Is Nursing right for me?

[GCTMT]

I'm currently a CNA in a nursing home and an RN student. And I really hate my job. Management never staffs enough people, all my patients will stay there, get worse and eventually die and the job is monotonous. I feel like I work at a factory with an assembly line.

Is this really what nursing is about? I understand there are many different avenues one can pursue in nursing but, I've heard people say that if you want to know whether or not you would like nursing, you should work as a Nurse Aide first. What do you think?

[Fiona59]

Well, then you know you won't fit into a Dialysis, Cataract, Day Surgery Units or the OR. They are all very "assembly line". Set up equipment, pass equipment or same procedures over and over.

You have to survive NA type work to get through nursing school. Then you can look for public health or other more interesting type work. I prefer surgical services. You never really know what your patient will be like. Yes, there are routine appis and gall bladders and hernias but you also get Whipples and ICU discharges, so you rarely have two of the same types of patients at a time.

[Moogie]

No. Nursing as a profession is not like what you see in LTC. I think LTC is a tough environment. Most places are chronically understaffed and the staff: resident ratios are ridiculous. It's hard to not feel like one is, as you said, a factory worker on an assembly line. Only factory workers have the luxury of working with non-living objects. In LTC, you deal with real, living people who have fundamental human needs. A factory worker never has to worry about falling behind because the things he/she is assembling have to go to the bathroom or are agitated or depressed and in need of comfort. You might be sailing along with your tasks just fine and then you have a resident who needs to be toileted and requires a two-person transfer. I honestly don't think the bean-counters in management who make staffing decisions even consider these needs. They just look at the minimum with which they can squeak by and blame the employees if the work doesn't get done in what they think is a "reasonable" amount of time (which can often be pretty darned unreasonable, if you ask me!)

One of the biggest disappointments for me in working LTC was what I perceived as an utter lack of professionalism on the part of management. This is not to say that all managers or administrators in LTC are bad; there are many nurse managers here on AN who are not only fine human beings but damned good, caring nurses, people for whom I would be proud to work any day. My experiences in LTC have, unfortunately, been with people who have been abusive to staff and have been unable to manage competently. The worst ones "manage" by intimidation. I am afraid that, because it is difficult to recruit talented, dedicated people in LTC, that many of the incompetent, abusive managers are able to stay in their positions of power. If they get along with corporate, if they don't make waves and make themselves look good, they can remain as little dictators of their respective domains as long as they'd like. The reason I am sharing this with you, my friend, is because the politics of the workplace can make a tremendous difference in one's job satisfaction. There have been evidence-based research studies that have shown what may seem to be pretty obvious: that a high turnover and employee dissatisfaction in a health care workplace is directly related to a manager's incompetence and ineptitude. I think you might not be feeling so sour in your job or in your career choice if you felt a bit more appreciated at your place of work. Yes, I know, people will say that a nurse or anyone doing direct patient care should be able go rely on the feedback he/she gets from the patients or from an inner sense of doing a good job. Sorry, I don't agree. You can have the most positive mental attitude out there but if someone consistently treats you like garbage and devalues your work within the institution, eventually even the most sunniest person will internalize the negativity.

I feel that I am a pretty strong person, and I do love nursing, but my experiences in LTC left me feeling chewed up and spit out. I had to seriously question whether I wanted to remain in nursing or if I wanted to do something else. Hard decision to make and sometimes I question if I made the right one by choosing to remain in nursing, finish my graduate education and go back to teaching. (I have to say, teaching was hectic and there were politics in the academic setting for which I had not felt prepared when I started---but I would rather deal with academic politics any day over what I went through in LTC.)

I think you are smart and sensitive and will be a fabulous nurse. This is why you are questioning your decision and reflecting upon your experiences. You will be okay but it definitely tough. You are not alone. {{{{{GCTMT}}}}}

[GCTMT]

Thanks Guys.

Moog,

I enjoyed reading your comments. I think you really hit the nail on the head regarding LTC's being little dictatorships. Our DON doesn't care, he says he does but many CNA's have gone to him with suggestions & concerns and nothing is ever done. I'm at the end of my rope.

I have also been thinking about teaching. Of course, this isn't something that I am going to take lightly.

The clinical experiences for my RN classes were good, but the same was true for the CNA clinicals.

I just want to make the right decision.

Thanks for such a great effort in your reply. :)

[Fiona59]

Love your signature line. Look for me next to the fireplace, downstairs.

[GCTMT]

Love your signature line. Look for me next to the fireplace, downstairs.

:)

Thanks Fiona.

[caffeineRx]

I would DEFINITELY say that working as a nursing aide is a good way to get your feet wet. Listen to your heart. Go with your GUT instinct. Good Luck