The number of new grads who are already contemplating leaving the profession is something that has blown my mind on these threads. Going into nursing school we had fair warning about how difficult of a career it was going to be; the patients who are so thankful for bringing everything when they demand it, the pleasures of dealing with stubborn doctors, the glorious hours, the emotional stress of seeing what we do on a daily basis, the coworkers who always go out of their way to help us. Do people think that we are kidding or that the professors are trying to scare you� They aren't. Nursing is challenging in every way which is why it is so rewarding. If you have never been challenged in your life, then this will be the most challenging step of your life. But persevere. Stretch yourself. Be patient. And be willing to grow.
Going into the first job we had been prepared (as a BSN student) that finding a job was not a cake walk. Only applying to the L&D jobs or OR jobs is no realistic and I do not understand where these ideas are coming from? Med-surg experience is indispensable regardless of the career path you are on. Prior to applying to my first RN job I got my ACLS and PALS to be marketable and because I am a firm believer in knowing more than you may need for your job description. Though my dream job may be ER nursing one day, I knew that my ideal out of school was med-surg.
I started working on a med-surg floor that is the dreaded unit of the hospital.†Float nurses come to the morning huddle already defeated and frustrated. We have patients in full-blown sepsis, suicides, behavioral health, post-surgical overflow, and everything in between. Just the other day I had a thrombocytopenic patient on the verge of DIC bleeding from every orifice. We do insulin drips, IGA infusions, chemo meds, CIWA protocols, sepsis management, you name it. This is NOT to say that I have it harder than anyone else and you all should be ashamed of yourself.†This IS to say that you can do it and should build your knowledge base. At least for 2 years. You will have a competent base to make a solid decision about furthering your career path and figuring out where you truly want to end up.
NP your calling? Great, how many patients did you actually spend time caring for? CRNA? Awesome, but do you know what happens after they come off of the anesthesia that you administer and pass onto the floor? 6 months is not enough time to be competent in your skills or communication abilities. If you are reading this and want to go to nursing school, do it!! But be realistic and know that it is a JOB. You get paid to deal with literal and figurative poop; from people and coworkers. If you think that nursing is where you can make people feel good all the time, you can't. You are going to be wrong, you are going to handle more than one situation wrong and wish you could have done it differently, you are going to be reprimanded for not calling out report before transferring a patient or not introducing yourself to the patient with your first, middle, and last name....the list goes on and on. You have to find a way to LEAVE IT AT WORK. The emotions you'll take home on some days but find a support system or an outlet. Realize that life is life. We have a huge responsibility of managing people's lives. If that gives you anxiety reading that maybe this isn't the career for you. Not harsh, just honest.
You have to have a backbone, you have to compartmentalize, and you have to realize that it is a job; you have a salary, some sort of insurance (though every healthcare worker has some complaint about their coverage), and you are helping people whether it is appreciated or not. If someone talked you up telling you that you have the personality of a nurse.†That is not good enough. Not everyone can do this profession. Not everyone was built to be a nurse. The nicey nice people pleaser is not going to make it at bedside nursing (Let me tell you, you can be nice, but if you don't have the skill to manage my dropping BP as your patient or recognize changes in cognition level, I sure as heck don't want you as my nurse. We can be friends outside of the hospital.) Covering up incompetence with being overly polite does nothing for your patients. I have seen nurses burn out because of that stubborn old man with CHF who cuses her out. It's ok to have sarcasm with patients and to reinforce the facts of their diagnosis. Our job is to get them better, not become their best friends….Rant over.
Please please please reevaluate how much stress you have been able to handle and how easily your feelings are hurt. Otherwise you will become another statistic in the first 6 months of your nursing career; sad but a cold hard fact. Nursing is a respected profession that many seek out. However, the reality is that only some have the personality and realistic perspective to make it a career. Those blunt, honest, and knowledgeable nurses are the ones that I would want if I had to be hospitalized. Not the nurse who wants to befriend me while dodging questions as to whether my test results came back and the risks of the new medications I am starting. Buyer beware. I love nursing because I was not jaded when I came out of school in the least. I knew exactly what I signed up for….Nursing students, do your research on what you are going into. If you have been reading many of the threads and they are scaring you, this is NOT the career for you. As crazy as they sound, they are accurate :)
