I hope all is well with you.:monkeydance: I have read so many horror stories about being a nurse. It makes me wonder why the nurseing schools in many areas are jammed packed with students wanting to enter them. It is hard to believe there is a shotage. Also, when in school and doing your clinicals, don't you see the stressed out nurses?
I can't believe I am still considering nursing school after reading horrible threads about being a hospital nurse. Do I think it wouldn't happen to me? Oh God, what am I doing?
Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.
Everyone is health care (especially people working acute care) are under a lot of stress nowadays. Some of this has to do with the lingering culture of "I was treated light dirt as a student/ new grad, so now I'm going to do the same". However, most of it has to do with trying to do a lot with limited resources. Some hospital systems have their priorities backwards and spend extraordinary amounts of money on administration and marketing. In my opinion, these resources could be better used for patient care. Part of this is our fault as nurses. If we presented a unified front with a strong national organization, we could devote more time and energy towards educating the public about the importance of good nursing care.
If you think about it, people "shop around" for a good surgeon before they have an operation. However, they rarely ask about different hospitals, rates of infection, number of years of experience of their nurses or even something as basic as ratios. They are often shocked when they find out that there's no one available to bring them water or a snack in the middle of the night because he/she (the nurse) has nine other patients!
Separate billing for nursing services (apart from the room charge) would do much to teach the public about the true costs and benefits of quality nursing care. This in turn may improve working conditions for nurses and encourage some to return to the bedside.
I decided to become a nurse because I wanted to gain some real-life experience in a health-related field. When I was younger, my goal was to become a physician. When I started college, I took a realistic look at the lifestyle of a physician and I began to have doubts. I wasn't sure if I wanted my life to revolve around my work. So, I chose nursing because it would allow me to gain health-care experience and decide if I really wanted to pursue medicine. Also, nursing is very flexible with numerous career options and the option of becoming an NP really appealed to me. And it may be cliche, but I wanted a career in which I could "help others".
Although I have often doubted my career choice, I am very, very thankful that I did not pursue medicine. After working with physicians, I now know that it would not be a career that I would enjoy.
With the media focus on the "nursing shortage", it seems that there are more people than ever who want to go to nursing school. Most of those people, not unlike myself when I started nursing school, have no idea what nursing entails. The majority want to become nurses because it doesn't require much education, but it has a high starting salary. There are very few careers in which you can get a 2-year degree and start out making over $50,000. What most people fail to consider is how hard you will have to work to earn that money or the type of work you will actually be doing. I always advise people who are considering becoming a nurse to shadow nurses and gain some experience in health care, preferably doing patient care.
Surely, you must mean there were only a few answers, rather than completely unanswered, because I know I have answered such a question on many threads.
Actually, I meant just what I typed: "generally" - as in that's what I've found to commonly, though not exclusively, be the case in the threads that I've read. You are right, though, that I did not mean "completely unanswered" or that's what I think I would have typed.
I'm not sure if I've read any of the threads in which you've replied because I mostly just stumble across them; I've not actually searched for such although I think I probably should.
Actually, I meant just what I typed: "generally" - as in that's what I've found to commonly, though not exclusively, be the case in the threads that I've read. You are right, though, that I did not mean "completely unanswered" or that's what I think I would have typed.
I'm not sure if I've read any of the threads in which you've replied because I mostly just stumble across them; I've not actually searched for such although I think I probably should.
Yeah, you probably should. When the question does go unanswered it is usually because someone pops into a thread and asks the question when it is off the topic of the original thread. There have been entire threads about other career options besides nursing - which is why I found it rather odd that you would say that the question goes unanswered. There have also been many threads comparing nursing to other career alternatives, so it is not as if no one can come up with an alternative for nursing.
I hope all is well with you.:monkeydance: I have read so many horror stories about being a nurse. It makes me wonder why the nurseing schools in many areas are jammed packed with students wanting to enter them. It is hard to believe there is a shotage. Also, when in school and doing your clinicals, don't you see the stressed out nurses?
I can't believe I am still considering nursing school after reading horrible threads about being a hospital nurse. Do I think it wouldn't happen to me? Oh God, what am I doing?
Have a great day.
I ask myself that (jokingly) on a daily basis, phillies.
Seriously though, I think that a lot of people think they know what a nurse does all day, but then when it actually happens and you're doing it, well, it's like a childless person becoming a parent. What looked great on paper just might not work in practice. And all the experts in the world cannot prepare you for that first sleepless month.
It's the same with being a nurse.
Yeah, I'm stressed. Yeah, I'm cranky when I miss my lunch. But no, I wouldn't want to change what I do. Especially when I can sometimes see that I made a positive difference in someone's life.
Yeah, you probably should. There have also been many threads comparing nursing to other career alternatives,
Well, I tried a few searches and didn't come up with anything in the top-10 results. If you know of any specific threads, I'd like to read 'em.
Here are the searches that I tried:
alternative nursing career
instead of nursing
what field instead of nursing
if not nursing then what
alternatives to nursing
...so it is not as if no one can come up with an alternative for nursing.
I'm sure people can come up with innumerable alternatives to nursing. After all, I'm the first person in my family to have even considered it.
I'm just curious as to what fields the "don't be a nurse" people think would be so much better than nursing. If you'd care to post your suggestions, I can start another thread or you can PM me or whatever.
I found this website years ago but had to stop looking at it because I found so many really discouraging posts. Long story short I am now a Nurse myself (and highly addicted to this site by the way :))
Nursing is hard and stressful, but it is by far the most rewarding thing I could ever think of doing. Even on my worst days I am still making a difference in someones life. It isnt for everyone, but dont let yourself get talked out of it if you have a passion for nursing.
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ICRN2008, BSN, RN
897 Posts
Everyone is health care (especially people working acute care) are under a lot of stress nowadays. Some of this has to do with the lingering culture of "I was treated light dirt as a student/ new grad, so now I'm going to do the same". However, most of it has to do with trying to do a lot with limited resources. Some hospital systems have their priorities backwards and spend extraordinary amounts of money on administration and marketing. In my opinion, these resources could be better used for patient care. Part of this is our fault as nurses. If we presented a unified front with a strong national organization, we could devote more time and energy towards educating the public about the importance of good nursing care.
If you think about it, people "shop around" for a good surgeon before they have an operation. However, they rarely ask about different hospitals, rates of infection, number of years of experience of their nurses or even something as basic as ratios. They are often shocked when they find out that there's no one available to bring them water or a snack in the middle of the night because he/she (the nurse) has nine other patients!
Separate billing for nursing services (apart from the room charge) would do much to teach the public about the true costs and benefits of quality nursing care. This in turn may improve working conditions for nurses and encourage some to return to the bedside.