Nurses Who Don't Want to be Nurses

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What do you think of nurses who don't want to be nurses? Those who go to school for nursing just for the "nice checks" thinking that it's "easy money" or even those who are just going for nursing because they don't know what else to go for. Have you ever confronted anyone in that category?

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

​It's really none of my business why someone chooses to become a nurse. As long as they provide safe patient care, their motivation to be in nursing is irrelevant.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
It's not a big deal if someone chooses to be a nurse for the pay, but for that to be the ONLY reason, I honestly don't get it. I feel like if you don't have a true purpose to being a nurse, you're going to be burned out so fast because from what I've read, it's not an easy job. I've also seen posts about people hating their job and maybe people go into nursing with passion and are excited for the job and end up hating it, but it seems as if you're more likely to end up hating it if you didn't have a true drive to be a nurse in the first place. Also, those who go into nursing just because are taking up spots for those who actually, truly do want to go into the profession and most likely aren't giving patients as much care as another nurse. I'm not judging, but it's a lot to think about and I wanted to know others' opinions.

Why not become a nurse yourself before you judge the actions of others? It's easy to be idealistic when you're a student; you don't get the full picture of what day in-day out nursing is like until you've walked a mile in another nurse's Danskos.

ETA: I didn't realize the OP isn't even a student.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
OP never said she 'confronted' anybody. It's not like the old Hollywood saw where some cop or john asks a prostitute how she happened to decide to become a whore. The only confronting I see here is jumping down OP's virtual throat feet first for asking others how they feel about a nurse who hates nursing. A lot of it seems to have to do with whatever the reader read into the original post.

It got a lot of people's dander up awfully quickly.

I think it's because multiple OP posts contain phrases that sound judgmental.

"Those who went into nursing because they're fascinated and have a genuine interest in physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, biology etc etc, there's no problem with those type of people"

Well, it's nice to know that OP's ok with "those type of people."

"Oh, and let me add this even though it's not the most relevant: I have a friend who's going to school for nursing but it's not her calling!!! Her dream is to be a baker and I don't have a problem with it. She loves helping people and is very genuine and I support her. I don't have an issue with nurses not being nurses due to a calling."

Why should OP have a problem with anyone else's career choices?

"...Also, those who go into nursing just because are taking up spots for those who actually, truly do want to go into the profession and most likely aren't giving patients as much care as another nurse. "

Seriously?? Could we see some evidence for this broad assumption? OP is not yet a nurse. Just rubs me the wrong way to see so much judgment about a subject with which he/she has no experience.

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Specializes in geriatrics.

OP once you complete your nursing education and start practicing as a nurse, you'll appreciate why nurses vent. It's not nursing that most people dislike, it's chronic understaffing, mandatory overtime, wage cuts and unrealistic expectations from administration.

We have no right to judge the motivations of our co-workers. Focus on yourself and building your career.

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That probably describes at least half of all nurses. Get over it. Not everyone has some bizarre quasi-religious masochistic calling for this stuff.

This made me really laugh! Thank you.

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Specializes in Pedi.
There are many situations I've been in where I felt the need to complain, but I never complain out loud while I'm in those situations. There's a huge difference. Not only is it unprofessional but how do you think a patient would feel if they overheard you? Or how would your boss take your complaint?

You just wait till you actually become a nurse. You will NEED those night and weekend shifts when Big Brother isn't around to vent to your coworkers who actually, you know, get it.

IMO, if I were going to choose a job I'd be miserable in for the money, I'd have gone the finance route. My college roommate was making 6 figures plus bonuses our first year out of school. That was, of course, before the economy tanked.

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.
I think it's because multiple OP posts contain phrases that sound judgmental.

"Those who went into nursing because they're fascinated and have a genuine interest in physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, biology etc etc, there's no problem with those type of people"

Well, it's nice to know that OP's ok with "those type of people."

"Oh, and let me add this even though it's not the most relevant: I have a friend who's going to school for nursing but it's not her calling!!! Her dream is to be a baker and I don't have a problem with it. She loves helping people and is very genuine and I support her. I don't have an issue with nurses not being nurses due to a calling."

Why should OP have a problem with anyone else's career choices?

"...Also, those who go into nursing just because are taking up spots for those who actually, truly do want to go into the profession and most likely aren't giving patients as much care as another nurse. "

Seriously?? Could we see some evidence for this broad assumption? OP is not yet a nurse. Just rubs me the wrong way to see so much judgment about a subject with which he/she has no experience.

Really? Because it's a subject that isn't reserved JUST for nursing.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I wasnt sure what I wanted to do and I fell in love with nursing, you can't put people in exclusive categories. The only time im peeved is when they've burned out and dragged those around them. I like a place with a positive environment.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
There are many situations I've been in where I felt the need to complain, but I never complain out loud while I'm in those situations. There's a huge difference. Not only is it unprofessional but how do you think a patient would feel if they overheard you? Or how would your boss take your complaint?

So good for you that you don't complain out loud, should we recommend you for sainthood? You must have limited work experience otherwise you would realize complaining is quite the norm, not unusual and management doesn't care. They are not going to listen if it will cost them their bonus to spend the money to fix things! Management cares about keeping the budget low so they can get their yearly bonus, not about their employees morale.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Thank you so much for this story :) it makes me not feel crazy, see these are the nurses that shouldn't be nurses!! She has no reason to be, and it makes me wonder what her motives were.

You don't know what her motives were, she may very well have been one of the many "called" nurses who simply over time and overwork and back strain became burnt out, but couldn't afford to quit because we don't have the great benefits of school teachers, govt employees and the police and military that can retire after 20 years! You never know how you will feel in the future. Retirement benefits are getting worse not better and it will be even more difficult for the new nurses trying to pay off student loans and save for retirement and keep working under difficult and even sometimes unsafe conditions just to keep a roof over their head! Don't be so quick to judge. You never know you could become one of those nurses that you say shouldn't be nurses!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Those who went into nursing because they're fascinated and have a genuine interest in physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, biology etc etc, there's no problem with those type of people. As clarified in a previous poster's comment, I'm talking about the nurses who show up to work everyday with a negative attitude and who have jumped into nursing blindly. Sure, there are those who pursued nursing because they felt they had a "calling" and they might not have known what they were getting into. Whatever, I guess my question/point to begin with was, how do other nurses feel when they see fellow nurses who complain constantly and come to work with a negative attitude? Those nurses who can't stand coming to work and show it. I'm not saying that nursing is this angelic profession that only those who have a "calling" should pursue. I know people can't just drop their job and get another degree but come on. I didn't know it would turn into this huge debate where everyone argues about not having a "calling." Oh, and I haven't begun applying for programs yet :)

You just don't understand that the problem is really burnout. Nurses like social workers have a high degree of burnout and job turnover. That is why I don't like the judgmental attitude towards negative nurses. Instead we should offer support and encourage them to find ways to decrease stress like taking a vacation, pursuing a hobby etc. Employers should offer support services to help staff such as EAP. Maybe the person will need medication antidepressant/anti-anxiety and therapy to cope with work and their personal life. The EAP could assist with that process. One of the hospitals in my system was struggling with such high stress and dissatisfaction among both dr's and nurses it offered a free stress management program to try to ameliorate the problem. These are good things to have, but should be paired with safe reasonable staffing ratios, adequate support staff, working equipment and supportive management! Without all of the above, the EAP and stress management programs are just a bandaid and don't get to the root of the problem!

When I was going thru some deep burnout I started writing down when I had a good day to remind myself that sometimes work actually was ok. It helped, along with focusing on the positive such as the good, kind, appreciative patients, my great coworkers and teamwork. I enjoy the upbeat comedic coworkers and let their good mood uplift me. I also make sure to take regular vacations even if only a staycation to take a break from work. It is so easy to focus on the negative and sometimes a person needs help to see the positive and find better ways of coping with the stress of nursing.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Really? Because it's a subject that isn't reserved JUST for nursing.

Are there other professions into which you feel that practitioners should not go into for the paycheck, or because they're not 100% certain about their career choice?

In my experience nurses, and to a lesser extent teachers, are the only professions where outsiders presume a martyr-ish "calling" must exist.

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