Need to hear from happy RNs

rosemarie · Oct 20, 2000

Hi winnie,

I love being a nurse. Do I find it frustrating and sometimes unrewarding, yes. But when you can help a patient or family member, it's all worthwhile, just to get a thank you, you made a difference. Nursing is the type of profession you either love or hate. There is no middle ground. I work in a hospital and it can get quite harrowing at times, that I go home thinking, there's got to be a better way. But then I think, there really isn't anything I would rather do!!!

pickledpepperRN · Oct 20, 2000

I am proud of the work we nurses do and glad to be able to do it. My reasons for working for change are all over this site. BUT NURSING IS WORTH IT!

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Jenny P · Nov 8, 2000

Winnie, I'm just trying to relax after a busy but short night. I did a 4 hour shift this evening because I have an ACLS class tomorrow, and they were short-staffed from 3P to 7P. I work CV-ICU, and got a little old gentleman straight out of heart surgery. We extubated him right after he came to the unit, I nagged him to make sure he kept breathing, gave him pain meds and stabilized him. He and his wife thought I was special, and when I went to say goodnight to him because I was leaving for the night, he tried to sit up and HE KISSED ME ON THE CHEEK! In my 30+ years as an RN, I've never had a patient kiss me on the cheek before; especially 3.5 hours out of heart surgery (he nearly pulled out his dbl. lumen CVP line on that move, too, but we shall ignore that fact). He told me he'd never forget how kind I was and called me his angel. My 18 year old daughter tells me I have a "passion for nursing" and doesn't think she could do the job I do. I love my job; I sometimes hate the **** that we have to deal with in this current environment of HMOs and nursing shortages and being treated like dirt. The only thing I ever wanted to be, was to be the best nurse I could; and I'm working on that, day by day.

goldilocksrn · Nov 8, 2000

Good points of nursing: Never a shortage of jogs, lots of different job opportunities. You can easily change jobs or specialties when bored/burned out. Travel opportunities. Nursing keeps you busy.

Bad points: Pay isn't so hot, heavy workload, thankless job sometimes. Very little control of important staffing issues.

Everyone else whom have posted are all giving you good advice. Ask yourself why you want to go into nursing, and what you expect to get out of it. Overall for me, it has been worth it, or else I wouldn't put up with what I put up with.

Tina Harrington, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2000

Winnie........

Yes we do exists I truly believe I was born to nurse and so I am content to be doin what I do, Things however could be much better, Low staffing levels and nursing within bugetary constraints do frustrate Nurses, and I think thats what you see here,I have been nursing for 20 years and seen much change but not all for the worse, as a RGN in UK we have much more responsibilities than we used to have and there fore can make a difference to some aspects of hospital life, tis just a pity we don't hold the purse strings because then our patients would recieve all they need, ie: more of us and more of our time during duty spans !! Go back to Nursing Winnie and be "happy" to do it, The rewards make the frustrations bareable. Good luck

mustangsheba · Nov 8, 2000

Originally posted by Winnie:
After 10 years of dreaming of going back to nursing school, I was just about ready to take the plunge. That is until I came to this board. I have read so many comments from RNs who are very dissatisfied with their chosen profession. Now, I'm not so sure.

I find my current career, marketing, very unfulfilling. I don't think what I'm doing really makes a hill of beans in this world. I like the fact that nursing makes a difference. I also love the flexibility that comes with nursing. If I don't like what I'm doing, I can switch to a different specialty. In marketing I can't do that (there aren't a whole lot of jobs out there).

Please, RNs who love what you're doing... Please reassure me that you do exist!

Thanks!
Winnie

Winnie: It's a bit unclear. Have you actually been in nursing school before? Although I abhor the bureaucratic changes since I started nursing 20 years ago at age 40+, I do not want to do anything else. I take breaks now and then by trying a different area, although it isn't always as easy to change as one may think. Most areas want people with experience or they want new grads - cheaper. I don't expect gratitude from my patients. Most of them are really sick and testy and some of them are dying, so I cut them a lot of slack for crabbiness, although I won't take abuse. I will reiterate that nurses do a lot of venting, that is why you hear a lot of negativity on this board. The only other person who really understands how we feel is another nurse. Don't let what it sounds like deter you. I was born a nurse, I just had to wait a few years to get my license to practice, and I have never been sorry. Not for one tiny second. The good outweighs the negative and if it doesn't, you're working in the wrong place, not the wrong profession. GOOD LUCK! MSS

maikranz · Nov 8, 2000

Originally posted by Nancy1:
I am very happy to read positive postings. I think that nurses need to value themselves.
I have read a lot about money. I have to ask the question, How many of us went into nursing for the money? If you did, I guess you made the wrong choice.
I hear complaints about mandatory overtime. Next time you interview for a position find out what the Internal Policy on Mandatory Overtime is. As I understand it, if there is a policy stating the facility can mandate overtime, and you accept the position, you have to work the mandatory overtime. I feel that we need to educate ourselves and our peers.
I am currently an ADON in LTC. I have a stable staff and no mandatory overtime in my facility. I have a team that works well together. My wish for all of you is that you find a place as nice as mine. NA

Greetings, Nancy1!

I have to tell you that you are probably one reason why your workplace is the way it is. It appears that you value your staff highly

AND you let them know that.

Charles S. Smith, RN, MS · Nov 9, 2000

Winnie..greetings from Virginia. After 30 years in healthcare, 25 as an RN, I have always said and continue to say that nursing was the best decision i ever made in my life. Is it all perfect? Absolutely not. Is it a worthy vocation? Absolutely! Nursing is not for the meek and mild anymore. It takes a great deal of inner strength to meet the challenge. At the end of the day, however, when you can leave your patients and know that you made a difference, even for one person, it is all worth it. And with marketing skills added to nursing skills, you may have a very unique and interesting career ahead of you. Best wishes.

shodobe · Nov 9, 2000

Winnie,

After 24 years as a nurse I would not go do anything else.I almost did not go to the meeting the college was having but an old friend of mine who had been an LVN for 20 years talked me into it.I have tried a few different aspects of nursing and have settled in the OR(23 yrs!).You do have to ask yourself why you want to go into nursing.Be honest and don't try to talk yourself into it.There are more positive points than negative ones.You will go home sometimes and wonder why you put yourself through so much, but then there will be the little things you do for patients that will make you smile.Find your little niche in nursing and stay with it because we need more nurses that like what they do more than the ones who whine constantly about the things that will take along time to change.Good luck with your decision and I hope you make the one that will make you happy. Mike

mom22 · Nov 9, 2000

I've been in 3 different OB-GYN settings in 7 years. I love nursing. I feel fortunate because while most people hate their jobs, I am happy to go to my job every day. Like any field, there are problems, drudgery, and crappy days, but overall, nursing is the best and cheapest investment I have made!

Tiara · Nov 9, 2000

I will tell you the truth. I left the business world to help the sick by becoming a nurse. I was terribly discouraged and disappointed to find that health care is big business and that affects nursing in a lot of ways. Nursing is in turmoil now due to mandatory overtime and inappropriate staffing levels. I do not know a nurse who is really sorry she/he is a nurse. It is our chosen profession. The problem is, in many instances, we cannot perform in the prudent and judicious way we have been trained and would prefer. Unfortunately, when you have a license, you have total responsibility for that license. This can put you at risk. In business, a bad business deal is a bad day. In nursing, a bad case is a patient who has been harmed and/or a lawsuit. To enter into this profession is not to be taken lightly and only if you really feel a callling for it. I did as did the other nurses on this board.

dimar · Nov 9, 2000

Ater 30 years of nursing, I can honestly say that I get a great deal of satisfaction from knowing that I have made a difference, and been able to help someone. I think it takes a special kind of person to make a good nurse.The first requirement is a great sense of humor! Nobody wants to feel miserable, and have a "miserable" nurse looking after them. A great smile does wonders for the grumpiest of patients, and I see this as a great challenge. The second is being warm and friendly, and being able to "touch" your patients....a hand held, a pat on the shoulder,... time to listen. Unfortunately, all the university training in the world cannot teach these fundamentals! In case you think this is old hat, I have just completed my bachelor of nursing degree, after being an RN for over 30 years!

So if you have been thinking about this for 10 years, then go for it!

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