i was just on another nursing message board, my first time there and the first post i read is this really negative view of nursing ( i attatched it at the bottom in red). warning us students to reconsider. i don't know about all of you student nurses but it really gets my goat because here i am getting excited about going into this profession and i feel a lot of people try to burst your bubble and to tell you the truth all of these negatives about nursing is really bothering me. some people can make you feel as if you're actually stepping into the pits of hell. :angryfire i understand some people are just bitter, maybe the job wasn't for them. whatever the reason, it does scare me....a lot. i have worked as a na in a nursing home. i know that this is some hard sh*it! but dang, is it really that bad? by the way, i really did not like that job because no one would help me, plus i didn't like to cry on a daily basis because i was uneducated and left on my own. i am a much too happy person for that kind of misery. i have been in many unfullfilling careers and one of the reasons i wanted to be a nurse was the teamwork and the professionalism of it. i'm starting to find out there isn't a lot of professionalism involved and a lot of bitter people. is this true? anyone else agitated and scared like me? maybe i'll feel better tomorrow. sigh.
p.s. i've been informed copying and pasting a post is "socially incorrect", so to speak. sorry for that, so here is the link incase needed. :)
Specializes in Medical/Surgical/Maternal and Child.
i was just on another nursing message board, my first time there and the first post i read is this really negative view of nursing ( i attatched it at the bottom in red). warning us students to reconsider. i don't know about all of you student nurses but it really gets my goat because here i am getting excited about going into this profession and i feel a lot of people try to burst your bubble and to tell you the truth all of these negatives about nursing is really bothering me. some people can make you feel as if you're actually stepping into the pits of hell. :angryfire i understand some people are just bitter, maybe the job wasn't for them. whatever the reason, it does scare me....a lot. i have worked as a na in a nursing home. i know that this is some hard sh*it! but dang, is it really that bad? by the way, i really did not like that job because no one would help me, plus i didn't like to cry on a daily basis because i was uneducated and left on my own. i am a much too happy person for that kind of misery. i have been in many unfullfilling careers and one of the reasons i wanted to be a nurse was the teamwork and the professionalism of it. i'm starting to find out there isn't a lot of professionalism involved and a lot of bitter people. is this true? anyone else agitated and scared like me? maybe i'll feel better tomorrow. sigh.
p.s. i've been informed copying and pasting a post is "socially incorrect", so to speak. sorry for that, so here is the link incase needed. :)
like all jobs nursing has its good and its bad side, but the good far outweighs the bad. when someone recovers from an illness and you had a hand in that recovery it's the most wonderful feeling in the world. the only downside of nursing is, and i'm sure many will agree with me, is the staffing and being so overwhelmed with work that sometimes we can't give our pts the best care they deserve. the best part of nursing for me are the patients...i love my patients. you can learn so much from them. :)
This is actually a great thread. I can understand why you don't want to hear negative things about nursing. It is difficult to put forth all this energy and commitment to have someone try to shoot it down. However, as a future nurse, it is good to hear those things for many reasons. First, it is better to plan for how you might deal with certain situations than to be thrown into them with no clue. Also, as a new nurse we will be working with nurses who may be experiencing burnout. These are things we might hear everyday from some of our coworkers. We need to have empathy for these nurses. That doesn't mean we have to take on the same attitude but judging someone harshly because they feel a certain way isn't cool either. You never know whether you might feel the same way one day. The "red ink" nurse probably thought she was doing us all a favor by warning us. That is okay, some people considering nursing might see her comments and think, "no way can I deal with that kind of stuff." Then there are the rest of us that will push forward despite her warnings. Many nurses, even happy with their job nurses, have confirmed what the "red ink" nurse said to be true. The best we can do with that information is to plan early and prepare for our reactions. Thanss for posting the link.
if i experienced some of the things that some nurses have, i probably wouldn't be a nurse either. i have been in healthcare for close to eight years and where you choose to work will have the biggest impact on how you view nursing. i never have to work OT. if they ask a nurse to stay OT, a nice bonus is usually attached to any extra hours work. i work every other weekend (my choice) and 3 days a week. the people i work with are great team players, the docs have NEVER disrespected me, even when i was a cna i was respected by my co-workers. this is my experience. i know it is not the same for everyone, and i totally encourage anyone to get out of a job that is making them completely miserable. nursing was not my first career choice and believe me the grass is not always greener on the other side. what is the perfect job anyway? i have to have surgery soon. i am praying for a nice nurse.
I guess someone has to walk the walk awhile to recognize the emotions of the nurse in the OP's story. I agree that presenting her raw emotions to students may not have been the kindest thing for her to do, but perhaps her heart was in the right place.
To be told you are so intelligent, to go through such difficult course of study and be engrained with high ideals of the profession of nursing, only to be treated so badly by so many...is a reaction shared by many many nurses I know. There is no disputing this truth. And yes, it is sad...and it is why there is a 'shortage'.
Blaming the individual nurse for their honest expressions of their experiences....this has been the basis of much of the dysfunction in my profession. I hope this changes in my lifetime; and am certain that honest discussion and unified action will be how we change things. Not by putting on the rose colored glasses.
Hellllo nurse...I really liked your letter to students. :)
As always mattsmom and excellent and insightful post. While I question why she would choose to continue to cruise student nurses sites while being an ex-nurse I could relate very much to what she was saying.
In thinking about what else you're saying, I sadly have to agree that is the way it is in our profression. How many of us who have "told it like it is", who have refused to quietly accept unsafe assignments, etc. have been labeled "negative, bitter, troublemakers" by not only management but our coworkers.
I'm afraid I'm part of the problem, not that I label my coworkers, but that I quietly without complaint take all that is thrown at me. I usually don't have the sense to speak up for myself. When in charge I speak of for my staff and keep them at a safe ratio while quietly pililng the work up on myself. "Sure I can take another patient in my nine patient assignment, no problem", etc. Don't rock the boat I say. Then I spontaneously combust and burn out after a while. Then I wonder why I'm restless, don't sleep well, and am unhappy at work.
Do you still do bedside nursing? Do you like your job?
The following not aimed at anyone.
I think the thing the students are getting out of this is that all nurses hate their jobs, I don't really think that is accurate either. I know nursing is difficult and there are truly many problems but I actually love my job and I think many nurses do love their jobs. I think the "Gold Standard" is to find your niche and enjoy what you do. On the other hand I do totally agree that if you are unhappy with your job it will only get worse, enjoying what you do is an important aspect to having a fulfilling Career. Just mt 2 cents
Thanks for your posts. As students we do need to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly of nursing, but it's nice to hear that someone still loves it anyway. You admit that nursing does have problems, but still love it and you are not bashing the profession becauese of them. Just because I used to be a MA for a number of years and decided to go onto nursing school, does not give me the right to go to a MA student board and bash the profession just because I've been there.
This is what I'll never understand. If certain nurses hate their jobs, why don't they get out like this former nurse did? I may disagree with a lot of what she has to say, but at least she had the guts to get out.
While it has been said here that all jobs can suck from time to time, one has to weigh many options when chosing a career. As in amount of education, job security, pay scale, satisfaction etc..
My wife has been an RN, BSN for 22 years. She has recently been promoted to a head nurse manager of an ICU unit. My mom was a nurse. My sister is a nurse. Her ex-husband is a nurse. My sister in-law is a nurse. My brother in-law is a nurse. My aunt is a nurse. My youngest sister is a respitory therapist who wishes she was a nurse. Not one of them counciled me to avoid nurses as my next career choice. They all agree it is hard work getting there and sometimes staying there but all agree that they love it...
Now this person complained about pay and professionalism. What other job, with a two year college degree, can you gaurentee full time employment for as long as you want it and make upwards of $80,000 a year or more. (in the NY metro area). Yea there are some, maybe a few but they are just as thankless and frustrating as nursing can be from time to time.
As for me, without a college degree I got into my industry of choice, printing, because that is what dad did. I worked hard as a blue collar worker, went into management and ultimately sales. 15 years ago I started my own business. I grew through the 90's to 22 employees and made a very nice comfy six figure salary, with new cars (BMW's, Lexus's SUV's) in the driveway, a boat at the marina, and a closet full of the finest shoes my wife could buy. Then came the recession of 2001-2004. I am now down to 12 employees, and while the cars and boat are still there, paying for them is now a pain as opposed to the pleasure they once were. Will things get better? Who knows...
The bottom line is I needed to make myself more recession proof. At 42 the last thing I want to do is go back to working for someone else in my present field and if I decide to close shop that might be one of my only options. So I chose to get a degree in nursing. I am a volunteer firefighter and an EMT and have always prided myself on community service and helping my neighbors. I love the medical angle and have always been around nurses.
Since my wife has always been a nurse all of her friends tend to be medical types as well. One of the main complaints I always here has more to do with their representation on a management level than with the job requirements themselves. As soon as I get into their conversations and express my business sense to these matters they all tell me I should be a manager at the hosspital... Apparently most Nurse managers, Directors and VP's all came out of nursing and do not have a business sense about them to fight the fight with administrators on thier level. I am hoping to make that my crusade. To combine 30 years of business experience with a nursing degree to help fight the fight that in my opinion needs to be faught to make nursing a better place to be. In the mean time I will be helping people and learning, which this old dog loves to do...
Am I oversimplifying this problem, I think not. I have a positive mental attitude about a new career choice. I am excited as hell about this choice. I love school, (9.33 after 42 credits) and am excited about starting the nursing processes this fall. Why, because I might need a job in a couple of years. I might decide to move north or south or east or west, and as far as a plane can carry me on a tank of fuel I will be employable with a two year college degree. Making double the average income in the USA. How many other professionals can say that????
So for all the bitter folks out there:crying2: , move on, make room for new people who will try to fill your shoes. But be warned, the grass defiantely isn't any greener on the other side of the fence.
Thank you Tweety for your kind words, I know from your posts I would greatly enjoy working with you...and always look forward to your posts. :)
For those here who do not know me, yes I am a critical care nurse still working at the bedside...in my 28th year. And I enjoy parts of it, and 99% of my coworkers too. Most nurses are good folks doing their best in difficult times. My career was much more satisfying 20 yrs ago pre DRG, in my then union environment.
But..yes, I still do get satisfaction from my work amidst the trials; which I do try to point out from time to time.
I WILL try to be more careful to present the positives WITH negatives; but students please remember us old grizzled nurses come here for a 'safe place' to vent.
Now this person complained about pay and professionalism. What other job, with a two year college degree, can you gaurentee full time employment for as long as you want it and make upwards of $80,000 a year or more. (in the NY metro area). Yea there are some, maybe a few but they are just as thankless and frustrating as nursing can be from time to time.
As for me, without a college degree I got into my industry of choice, printing, because that is what dad did. I worked hard as a blue collar worker, went into management and ultimately sales. 15 years ago I started my own business. I grew through the 90's to 22 employees and made a very nice comfy six figure salary, with new cars (BMW's, Lexus's SUV's) in the driveway, a boat at the marina, and a closet full of the finest shoes my wife could buy. Then came the recession of 2001-2004. I am now down to 12 employees, and while the cars and boat are still there, paying for them is now a pain as opposed to the pleasure they once were. Will things get better? Who knows...
Since my wife has always been a nurse all of her friends tend to be medical types as well. One of the main complaints I always here has more to do with their representation on a management level than with the job requirements themselves. As soon as I get into their conversations and express my business sense to these matters they all tell me I should be a manager at the hosspital... Apparently most Nurse managers, Directors and VP's all came out of nursing and do not have a business sense about them to fight the fight with administrators on thier level. I am hoping to make that my crusade. To combine 30 years of business experience with a nursing degree to help fight the fight that in my opinion needs to be faught to make nursing a better place to be. In the mean time I will be helping people and learning, which this old dog loves to do...
Am I oversimplifying this problem, I think not. I have a positive mental attitude about a new career choice. I am excited as hell about this choice. I love school, (9.33 after 42 credits) and am excited about starting the nursing processes this fall. Why, because I might need a job in a couple of years. I might decide to move north or south or east or west, and as far as a plane can carry me on a tank of fuel I will be employable with a two year college degree. Making double the average income in the USA. How many other professionals can say that????
So for all the bitter folks out there:crying2: , move on, make room for new people who will try to fill your shoes. But be warned, the grass defiantely isn't any greener on the other side of the fence.
No I will get off my soapbox.
have a great day all, dave:)
dave i think you have the right attitude about your career choice. you have been exposed to the medical field all your life so there won't be too many surprises for you. your business sense will definitely benefit you if you decide to go into healthcare mangement. you are realistic and motivate which are two ingredients essential to survive in healthcare. good luck with all your endeavors.
Thank you Tweety for your kind words, I know from your posts I would greatly enjoy working with you...and always look forward to your posts. :)
For those here who do not know me, yes I am a critical care nurse still working at the bedside...in my 28th year. And I enjoy parts of it, and 99% of my coworkers too. Most nurses are good folks doing their best in difficult times. My career was much more satisfying 20 yrs ago pre DRG, in my then union environment.
But..yes, I still do get satisfaction from my work amidst the trials; which I do try to point out from time to time.
I WILL try to be more careful to present the positives WITH negatives; but students please remember us old grizzled nurses come here for a 'safe place' to vent.
(((HUGS))) to all nurses and 'specially students.
Thank you for clarifying. I had a feeling that you were one of the greats! I have always enjoyeds your posts and you point of view.
Euskadi1946
401 Posts
like all jobs nursing has its good and its bad side, but the good far outweighs the bad. when someone recovers from an illness and you had a hand in that recovery it's the most wonderful feeling in the world. the only downside of nursing is, and i'm sure many will agree with me, is the staffing and being so overwhelmed with work that sometimes we can't give our pts the best care they deserve. the best part of nursing for me are the patients...i love my patients. you can learn so much from them. :)