Im lost all nurses read!!!

Reminisce · Dec 8, 2009

In addition to working on finishing up your GED, I think you might need to look into more career options, as well. Have you researched other jobs that involve the aspect of "helping others", like you desire?
Nurses work very hard and wear many hats. It isn't just about "monitoring" people. I'm not aware of any job in the field that requires one to simply look at their patient, and not have to render some form of care, even if they are stable. Not to mention, if a patient's status is deteriorating, who will intervene, if not the nurse? And yes, that involves the good, the bad, AND the ugly. We can't just choose what we are going to do for an assigned patient. It doesn't work that way.
If nursing is truly what you want to do, I don't think you should focus so much on the hours. In fact, the hours you mentioned are partly doable, in that you might be able to pull of a schedule like that twice a month. But the reality is, most jobs out there aren't going to offer "perfect" hours, unless you are working temporary or have your own business. So you are going to have to compromise at some point.
Try doing more research. If volunteering won't let you see much, contact your local career center. Talk to a career counselor, rent videos on different jobs in nursing, watch documentary shows on TV (Trauma Life in the ER, Code Blue, A Baby Story, etc) that will allow you to see a little of what different types of nurses do. Read more about what nurses do for their jobs on here, and also what people's opinions are about those jobs. Look up job listings online for different nursing positions and read the job descriptions.
There is more research to be done, to see if this field is truly for you. We can't tell you whether you should do it or not. It has to be a decision that YOU make. You have plenty of time. The advice about starting as a CNA might also help shed some light on what to expect as you venture into the field. And it will allow you to talk to nurses in person and see them in action.
But whatever you do, don't base your decision solely on money and hours. And don't expect to come into any field not wanting to work hard, because you will have to most of the times, especially in the beginning.
Good luck to you!

Thanks for your reply, I don't think er is for me lol, Looked very scary and I don't think I would handle seeing bones coming out of peoples skin well, arn't there other floors and stuff that don't see bones poping out and don't have to see surgeries on a daily basis?

eldragon · Dec 8, 2009

At 17, I think the OP's posts are very reasonable.

You don't have to decide everything right now; you have a lifetime to perfect and tweak things. But do get your GED if you haven't done that. And do plan to get your pre-reqs out of the way at a local college as soon as you can.

Go see a college guidance counselor and they will point you in the right direction. But first, get your GED.

Good luck!

Blackheartednurse · Dec 8, 2009

Thanks for your reply, I really do like the hospital enviorment just not so sure about the dirty work lol because as I said before I never been around it, I don't know what it would be like to be around it, I do want to help others though.

Dirty work? I think you should switch to a different major.Sorry for the being brutally honest,you asked for it.

*ac* · Dec 8, 2009

I really think you should look at a program that will get you licnensed as a certified nursing assistant. It should not take too long nor cost too much, and it will then be able to get a job which will answer your questions as to how well you can handle the less pleasant aspects of nursing.

I'm picking up that you already dropped out, but at my hospital there is a vocational program for high school students - as seniors, they work with the CNA's and get high school credit for it - when they graduate from high school they can become licensed CNA's. It does not cost them anything. Just mentioning it as an idea, possibly for going back to high school.

Inspired By Silence · Dec 8, 2009

I'm a little miffed, to put it kindly, by your attitude. You seem to think you can have your cake and eat it too. As a pre nursing student suffering from multiple disabilities, I know first hand that there are no short cuts in life. Especially in the field of nursing. You either put out or get out! If the idea of wiping butts, cleaning up urine, bandaging bloody wounds, etc, bothers you, you're looking at the wrong field of work. The way you seem to act as if nursing exists to serve you bothers me greatly. If you're not going to give your patients AT LEAST 101%, you don't deserve to be a part of this profession.

Reminisce · Dec 8, 2009

I'm a little miffed, to put it kindly, by your attitude. You seem to think you can have your cake and eat it too. As a pre nursing student suffering from multiple disabilities, I know first hand that there are no short cuts in life. Especially in the field of nursing. You either put out or get out! If the idea of wiping butts, cleaning up urine, bandaging bloody wounds, etc, bothers you, you're looking at the wrong field of work. The way you seem to act as if nursing exists to serve you bothers me greatly. If you're not going to give your patients AT LEAST 101%, you don't deserve to be a part of this profession.

Thanks for your opinion, stay positive :)

truthbtolled77 · Dec 9, 2009

:eek:whoa! what is going on here?! have we not taken lifespan development..it's rhetorical, please do not answer. this girl is 17! she may have dropped out for whatever reasons (we don't know, so slow down the judgement:no:) and at least she is going to get her ged, she is thinking of becoming a nurse at 17:nmbrn:! come on, we need to support our youth, especially when they are thinking in the right direction! she is allowed to be confused, hell, i am still confused about a lot. let's see, i am not perfect, i have made plenty of mistakes along the way of life, i was much older when deciding to become a nurse, have had zero support, my health is crap, my money is crap, i have 3 kids, etc, etc:vlin:, we all have war stories. please, stop this madness and hear her out, this is where the "i am better than thou" attitude in nursing stems from, stop it! we nurses need to stick together,:igtsyt: all of us, and part of nursing is mentoring and teaching. she asked us about the nursing profession and not to sugar-coat that, not her personally. look, i am not trying to be brass, it's just that i am starting to see why some nurses are so hateful toward each other, we need to look at the doctors, they stick up for each other, while we, the nurses, are eating each other alive! it doesn't make sense!:icon_hug:

i know i can learn from everyone, the young, the old, the poor, yada yada, not to mention being a nurse, you're in school for life... let's hear her out, support her, teach her and lead her in the right direction (nursing or otherwise), not attack her...let's be nurses! :yeah:

Emergency RN · Dec 9, 2009

ok so I have been been evaluating what I truly want, ... is there other types of careers that work 3 12 hour shifts and get full benafits and 40k - 50k a year? give me some advice please :) constructive would be prefered, and dont sugar coat :)

Firefighter; most work 24 on and 48 off, and fairly decent pay and benefits.

BluegrassRN · Dec 9, 2009

ok so I have been been evaluating what I truly want which would make most nurses upset with me I suppose, What I truly want is to only have to work 3 days a week 12 hour day time shifts and some how make 40k - 50k a year and have full benafits, and preferably have friday, saturday and sunday off. I am only 17 right now so it might change in time as I grow and find myself more in the future, I like the idea of helping others (that line is probley overly used in the world) but I don't know if I really want to be working with blood and wounds and the dirty work and having to bring people back to life and such, I suppose I dont trust myself well enough because I never been in that type of situation and I dont know how I would respond to it, I would love to help sick people who do not really have injuries, I think monitoring patients sounds really really fun and cool because I like watching things but idk would I really make a good nurse? am I doing it for the wrong reasons? what do you guys think? is there other types of careers that work 3 12 hour shifts and get full benafits and 40k - 50k a year? give me some advice please :) constructive would be prefered, and dont sugar coat :)

You're young. I think it's great that you're even thinking about a career that provides both job satisfaction and an adequate, steady income.

Who *wants* to clean up poop? No one *wants* to. And yet, your parents did it. You think your parents wanted to wipe your bum for 3+ years? But they did it, right? And after a day or two, they didn't even flinch about it, and maybe even enjoyed the intimate time those diaper changes created between the two of you. They also used that time to unconsciously evaluate your health--did that food they fed you earlier not sit well? Were you gaining weigh appropriately? Was your skin soft, blemish free and supple? Were you eating and drinking enough?

I can honestly tell you, I do NOT mind cleaning up a mess. It is a part of taking care of someone, of providing them comfort, and of evaluating their health. If I come across a big old pile of poop on the sidewalk, am I excited about it? NO! Do I want to clean it up, examine it for an idea of the health of the individual? NO! But for my patients, for whom I care and in whom I am vested--YES!

When you think of cleaning up messes as a part of the bigger picture of patient evaluation and care, it is not so bad. And most people honestly get to the point where they don't really mind cleaning up poop for their patients.

I think you should get a job as a CNA, preferably in a hospital. You will get to see the ins and outs of nursing, you will be exposed to all aspects of patient care, and maybe you will be able to make a more educated decision about choosing nursing as a career.

I don't think I could EVER go back to working more than 3 days a week! I went into nursing, too, because I thought it would be interesting, I wanted a job with a good, steady income, and I wanted something that had a family friendly schedule. To me, working 3 nights a week has been wonderful for our family. I *DID NOT* continue on to grad school in business law, because I DID NOT want to work long hours and have to travel without my family. Instead, I did a 180 and went to nursing school. 10 years later, I'm still glad I did.

There is nothing wrong with realistically considering your hours, your pay, and your job satisfaction when deciding your career. I wish *I* had done so when I was 17!!!!

sunnycalifRN · Dec 9, 2009

ok so I have been been evaluating what I truly want which would make most nurses upset with me I suppose, What I truly want is to only have to work 3 days a week 12 hour day time shifts and some how make 40k - 50k a year and have full benafits, and preferably have friday, saturday and sunday off. I am only 17 right now so it might change in time as I grow and find myself more in the future, I like the idea of helping others (that line is probley overly used in the world) but I don't know if I really want to be working with blood and wounds and the dirty work and having to bring people back to life and such, I suppose I dont trust myself well enough because I never been in that type of situation and I dont know how I would respond to it, I would love to help sick people who do not really have injuries, I think monitoring patients sounds really really fun and cool because I like watching things but idk would I really make a good nurse? am I doing it for the wrong reasons? what do you guys think? is there other types of careers that work 3 12 hour shifts and get full benafits and 40k - 50k a year? give me some advice please :) constructive would be prefered, and dont sugar coat :)

Okay, no sugar. Definitely, NOT nursing. You're young. I'd suggest that you get out into the working world. Try different jobs. You will find out that what you're seeking, only 3 12's, 40-50K/yr salary, only clean work, etc . . is something from a fantasy world . . not reality.

noreenl · Dec 9, 2009

You might want to consider Occupational Therapy!

Reminisce · Dec 9, 2009

:eek:whoa! what is going on here?! have we not taken lifespan development..it's rhetorical, please do not answer. this girl is 17! she may have dropped out for whatever reasons (we don't know, so slow down the judgement:no:) and at least she is going to get her ged, she is thinking of becoming a nurse at 17:nmbrn:! come on, we need to support our youth, especially when they are thinking in the right direction! she is allowed to be confused, hell, i am still confused about a lot. let's see, i am not perfect, i have made plenty of mistakes along the way of life, i was much older when deciding to become a nurse, have had zero support, my health is crap, my money is crap, i have 3 kids, etc, etc:vlin:, we all have war stories. please, stop this madness and hear her out, this is where the "i am better than thou" attitude in nursing stems from, stop it! we nurses need to stick together,:igtsyt: all of us, and part of nursing is mentoring and teaching. she asked us about the nursing profession and not to sugar-coat that, not her personally. look, i am not trying to be brass, it's just that i am starting to see why some nurses are so hateful toward each other, we need to look at the doctors, they stick up for each other, while we, the nurses, are eating each other alive! it doesn't make sense!:icon_hug:
i know i can learn from everyone, the young, the old, the poor, yada yada, not to mention being a nurse, you're in school for life... let's hear her out, support her, teach her and lead her in the right direction (nursing or otherwise), not attack her...let's be nurses!

thank you very much for your replys, i am actualy a boy :) i really like your positivity it is greatly appreciated and you make a lot of sence, i did mention that one of the reasons i am kinda worried is because i never been in the situation of being around things like that, i am not really botherd with poop, pee, and vomit i am more worried of things like ulcers and terible wounds and that stuff, do nurses really get used to seeing and bandaging wounds and things of that nature and if i wanted to avoid bad body injuries is there any way to avoid them in any floors in a hospital seting? i hope you read this :) i look forward to hearing from you soon :loveya: