Is becoming an RN still worth it?

talaxandra · Dec 13, 2011

I'm guessing you live in Victoria. It's true we're facing the biggest industrial relations battle with the government of my career to date, but the stakes are so high that we cannot afford to lose. It may take a while but the ANF and our members will triumph - there will be no introduction of short shifts, split shifts or PCWs, provided we have the support of nurses, doctors, allied health and the community.

Applying to study nursing was the best decision I've made. I found a career I not only enjoy, and friends I'll have for the rest of my life, but it's something I'm good at. I get to make a real, tangible difference to people's lives every day.

If you want to be an RN I say go for it. But in order to have a career at the end of your degree please be involved - attend local public rallies, sign petitions, educate yourself about the situation, visit the ANF website and the campaign's FaceBook page, and become a student member of the Federation.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

no. i honestly think being a rn is not worth it. here's something i put on another post (some of this may not apply to you):

i went into nursing because i thought - and was told by people who were nurses - that there wasn't a better education to get. i liked a&p, etc. and i had done carers work etc.

i busted my butt working whilst studying, and didn't get financial help from anyone whilst doing my last 6 week unpaid clinical. i gave up a lot to get my degree, friends dropped away (as i moved and was studying), a few relationships i had didn't survive.

i had to move to another state to get experience. after i moved back to my old state, i thought: this is it now, though i believe i am still learning the job - as we all do - i thought my stressful days were now over.

how completely and utterly wrong i was. the stress is unbelievable. i then thought maybe i won't work in hospitals for a while, i'll do nursing homes or low care jobs (low care assignments thru agencies are hard to get though). but after working in a nh the other week, where i had mainly demanding staff, older 'i'm entitled' patients, and a run in with a very foul rn, i have now had enough.

if anyone is young here, i urge you strongly to get out of nursing. you should try & get experience in another degree first or another area first, or if you've nearly fin nursing, still get experience in another area.

nursing will burn you out, and wear you out to the nth degree. friends stop calling you or inviting you out to events, (even the ones that are nurses who work days, or finish maybe at 6pm), they get tired of hearing you say 'i can't come to your birthday party cos i have to work'. your feet, legs and hips will hurt or ache. you will probably end up with a bad back - i haven't – yet - but it's starting to ache more.

many of my friends who are nurses have suffered the loss of relationships with hubbies & children, cos they were always at work. you probly won't get to go to many of your kids b/day parties & other events - because you're at work. you will miss them growing up. you will more often than not have to stay back - and not get paid for it either. you are always thinking re work and worrying in case you left anything undone, or made a mistake.

nursing is a soul destroying profession. i know people who are in jobs besides nursing & they are really happy. they work nice hours (they don't get the extra pay) and all go out for drinks with each other, many of them (actually 99% of them) don't have a degree. they always seem to have money, but i suppose live on credit cards like the rest of us. they wear nice office clothes, and don't have to wear closed footwear all the time - i hate wearing closed shoes. they don't work in environments where it's hot all the time (the last nh i was in was so incredibly hot) and everyone complains about it. they are not always stressed (they probly don't know what stress is).

so that's my story up until now. would i say nursing has been worth it? i have had some nice experiences, but on the balancing see saw of life, i would say those nice experiences are very few & far between.

my degree, though i have it now, has really not been worth it. but i don't know what else i would have gone into at the time. nursing was the best choice at the time. i started studying law & switched to nursing, cos i read/heard too many evil stories re law. and nursing has not made me happy. most people aren't happy in their jobs i suppose, but nursing has been really disappointing - and another bad aspect is that it ages you very quickly - something i regret.

i can only speak for myself, but nursing has not been worth it. it's hard, hot, disgusting, incredibly stressful, often dirty work, with long hours and with little thanks from anyone, plus the pay is not as good as it should be for what we are responsible for.

if you are young and thinking of doing nursing my very serious & mature advice to you is: do not pursue nursing until you are older and can handle it. get qualified at something else you can fall back on as you get older.

sunluvarn · Dec 14, 2011

WOW Carolmacca just.... WOW how long have you been a nurse?

I have never heard a more negative review of such a challenging (both physically and mentally) career. Sure there are moments when you question why you are here... but when I see my newly extubated patient smiling and eating their first meal or learning to stand after days or weeks paralysed and sedated I am renewed. When I have a patient die peacefully and with dignity when they have been suffering is an honour. Supporting a family dealing with a loved one who is critically ill - explaining what I am doing and how this affects their loved one is special. Nursing is hard. Nursing is certainly not glamorous or sexy.

Is it worth it? YES - if it is what you want to do - think carefully - What do you want in your life?

Shiftwork

Abusive Patients

Frequent Flyers

grateful patients

the ability to truly make a difference in a persons life

To care when no one else does

To work in a team with the same goals as you

To Teach

To LEARN every day

Find your passion and persue it - if you are not passionate about why you want to be a nurse DO NOT GO THERE

kiwinarz · Dec 14, 2011

RNs? my answer is YES!!! It's worth it. I can proudly say that I belong to a caring profession. I am very proud to be a RN and I am very happy I follow my dream. However, if you are not happy of what you are doing as a nurse, then, this profession is not for you. Ask yourself? Why I would like to become a nurse? reflect, research, think and seek fulfillment or satisfaction of what you do. These are some of the good signs that you are in the right path. :))

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Dec 14, 2011

WOW Carolmacca just.... WOW how long have you been a nurse?
I have never heard a more negative review of such a challenging (both physically and mentally) career. Sure there are moments when you question why you are here... but when I see my newly extubated patient smiling and eating their first meal or learning to stand after days or weeks paralysed and sedated I am renewed. When I have a patient die peacefully and with dignity when they have been suffering is an honour. Supporting a family dealing with a loved one who is critically ill - explaining what I am doing and how this affects their loved one is special. Nursing is hard. Nursing is certainly not glamorous or sexy.
Is it worth it? YES - if it is what you want to do - think carefully - What do you want in your life?
Shiftwork
Abusive Patients
Frequent Flyers
grateful patients
the ability to truly make a difference in a persons life
To care when no one else does
To work in a team with the same goals as you
To Teach
To LEARN every day
Find your passion and persue it - if you are not passionate about why you want to be a nurse DO NOT GO THERE

I've been in health care a long time, coming up on 27 years, been an RN for nearly 4 years, have done nurse assistant, carers work etc. Been there done that: worked @ the major hospitals, have done my VERY long hours without being paid, done my 4 & 6 week clinicals with NO PAY and no help from anyone, have the sore feet, stomach rumbling cos I don't have time to eat & getting indigestion, have done my time arguing with arrogant surgeons when I've got an important job to do, have run and coordinated the busiest surgical unit in our largest teaching hospital, have been abused more times than I care to remember by...well everybody really, have seen surgeons throwing scalpels in theatre - I could go on and on but I'd probably run out of room!

If you have had good experiences, good for you. But the 'passion' of nursing (if u want to call it that) has waned for me. I think I've just seen so much I can't be bothered with all the background politics now - do you blame me after 27 years?? Am I bitter? You bet! But I'm also getting blase about it all. The younger ones will come in all excited and sparkling eyes - then 10 years later will be dragging themselves in to work, wondering what the heck they got themselves into. I've seen student nurses/interns (junior doctors) absolutely broken & dead beat after a few weeks of clinicals.

I'm tired of arguing with NUMs who don't support RNs/nurses, tired of arguing with surgeons who think nobody else's job is important, tired of the arrogant $hItheads who walk around thinking they're oh so self-important - it's all an illusion. We should all be working together, but I can tell you now, that won't ever happen.

You can work back AALLL the overtime to help others you want, but nobody, yes NO-ONE will thank you.

Thanks, but no thanks. I've done my time and you get nothing for it.

TO THE YOUNG ONES: DO NOT DO NURSING!

You have been warned.

talaxandra · Dec 14, 2011

To the OP: as you can see, there's no right answer. A lot of how you're going to feel about nursing, assuming you decide to go ahead, will depend on where you work, what the stresses there are like, your perspective and coping mechanists, and what you expect the work to be like.

Much of what Carol says is true for me, too. My job would be so much easier if management supported us, instead of giving us more paperwork every time we draw breath. I believe I now spend as much time on unnecessary paperwork as I would on an additional patient. If I didn't have to fill out pressure injury and falls risj assessments every day, and generate falls plans and pressure injury reduction strategies for ambulant, self-caring patients, I might have time to teach my less experienced colleagues how to perform quick and efficient care and assessments.

When I was significantly more junior I had the occasional medical run in, but I can't remember the last time I had a significant conflict with a doctor. At least once a week I have one ask me for advice, soemtimes ringing from another ward about a complex issue.

I can say with total honesty that in over 22 years I've had fewer than twenty truly bad shifts - where I felt unsupported, or where I was unjustly treated, and most of those were with a particular NUM that I outlasted. I've certainly had my share of clinically horrndous shifts, too - patients bleeding out, the unexpected arrest and death of a stable post-op, a patient suicide, a doctor's suicide, a psychotic IVDU with head injury with neither treating team accepting responsibility for his care (the cortege running down a main road, with me, my manager, his psych nurse, the code grey leader, the nurse in charge of the hospital and two security guards was certainly memorable), a guy coughing up a chunk of lung, a VIP coning,...

But I've been really fortunate to work with a great team, at an innovative hospital that supports further study. I really enjoy my work, and I'm good at it. I get pleasure from knowing that I've made someone more comfortable - by repositioning, pain relief, conversation or information. I enjoy the intellectual challenge of acute care in an environment where acuity's increasing while bed stays are shorter than ever. I like to maintain relationships with my chronically ill patients (in a couple of cases we've known each otehr eight or more years) while having the freshness of new admissions.

When I was a baby student, back in the days of hospital training and nurses'homes, I got off work one evening tired and despairing. A classmate asked me about my shift, then said something I ask myself every day - did you make a positive difference to anyone's life? When I say I had she replied "What more can you ask from a day?

On even my worst shift I've managed that.

debbieuk · Dec 15, 2011

YES YES YES.. Nursing is worth it!! On my very first prac years ago a nurse told me to run away..i was horrified..i was there to help people..to follow my vocation/ passion ect ect...hahaha..oh times have changed !! I have shite days as does EVERY JOB!!! you have to work to pay bills - fact of life.. but i can HONESTLY say that i still enjoy going to work...i work with some strong personalities (O.R) the joy of nursing is that there is an area for everyone..it is a diverse career choice...i hated Aged care and medical...loved community and theatres...give it a go...you might just love it..... And Go Victoria !!!!!!!! Good on ya!

round12tko · Dec 15, 2011

WOW, carol really thinks nursing is that bad? I think she is a very dedicated nurse and I'm sure her patients, residents appreciate what she does even if the others may not. I do believe that nursing is not for everyone. The ones that really like it stay for decades and really cannot see themselves doing anything else...like carol :)

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2011

WOW, carol really thinks nursing is that bad? I think she is a very dedicated nurse and I'm sure her patients, residents appreciate what she does even if the others may not. I do believe that nursing is not for everyone. The ones that really like it stay for decades and really cannot see themselves doing anything else...like carol :)

"CAN'T SEE THEMSELVES DOING ANYTHING ELSE"??? I find that comment to be very sarcastic & offensive actually!

Sweetiepie, let me enlighten you:

I've worked in many, MANY different jobs in health care for 27 years, and have also done a lot of hospitality work. I have more job offers coming thru on my email and offers for interviews AND offers to help me move for jobs than I could keep up with before the holiday break. Your comment is very naive in the extreme - and not all of nursing is 'bad'. I have worked in a fantastic private hospital I was reluctant to leave & I did enjoy the teaching hospitals - but I've given so much of ME to nursing that I basically feel like I haven't got much back from it. If we had more support from the government and the public in general, nursing would probly be a better job/career (whatever term u choose 2 use).

Weren't you the one trolling this board before & offended me by saying we were all selfish?? (if memory serves correctly).

Zebrapants77 · Jan 1, 2012

I could not agree more with carolmaccas66. If you're asking, you'll get a straight answer. It really irks me that those who are happy being a nurse deign those of us who are not happy in this career as not having passion for it. Um, that's actually the problem: we DO care. If we didn't care, none of this would bother us. My dissatisfaction is mostly with management and "the system." There are patients who drive me crazy--the drugs seekers, the super-needy ones who refuse to take care of themselves, the family members. I think I could deal with those things if we had any support at all from management, and if we weren't continually dumped on by them, by doctors, other hospital employees, and yea, sometimes other nures.

I would never become a nurse again, it is NOT worth the personal cost.

ceridwyn · Jan 2, 2012

I think you will find the nurses who talk about a "calling" are those from countries who see nursing as a way out of their socio economic situation by moving to another country or by getting a status by just "being a nurse"Us from counties however that can make many choices at a career and still make same money even better and do not see it as a way out or family duty see it for what it is in our own countries,Usually as a job that usually is rewarding and does pay a bit better than being checkout chick at woollies (only just) and was in the past easy to move around in nursing specialties and changing jobs (not so anymore)So to say, it is cultural differences, they see as a duty and a calling, and shout down on us that see it for what it really is....a job that gives us the moolah to survive. helps us survive.