NA VS Nursing

[Nurseygurl10]

Hello all my fellow Nurses.

I really really need some advice. Perhaps something insightful.

I have been a nursing assistant for around 5 Years. I currently work at a hospital and I must say it's not a dream job. I mean come on, all of you whos worked in a hospital know how challenging, mentally/physically a hospital can be.

Now here is some background on me.

I graduated from HS in 2001 and since then I have been debating on if I should be a nurse or not. I don't know why but I'm really scared to be a nurse. I mean I love people and I really do feel like I have a gift maybe even a calling but there are days when I go into that hospital feeling so anxious and scared as to what the day may bring. I think please God let this day be ok.

I look at my friends who have "normal" jobs and sometime I'm envious. Sometimes I think to myself, "How great would it be to go to work and not be scared, to not run around for 8 hours like a chicken with it's head cut off. To be able to laugh and mean it becuase you LOVE what you do.

But.. let me say this, I love people. I have always been a nurture and there are days when I go in feeling anxious and leave feeling really proud. Proud that I did so little for someone but it meant so much to them.

But then I go home and sleep becuase I'm so exhausted.

I don't know.

Maybe the grass in greener on the other side. Maybe I'm overreacting. But maybe I'm not listening to myself. Maybe nursing isn't for me.

I need some advice.

Please.

Faith.

[TazziRN, RN]

I'm confused.....how can you love what you do but be afraid of it??

[Nurseygurl10]

And thats nurturer.. haha

I love helping people but that's the thing. I'm not sure I love my job.

[Nurseygurl10]

I guess what I'm asking is... Will nursing be better than being an assistant.

[Katnip, RN]

It's probably hard to imagine, but nurses have a lot more responsibility and liablity riding on their shoulders.

I've talked to a lot of NAs turned nurses and they all say how surprised they were at how much more difficult nursing is. They just didn't see it from their positions as NAs.

If you don't want to go into nursering per se, there are a LOT of jobs that help people. You could go into radiology, pscyhology, PT, OT. While they have their own set of stresses some may not be as bad as nursing.

[TazziRN, RN]

If you don't like the job itself, then try somewhere else.....either another department or another facility. That's the wonderful thing about nursing, from CNA on up......if you don't like what you're doing at the moment, there's always an alternative without leaving the profession.

[Dolce, RN]

The thing about almost every career out there is that more responsibility=more stress. Nurses have more responsibility than NAs, nurse managers have more responsibility than staff nurses, directors of nursing have more responsibility than nurse managers. Nurses often gripe about their nurse managers with their "office jobs" but reality is that managing is a more stressful job. Same goes for nursing assistants--it is just more stressful as a nurse. If you think that you would enjoy becoming a nurse and enjoy working with people then go for it! But just remember, the job probably won't be any less stressful than the one you have now. Best wishes in whatever you choose.

[RNperdiem, RN]

Your friends in office jobs don't get to live the drama! My brother described why he left his office job- some people die at 21 and wait 50 years to get buried.

[pink2blue1]

I guess what I'm asking is... Will nursing be better than being an assistant.

I was a nursing assistant for 4 years before becoming a nurse. I am not sure exactly what you are asking when you say will nursing be better than being an assistant. Anyways, if you think you won't have to do what you currently do as a nuring assistant you are wrong, You will have to do that and a lot more. You will have the CNA's there to help with some things.

I work acute care on a busy med-surg floor. We have 30 beds. Sometimes I start with 5 patients, discharge 3 and pick up 3 more! I have to do all of the "assessments" (As an LVN I cannot legally assess, so I gather data) but I have to do that, chart on my patients, pass their meds, do procedures that come up, start iv's, hang iv bags, plus still take people to the bathroom, bathe them and anything else that comes up.

I LOVE being a nurse much more than I liked being a CNA. I always thought I loved what I did. I was never scared of it. It is tiring work, you know that already though. But what I saw as a CNA and what I experience as a Nurse are two totally different things. I am much busier, my6 days fly by faster and it is much more rewarding.

Good luck in your decision, but if you aren't sure by now that you really want to do this......well I don't know.

[Sassybottom]

What exactly are you scared of when you go to work? Are you scared of the patients dying?

[nanacarol]

Ithink I understand the fear and the prayer. Everyday I pray that I will make the right decisions and that I leave something with each patient and staff or family I meet. My fear is that I won't be up to the challenge and I will miss something important. I have been a nurse for greater than 20 years. I started as a NA and worked my way up, I am now a BSN prepared nurse and I supervise many. I have been a DON so I am familiar with the rigors of the profession. It is to your credit that you are speaking aloud what is in your heart.

You will do well in what ever role you chose.

[time4meRN]

I guess what I'm asking is... Will nursing be better than being an assistant.

Well, who knows what is right for you. NA and nursing are two very different feilds. Nurses are responsibel for many things. Nurse go through many years of training. The best way to see if it is for you is to try. See if they have a mentoring days , perhaps you could follow a nurse around for a day, before you try going to school. Have no fear , if your not cut out to be a nurse , you'll find it out in nursing school.