Is nursing really that bad of a career choice?

Nurses Career Support

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Hey everyone! So I'm 18, I'll be attending college next fall, and I was planning on majoring in nursing. I've always been interested in medicine, I'm very much a people-person, I want a meaningful career, and I also want something with a lot of excitement and change. Nursing seemed like a really good choice for me ... but then I discovered this site. It seems like a lot of nurses are on here are tired, miserable, trapped, and just don't like their jobs. It scares me because I don't want to end up like that! I mean, I know that every job has its bad days, and obviously nothing is going to be perfect. I just want to make the right decision.

So I guess my question is this: is being a nurse really that bad? Should I stay as far away from it as possible? And if you're a nurse, would you pick a different career if you could do it all over again? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)

lol sundowning is a real thing on night shift... :)

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You can also shadow a nurse for a half shift or shift, call HR at a local hospital.

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Specializes in SNF.
You can also shadow a nurse for a half shift or shift, call HR at a local hospital.

Do this! Try it before you buy it! Of course all work environments will be different, but at least you will experience with your own senses what it may be like! In fact, do this for any other fields of work that you want to explore. Then, take the classes you need that lead up to your goal. I wish I had taken the time to do this, I would have been so much more focused and motivated in school.

Best of luck to you, follow your dreams!

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I suggest you read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. It's a novel about self-actualization not taking what people say at face value, and being your own person regardless of speculation, rumor, and conjecture. I do not believe AllNurses is a good website. I think it has the most convoluted advice imaginable and it is incredibly narrow-minded. If you want a good gauge of nursing as a career, go find five well-established nurses [in real life'] and ask for their opinions. Trusting everything you read on the internet to be true and objective is naive. And really ask yourself, "What is the demographic of AllNurses?" Really dig down and read the posts: You have old nurses berating nursing students for venting about their days; student nurses speaking grandiosely about the one patient on med/surg who they cared for - as if that single experience is a predictor of their career; you have new grads too afraid to call HR; and you have old nurses complaining about their preceptees. Plus, how many freakin' times can you ask, "Does the PVT work?" because you just accept the fact it works?

Lol. So true!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I've posted this response in a variable form; however, I will continue to share :yes: :

I been through nursing since the early 2000s. I have been a CNA, LPN, and a RN...If I wasn't happy with this profession, or felt I couldn't be objective and assertive or personally happy with this profession, I would've probably found something else to do, or found a rich man, lol. ;) Seriously.

I have friends in healthcare, public safety, military, education, research, business, IT, real estate, construction, public health, social work...people are people are people...personality does not always transcend professions....the most important aspect in interacting with people; especially peers and the public is your expectations of YOU...The only expectations that I have of myself in this profession is to remain objective and to maximize myself and my profession; I have the attitude of "what can be done?" MOST of the time throughout my time in this business in each role I have been in; and I have been able to be an Independent contractor, a W-2'er ( basically employee, lol :) ); worked in nursing specialties such as Peds, Home Health/Community Health, Rehab (Spinal Cord Injured, Trauma/Traumatic Brain Injury), Wound Care, and Skilled Nursing.

Do I vent? Sure; but I vent and move on; tomorrow is another day; life is too short to be unhappy.

As far as discouragement; I remember going to a career day when I was in middle school in the mid 1990s-around the time when the other financial crisis occurred, there were new changes to insurance and the delivery of healthcare back then as well; a nurse outright told me not to go into the profession; I'm very fortunate that I was very objective at the time; she was VERY negative; and if I think back on what she stated, it was most of the venting that people talk about ad nauseum; if I had listened to her instead of remembering the nuggets of what my parent and family instilled in me, and being the objective child I was, I would've missed out on a career that has been a wonderful fit in my life. OP, I suggest to be objective; seek out nursing chapter leaders and organizers; nursing union and organizers your area. I found this place as a new grad LPN in 2004; the most popular post was "RN vs. LPN" :blink: ; however, I found valuable information on a thread on how to become IV therapy "certified" (now called competency).

I've found wonderful resources, venting sessions, and threads that I found to be informative, entertaining, and found my way to help contribute with my two copper pieces that I choose to rub together.

I find the Admins and guides and most posters to be intelligent people who provide resources and opinions for professional practice, career experiences, and venting (when applicable) to be a GREAT resource; I am serious; to me, they remind me of the team I am a part of at work, although they are across the country or across the world; across GENERATIONS, yet, have millennials of information and experience that makes this site enjoyable. :yes:

Branch out and find the Nurses Rock! Forum; there is also a recent brag thread as well; and plenty of "positive" and inspirational threads as well. Seek and ye shall find...personally and professionally ;)

If you decide to be a part of this business, understand the various people and the intimacy that is invoked with patients and peers of various backgrounds, culture and personalities; this business is NOT for the weak or faint hearted :no: but it can certainly be as satisfying as any other profession, it's what YOU put into it. :yes:

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Nursing is not for everyone. Speaking for myself, hospital nursing has not been a great experience. But there are a lot of places to be a nurse. I got into nursing with the idea of helping others and making a difference to society. Sadly, 2+ years of nursing on the floor have blown that illusion away. If you are blessed with 5-6 patients a shift, consider yourself lucky. The patients you experience as a student are great, it seems. But once you graduate, if you work a night job, be prepared to deal with grandmas and grandpas who go all

"The Exorcist" on you. Nursing can be a long and bumpy road. Prepare yourself to have a thick skin. :)

You are so right there are just too many patients that go exorcist on you! You made me laugh! But not all old, many are young!

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I left nursing two months ago after being a hospital orthopedic nurse for seven years. Nursing is not at all a romantic job; it's hard, dirty work that can damage your back and your soul. I did not find it a good fit, but I knew a lot of other nurses that loved what they did. If you have a thick skin and can avoid taking what people say personally, you might enjoy a career in nursing. I think the advice to shadow a floor nurse is an excellent idea. Nursing can be a profoundly rewarding career, if you can go into it with as few illusions as possible. I hope you find the perfect spot for you!

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Specializes in Hospice, Urology, Gastroenterology,.

I would say that finding the right job in nursing that you enjoy is the key. I myself have worked in different areas of nursing since getting my license about 19yrs ago and just in the past 8 years have I found the job that I LOVE doing! Don't let negative comments steer you away from nursing.

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I just turned 60 in April and I became a licensed nurse in August. It is a second career for me as well. There are so many paths you can take in nursing that's it's really amazing - in many regards there is no other career like it. One of the greatest nursing resources I've ever found is AllNurses.com. I've been a member here since 2008 when I first started taking classes for nursing school. It's great to have a large body of experienced people that you can talk to and bounce things off of and who know what nursing is all about. Like another poster here commented, you can do that with family, friends, spouses, etc. but it just isn't the same because they don't really know what you have to deal with. Because of HIPPA for example, there is really a lot that goes on in the hospital that I see that I really can't tell my spouse about in detail. Like someone once said, nursing is the most interesting and fascinating profession that you can't tell anyone about LOL. I know a lot of people like to say this, but maybe someday I will write a book about all of this. In another life I was a newspaper person/journalist, so writing is something that comes naturally to me. Don't let the venting here scare you off - many people do that so that they don't go nuts. I myself don't really come here to vent (not most of the time anyway) but I do come here for information and moral support. And no, nobody likes their job 100 percent of the time, and that's true of nurses too. Best of luck to you OP as you begin your amazing career :)

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Trust me,when you work with all of your hearth many thinhs good will follow you....nurse is like an angel for me ....we treat human and not a things,open yourself and ask to yourself,is this really you?hope for the best

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Like anything; it is what you make it. The beauty of being a nurse is that you can change if you become bored or frustrated or just need a change. The thing for me about nursing that I really struggle with is the moral and ethical issues. Mainly resuscitating patients who clinically/ethically/morally should be allowed to die in peace and comfort. In Canada people think it's their right to live whatever indulgent life they choose and then patronize our "free" healthcare...because they believe they've paid into it and are entitled to it. Anyway these are things I have no control over but they still upset me. Nursing has great moments; you are privileged to be part of someone's life when they are at their worst or their best, when a loved one is dying or being born or when they have to make the decision to let someone go. It can be very meaningful and profound. I have worked in many different areas and have ended up in critical care. It is the most ideal way to practice if you want to work in a hospital. Every other unit the nurses are worked to death. Too many patients, not enough hours in the day to do the job properly. Despite the moral and ethical issues I face every day at least I only have a maximum of 2 patients to face them with. Plus the skills and knowledge I have gained through working in critical care will allow me to be in demand and be employed anywhere. I think if you have a decision in the matter and you know yourself you could make the decision to be a nurse. What I mean by that is that I was pushed into nursing by my dad. I was never told to dream and aspire and reach for the stars, I was always told the most important thing to a career choice is employability...and nursing is definitely that. If I could go back I would have nurtured my creative side and maybe gone to university or done something different. I am not encouraging my own child to be a nurse because I know her and I believe she is destined for something creative, that being said if she chooses nursing I would support her. Good luck with your choice. And I think another poster wrote that this is a forum for nurses so you will see a lot of venting here because we do understand each other.

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Nursing is not for everyone. Speaking for myself, hospital nursing has not been a great experience. But there are a lot of places to be a nurse. I got into nursing with the idea of helping others and making a difference to society. Sadly, 2+ years of nursing on the floor have blown that illusion away. If you are blessed with 5-6 patients a shift, consider yourself lucky. The patients you experience as a student are great, it seems. But once you graduate, if you work a night job, be prepared to deal with grandmas and grandpas who go all

"The Exorcist" on you. Nursing can be a long and bumpy road. Prepare yourself to have a thick skin. :)

I work the night shift in a hospital, and I have grandmas and grandpas go "The Exorcist" on me all the time. Sort of sad to see it really - A lot of these people really have no one anymore and are alone in the hospital. Many of them have dementia or sundowners and don't really know where they are or why. Their mind (or what's left of it) takes them back to where they want to be ("Why are all those girls out there in the kitchen, and what are they talking and laughing about?" "M'am that's not the kitchen, that's the nurse's station, and those are nurses. You are in the hospital.") If we didn't take care of these types of people, who would??? Know that if you become a nurse yes it will be hard and thankless work, but you will be making a difference in peoples lives, even if the very people themselves don't recognize it.

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