Please share your story

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hello-

I am a student nurse and naturally, I have come to realize that Nursing is not only a career it is a lifestyle. If I am not in class, I am studying, if I am not in clinical, I am writing care plans. I appreciate this as a part of my education as one day I will provide total pt care.

I am curious what life is like after nursing school? How does it affect your role at home? ect.

Thank you for sharing. I really look forward to hearing some insight from nurses who live the life!

Getting together for family stuff just takes a little more planning. I live far away from my family so traveling around the holidays is horrendous anyway, so instead I designate one time a year in the warmer months to get together with everyone. As far as weddings, I let the family know I need plenty of advance notice and usually can work something out, as long I am not expected to do it more than a couple of times a year. It can be nice to just stay home on Thanksgiving or Christmas. As far as the liability issue, I am pretty sure if you try to help you are covered by the Good Samaritan Law but I was told in nursing school if you don't help and they find out you are a nurse and were present you could get sued. I figure I would do what I could regardless.

Talk with a couple of attorneys in your state. I'd be willing to bet that there is no law that says you have to get involved unless you are receiving pay to have a nurse-patient relationship. How can a state, county, etc. make you volunteer? Especially when you stand to get sued if you mess up?

Good Sam covers you only so far. If you do something that a layperson is allowed to do or a surgeon (like make a tracheostomy so someone can breathe), you will be charged by your state Board of Nursing or your local prosecuting attorney with practicing medicine without a license, even if the pt does well and you save his life. This is an example of how screwed up Nursing can be.

Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I leave work at work. I have some of the phones from my unit as Do Not Answer in my phone. I rarely do extra shifts. I dont let my job consume my life. The whole "nursing is a calling/lifestyle" BS doesnt fly with me at all.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I never let school be my life. I had school and then I had a regular life. I watched my shows, I played online, I read, I went out with my kids and with friends. I did the same exact things I did before school.

Actually being a nurse was much the same but I am doing my RN-BSN program as well. But still, there is work, there is class and there is me time. It's never changed.

@Mi Vida Loca

As someone who will be applying to a BSN program this January and quite discouraged from reading the countless posts on this website (yet can't stay away) ... this post was refreshing. Thank you. :):)

Wow, some of you are very dedicated to your job. I am a wife and mother and my first priority is my family. Second, my mental and physical health. Then my career as a nurse. I work part time and when I'm at work I give it my all. I don't really pick up shifts. Work calls me every week to come in. My hospital is very understaffed and they are allways calling, so if I said yes I would live there. I refuse to do that! While I am there it is very very stressful. I NEED my time away or I would no longer be a nurse!!!!!!! Good luck. Work to create balance. Life is more than WORK. : )

Nursing is whatever you want it to be. For me, I do not think about or talk about work when I am not there. My wife knows I prefer not to talk about work at home.

I get my charting done and my meds out in 12 hours...if I can't get to something else then that is why a new shift is coming...I rarely stay longer (like something big has to happen right at shift change).

I work overtime if I want extra money, if not I just ignore the phone call or tell them I can't work.

If you want to have your job consume your life you can...in my mind the great thing about nursing is that you only work 3 days a week and you really don't have to think about work when you are off.

The one huge negative is working weekends and holidays. Someday I will probably switch to some type of position which calls for M-F hours for my family's sake...but those jobs usually just don't pay as well.

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I really enjoyed all the PP's.

The OP is correct in assuming that the process of becoming a nurse results in some fundamental changes in how we process information. For instance - even though I don't work at the bedside any longer, I 'assess' people rather than just look at them. Sometimes, I just want to walk up to that stranger and say - "I'm worried about you; your color isn't good, you're breathing much to fast and really struggling & now you look really sweaty." Kinda takes all the fun out of going to the IHOP! But it's not something I can control. Nursing is not what I do, it's what I am.

i can't begin to tell you all the countless times in my life where my nurse-self stepped in and did what had to be done, at scout camp or on the road or at the playground. you just do it on autopilot. and while it's never a good idea to give medical advice, it's always ok to give nursing care and advice that's congruent with your licensure, education, and experience.:nurse: in that case the good sam laws will cover you. you only get into trouble if you 1) charge for the service and/or 2) exceed your licensure, experience, and education, and/or 3) don't stay with the patient until relieved by someone more competent (like ems, for example). so some er nurses might well be competent to do a cricothyrotomy for emergency airway management, as an example.

if your neighbor wants you to give his insulin, not so much, because you have no idea what the prescription is and independent insulin administration is not a nursing function. likewise, "how does this arm look? i fell yesterday," should prompt you to say, "go to the doctor/er and have it evaluated," because this will involve making a medical diagnosis. if she comes home and says, "my doctor says it's not broken and i can just take it easy," nursing interventions might well be to use ice or heat (depending in timing), check her understanding of cms and what to do/who to see if anything changes, and see if she understands why the doctor gave her a prescription for x and how to take it if she can't read the pt instruction sheet they gave her without checking to see if she could:uhoh3:.

just yesterday our housekeeping lady, bless her, asked if she could ask me a question. i said, "sure, but i'm not sure i'll have an answer for you:d." she said, "i know you will. my husband is not doing well (he's in his 70s) and needs to use a walker, and i am having a hard time getting him in and out of the shower. (self-care deficit; ?caregiver role strain) i'm getting him a new shower chair and i wonder what i should get."

i said, "let's stop right there. what kind of shower do you have? walk-in single, tub-shower with glass doors..?" it's a tub-shower, and she's been helping him step into the shower to sit in a plastic lawn chair, which is now breaking down. she's 5'1" and he's 5'11" and 250 lbs-- obvious risk for injury for both of them. "my son put up a grab bar for him but when he moves he can't reach it; he pulled the towel bar right off the wall." her main question was about getting home health care for him and would insurance/medicare pay for it? she (and he) didn't want to go that route, but she felt she had no other options.

a few more questions about his ability to walk into the bathroom unobstructed (ok on feet c walker, open floor plan), stand and sit (standby to minimal assistance, she can do that easily), floor and shoes (nonslip floor, no scatter rugs, snug rubber-soled slippers) and we had the answer. (readiness for enhanced care management)

"you need a tub-transfer bench, and better grab bars." as it turned out, my professional journal recently did a great article from our resident adaptive technology guru on grab bars, so i printed out a copy for her son-- it has pictures and great info on how to site, anchor, waterproof (to prevent rot in the wall), and troubleshoot grab bars in ways no lay person ever thinks of, with brand names and website links. then we went online to identify a good tub transfer bench-- she'd never heard of such a thing-- and identified a couple that looked promising, and narrowed it down to one good one available in a store within 5 miles of her home, for less than a hundred bucks, which she said was able to pay easily. printed the web page out, called to be sure they had that one in stock. if not, we could have ordered it online for delivery. her son can assemble it. done.

and i went to an amateur theatrical production last night where a doctor character repeatedly used the word "le-thar-gy,":d. at the end i saw him and said, "it's leth-ar-gy:d."

that's being a nurse, too.

i can't begin to tell you all the countless times in my life where my nurse-self stepped in and did what had to be done, at scout camp or on the road or at the playground. you just do it on autopilot. and while it's never a good idea to give medical advice, it's always ok to give nursing care and advice that's congruent with your licensure, education, and experience.:nurse: in that case the good sam laws will cover you. you only get into trouble if you 1) charge for the service and/or 2) exceed your licensure, experience, and education, and/or 3) don't stay with the patient until relieved by someone more competent (like ems, for example). so some er nurses might well be competent to do a cricothyrotomy for emergency airway management, as an example.

if your neighbor wants you to give his insulin, not so much, because you have no idea what the prescription is and independent insulin administration is not a nursing function. likewise, "how does this arm look? i fell yesterday," should prompt you to say, "go to the doctor/er and have it evaluated," because this will involve making a medical diagnosis. if she comes home and says, "my doctor says it's not broken and i can just take it easy," nursing interventions might well be to use ice or heat (depending in timing), check her understanding of cms and what to do/who to see if anything changes, and see if she understands why the doctor gave her a prescription for x and how to take it if she can't read the pt instruction sheet they gave her without checking to see if she could:uhoh3:.

just yesterday our housekeeping lady, bless her, asked if she could ask me a question. i said, "sure, but i'm not sure i'll have an answer for you:d." she said, "i know you will. my husband is not doing well (he's in his 70s) and needs to use a walker, and i am having a hard time getting him in and out of the shower. (self-care deficit; ?caregiver role strain) i'm getting him a new shower chair and i wonder what i should get."

i said, "let's stop right there. what kind of shower do you have? walk-in single, tub-shower with glass doors..?" it's a tub-shower, and she's been helping him step into the shower to sit in a plastic lawn chair, which is now breaking down. she's 5'1" and he's 5'11" and 250 lbs-- obvious risk for injury for both of them. "my son put up a grab bar for him but when he moves he can't reach it; he pulled the towel bar right off the wall." her main question was about getting home health care for him and would insurance/medicare pay for it? she (and he) didn't want to go that route, but she felt she had no other options.

a few more questions about his ability to walk into the bathroom unobstructed (ok on feet c walker, open floor plan), stand and sit (standby to minimal assistance, she can do that easily), floor and shoes (nonslip floor, no scatter rugs, snug rubber-soled slippers) and we had the answer. (readiness for enhanced care management)

"you need a tub-transfer bench, and better grab bars." as it turned out, my professional journal recently did a great article from our resident adaptive technology guru on grab bars, so i printed out a copy for her son-- it has pictures and great info on how to site, anchor, waterproof (to prevent rot in the wall), and troubleshoot grab bars in ways no lay person ever thinks of, with brand names and website links. then we went online to identify a good tub transfer bench-- she'd never heard of such a thing-- and identified a couple that looked promising, and narrowed it down to one good one available in a store within 5 miles of her home, for less than a hundred bucks, which she said was able to pay easily. printed the web page out, called to be sure they had that one in stock. if not, we could have ordered it online for delivery. her son can assemble it. done.

and i went to an amateur theatrical production last night where a doctor character repeatedly used the word "le-thar-gy,":d. at the end i saw him and said, "it's leth-ar-gy:d."

that's being a nurse, too.

there might be nurses other than in er who are competent to do a trach.

in the past, my state would not allow a nurse so much as to even remove a splinter. they said that was a surgical procedure. ok to do it to your own child but not to someone else's child at a school or summer camp, for example. there was no way we could ever have done a trach. maybe things have changed here now. maybe there are states where invasive procedures can be done by a nurse, without a license, but not where i live, not even under good sam.

op, know your own state's laws.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

Being a nurse does make it harder to watch my childrens sporting events. I feel like I need to bring an emergency kit and I am ready to hop the fence at any moment. I swear I need a xanax to watch because I picture necks snapping and stuff.

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

To be perfectly honest, nursing infects my whole day and night.

I'm on call every day (unless going out multiple appointments, or going somewhere special), so am always thinking re work & ensuring my parphernalia is in my bag, & ruminating re what area I will go to. Nursing has taken up too much of my youth, I think, when I could have been doing other things & possibly pursued another career.

I encourage young people to choose another career b4 nursing, to give them a chance to not be exposed to the many horrors they may see, and perhaps do nursing later with a bit more maturity behind them. They will also not be worn out so quickly from draining, never-ending, horrendously tiring shift work.

I have sacrified time with friends (never saw many of them get married, have their kids), and have become isolated due to the fact that being on call, you cannot plan things, & when u say you can't attend for lunch (or another social gathering) as you have to work, the phone stops ringing after a while. I also gave up a relationship, as I couldn't put the time into it due to study.

When I got my parchement for my degree, I was so proud. That got destroyed by my hateful mother, and the university can't re-issue it. Now, I really think that nursing has, for me, just not been worth it. I am extremely disappointed at the way I have been treated by some nursing agencies, and the lack of respect from other colleagues and doctors.

If ur young & not in study yet, I would urge you very strongly to not choose nursing as a first career, unless it is something u have always wanted. Time and shft work will be hard on your social life, family life, your joints and your overall happiness in life. Shift work & trying to keep up with the younger ones gets harder as you get older. And I firmly believe nursing ages people prematurely.

None of my friends who aren't nurses look as old as I do. They all work between 8-6pm, then they can spend time at home with families. You will not have that luxury.

Choose a field that will make u happy & give u a life. If u can make nursing work for you, good on you. But I for one, would advise you very strongly to get qualified in another area, for when nursing has burned you out and destroyed not only your life but also your soul.

Good luck whatever you choose to do.

Specializes in CDI Supervisor; Formerly NICU.
To be perfectly honest, nursing infects my whole day and night.

I'm on call every day (unless going out multiple appointments, or going somewhere special), so am always thinking re work & ensuring my parphernalia is in my bag, & ruminating re what area I will go to. Nursing has taken up too much of my youth, I think, when I could have been doing other things & possibly pursued another career.

I encourage young people to choose another career b4 nursing, to give them a chance to not be exposed to the many horrors they may see, and perhaps do nursing later with a bit more maturity behind them. They will also not be worn out so quickly from draining, never-ending, horrendously tiring shift work.

I have sacrified time with friends (never saw many of them get married, have their kids), and have become isolated due to the fact that being on call, you cannot plan things, & when u say you can't attend for lunch (or another social gathering) as you have to work, the phone stops ringing after a while. I also gave up a relationship, as I couldn't put the time into it due to study.

When I got my parchement for my degree, I was so proud. That got destroyed by my hateful mother, and the university can't re-issue it. Now, I really think that nursing has, for me, just not been worth it. I am extremely disappointed at the way I have been treated by some nursing agencies, and the lack of respect from other colleagues and doctors.

If ur young & not in study yet, I would urge you very strongly to not choose nursing as a first career, unless it is something u have always wanted. Time and shft work will be hard on your social life, family life, your joints and your overall happiness in life. Shift work & trying to keep up with the younger ones gets harder as you get older. And I firmly believe nursing ages people prematurely.

None of my friends who aren't nurses look as old as I do. They all work between 8-6pm, then they can spend time at home with families. You will not have that luxury.

Choose a field that will make u happy & give u a life. If u can make nursing work for you, good on you. But I for one, would advise you very strongly to get qualified in another area, for when nursing has burned you out and destroyed not only your life but also your soul.

Good luck whatever you choose to do.

No offense, but a majority of this is self-inflicted. You surely had the choice to take a less demanding job. My wife and I are both nurses (she for 25+ years, me for far less), and neither of us have suffered so...because we didn't take hellish positions and give up our life and health in the process.
+ Add a Comment