Is there any relation? Am I doomed to fail??

hollyberry678 · Sep 30, 2008

I have done both, and I can tell you they are very similar...

JB2007, ASN, RN · Sep 30, 2008

Well you better get use to hating the management, feeling like nobody is helpful, and like you are forgotten. For the most part all management cares about is the almighty dollar, so you better not look in that cornor for somebody to care about you. All they care about is a warm body with the right initals after their name.

However there is the other side of the job and this is the part that I love. I know I made a difference in somebody's life and it is usually for the better. Whether the pt. or the family thanks you or not you have made a difference in their life. In my opinion, no other job is better than nursing. Good luck with everything.

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Sep 30, 2008

I saw somewhere on here earlier about how there is a slight relationship between nursing and waitressing...I suppose in the fact of time management, organization, dealing with people, high stress..etc. Not too sure if anyone else agrees or has experienced both. I currently work, as a pre-nursing school student, at a Starbucks...before that I waitressed for 4 days and I quit. I hated the management, felt like nobody was helpful and I was kind of forgotten. I actually gained a whole new respect for waitresses because it wasn't what I thought. It was VERY tough, and this was a nice, hig volume restaraunt.
Anyways, I quit because I felt like I didn't need to be THAT stressed out for something that was not my career, jst some extra money and I gave up. I'm sur eI could have succeeded in it but I chose not too. but here lately, as I wait for an acceptance/denial letter, I am worrying that if I walked out on being a waitress, what will I do in nursing school? I am just freaking out and want honest opinions! thanks!

well nursing is alittle different than waitressing... all jobs have stress and hard t deal with people and thats just how life is...

nursing is alot different than waitressing ( i did this when i was in high school). i have been a RN for a long time. nursing is seeing your patients get better , saving a patient's life when their heart stops, it's seeing a little pediatric patient smile after they just had a chemo treatment..

waitressing is serving people drinks , and making sure they have mustard for their hot dog... nursing is about making a difference in someone's lives, yes you may get them ice water or juice.... but you can hang blood and give them iv antibotics and save their lives.... it's alot different

nurses make a difference in people's lives.... :nurse:

waitresses make sure you have lemon in your water

jjjoy, LPN · Sep 30, 2008

Have you had a chance to shadow a nurse? Or maybe volunteer on a hospital unit and take a little time to watch the nurses? Ask friends and family if they know any nurses they could introduce you to.

Personally, I DO think bedside nursing IS rather similar to waiting on tables, cranked up a few notches. You've got several different patients, as well as their loved ones, each competing for your time and attention. There are many things that everyone (including management) would like you to do NOW, but you are just one person and can only do one thing at a time. So you often have to prioritize who or what gets your attention and that can cause others to be annoyed or upset with you.

Many nurses complain about barely having a chance to sit at all during a 12 hour shift. If you are able to observe nurses in action, do note that if you see them sitting, they are probably charting. Documenting can take up a lot of time as well. And if you have a question or problem, you may have to catch your also busy colleague somewhere between patient rooms and interrupt them for assistance.

There ARE some jobs in nursing that are NOT like that. However, without previous experience or connections, it can be difficult (though not impossible) to break into them.

Regardless, it's a good idea to get more exposure to nursing before jumping in and investing in a career that might not be what you are looking for.

EricaSAFJAF · Oct 1, 2008

Thanks everyone! I can not say 100 percent of course, but I feel deep down that nursing is what I want to do and what I will love. I do tend to worry alot though and was looking for some reassurance I suppose. I think it's normal to have some fears, especially dealing with people's lives ya know? It's just I've never really failed or gave up like I did with my 4 day waitressing experience lol...anyways, thanks and keep the replies coming!

daydreamer7130 · Oct 1, 2008

I have NEVER waitressed and I am a GREAT RN!! :yeah:

jjjoy, LPN · Oct 1, 2008

I can not say 100 percent of course, but I feel deep down that nursing is what I want to do and what I will love.

If you are concerned about how you will handle clinical nursing, first of all, look into shadowing a working nurse for at least a couple of hours. Some hospitals don't allow it but others do, so ask, ask, ask til you find someone who says 'okay!'. You might want to look into volunteering at a hospital or being a nursing assistant or a unit secretary. The more hands on, first hand exposure you get the better. And know that it takes time to really get a sense of what is going on, to become familiar with the environment and the people, to recognize what is business-as-usual and what is not. Of course, non-nursing roles aren't a perfect way gauge how you'd feel about the reality of nursing, but at the very least, it gets you into the environment and interacting with nurses.

You could freak yourself out by imagining worst case scenarios and you could also overlook some real potential issues by fostering unrealistic expectations of nursing. So get out of your head and into the world!!!

Have fun with it!!