Job Satisfaction for RNs?

[callicarpa]

I'm an aspiring second career RN...finally finishing pre-reqs and working on applications after being on the fence for awhile. I'm coming from a field (architecture) with VERY low job satisfaction- I don't think I've ever met any architect aside from studio owners who has ever said they really like their job, plus it's a very unstable field and the work feels very trivial. I'm just a little nervous that I might be jumping into another field like architecture where everyone is overworked, stressed, bitter, regretful of their life choices and constantly daydreaming about escape routes.

I know burnout is common in nursing too and it is also a tough job but it seems I hear more nurses saying that they do love the job, that it's meaningful, etc.

My reasons for getting into nursing are that I NEED to be doing something meaningful, have always found health topics, biology, etc interesting, like physical jobs where I'm moving around and on my feet, need a more social/interactive job (less desk/computer screen) and want something more secure than my current field. I think I have a pretty good tolerance for stress, difficult situations, and of all the various jobs I've had in my life I really liked the fast paced, multi tasking, social and physical sides of waiting tables.

So despite the challenges can you honestly say you love nursing and wouldn't trade it for another career?? Or am I getting into architecture 2.0?

[purplegal]

At this point, I've had more disappointments than successes so probably not. I'm still pretty new though.

[NurseCard, ADN]

I think in every field, you are going to have people who are overworked,

regretful of their life choice, etc.. I for one was a graphic artist before I

became a nurse. I hated the one graphics job that I had. I was alone all day,

had no friends within this rather large printing factory and office... never had

anyone to talk to. On top of all of that, my pay was rather low and I had a

very long commute.

In nursing, I've gotten to interact with people all day, have great coworkers,

and some not so great... I've had stress, I've had regrets, I've had

COUNTLESS moments in which I've wished I could go back and

pick a different "second career". After 13 years of being a nurse,

and again, countless rough, soul crushing moments... I've finally

found an amazing job that I love dearly. I can truly say, I

will never regret becoming a nurse.

It can be a very very difficult job, but I believe in the end,

much more rewarding than some of those other jobs out there

that have the horrible moments, without the rewards.

[SouthpawRN]

People are more likely to post when they are unhappy about something than when they are happy about something. so keep that in mind when reading complaint posts. Also, read and see if it is the actual nursing that the person hates or is it the employer, co workers, administration/management etc. I think you will find the same problems with bad management, problem co workers etc in every career field. there are many jobs for RN's outside of the hospital setting. The advantage of nursing is the field is so varied that you can find your niche if you try. there is tremendous opportunity to advance and continue your education to MSN, DNP etc also. Like everything, it is cost vs benefit. Most nurses feel the benefits of the profession outweigh the costs. if we could get national safe staffing ratios, we would be a lot better off. some kind of single payer would also open up lots more opportunities in psych and community nursing and health promotion as well, creating even more variety to the profession IMHO of course.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Before you leave your job, do a little looking around at what else you could do to bring meaning into your life while still keeping your job.

If you have years of experience, you will likely take a pay cut. How does a new graduate nurse wage compare to what you make now? If there are student loans to pay back, deduct that. Can you live with this?

Would you be fine working nights, weekends and holidays? New nurses typically have fewer job choices, and stating on nights is common.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

No, I did not "love" nursing. Who can love 13 hour shifts without a break, death and dying, bodily fluids all over yourself?

I guess architecture could be hard work and stressful, but you are doing it sitting down and are not responsible for life and death.

Comparing nursing to waiting on tables... leads me to believe that you have NO clue what you are getting into.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

There is literally NO way to work a job with high personal meaning that is not also tied hand in hand with stress. If you want a position/career that is personally fulfilling, as Dolly Parton says, you gotta put up with the rain to get the rainbow. The rainbows are less common in nursing than the rain, which is probably true of any meaningful work, but those rainbows sure do make it worth it.

This is more a matter of getting your head right than it is a matter of picking nursing. Whatever you choose...nursing, teaching, firefighter, social worker, etc etc etc....there is going to be high stress, because work of the heart is calculated in time and emotion more than dollars and cents earned or profit made. This means we get crunched by the people whose job it is to maximize those profits. What we do is not so easily charted on a graph or delineated in a spreadsheet.

I have been a nurse as a second career for seven and a half years now. I can't imagine doing anything else. It has been the most brutal, stressful, memorable, self-defining thing I have done and I would never give it up. Ever.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I would also consider heavily as you post this that unhappy people tend to be online looking for resources to cope with their struggle. Happy people tend to be just out living their life. What you find here may be mildly to heavily skewed.

[LovingLife123]

Have you researched the job market in your area? Do new grads get hired? What type of degree is required? A few questions you most certainly need answers to before delving into this.

We see these questions on here a couple of times a week. Everybody wants stability and meaning in their careers. Not sure why everybody thinks that is nursing.

Nursing is what you make of it. I can't imagine that architecture is more stressful than being a nurse. I know other careers all have their own stressors. I get that. But nursing is not only physically exhausting, it's mentally and emotionally exhausting. With very few thank yous. Very little appreciation. You see horrible things. The worst of the worst in life. People who have perfectly good lives on Monday, dead on Tuesday. You get patients who think you are there to wait on them and think it's fine to call you names and run you into the ground by being degrading all day long. I've seen nurses broken by these people.

There is no definite end to your day. You stay until your job is done for that day. Sometimes, it's on time, others, it's 3 hours late. You can't control when a patient codes. You can't control when you get admits.

I will say, I love my job. But I honestly think it's because I have realistic expectations of my job. I think you can be successful if you understand what you are going into and realize you will not have that happy, fulfilled feeling everyday. You don't save a life everyday and people aren't running up to you and say Thank you for saving my loved ones life today!! It's more than likely, where is my food? Where are my meds???

[NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN]

[quote=Been there,done that;9570993

Comparing nursing to waiting on tables... leads me to believe that you have NO clue what you are getting into.

Well, during meal time many patients think that we are glorified waitresses...will never forget needing to duck into the med room to laugh at the ridiculousness of getting my butt reamed by a homeless person that was still royally ticked off at not getting her "polenta" the night before and stating that she was "entitled to it" for lunch the next day....sorry hon, but the kitchen is just plain out of polenta right now...and sorry, but we also do not have gelato.

Okay, honestly, I'm 50/50 with my career choice. Good days and bad days. Try to focus on the good and happy when the bad is less bad, like the missing polenta.

[amoLucia]

Before you leave your job, do a little looking around at what else you could do to bring meaning into your life while still keeping your job.

If you have years of experience, you will likely take a pay cut. How does a new graduate nurse wage compare to what you make now? If there are student loans to pay back, deduct that. Can you live with this?

Would you be fine working nights, weekends and holidays? New nurses typically have fewer job choices, and stating on nights is common.

And what about when it Hurricanes or Blizzards in your community? Will you be prepared to report to work?

Or what about when some local LEO handcuffs you for doing your job protecting unlawful blood draws on unconscious pts?

For those folk who look to change over from another profession to nursing - you know what I think will be a defining moment? When you find that you have to punch in on a timeclock. Just like the kids at BK or MickeyD's.

Just want to say, that yes, there is an element of 'warm fuzzies' that does exist in nsg that I guess doesn't happen in architecture or accounting. I have had several during my career. And I think teaching also experiences it too. But I believe those 'warm fuzzies' are too far and few between (and becoming less & less) anymore to really feel rewarding. For some that does outweigh the negatives.

It's a personal decision for each individual.

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

It shouldn't matter whether others would choose nursing over again. It's your choice. In the end, you just won't know until you try it. Also, you said you're almost done with pre-reqs, so your mind is pretty much already made up. I am a career changer myself. Although I would not discourage anyone from going into nursing, I would not encourage anyone to go into it either.