Need some reassurances

Bayley · Mar 19, 2008

I'm not a nurse yet so maybe this won't help, but I think if you really feel like nursing is your calling then I don't think it will be a mistake. I do know that with all of the nursing shortages these days, it's definitely not an easy job, but I feel that the satisfaction you would get from knowing that you are helping people on a daily basis would be more than enough to trump any of the bad. One of the things you might consider if you're still worried about not liking nursing is to try taking a course to be a CNA, that way you can get some experience working in healthcare before committing to a 4 year degree in nursing. Hope that helps. Good luck!!!

nurse_olga · Mar 19, 2008

I'm also not a nurse, but I did check out that website. I read many of the comments under each post and you will find nurses who do love their job. Just because some of these people didn't know what was coming, doesn't mean you will hate it too. I think it's a good idea to talk to some of your friends who are in the field and ask for their honest opinion. No job is ideal and you have to figure out what you're willing to put up with :) Any orientation I went to always told me that nursing is stressful and not an easy job, but I hate easy jobs. I like to be challenged and I'm excited to care for patients. I may be naive, but I also don't like people who complain about everything. You still have plenty of time, explore all of your options :) sorry about the rambling

WDWpixieRN, RN · Mar 19, 2008

This has also been posted in a pre-nursing forum, so you won't find a LOT of nurses here for responses. I think there is a General Nursing or some other types of forums where you might get some other responses.

I'm sure this career is no bed of roses all of the time. My last career was no bed of roses a lot of the time. Sometimes we make choices based on what we 'think' we want and find out we were wrong. Sometimes, we are spot-on.

I think setting up a shadow is a good place to start -- call local hospitals (look for their nurse recruiters ph#s on their websites) and ask about doing this. They're usually very accommodating and love future nursing students. This will probably be a very busy time for many HRs as this is graduation time for many colleges, so be considerate if they mention this. Be flexible enough to schedule for several weeks or a month from now. Make sure when/if you do a shadow to ask your nurse all the questions you have. Do several shadows with different hospitals if possible.

And keep in mind that not everyone loves their job everywhere. Often the folks who are the unhappiest are the ones more willing to be vocal.

One huge advantage to nursing is that if you don't like what you're doing currently, there are many many options for other careers paths -- in the hospital by the bedside or working in infomatics or law offices or as a case manager or home health or education, etc., etc. You will have many options for scheduling -- working full-time or part-time. Many careers will not offer the flexibility that nursing does; this may be important to you later on if you marry and start a family.

Also be sure to look around at http://www.discovernursing.com. Don't let others make the choice of what your future holds.

NurseJeanB · Mar 20, 2008

Don't spend a lot of time looking for negative comments. You do a search on any career path and you will be able to find negative blogs on every last one of them. The previous poster is absolutely correct, that if you somehow get into a job in nursing that isn't to your liking then you will have a wide variety of options. There are so many different nursing jobs/specialties, and nurses are in such demand that you have greater opportunities to pick exactly what you want to do. The great thing is you are so young. Don't beat yourself up that you have not mapped out what you want to be. Nursing schools are filled with people who are changing jobs, degrees, etc. I myself had a job for 21 years but I knew that was not what I wanted. I had always wanted to be a nurse. As for the nursing school find out if they have any kind of mentor or big sib program in place so that you can sit down with student nurses and ask about what their experiences have been. I always wanted to be a nurse, but once I got into nursing school I have to admit that it isn't at all what I thought it was. It is so much more. Some hospitals have volunteer jobs that you can work with nurses, and many of my fellow classmates are cnas. Good luck to you.

lovemeformexox · Mar 20, 2008

This has also been posted in a pre-nursing forum, so you won't find a LOT of nurses here for responses. I think there is a General Nursing or some other types of forums where you might get some other responses.

My bad.. I wasn't sure where to post because it's my first time here. I just figured I would be considered pre-nursing so I posted here. ^^;

I think setting up a shadow is a good place to start -- call local hospitals (look for their nurse recruiters ph#s on their websites) and ask about doing this.

I just emailed the closest hospital I know of about shadowing a nurse and I'm still waiting to get a response

Also be sure to look around at www.discovernursing.com. Don't let others make the choice of what your future holds.

Thanks for the link, I'll definitelly check it out.

Some hospitals have volunteer jobs that you can work with nurses, and many of my fellow classmates are cnas.

I'm going to look into that too. I went to the closest hospital's website and they had a long list of volunteer jobs. I was thinking maybe I could try the Nursing Assistant one (since that would be around nurses and such).

:) Thanks for all the advice!! It really helps and means a lot. :icon_hug:

marie-francoise · Mar 21, 2008

Hey - I found out just yesterday - March 20, 2008 - that the "About My Job" site you're mentioning is no longer accessible!

Just one day after this post. I have always accessed the successfully almost every day, up until yesterday!

Was the site inactivated to try to prevent nursing students from being too discouraged?? Maybe there is now so much traffic to the site it's inaccessible??

I understand the need to prevent new students from being discouraged, but I also appreciated the candor of that site...

Is the site gone???? I have always read that site to give myself a dose of reality and assure myself that my feelings about hospital care are not just my own.

marie-francoise · Mar 21, 2008

P.S. Please don't ever, ever get depressed over other nurses saying they hate their jobs. Yes, there are deep problems in nursing working conditions today. BUT not all workplaces are horrible - many nurses actually like their jobs.

Plus, if you find you don't like a particular nursing job or setting, you can try things like clinical research coordination (CRC or CRA) or other jobs that require health-related knowledge. A nursing degree bestows a wealth of knowledge and flexibility!

missnurse1 · Mar 21, 2008

I have been a nurse for 6 years and have learned this... The nursing profession comes from the heart. Sure, there are places that you can make decent money but in the long run you must be a compassionate person. Your job is to care for the sick and be their biggest advocate. You will see and expierence things that are very difficult and you will also see things that may be classified as miracles. To be able to hold the hand of someones mother, child, spouse or friend as they lay on their death bed hoping that you can make that person a little more comfortable or a little less scared is sacred. Make your own decision... Let your heart tell you! :redbeathe

:prdnrs:

marie-francoise · Mar 22, 2008

Hey - I found out just yesterday - March 20, 2008 - that the "About My Job" site you're mentioning is no longer accessible!
Just one day after this post. I have always accessed the successfully almost every day, up until yesterday!
Was the site inactivated to try to prevent nursing students from being too discouraged?? Maybe there is now so much traffic to the site it's inaccessible??
I understand the need to prevent new students from being discouraged, but I also appreciated the candor of that site...
Is the site gone???? I have always read that site to give myself a dose of reality and assure myself that my feelings about hospital care are not just my own.

Actually, the site's back up. I guess maybe I'm paranoid! Just that the timing was exquisite...

Anyway, I would take all those negative comments with a grain of salt, because most people who use those boards are venting, and people don't usually rush to venting boards to tell you how great their day went.

At the same time, those negative comments do have some use, in that they can remind you that not all workplaces are beds o' roses, if you do encounter a workplace like that - then you can be made more aware that it's not you, but the workplace, and that others have felt similarly.

But, again, those boards select for venting, not for "let me tell you how great my day went!" kinds of posts.

Lastly, nursing bestows a great wealth of knowledge, as I said earlier, that can be applied in many ways and in different settings.

JBGC4 · Mar 22, 2008

There will ALWAYS be something to complain about no matter what profession you choose. Besides being a student I am also a stay at home mom and some days I feel like getting on my email and writing to all of my non-married, non-mother friends telling them to stay single and motherless! Somedays, on the phone, I will tell them those exact words when I am needing to vent. Do I mean the things I say and think? OFCOURSE NOT! Sometimes, we just need a vent- even about the things we love the most, the things we are most proud of and that too is what allnurses.com is here for, to vent. Those could mostly be nurses who really were just venting. Maybe, they are the type of people that despite having the hardest job on the planet, stress at home, and whatever else isn't taking a little time out once in a while for themselves and the are suffocating.

If you have a real interest in the career of nursing- having a full understanding of what the job itself entails, and your heart is there, GO FOR IT! If you are chosing this b/c you have no other idea what to do and nursing "just sounds good," don't do it.

Good Luck to you-

cloversun · Mar 22, 2008

Hey, I'm 27 and have been interested in maybe becoming a nurse for a while now. But, like you, I was horrified by the websites and the amount of dissatisfaction people have with this field. I even met nurses personally who hate their job and say it sucks. They warned me to not go into it. It's so sad. Such a viable and needful profession and people hate their lives working in it. Well, i probably won't go into nursing, but here is what gives me hope about the future of nursing.

I've met long time nurses who have worked many years in the field. They say they have never seen working conditions, staff shortages, work loads, disrespect, etc, this bad before, and once upon a time, would you believe it, they actually LOVED nursing, and took pride in what they do.

I believe it can't go on like this, and one day, they are gonna have to do something about this shortage and actually, listen to what these nurses have to say. It will change, it has to change. They fulfill to vital a role in our society. It's a shame that such an excellent profession for women seems so impossible to work in.