I have been considering a nursing career ever since I was laid off from my job in April. My 1st career choice back in High School was to be a nurse but I needed money so I got a job instead of college. I had a great paying job in real estate (need I say more!!)
I am looking for a career change that will give me stability, so I went back to the idea of nursing. At this point in my life I can really go in any direction I want, but I feel nursing was, and still is my calling.
Now that I have researched this career, it sounds like it's a horrible job!! Most nurses complain about the stress, the hours, the pay, the doctors, management, patients and worst of all other nurses.....
What is the benefit of helping people if you hate everything else around you? I am starting to believe that part of the shortage is because of the current nurses driving prospective nurses away. I am starting to reconsider, but before I do, I have to ask......
I really get annoyed when people say "nursing is what you make it."
Nurses cannot make the working conditions, the staff to pt ratios, the pay scales, the work load. We cannot make employers stock suffiecient supplies or replace old, broken equipment.
Nurses can change jobs, but in my experience, conditions don't vary much from place to place.
Nursing is a rewarding career in a number of ways, but it is very, very difficult.
This is all true, however, only you can decide the way that you'll handle all of this. That's what I meant by 'nursing is what you make it.'. Sorry if my words annoyed you, it was not meant as in the lack of control that nurses have over staffing or equipment. I think any field has its share of problems and its all how you handle it or what you make of it while your on.
We, nurses, can work to change many of the issues raised in previous posts. I love being a nurse and the choices of life style and variety of settings available. I enjoy what I do and don't want to do anything else.
We need to work towards better working conditions and realistic workloads. We have been silent for many years and allowed management to dictate these things for us. We do have the ability to work together. We need to use our skills in communications and nursing to make these changes.
Don't let our posts keep you from nursing if that is what you want. Many posts are just frustration being shared. That is how we all learn how others are being treated and give each other suggestions as to how to cope, or how to fix, depending on situation.
We, nurses, can work to change many of the issues raised in previous posts. I love being a nurse and the choices of life style and variety of settings available. I enjoy what I do and don't want to do anything else.
We need to work towards better working conditions and realistic workloads. We have been silent for many years and allowed management to dictate these things for us. We do have the ability to work together. We need to use our skills in communications and nursing to make these changes.
Don't let our posts keep you from nursing if that is what you want. Many posts are just frustration being shared. That is how we all learn how others are being treated and give each other suggestions as to how to cope, or how to fix, depending on situation.
In the real world, when nurses break their silence and work to improve conditions, they often lose their jobs.
In some ways Yes, it is that bad. But then so is any job.
My husband is a mailman, I can't begin to tell you the crap he has to put up with at work. A couple years ago he got bit by a dog. The dog had broken its chain came up the porch and went under his mail bag and got him in the inner thigh. Well, according to the USPS there are no accidents EVERYTHING is preventable. So, he went to take a test to get into management and because of the workers comp claim he filed he was denied. They even said in a letter "based on your injury history you are not a candidate for managment, blah, blah, blah."
Look at the crap teachers and cops have to put up with daily.
In the real world, when nurses break their silence and work to improve conditions, they often lose their jobs.
I totally agree. I said once to a patient by accident that we were short and I couldn't attend to his needs as much as I would liked to. The next morning my manager was doing rounds and this patient mentioned the shortage. the manager said that we are absolutely not allowed to talk to patients about the staffing issues. We as nurses in the hospital setting have nothing to say, trust me on that one. And if you will, you will either resign or be fired, because nothing will change.
When people mention nursing as a " calling" profession, I suggest maybe you can go to Africa or other poor countries as a nun or a missionary. Nursing is a job first and foremost, and a very stressful one. Nursing has nothing to do with calling, hospitals are tough business, it's all about the money, they don't hire enouth nurses because they cost them. Got it?
I don't say I hate my job, I really don't mind my job, but I think people should know under what harsh conditions we are working.
it depends on where you work, what you do and who you work for. bedside nursing seems to be the number one challenge for alot of nurses, but if you talk with nurses that work in specialized areas or homehealth, insurance companies and schools, they seem to have a higher satisfaction rate. i work ER and love it. my job pays well, its staffed well and i work one weekend a month. i get alot of the holidays off. i know this is not the norm, but i have had jobs that were not so good and i made the choice to get out. alot of nurses complain, but still continue to work in places that are toxic. we all have choices.
I am not going to lie, nursing IS hard, nursing school IS hard, and you will have some bad days that nobody in any other field is going to understand, which is what I love about coming to this site. When I was in school, not one of my friends in different majors from me had a clue what I was going through, and when I have a bad shift at work usually only other nurses really understand. Your family and friends in other fields simply will not.
But can I imagine doing anything else??
No I cant. Despite its failings I love my job. I love the people I work with (most of the time), I love that its not boring, and I love learning everyday. And working 3 days a week and getting a fulltime paycheck?? Its pretty sweet if you ask me.
Also, so many opportunities, I mean tired of the floor??work in ICU or ER. Tired of those, go to Cath lab or recovery. Tired of the hospital?? Go work in an outpatient setting. Tired of nights? Go to days. Tired of bedside nursing?? Go to graduate school. Be a nurse anethesist, nurse practitioner, be a nurse educator..............
The possibilities are endless. I never feel like I am stuck anywhere because there are so many places to go.
Nursing has been the best choice I ever made for myself so far in this life.......
good post. i feel the exact same way. i have never felt "stuck".
I think it depends on where you work. I really like home hospice work because I have a lot of autonomy and I don't have to work closely with my collegues. I can see them when I want to, but then I can avoid them when I need to. In my experience, so many nurses are a pain to work with (eating young, too much drama, backbiting, etc.) My close friend is a nurse midwife, but I don't work with her I'll help out my fellow nurses, and I have a lot of respect for them as they know so much and are fabulous nurses. It's the personal stuff that drives me NUTS.
The job itself is frustrating at times because it all boils down to the almightly dollar, even if that means we scrimp on patient care. All in all I'm satisfied with my job as it stands now. One new manager could change all that........but I can look elsewhere if I need to.
Specializes in Pain Management, FNP, Med/Surg, Tele.
Like other people said, nursing is a career just like any other, you have to enjoy it. If you like helping people and don't mind interacting with other coworkers then you should be fine. I think it all boils down to people skills. If you have a passion for helping people then this might be good for you.
In the real world, when nurses break their silence and work to improve conditions, they often lose their jobs.
I agree. This happens in all jobs. The discussion of this really belongs in another forum, I am sorry to have gotten that part of the discussion started. The OP was asking about getting into nursing, not activism.
In spite of what I have had to work with in my career I still love the profession and the work I do. Certainly I am not silent, but I have learned that I can make a difference for patients and other nurses by use of many avenues.
Yes, at times, nursing IS that bad. You must develop a thick skin right off in order to deal with doctors, demanding patients and families, management and other nurses. No job is perfect. Nursing just happens to be a job with much responsibility in addition to dealing with all the other issues.
You have to find the spot that right for you and even then, there will be difficulties as in any job.
Good luck to you. I am at the end of my career and recently retired, but will always be a nurse.
I'll help out my fellow nurses, and I have a lot of respect for them as they know so much and are fabulous nurses. It's the personal stuff that drives me NUTS.
chevyv, BSN, RN
1,679 Posts
This is all true, however, only you can decide the way that you'll handle all of this. That's what I meant by 'nursing is what you make it.'. Sorry if my words annoyed you, it was not meant as in the lack of control that nurses have over staffing or equipment. I think any field has its share of problems and its all how you handle it or what you make of it while your on.