Need some reassurances

WDWpixieRN, RN · Mar 23, 2008

It's a shame that such an excellent profession for women seems so impossible to work in.

Um....interesting post until this part....please rest assured that this is an excellent profession where men also play a vital role. I've worked with some terrific male nurses...they may still be more the exception than the rule, but they're out there...and will continue to be as evidenced by the males in my class.

marie-francoise · Mar 23, 2008

Yes - the nursing shortage is here, and deepening, because nurses are leaving the bedside. Understaffing is a huge issue, as are excessive requirements for charting and documentation, too-long shifts, mandatory overtime, our now money-driven health care system, etc., etc.

Two books I recommend:

Faye Satterly's "Where Have All the Nurses Gone?" (a short, concise book that lays out many of the major problems facing nurses today)

Suzanne Gordon's "Nursing Against the Odds"

Also check out Linda Aiken's 2002 JAMA study on ratios.

lainith · Mar 23, 2008

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

Have to agree 100% there. Not too many people are going to make a blog to talk about how much they love their job.

Every job and every profession has it's high and low points. I have worked as a home health aid and there were days when I job was rewarding and fun and there were days when I just felt like crawling into a hole and dying because I was so sick of it. Right now, to put myself through school, I work at a C-store chain and there are parts of that job that I love and there are parts that I loathe. If you know me, you generally only get to hear my tales of woe, though. I do love my job. I've loved every job that I've had for different reasons and I am sure that nursing will be no different. There'll always be difficult bosses and co-workers, difficult clients or patients, generally crappy days, etc. in every job.

Try not to let reading about the downside discourage you. Give yourself a boost and read something GOOD like Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul. Also, if you're thinking about going to NS, check out my favorite book so far: How to Survive (And Maybe Even LOVE) Nursing School. I got it at Border's and it was a great read about the ups and downs of school, your first nursing job, and more.

lovemeformexox · Mar 24, 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!

:) That's good.. I was thinking that I would like to go into Women's Health or Labor/Delivery (babies! lol).. I don't think I could handle fast paced stuff.. I am awful at making quick decisions.. Something I need to be better at.

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.

I was talking to my dad about it and I told him about this site and how all these people's rants made me worried- he pretty much just told me that most jobs suck at some point. They are almost always hard. I do agree with that and that atleast when I go into nursing if I feel burned out or anything, that it's not just me.

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

That was another thing my dad said to me (well, not the same as you lol, but similarly) was that you can always use nursing. He said If the world ever gets blown up you will atleast have valuable knowledge or something like that lol.

Try not to let reading about the downside discourage you. Give yourself a boost and read something GOOD like Chicken Soup for the Nurse's Soul. Also, if you're thinking about going to NS, check out my favorite book so far: How to Survive (And Maybe Even LOVE) Nursing School. I got it at Border's and it was a great read about the ups and downs of school, your first nursing job, and more

Faye Satterly's "Where Have All the Nurses Gone?" (a short, concise book that lays out many of the major problems facing nurses today)
Suzanne Gordon's "Nursing Against the Odds"
Also check out Linda Aiken's 2002 JAMA study on ratios.

I'll definitely have to check those out- thanks for recommending them!

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.

I think that is a part of my problem- I just never knew what I wanted to do. I don't know if there is any job I would really want to do. It did start out that nursing sounded good and that's why I looked into it. But when I took Anatomy and Physiology this year- I loved it! All my friends thought it was the most boring class ever, but I couoldn't get enough. Not to mention none of the dissecting stuff grossed me out. When I saw the classes that I will have to take in college I actually liked them. Plus, I only have to take Prob and Stats and Basic Chem (taking Chemistry 2 now in high school, so that's not a prob.). I'm good in math and science, but they were never my favorite subjects (except, A&P).. So I was actually feeling pretty good about my choice and actually thinking I am doing what's right ofr me until I saw those sites. Now that the shock of seeing that site has worn off, I think I feel better about my choice again. I just hope it is the right choice (not that I really had anything else I wanted to do though..)

There'll always be difficult bosses and co-workers, difficult clients or patients, generally crappy days, etc. in every job.

That is definitely true!

1stloveistobeanurse · Mar 25, 2008

This advice is truly from my heart, Nursing is a calling yes there is the good, the bad, and even the ugly :cry: but I am a prenursing student and for me Nursing will be a second career. You see what made me pick nursing is that I made a list of all the pro's and cons and burnout was one of the con's. Find new ways to deal with burnout because you will need to in nursing, find new ways to balance your life because you will need to in nursing, and know that when you go to work that you have someone life in your hand, it can be a patient that makes it through a terrible illness or a bad accident or it could be someone who is on the brinks of death, either way you play one of the most important roles for that person and believe me you will make a difference. That is my reason for wanting to be a nurse to make a difference, and to perform a job with true meaning. Don't let the con's fear you out of your dreams if nursing is want you want go for it. That website you read is the con's which is good to know but learn the pro's nursing has allot of pro's then make your choice

HeartRNHope · Mar 25, 2008

Hello! I haven't used this site much either, but I'm just about to post a question, so I thought in good karma I better respond to one!

I am a nursing student who is about to graduate in June, so I guess I've seen my fair share of nurses. Yes, some of them are horrible, miserable people and they should just go away and they hate their jobs, BUT the majority of people LOVE their job. I mean there's crappy parts and people in every job.

I was kinda like you when I was younger, not really sure if nursing was for me etc. but now that I'm almost done I know I made the right choice, and once you get into the hospital for clinicals (not gonna lie it's hard, sucks at times, and you will not get through if you don't have a passion for it) but you WILL know. Once I finished my first week of rotation I knew I made the right choice and I have loved every unit we worked in, so you should definately try to shadow. It's hard though, a lot of places won't let you, but the people at Children's in Pittsburgh (I think you're in PA) are really nice. I just called them about a new grad position so maybe you could call them. Anyway, whatever you do I'm sure you'll make the right choice, don't rush into a decision, and don't listen to anyone's negative comments, your experience will be what you put into it and you'll find your niche when you get there.