No I wouldn't recommend nursing

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Dec 28, 2005

Okay, here goes nothing. I know a bunch of you long term RN's are going to kill me for this but from where I come from (high tech industry/electronics) constructive confrontation is not only welcome but expected.
I hear lots of people saying they hate what they are doing but what are you doing to change it??? I am not a nurse or even a nursing student yet but that is my goal and it is really depressing reading all of these posts:o about how awful nursing is, the abuse, etc, so I feel like I have to say something!From an outsiders perspective, one of the things I LIKE about a nursing opportunity is the variety of opportunities to pursue. What do you like??? Children - then go for pediatrics! Teaching people - then be a clinical instructor at a community college or, if you have the degree, at a university. Tired of the hospital setting but still want patient contact - how about a doctor's office, clinic or school nurse. Want to use your experience but are sick of the sick???? How about the ole insurance route??? Not something I would want but hey, there is something for everyone. Most employers have some type of education reimbursement, so go for more training, so that you have even more opportunities! There is hospice, home health care and long term care facilities. It seems to me (again from an outsiders perspective) there are tons of things an RN can do, depending on their interests, needs, financial requirements and geography.
Hope I haven't offended too many folks - just a contrarian opinion! Let me have it!:angryfire
DC

I too am an outsider and you have a valid point.

Kim O'Therapy, BSN, RN · Dec 28, 2005

gosh, i was a hospital patient quite often a few years ago and it was the skill and compassion demonstrated by the nurses that "sealed the deal" regarding my indecision to pursue it as a career. i had/have the upmost respect for medical professionals. please do not let the "bad" patients get you down. you are highly appreciated and respected - believe it or not. :nurse:

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Dec 29, 2005

Okay, here goes nothing. I know a bunch of you long term RN's are going to kill me for this but from where I come from (high tech industry/electronics) constructive confrontation is not only welcome but expected.
I hear lots of people saying they hate what they are doing but what are you doing to change it??? I am not a nurse or even a nursing student yet but that is my goal and it is really depressing reading all of these posts:o about how awful nursing is, the abuse, etc, so I feel like I have to say something!From an outsiders perspective, one of the things I LIKE about a nursing opportunity is the variety of opportunities to pursue. What do you like??? Children - then go for pediatrics! Teaching people - then be a clinical instructor at a community college or, if you have the degree, at a university. Tired of the hospital setting but still want patient contact - how about a doctor's office, clinic or school nurse. Want to use your experience but are sick of the sick???? How about the ole insurance route??? Not something I would want but hey, there is something for everyone. Most employers have some type of education reimbursement, so go for more training, so that you have even more opportunities! There is hospice, home health care and long term care facilities. It seems to me (again from an outsiders perspective) there are tons of things an RN can do, depending on their interests, needs, financial requirements and geography.
Hope I haven't offended too many folks - just a contrarian opinion! Let me have it!:angryfire
DC

Well, I'm certainly an 'insider', having been a nurse for almost 9 years, but this post makes a whole LOT of sense to me. It's especially appropriate at this time of my own career, when I've just left the med/surg job I held for a total of five years due to burnout. Thanks for the reminder that there are other options out there. :specs:

dreamBIG · Dec 31, 2005

I have always had the highest respect and admiration for nurses. My two cents.... :lol2:

WDWpixieRN, RN · Dec 31, 2005

My neighbor's 16-year old just spent the better part of 2 months in and out of hospitals due to a staph infection....guess what she became inspired to pursue as a career?!?!?!

I gave her some links to websites that offered more information on nursing as a career, but I hope she doesn't find this thread!! As a "more mature" individual who'll be starting school in the fall, I'm terrified after reading some of these posts that I'm making a horrible mistake. For a very young person, I can't imagine how quickly this could change a mind!!

And timster makes a very valid observation:

the more you discourage hopeful nursing students from becoming nurses, the more you're contributing to crappy work conditions, understaffing where there's no law against it, and patients not getting the care and attention they need.

tcdtx · Dec 31, 2005

There are many careers you can have with a nursing degree. If you are not one to clean up poop and vomit, you might be happier at a desk at a nurse call center, or something. If you think about it, there are too many choices in nursing for anyone to be unhappy.

Sheri257 · Dec 31, 2005

After reading all these posts I can't help but agree with something my EMT friend Paul said, since he's planning to go into nursing himself. I mentioned all the negative stuff I've heard and showed him this thread, and his response was that the largest complaints about nursing usually come from people who don't want to work and don't give a damn about their patients, healing, or any aspect of medicine. And after reading most of these posts, I can agree with him. Sure, you need to protect your right to fair work conditions and not let your employer, patients, etc. trample over you or treat you poorly, but there's a difference between keeping people from trampling on you and trampling on the entire profession of what you do.
I don't know how it is outside California, but in California there's a patient ratio law...my friend said it was 5, I've read other people say it was 4, but either way it sounds like in California a nurse can't be in charge of more then 4-5 patients so the horrible understaffing conditions that have been mentioned here don't exist atleast in California. I would be very surprised if most states don't have the same thing. Regardless though, the more you discourage hopeful nursing students from becoming nurses, the more you're /contributing/ to crappy work conditions, understaffing where there's no law against it, and patients not getting the care and attention they need.

I too am a nursing student, and I used to say similar things ... until I started working as an extern. Quite frankly, I was stupid. :smackingf

I will never, ever accuse any RN of not wanting to work and not giving a damn about their patients because I now understand how tough their job is. Just about everything that has been said on this thread is true.

And if you think the California ratio law is a panacea, you're wrong. For one, thing, they can give you ten patients, not five, if they assign you an LVN. And if that LVN isn't ... shall we say ... helpful ... that's makes the job incredibly tough, especially since you're not just responsible for ten patients, but everything the LVN does as well.

Even in facilities which give you only five patients ... I'd really like to see how you or any student/new grad would handle five total care high acuity patients with multiple diseases, and multiple things going on like TPN, blood tranfusions, etc. And if you are not favored by management, they will dump a bunch of high acuity patients on you. Just one high acuity patient can take up the entire day ... five can you make downright miserable, especially if you're a new grad that doesn't know what you are doing. Just because California has a ratio law doesn't mean management can't make the job miserable.

When you're on your feet all day long, working your butt off trying to keep up, taking abuse from patients, their families, doctors and management, I'd really like to see how you would feel then. I wonder if you would come to realize, like I did, that there is a reason for the nursing shortage, and there is a reason why so many RN's have left the bedside.

Veteran RN's can run circles around us any day of the week. They know a hellava lot more than we do... and you're going to need their help when you do work on the job. They deserve our respect, not lectures. And other states do not have ratio laws .... so don't presume that others don't have legitimate complaints here.

RN's are trying to warn students about what they're getting into before they go through the trouble of school. Read the first year of nursing section of this board, and see how much trouble new grads are experiencing. See how many of them are questioning whether nursing school was a mistake. Then, maybe you won't be so quick to judge.

:nono:

dlhall · Dec 31, 2005

I too am a nursing student, and I used to say similar things ... until I started working as an extern. Quite frankly, I was stupid. :smackingf
I will never, ever accuse any RN of not wanting to work and not giving a damn about their patients because I now know how tough their job is. Just about everything that has been said on this thread is true.
And if you think the California ratio law is a panacea, you're wrong. For one, thing, they can give you ten patients, not five, if they assign you an LVN. And if that LVN isn't ... shall we say ... helpful ... that's makes the job incredibly tough, especially since you're not just responsible for ten patients, but everything the LVN does as well.
Even in facilities which give you only five patients ... I'd really like to see how you or any student/new grad would handle five totoal care high acuity patients with multiple diseases, and multiple things going on like TPN, blood tranfusions, etc. And if you are not favored by management, they will dump a bunch of high acuity patients on you. Just because California has a ratio law doesn't mean management can't make the job miserable.
When you're on your feet all day long, working your butt off trying to keep up, taking abuse from patients, their families, doctors and management, I'd really like to see how you would feel then. I wonder if you would come to realize, like I did, that there is a reason for the nursing shortage, and there is a reason why so many RN's have left the bedside.
Veteran RN's can run circles around us any day of the week. They know a hellava lot more than we do... and you're going to need their help when you do work on the job. They deserve our respect, not lectures. And other states do not have ratio laws .... so don't presume that others don't have legitimate complaints.
RN's are trying to warn students about what they're getting into before they go through the trouble of school. Read the first year of nursing section of this board, and see how much trouble new grads are experiencing. See how many of them are questioning whether nursing school was a mistake. Then, maybe you won't be so quick to judge.

I hear so many complaints about nursing, but I dont hear too many solutions. My wife is a RN and she tells me that the problems you face are dealing with lazy nurses, lazy nurse directors, and lazy directors. You wonder why there is such a nursing shortage. This problem needs to be taken all the way to congress, because a lot of patients are being affected by these problems.

God bless

Sheri257 · Dec 31, 2005

I hear so many complaints about nursing, but I dont hear too many solutions. My wife is a RN and she tells me that the problems you face are dealing with lazy nurses, lazy nurse directors, and lazy directors. You wonder why there is such a nursing shortage. This problem needs to be taken all the way to congress, because a lot of patients are being affected by these problems.
God bless

I've made statements on this BB in the past about "lazy" RN's that I have worked with. As it turned out, I was wrong and I was too quick to judge. I wasn't doing that person's job so ... how would I know that they had a crisis in another room, or that the reason they didn't give the pain med on time was the MD refused to renew the order. RN's that I initially thought were "lazy" turned out to be more knowledge and helpful than I ever thought they would be.

So ... unless I'm following that person around every minute of every day which, I can't because I have my own job to do, I try not to judge whether or not people are "lazy" anymore because, the fact is, I really don't know.

:nurse:

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 31, 2005

I hear so many complaints about nursing, but I dont hear too many solutions.

Aside from Congress, what OTHER solutions do you have to offer?

dlhall · Dec 31, 2005

Aside from Congress, what OTHER solutions do you have to offer?

1.The president

2. National Nurses association

3. Director of the hospital

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Dec 31, 2005

And what specifically should they do?