what kind of jobs does a RN do

pritampaulsingh · Sep 12, 2005

dear P-RN,

i can only tell you that sometimes situtaion gets better than you.i have a huge responsibility and i'm working 64hours a week at a gas station alongwith my studies. whether what a RN does does not really matter to me, i have to become a RN anyway and have to go further........so i really dont care what a RN does......i have to do it in any case

Pritampaulsingh
It is so difficult to land a spot in a nursing program. May I ask how you got this far not knowing what an RN does?

Anjewels · Sep 12, 2005

dear P-RN,
i can only tell you that sometimes situtaion gets better than you.i have a huge responsibility and i'm working 64hours a week at a gas station alongwith my studies. whether what a RN does does not really matter to me, i have to become a RN anyway and have to go further........so i really dont care what a RN does......i have to do it in any case

Are you sure that perhaps you shouldn't reexamine your desire to become a nurse? You don't give specifics, just say that you "have to" become an RN.

Nursing is a field with a high burn out rate, and I'm afraid that if you are going into it because of the salary, or because you feel like you "have to" you will end up regretting it.

I'm not trying to scare you, but cleaning pee and poop are nothing compared to some of the things you might have to do. Read some of the stories on the thread about the "Grossest things" Here's the link:

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20151&highlight=Grossest

Nursing is not all glamorous, in fact it's down-right hard work. If it's the salary you are after, you might consider another field.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do!

suzanne4, RN · Sep 12, 2005

hi suzanne
i'm curious that you have an MBA degree. is this in health care related field.
if yes can you please guide me the role and opprtunites for MBA in health care.
regards,
pritam

It is a Master's in Business Adminstation. There are many roles in management that require at tleast an MBA.

suzanne4, RN · Sep 12, 2005

dear P-RN,
i can only tell you that sometimes situtaion gets better than you.i have a huge responsibility and i'm working 64hours a week at a gas station alongwith my studies. whether what a RN does does not really matter to me, i have to become a RN anyway and have to go further........so i really dont care what a RN does......i have to do it in any case

You have to become an RN and go further? No one has to do anything that they do not want to do............if you do not want to do what goes along with it, you are not going to be happy with your careerr choice.

Definitely, do not pick a career based on salary and what you think that you can do with it later on, you will have to work as an RN first, and with it comes all of the things mentioned above.

Are you actually in the RN program now, or are you completing the pre-requisites?

serene43 · Sep 12, 2005

I am a CNA student right now, but part of the training is spending one day a week in a hospital where you can observe nurses and their duties. You also work on your own under a nurses' supervision and ask lots of questions.

Maybe try that first and see if you really want to be a nurse! It's team work.

pritampaulsingh · Sep 15, 2005

i'm completing pre-reqs at present.

by the way can you please tell me what OB and NICU mean

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Sep 15, 2005

i'm completing pre-reqs at present.
by the way can you please tell me what OB and NICU mean

OB...obstretrics...having to do with pregnancy, childbirth and care of the newborn.

NICU...neonatal intensive care unit....can be Neuro ICU, but generally meaning care of tiny babies too small or too sick to go home.

Retired R.N. · Sep 15, 2005

I am a CNA student right now, but part of the training is spending one day a week in a hospital where you can observe nurses and their duties. You also work on your own under a nurses' supervision and ask lots of questions.
Maybe try that first and see if you really want to be a nurse! It's team work.

You are making a wise choice in starting as a CNA and learning what nurses do before deciding to become one. I think it's really sad to see students drop out half way through nursing school because they find out that it's not what they thought it would be.

mesa0505 · Sep 15, 2005

pritampaulsingh,

I agree with everyone who has replied to your post so far. I especially think it is a good idea to atleast shadow a nurse for a day or work as a nursing assistant for a while, even if it is just for a couple of months to get a basic idea of an RN's job description.

If money is your motivation, because you say you "have to", why nursing? That's not the only job in healthcare that pays well. What about CRT, Pharmacist, MD, Physician Assistant, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, ect. I think it would definately benefit you to look into this further. Your career will be the rest of your life.

rob5252 · Sep 15, 2005

hi there,
i'm a future RN, at present i'm doin my associate's degree in nursing.i'm very curious about the work we have to do. everyother person in the street tells me that after becoming a nurse i will have to do jobs like cleaning the patients and attending there nature's call neccessites.
is this true . please guide me.
regards

is this a serious question? what do you think that nurses do? mop a fevered brow? wear a little white hat with a red cross and read bedtime stories waiting in vain for Dr Death to ask for your hand in marriage? you've been reading too many romance novels, my dear. to be a good nurse, you take a holistic view of your patient and your patient's physical-and-psychosocial needs. you need to know everything that is going on with your patient from how many spoon fulls of soup they eat at lunch, to the colour and consistency of their poo (and if that means a rumage in a commode potty, then that's what it takes) to knowing the health of their budgie (if little tweetie-pie ain't happy, then chances are your patient isn't either, you'd be surprised how that affects their well-being!). i suggest you put away your toy-stethoscope, get yourself down to the local general hospital and volunteer your services tout de suite. get sitting with patients, talk to them, offer to help out at meal times, smell the smells, and see the sights. watch what those nurses do (and the abuse that they take), see how Dr Death talks to nurse Betty (he ain't that hot anyway). and then make up your mind about nursing. or not as the case may be.

serene43 · Sep 18, 2005

I really appreciate all the encouragement from people who have been there. I also work in a residential home passing meds, but I don't have to clean anyone, just do first aid and minor light housekeeping for adult mentally chanllenged women. They will integrate into the community when they are able to take care of themselves. I want to be an RN because I feel I can make a difference. I've seen the visiting nurse, she sets up the meds and checks on their health and makes recommendations.

I also work in the nurses' office at a middle school and pass meds, do major first aid and lots of paperwork. What other options are there? I definitely want to work with children and keep them healthy.

QUOTE=Retired R.N.]You are making a wise choice in starting as a CNA and learning what nurses do before deciding to become one. I think it's really sad to see students drop out half way through nursing school because they find out that it's not what they thought it would be.

control · Sep 18, 2005

Yes, this is true. We clean many, many butts, and touch far more gruesome things. However, this is only part of our job. There is a huge cognitive/professional aspect to the work we do, too.

ITA. I've had to do everything from emptying the garbage (sorry, if it's full, it's out of there) to passing meal trays to doing diabetic teaching to initiating Natrecor drips. As an RN, be prepared to do just about everything,.....as long as it's within your scope of practice! That is the one consistent limit. :)