any POSITIVE comments????

ams02 · Nov 1, 2002

thANk you everyone!!! Off the topic, but, i had a breast reduction and i used a bulletin board then, that was a huge deal and the bb helped me soooooooooo much. i was lucky to find this bb for this huge deal so i know it will help.

I am going to get my pre reqs out of the way , i guess i should just go part time since i still have to wait for the clinical classes.

i will be back often and i read lots of posts everyday, though i dont always respond. you guys are all wonderful.

thanks again! i look forward to traveling this journey with you all..

ams02 · Nov 1, 2002

thANk you everyone!!! Off the topic, but, i had a breast reduction and i used a bulletin board then, that was a huge deal and the bb helped me soooooooooo much. i was lucky to find this bb for this huge deal so i know it will help.

I am going to get my pre reqs out of the way , i guess i should just go part time since i still have to wait for the clinical classes.

i will be back often and i read lots of posts everyday, though i dont always respond. you guys are all wonderful.

thanks again! i look forward to traveling this journey with you all..

FranRN · Nov 3, 2002

I have wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl. I can still remember when my and my baby sister used to place hospital. Mom didn't much like it cause our dolls were always ending up with markings of some sorts on them, that would not come off... LOL

Nursing is a great field to work in. Yes it does have its down sides, which mostly has to deal with administration and wages. I have been a nurse for 6 years now. I love it and would never think of changing careers. I feel that I am always learning and am always being challenged. I have never gotten bored with being a nurse. I love the feeling that I get when a patient tells me what a difference that I made for their stay in the hospital or when I can be there for a family who has lost a loved one. In nursing, we take care of many different people besides our patients (families/friends, other nurses, and ourselves).

Be prepared for the long shifts, that you think will never end and the ones where you leave just wanting to cry because they were so hectic. Take comfort in the good days and don't fret too much on the bad ones. Every jobs have their good and bad days.

Nursing takes a compassionate person. One who can laugh and cry with their patients. One who can be serious when the time is right, but who also has the sense to lighten up. Please don't come into nursing for the wages, as you can see in other posts there have been negative remarks on nursing wages.

There are so many different areas that a nurse can work in. Finding what's right for you is half the fun. I began my nursing career in longtermcare, where I stayed for a little over three years. I have worked on MED/SURG, general medical, and general surgical floors. I have worked as a travler and a permanent staff memeber. Currently I am getting ready to begin traveling again. My first assignment is on a MED/Renal floor. I am looking forward to learning as much there as I have at my current job.

So, if you want diversity and you are comiited to working hard at your profession, then nursing is great for you. I wish you all the best.

studentOH · Nov 4, 2002

We had to have a bio, chem, cna course, and a class called "Patient Care Skills" done before we could apply...and that's for the class that starts in six months :). I failed a class and ended up waiting an extra two quarters!! Don't let it happen to you. Make school your first priority and do well in your prereqs...you'll be glad you have them done!

Brian

BadBird, BSN, RN · Nov 4, 2002

I think that many of us that chose nursing as a career are just natural care takers so nursing just came as second nature to us. I love being a nurse, especially when you are out in public and someone on deaths door when you are taking care of them comes up to you in a restaurant and thanks you for all the care you gave them, this has happened to me a few times and it really makes me feel good to know that I made a difference in someones life.

Don't let negative comments deter you from your dream. Do what you love and you will always be satisfied. If you work in a area that you don't like they are many opportunities in nursing. Just keep a open mind and a positive attitude and you will be successful.

Enabled · Nov 6, 2002

geekymomma and ams02, desire is very much a part of being a nurse I can tell you that I have had some of the most joyable and heartwrenching experiences of my life but I wouldn't change a thing. I have been a nurse for 20 years and entered it at nearly 30 and glad I did. The original reason I have to admit was that I was in a financial bind and the money wasn't bad for someone single. Taking time out for academics made me see the light. The first clinical I had I heard a clicking in the hall and I investigated it as at times it could be annoying. Well, I am glad I heard that ticking as a patient had an old unit for what was a heart valve replacement and he described it as a ball inside a basket that moved with the change in blood flow. That was what was keeping him alive. He said the hardest part was that at night it could sound like a freight train and his wife said it would wake her up and she would have to use the other bedroom for any kind of sleep. How NEAT. I was hooked I couldn't get enough. Every patient I had that I didn't know something about an unusual disease process I had to look up and know about. It was long before I had a computer which will be to your advantage as there are all kinds of sites for nurses for references and articles and studies. Familiarize yourself with some. Any time you need an article there is a site http://www.findarticles.com and it has all kinds of things and its free which makes it even better. Feel free to email at any time or go to live chat and would be more than happy to talk. I have been disabled since 99 and it still breaks my heart that I do not see my "repeat offenders" as I call them as they have for the most part chronic illnesses on the unit I worked and they became family and friends. And yes, there are days that are wonderful and others that are not so wonderful. You may see a baby born or you might help a person accept a diagnosis that may devastate them or even help someone who has no one not be alone as they pass. It as I said can be heartwrenching and even those you have come to know will pass you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you may have made it a little easier for them by making them feel more comfortable or just listening when they needed to talk and even those who can't talk you will learn the signs that someone has when they are more comfortable. Remember this, your patient's will teach you more than any textbook ever will so listen closely and clearly.

You both sound like you are excellent candidates and what nursing needs today individuals who care and DO want to make a difference in someone's life no matter what that may be. We may have moments here but we are all here to challenge and support each other. If ever a question whether clinical or otherwise feel free to ask as that way you learn and it might refresh someone who has temporarily forgotten. So you too can challenge us.

Best wishes in you academics and I will be looking to see those initials after your names. Welcome future nurses

ams02 · Nov 6, 2002

THAT is so sweet, im sorry your disabled but i am sure you made a difference in many peoples lives, (you made me smile and get goosebumps reading your post)....i am glad that i made this choice and i am confident that i will be a great nurse, (if i can ever start school) j/k i am staring in feb but it will take a while, which is okay, i want to learn as much as i can and be the best i can be - thanks for your encouragement and you will hear from more of me!! thanks again

2banurse · Nov 19, 2002

Hi Amie,

I guess the wait period all depends on what school you are applying to. The nursing program I am applying to have two classes starting per year with a larger class in the fall than in the spring. Definitely get your prereqs done, especially the science and math. These will be the most challenging. Once you have them, it may push you a head of others who have not yet taken them.

I feel that the profession of nursing has many avenues. Once you get through your clinicals (which will be extremely tough - mentally, emotionally and physically), you can see what YOU want to do. Of course, I do realize that not having anyone dependent on me enables me to have a wider range of opportunities than a nurse who has children, but there are choices available.

JenKatt · Nov 19, 2002

Is there any other profession that can say everyday, I did soemthing today? I made a difference? Teachers come to mind, but seeing as how nurses are teachers also, it's included. At the end of my day, I can look by, cry a little, laugh a little (well usually a lot), and feel good about my day. I help people. I make a difference.

I held hands of people when they find out they are dying. I've handed a new born over to mom and dad for the first time. I've shown these same parents bathing, feeding. I've sat with them when their child is sick. I've gotten down on the floor to talk to a kid who hated nurses, because that's all he saw, and made him laugh, forget for a moment how much pain he was in. I've laughed, I've cried. i've been a nurse.

All the frustration I've had has been from Administration, not from my patients. The times I've wanted to give up nursing has been from Admin, but a patient will remind me why I am here.

I am a nurse.. hear me roar

SmilingBluEyes · Nov 20, 2002

I am a 2nd career nurse and I LOVE WHAT I DO..I do it on MY terms, work when I can/want to and make fairly decent money doing so. It really does work for me and I was born to it, I believe!

ams02 · Nov 20, 2002

THAT is beautiful Jenkat. Reading posts like that, i can almost feel how you feel (not really i havent done it yet) but thats the feeling that makes me feel that I CAN DO THIS. i know it will be hard, but i dont beleive ive ever wanted anything this much, and i am determined to say one day what you just said in your post. i look so forward to my career and i love posts like yours. Thank you.

JenKatt · Nov 20, 2002

I'm glad I was able to so you the positives. We live in a negative world, I'm sorry to say, but only we can allow it to happen.

I love being a nurse, I hate the Admin and my pay, but I love being a nurse.