Nurses, how do you view your job?

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Jun 30, 2015

Being a nurse is a huge part of my identity. In that sense, it's more than "just a job." It would be a real loss, one I'd imagine myself grieving, if I woke up unable to do it anymore. It's not as central as being a Christian or being a mother, but it is part of who I am.

That said, I don't see it as a calling. "Calling" to me has a ministerial connotation. I believe God certainly can call whoever He wants to wherever He wants...but to say one can't be a good nurse unless s/he is "called" into it?

I also don't get the judgment against those who go into the profession for its benefits. I know teachers who chose the profession knowing they wanted to be moms and would have holidays and summers off. Should we be indignant that it isn't a Calling, and all about molding young minds? I know dentists who wanted a lucrative income. What, not so that they could fly to the favelas of Sao Paolo and heal destitute mouths? My own dad joined the USAF because it was draft time and preferred it to the Army? Is he less worthy of a "thank you for your service" because he wasn't all Nathan Hale about it?

All of these people, by the way, are kind, dedicated, and darned good in their professions.

Why would anyone assume that because someone strategically chose nursing, then they must be a lousy nurse? Even worthy of the NETO mantra, "I hope my family NEVER has you for a nurse!!" :sour:

Editorial Team / Admin · Jun 30, 2015

That's interesting. What happens if you're out grocery shopping and someone collapses? Or if you're out to eat and someone is choking? Will you be a nurse then, or is the badge still off?
Absolutely no snark intended- genuinely curious

At that point, without equipment and resources, I am nothing more than a bystander first responder, much like any other bystander who happens to know CPR and/or the Heimlich maneuver.

Is nursing just a job to me? For the most part, yes. I'm no different than the next door neighbor who's a mechanic. It's a part of a greater whole; it doesn't define me. No job should ever define someone. Nor was I "called" to be a nurse; I was called to (at the time) a pretty good career outlook, decent wages, and flexible hours.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 30, 2015

But never could I picture saving lives as "just a job". Thoughts?

For me, nursing is just a job and a means to an end, although I have not yet figured out what the end shall be. Time will furnish the answer.

I'm not the type of person who achieves validation through being needed by patients. I do not view nursing as a higher calling or majestic avocation. I do not feel the sense of honor that some other nurses feel when they've been invited into the most intimate aspects of patients' lives.

As someone who grew up on the lower end of the economic rung, I entered nursing for practical reasons: career mobility, middle income, and opportunities for advancement.

Aurora77 · Jun 30, 2015

I do enjoy my job, but in the end, it's just a job. Yes my career as a nurse is part of who I am now, it's not the most important part. If a person always sees their career as a calling, that's great. If they see it as just a job, that's great too.

Adele_Michal7, ASN, RN · Jun 30, 2015

Couldn't have said it any better myself.

Sorry. That's why I asked.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jun 30, 2015

That's interesting. What happens if you're out grocery shopping and someone collapses? Or if you're out to eat and someone is choking? Will you be a nurse then, or is the badge still off?
Absolutely no snark intended- genuinely curious

Badge off, call 911. The Good Samaritan law is open to interpretation by the courts, lawyers , and families.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Jun 30, 2015

Supernurse, what's your opposition to Dranger referencing another thread that you posted on, about the same topic?

Can you really not do that? I want other peoples opinions. It's sad that a lot of people I've seen up here like to argue with one another and try to prove points. I thought being apart of this was going to help me, but every post I see, there are people that like to try and do exactly what you are.

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jun 30, 2015

It's a job. I am a multidimensional person. Being a nurse is a small part of who I am- it is my job. It is not my calling or my passion or anything of the sort. It is how I pay my bills. I am also a hiker, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a trivia connoisseur, a member of several recreational sports teams and a world traveler. My current job gives me the flexibility to do all of these things. I enjoy what I do but if I won the lottery tomorrow or if someone said "Hey, Kel, we'll pay you a salary to travel the world full-time", you'd never see me working as a nurse again.

Honestly, I'm sick of this martyr complex in nursing. You must live and breathe nursing and not demand adequate pay and working conditions for what you do because nursing "is more than a job." Sorry, it's not. My work phone goes off the minute I leave the premises and I'm done being a nurse for the day when 5:30pm comes.

Graduatenurse14 · Jul 1, 2015

I thought that it was a calling and finding out that it wasn't was very, very rough on me. It's a job and one that I hope to get better at.

noelly10 · Jul 1, 2015

I think everyone clearly has their own opinion on how they view their career. Whether some view it as a calling, some view it as just a job (or rather means to an end), some see it as their passion. Whatever way it is viewed, that's a personal opinion. Basically, just because someone sees it as just a job, doesn't mean you will or will not see it that way as well. I think this thread served its purpose, mistakes were make (I read the other thread, thanks Dranger), and things were said that should not have been said. But, as you see by all the other wonderful nurses that have posted, OP, everyone is different. Good luck to you in your career.

PS: while being too excited might give you false pretenses on what the job really is like, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to go in there with your head up, just not your nose. As long as you do that, I think you can be a great nurse. Listen to others, but don't take things to heart. One thing a wise nurse once told me and something I tell myself every day (even though it may sound slightly inappropriate) "I did not sleep with that patient last night". Which doesn't always go towards patients, but also other people. Don't take anything personally.

OCNRN63, RN · Jul 1, 2015

I thought that it was a calling and finding out that it wasn't was very, very rough on me. It's a job and one that I hope to get better at.

Some of your new grad peers would do well to heed your words.

RNfaster · Jul 1, 2015

I recently had a discussion with someone who views nursing as "just a job". But I feel it's more than that. They are using the fact that I am a new nurse against me and saying that basically I will eventually say it's " just a job". I never want to have that mentality though. I know that you get caregiver strain here and there and its hard work. But never could I picture saving lives as "just a job". Thoughts?

I think language and philosophical differences may be an issue here...

As I see it, there are many jobs. Over time, folks form careers based on jobs held.

Is one job (e,g., nurse, nurse's aid, housekeeping, soldier, sanitation worker, research biologist, lawyer) more important than another? As others have pointed out, things like sanitation and public protection are vital to society. Within the hospital, what would happen if housekeeping didn't disinfect the patient's room? There are many in the hospital (and elsewhere) that contribute to lives saved.

I have seen a sign posted at my place of work that states that all jobs are important to the working of the hospital and service of patients, and that no one job is less important than the other. All are needed, together...

For myself, I am uncomfortable with the notion of a "calling." For me, it implies loss of rationality. It does not mesh with my worldview. I understand that for others, a "calling" is in keeping with their philosophical beliefs, however. I can co-exist with that.

For me, nursing is a job, and it is my career. I strive to do my best work each day. I also must say that it has changed me as a person.

Many folks have mentioned the import of boundaries between work and home life to maintaining a long career in nursing. This rings true to me. I think that is why folks may emphasize the "it's a job" statement.

Congratulations to OP on your new work.