Nursing is pathetic...

Cubby · Jul 21, 2002

One of the signs that we have here at my facility sums up nursing for me. "Only a life serving others, is a life worth living"

OzNurse69 · Jul 22, 2002

I have been thinking of coming over to the US to work on a 12 month contract for some time now. Reasons: gain experience, see the world, make more money! After reading NurseDude's post on the H1B thing, can anyone tell me if I will be welcome, or is that site just an inflammatory page written by a bunch of right wing rednecks (as it appears)?

I would hate to think that I was doing the right thing and helping to ease your nursing shortage (while at the same time contributing to the shortage over here, but that's a different story!), but in actual fact was putting people's noses out of joint.

gwenhyfar · Jul 22, 2002

It has been so interesting to read the comments here. We have happy, productive nurses, and unhappy nurses, and the issue is we do need to be happy at what we do. I look forward to seeing new nurses, and foreign nurses are welcome here where I work. You just need to do what is in your heart, whatever that happens to be. Don't do something just for the money, because it is not worth it.

live4today, RN · Jul 22, 2002

I probably already posted a comment to this question...maybe more than once.....I'm just back to rub my response in some more.....and that response was.......YEPPER, I SURELY WOULD RECOMMENED NURSING TO OTHERS. :kiss It's done right by me, so why not! :)

RenayCCRN · Jul 25, 2002

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

If we could only ban together as a profession and fight for what we believe in as strongly as we complain about what is wrong. All through out history change has been effected by groups of people who ban together and say we will take this any more. Not to say I don't complain about all the same things you do, but why can nurses not ban together. Please name me a profession which national has more members than nursing (RN, LPN, CNA). Hey we should be able to take over the world if we wanted to. We need to get rid of the garbage and raise the bar, I mean get rid of all those who think this is a "job" and are only in it for the money (which is not their) basicly those (and you know who I mean) who are lazzy and could not nurse except for the fact that we end up covering for them because we will not see the patient suffer we are real nurses not immitations. You can lose your licience when you do to many drugs, get caught doing things you do everyday that only a physician can do, or someone just gets mad and calls the board, but what about not adhering to the morales and ethics of a real nurse. I believe if we one by one raised the bar and excepted no less, banned together and stood as one voice we could make things better. What better time than know when nursing is at a explosive peak and one way or another something is going to change, we can either mode that change the way we want it or live with what someone else decided because we like to complain and not act.

Did nurse not ban together and stop parliment from passing a bill that said we can't work for ourselves why not get a specialty together a sell service back, I don't mean like travel nursing or agency I mean like ER physicians one ICU companies staffs 10-20 hospitals run by nurses. I don't have a business head but if someone else sees the vision it can be done.

nursecheryl · Jul 26, 2002

Regardless of what profession we choose in life, if after we are in it and find it is the wrong choice it is time to move on. I would suggest strongly that anyone who chooses to leave make sure you keep up your credit hours as a nurse and keep paying for your licence so that you can come back if once again you don't like your next chosen profession. I realize this may be what you are saying out of anger for some reason I'm unaware. I hope you don't let your dissatisfaction effect your nursing care. :nono: :crying:

joenp · Jul 29, 2002

I have been a nurse for 18 years, and an NP for 4 years. I came to nursing from social work, where I was just earning minimum wage. I now work as a Nursing educator and a part time NP. I have not run into many of the problems that ND and Slug have run into in their careers. I guess I have been lucky. I also keep my practice varied, from med surg, to ICU, to clinic and outpatient and inpatient mental health. I too have seen many nurses in mental health facilities, but it was not always because of their job. I like what MIRN has to say and I think that this nurse has found a way to maintain his/her ideal in the career. I have needed to move on to other aspects of nursing when I started to feel the burned out syndrome. I have not run out of options yet. I too feel that ND should move out of PA, and pursue nursing in other states. Just because Penn. cannot do it right does not mean that the rest of the country is going to fail. That is just a shortcoming of the way nursing is handled in the healthcare organization that ND works at. ND, look at where you want to be in 5 years and you may find that nursing is not in your future, and I think that we would all be happy for you, if you did something else for a while. You may find something that you really like doing, and may never return. Yet, don't put those of us who like it, down because of our beliefs and opinions. I hope that you find a solution to your delimma soon before it really does more damage to your person. Joenp

researchrabbit · Aug 9, 2002

I've been a middle school teacher. I've worked in advertising. I've been an editor. I've written a book (unsold, alas). I've been a secretary, worked every kind of fast food there is and done reservations for Howard Johnson's in French & Spanish. I've been an artist's model. I've done housekeeping. I've even sold on Ebay (still there, actually!). Now I'm a nurse. I wouldn't consider any of the jobs I've done pathetic. I've enjoyed aspects of them all. Each has had its own set of frustrations, too!

In addition, I've taken hours in computer science, agriculture, English Lit and counseling. Decided none of these were for me. Hypnosis courses are next, maybe that will be a nice sideline.

Still don't know what I'll be when I grow up. :chuckle

I think if you are unhappy in your job you should consider a switch (it's not hard -- see the varied stuff I've done above and I'm only 45. I'm not rich, either). If you try something different and you are STILL unhappy, it's probably time to look within for a solution.

JonRN · Aug 12, 2002

Greetings all, I would not recommend nursing to males for a career. I am 62 and retired now with one of the worst backs on the planet, you know why? Because my sister nurses came and got me every time some one needed to be gotten OOB, turned or anything else that required heavy lifting. Now I am a cripple sitting at home while they are probably on a beach somewhere.

I did my work and about half of theirs, what do I have to show for it now? Zippo. I worked at the VA in the SICU in case anyone cares. I was always a critical care nurse my whole career, nothing was too tough for me until my back went kerblooey. I finally wound up with a spinal fusion with instrumentation. Would I recommend nursing as a career choice? NO WAY!!!!!!

Glad2behere · Aug 13, 2002

Wow! What a mean thread! And so old! Thia absolutely unbelievable! I have never in my life seen so much crying at bellyaching over nothing! Good Gosh, get a grip...nursing is a piece of cake.

I have worked as a nurse, a mechanic at an auto dealership, salesperson and salesmanager at a dealership in charge of 20 salesmen, a truckdriver ( made Dallas to Boston roundtrip over 3600 miles TWICE in a week) for 5 years, framing carpenter for 2 years, owned my own car lot for 17 years making nite car auctions 3,4,5 nites a week after working all day, so I am going to say there is a whole lot worse things you can do.

Me, I don't mind at all working my little ole 3 days a week 12hr shifts. And if I want to make some money, I can easily work 5.

About a 100K per year. Such a hard program!

If you want stress, try having a banker call and telling you he's calling the note on that half mil he loaned you. That'll make the ole sphincter bite down.

There is whole lot worse things than nursing, and I've been there done that...God, am I

Glad2behere

Starkid2616 · Aug 14, 2002

hi Glad2behere, Just curious what made you become a nurse. Sounds like you are so versatile and experienced why nursing. Not that i'm not grateful to nursing but, nurses are to under rated

and are to used by employers. I was a nurse for 15 years and just stopped.

again, just curious?

Glad2behere · Aug 15, 2002

Well Starkid...it's a long story...my mother was nurse, I still remember he white uniform and hat she wore in the late 50's. I was a wild teenager, these are the days of Woodstock. My parents were afraid that I would get no education, and I went to college because my draft number was low and I was destined to go to Vietnam, as long as you were enrolled as a college student you could weasle out of the draft. I had no clue what I wanted to do at the time with my life. I entered nursing school because if I was called by the military I could enlist as an officer, and still miss the fighting working as a nurse. When I wasn't called and the draft was suspended, I was already commited. I worked as a burn nurse for a few years, but by then I wanted to be an entrepeneur, and nursing was not very suitable for that at the time. This was 1977 and I was making 918/month, with too much idle time on my hands. Started working as car saleman for extra doe on the side, and one thing led to next and so on. I still say life is what you make of it, and nursing is a bunch easier than trying to stop 80,000lbs on a mountain interstate covered with ice, and as you round the curve you see the state trooper with lights flashing because he is securing an accident, it's about 5 degrees outside and the heater quit working, but you cannot stop because it is physically impossible and even if you could it would be physically impossible to climb the next mountain without the speed your making down this one for the pendulum effect. All because you do not want to be stuck in this blizzard for 4 days and not get paid at all, never mind not having had any sleep for 2 days already...so nursing is easy. Next time you see a truckdriver, or a mechanic, a car dealer, be a little easier on them, they all have it tougher than we nurses. That's why I am still

Glad2behere

Thanks for letting me vent....woooooo, I needed that!