Is Nursing Still a Good Profession?

Is nursing still a good profession? Yes! Well...maybe? The thing about nursing is that it encompasses such a wide variety of work. I know a lot of nurses are leaving the field because of burn out. However, I would encourage them to contact a career advisor and to remember all the tears it took to get the license and degree before leaving for another field. There are some amazing opportunities in nursing that might take more effort to find but are worth the work.

In the Beginning

When I was growing up we had dinner together every night. There are four of us kids, so six people sat around the dinner table. One thing I remember my mom saying many, many times is that she did not care what we did but that we must go to college. So I went to college, met the love of my life, and got a degree. I loved every minute of that experience. I loved the school, I loved living in a home with my best friends, and most of all I loved having my boyfriend visit every weekend.

Then I graduated with a degree, which will always be an advantage in the job market, but I still had no idea what I wanted to do for work. And I started to question...how was I ever going to be able to retire? Afford a house? Pay off a car? So I started to research careers. I asked my friends who had graduated around the same time I did about their careers. I interviewed them and found out what they liked and did not like about their work. And then I narrowed in on nursing. The more research I did, the more it seemed like a fantastic idea! You could make a good living, have job security, and do this all while helping people. Best of all, I already had a ton of prerequisites since my first degree was in the science field.

And Just Like That, I Was a Nurse

I decided to get my CNA and work in the hospital while going to nursing school. After too many tears I graduated and continued to work in the same hospital. I learned and learned and learned... until I got burned out... until I worked so many shifts, and did not feel like I enjoyed what I was doing anymore.

Burnout

I hesitate to say this but most of the people on my floor, the dreaded med-surg floor, seemed to work there less than a year before moving on. This is terrible for nurses! I saw so many who went to school, had never worked in another field, and then decided there had to be something better than nursing out there. If you are also burned out there is something different than bedside nursing out there, do not give up. This is the primary reason why I say that nursing is still a great career choice.

The Light

I decided I had enough and I wanted to see what else nursing had to offer. I went to work in a research clinic, did a little home health, and now I work as a case manager. I feel like this is the most amazing and wonderful field of nursing I could work in. But you know what? I have talked to many of my other nurse friends, tell them what I do, and they say, “Oh no, I could never, that sounds horrible!” But that’s the great thing about nursing! There are so many areas that you can work in. Do you like fast-paced? Go to the ED! Do you like individual patient care and making your own schedule? Go to home health nursing! Do you get sick of the same work environment and want to travel? Get a job as a travel nurse! Are you burned out on patient care? You can be a utilization review nurse! Or, like me, you may not function well in high-pressure areas like the hospital but still want to make a difference in other’s lives. That’s why case management works for me.

I realized I really do not do well in a high-stakes environment. I don’t like emergencies at all, and I worry and worry and worry about people way too much. But that’s okay, I can work at an office-style job and still be a nurse. And now I get to focus mainly on preventative care. I get to ensure people are going to their doctor’s appointments, I get to find community resources, and I help make sure all areas of their health are being taken care of, not just the acute need.

What About You?

I wanted to write this article as I see so many nurses get burned out, disliking their jobs, and that not only harms us it also harms the patient. So please, research and network. There are so many areas of nursing and I truly feel like there is a niche for everyone. Most of all, I love that if I want to do something totally different in the future I don’t have to start from scratch. I can still use my knowledge, skills, and abilities at my next nursing job.

What do you think? Are you happy in the field of nursing where you currently work?