Is it worth it??

Nurses General Nursing

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Is nursing worth it to you? I've been everything from an ICU to CTICU nurse, an ER and ICU nurse practitioner, clinical faculty and paramedic... Recently I've begun wondering if the toll on my mind, spirit, and body have been worth it these past 10 years... I'm afraid to really look at whether it was or not as there are days I don't think it is worth it. Has it been worth it to you, and why?

To plagiarize: "if it was easy, anybody could do it", and it has NEVER been easy. I had a recruiting poster in the 70's that said "Nursing ain't no bed of roses". Also read a book named something like "the doctor's don't save you, the nurses do"

Hang in there, what we do IS important.

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Specializes in medical surgical.

Most nurses I know are on lexapro or paxil and that does help.

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Specializes in medical surgical.

I might add that i am also looking into anti depressives for myself. I used to be so upbeat but the hospital work and some recent patient deaths are starting to get to me.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
"if it was easy, anybody could do it", and it has NEVER been easy. I had a recruiting poster in the 70's that said "Nursing ain't no bed of roses". Also read a book named something like "the doctor's don't save you, the nurses do"

Yeah, well, it seems like EVERYONE is going into the nursing profession. It is one of the most college majors and associate degrees out there. So I guess Nursing can't be all that bad if so many people, young and old, are trying to get into the field.

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Yeah, well, it seems like EVERYONE is going into the nursing profession. It is one of the most college majors and associate degrees out there. So I guess Nursing can't be all that bad if so many people, young and old, are trying to get into the field.

Maybe that is part of the problem. Folks choosing nursing because it seems a stable job in an uncertain economy, when they are really not suited to it. I don't think nursing educators do a good enough job preparing new nurses for reality, and some nurses start out shocked when they get into the 24/7 schedule, when their buddies have weekends and holiday off without a thought. It is physically and emotionally demanding, more than anyone anticipates.

So back to my original answer to the original question - for me it was worth it in the long run. But, yes, there were days I cried all the way home. All jobs have their pros and cons, good and bad days. Probably no one, no matter what their job, thinks their job is easy or that they are adequately appreciated/compensated. :twocents:

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Yes! The lives I have made a difference in and people who have touched my soul have made all the negatives worth it. I would not want to have gone though life not making a difference. Just like my stretch marks remind me of the my kids and the love they have brought in my life...my tired legs remind me of the work I have done to help others.

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Yes and I don't know. I've had many rewarding moments working as an lpn at ltc. However, I'm going to have my RN in another year and if this hiring freeze continues, I'll be a very jaded nurse

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

I can honestly say, after all the hard, long hours I put in doing my unpaid clinicals (as we all do), the vast amount of travel I had to do, the savings I used up, the lack of permanent jobs afterwards, and the many other things I gave up to do nursing, no it has not been worth it. And when you get older, you tend to get 'pushed out' of nursing as well, so managers can make way for younger nurses whom they can instruct and bend how they please.

If you want to do nursing, good luck to you but it's hard graft & you are very accountable for everything you do as well. I would say try to have another career you can fall back on, because the job situation at the mo pretty much everywhere seems bad though that may change, (especially for permanent jobs where you need loads of extra degrees and experience).

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Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

I've been a nurse for 20 years and I have come to the conclusion that no its not worth it. The nurses I know have totally messed up families and are just a mess. I am no exception. The high adrenaline and cortisol levels added to the shift work have made me a chronic insomniac. I cannot sleep more than 1-2 hours. I am a miserable mess. The doctors are awful, the stress is awful. Its not worth it.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
I've been a nurse for 20 years and I have come to the conclusion that no its not worth it. The nurses I know have totally messed up families and are just a mess. I am no exception. The high adrenaline and cortisol levels added to the shift work have made me a chronic insomniac. I cannot sleep more than 1-2 hours. I am a miserable mess. The doctors are awful, the stress is awful. Its not worth it.

Sorry to hear you are a so distraught :crying2:

I can totally empathise with what you have said.

I have to add that my health problems (only had one, compared to other people in their 40's), have become pretty much chronic due to nursing. My BP has shot up lately, get joint pains (the cold doesn't help), I can't sleep after a busy shift - have tried every technique - and won't take sleeping tablets. My hair has so much early grey in it, it is now white in places. Nursing, & the study and worry involved, has aged me prematurely. Plus I am broke.

I can't bounce back as quick when I was younger either after shiftwork, so gave up the late/earlies; just couldn't do it anymore. Nursing is soul destroying and has sucked the life out of me.

If you can make it work when you are older, good luck to you though.

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Specializes in CVICU.
Most nurses I know are on lexapro or paxil and that does help.
Wow, I think this is really, really sad. If the job is that bad for some people, why don't they move on to another profession? Before you jump all over me, I'm not one who thinks you have to be a Pollyanna and love your job all the time or you should get out. But...if I hated my job and it made me so miserable that I was on mood stabilizers or antidepressants just to function daily because of it I'd sure be looking for something else.
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Wow, I think this is really, really sad. If the job is that bad for some people, why don't they move on to another profession? Before you jump all over me, I'm not one who thinks you have to be a Pollyanna and love your job all the time or you should get out. But...if I hated my job and it made me so miserable that I was on mood stabilizers or antidepressants just to function daily because of it I'd sure be looking for something else.

It's easy to say "look for something else". What if you are the sole earner in your family? I know several women in this positon due to being widowed, divorced, never married, or having a husband on disability. How do you suggest they make $40/hour?

They have the seniority to move to "easier" nursing jobs but those jobs are few and far between. Many of those jobs have had the same nurse in it for 20 plus years.

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