was new.

i generally don't regret my choice to become a nurse, but i do admit on those rough days i wonder what the heck i was thinking:banghead: