Hi, I'm new here! i came across this site in my own personal research about becoming a nurse. I graduated college four years ago with an English degree, but have been working as an Admin. Assistant and Bookkeeper ever since I graduated (I know...weird, considering my degree and all). I'm feeling the need to go back to school to pursue a more specific field, and have been strongly considering nursing....until I came here! Not to be the new "bad guy" on the block, but it seems like I have encountered way more negativity than positivity regarding nursing on this site. Is it really that horrible?! Honestly, I really want to know. Or, is the negativity more just venting?
I don't understand this major dichotomy because I have at least four friends in nursing, and they all love their jobs and have highly encouraged me to pursue it. I'm starting to think most of the negativity is focused on those who have hospital jobs. Would you say I'm correct? I think I would best suited in a doctors office, treatment center, or something in a more "routine" 8-5 environment. Thoughts?
Believe me, I know EVERY career has it's ups and downs. I'm very curious to hear from 2nd career nurses who started out in the business world and switched to nursing later. How has your transition been? Do you feel the negatives are comparable to the negatives present in almost every career? I would love to hear your input!
What kind of nursing do your friends do? Can you ask to shadow them at work? If you're mainly interested in nursing that ISN'T in the hospital at the bedside, know that that opportunities are more limited. Most (not all!) non-bedside nursing jobs require bedside experience. If a physician is wiling to pay for an RN in their office as opposed to a medical assistant in their office, they want that RN to bring well-honed skills and experience to the table, not just a nursing license. Think of a nursing license like a driver's license; just because you passed the written and driving tests doesn't mean that you're anywhere close to comfortable with driving. It takes time and experience before you feel like you really know what you're doing. Most nurses (not all!) get that experience by working as a staff nurse at a hospital for at least a few years.
I have always wanted to be a nurse ever since I can remember. Finally I graduated at the end of last year, and got my first job in Feb. I have hated it !!! I loved taking care of my patients, and met a few really great nurses, but overall the politics, managment, and a number of the nurses were horrible. They gossip, and talk mean about each other behind backs, and then nice to each other face (I have heard it). They backstab, and act like they are in middle school. The drama is insane. I threw up before work, cried on the way home, and my days off were never long enough. I actually lost 9 pounds the last month I was there from stress. I finally resigned, and will start my new hospital in 12 days. I do hope its better.
P.S. I am not sure about where you are, but there really arent many Dr office jobs available here. It seems they have went to hiring mainly LVN, and medical assistants.
Not to be the new "bad guy" on the block, but it seems like I have encountered way more negativity than positivity regarding nursing on this site. Is it really that horrible?! Honestly, I really want to know.
The general rule is this: If you are on a public internet message board, then what you are seeing is almost definitely NOT an accurate representation of anything.
Well adjusted, productive people generally don't spend time posting their contentment on any message board (although some do).
People who are angry, fired, misbehaving, suspended, overworked, underpaid, frustrated and who knows what else will share with vigor on public anonymous boards - and boy are they represented here. This is not isolated to this board.
If you see something on the internet, you have no idea if it is at all representative of reality. So take what you see here with a grain of salt.
I too have a lot of friends who are nurses and love their jobs.
Just wanted to say thanks for posting this topic. I start nursing school soon and am excited, but very nervous. I have heard both ends of the spectrum regarding what nurses think of their jobs; it is nice to hear from those who love it:)
Specializes in ICU, Trauma, CCT,Emergency, Flight, OR Nursing.
In the last couple of years there have been too many people going into the nursing profession for the wrong reasons; too many drawn by so called "lucrative job opportunities" . You soon know who these people are when all you see are $$ signs in their faces and poor, shoddy performance at work and lack of compassion towards their patients AND colleagues. Many of those who do a lot of the complaining and whining on here are those that entered nursing for the list of wrong reasons. I have been a nurse for going on 17ys and entered this amazing profession when nurses were still being paid incredibly low salaries, but where employment and job satisfaction were still WAYY up there. I never regret my career choice and look forward to every shift. This is way more than just a basic 9-5 job. Nursing is a lifestyle and dare I say it, a vocation where you have to have some deeper desire to make a difference in other human beings lives without often any thanks or reward. Thats the nature of nursing. Its altrusitic and selfless. Its compassionate. It involves critical thinking and action which comes from extensive education and skill refinement.It involves advocating for those in our care who need us to stand in the gap for them. This is what drives so many of us who find meaning in this great career and the same things that sustain us year by year.
I trust that you will examine your motives for wanting to be a NURSE.
Yes. At times, it is that bad. If you can stomach the job itself though, that part isn't bad. What is going to get you in the end is the hospital politics, the backbiting by your coworkers, the underqualified superiors that make horrible decisions, the lack of supplies/support to do you job, the incessant CYA charting, the prep work for the review boards, and on and on.
There is a burnout factor. As nurses, we have some bad experiences at work -- so does everybody -- but in the pressure cooker that is the hospital environment, we don't last forever without getting singed. The statistics you hear about the lifespan of bedside nurses is true. Not everyone can do it forever (self included, and I plan on getting out of the bedside within 1-2 years.)
Maybe that is why you see so many nurses who move from one specialty to the next. You just get crispy on what your doing sometimes. I've been a nurse for 23 years and like I said, I can not see myself doing anything else. Nursing is a wonderful fit for me. It has made me a better person. It has taught and continues to teach me that I am vulnerable, strong, independent, kind and it brings out the very best in me.
I agree that people who get into nursing because they think they will get rich at it, end up sorely mistaken. Nursing is HARD WORK. It is very physically demanding (more so in some area's than in others) but it is also mentally and emotionally demanding. I work on a post operative/ortho floor and I am not joking when I say that there are days when I do not get to sit down or take a break and you have to just decide that if you don't go to the bathroom, one of your team mates is gonna end up having to strap a depend on your behind.
All in all though, if you do it the right way, you walk away at the end of the day, feeling like you made a difference in another human beings life. That when they were hurt and afraid, you were able to help make it better. That is a FANTASTIC feeling.
For all the bad days, long hours, lack of support from management...... all it takes is for one patient to ask if your going to be back the next day because they want you to be their nurse and it's all worth it again.
I have been to the gates of hell due to bad Nurses, and lifted up to the Pearly Gates of Heaven by the good ones. I love taking care of my patients, I am thrilled when I help someone recover from an illness or injury. There are bad days that last forever, then there are good days that seem to fly out the window. I spent 23 yrs in the facturies then 5 years as a CNA, I found this true of all jobs I've ever had. I decided to go into Nursing because I wanted the satisfaction of helping out my fellow humans. I want to do nothing else in life. The pay isn't that great, my hours are not what I consider to be perfect. But when I am taking care of someone in pain and they are complaining about everything I do, I think to myself that I would probably feel the same way if I were hurting that badly. Often, when the pain level has dropped down my patients apologize for what they said. I always tell them not to worry about it, I knew it was the pain/illness talking, I'm just glad I could help them.
So, to answer your question... Is it really that bad?? No, if you find the right fit for yourself, give yourself time to absorb all the learning you will have over the rest of your life, and no if this is truely your calling. Yes, if you rush blindly into a position not suited for you, if you frustrate yourself because you don't know it all, and yes if you go into Nursing for the wrong reasons.
I'm not much of a mood swinger. My self-esteem doesn't hinge on praise or condemnation by others. Since I and not others define personal reward, I find every day is rewarding. Did you ever have a prof who let you give yourself your final grade on the first day of the course? If not, I'll tell you, it's the most relaxing thing ever. Well, that's what I do for myself every day.
The general rule is this: If you are on a public internet message board, then what you are seeing is almost definitely NOT an accurate representation of anything.
Well adjusted, productive people generally don't spend time posting their contentment on any message board (although some do).
People who are angry, fired, misbehaving, suspended, overworked, underpaid, frustrated and who knows what else will share with vigor on public anonymous boards - and boy are they represented here. This is not isolated to this board.
If you see something on the internet, you have no idea if it is at all representative of reality. So take what you see here with a grain of salt.
I too have a lot of friends who are nurses and love their jobs.
jjjoy, LPN
2,801 Posts
What kind of nursing do your friends do? Can you ask to shadow them at work? If you're mainly interested in nursing that ISN'T in the hospital at the bedside, know that that opportunities are more limited. Most (not all!) non-bedside nursing jobs require bedside experience. If a physician is wiling to pay for an RN in their office as opposed to a medical assistant in their office, they want that RN to bring well-honed skills and experience to the table, not just a nursing license. Think of a nursing license like a driver's license; just because you passed the written and driving tests doesn't mean that you're anywhere close to comfortable with driving. It takes time and experience before you feel like you really know what you're doing. Most nurses (not all!) get that experience by working as a staff nurse at a hospital for at least a few years.