lbaldrige

I KNEW nurses were aliens. With that language they speak, working long hours, juggling difficult patient assignments, and still able to provide TLC, there was NO WAY they were human.

I have never left a comment before, but I felt I had to weigh in on this one. When I was in nursing school I could tell which nurses I wanted to be and I vowed that I would never forget what it was like to be a nursing school. I think part of your feelings come from being a little frightened in this new undertaking. Having people's lives in your hands comes with a little trepidation. With that said if someone told you that nursing was all milk and cookies - you got took. Nursing is a hard profession and is not for those feignt of heart. There are still patients (after 22 years) that touch my heart everyday and that is what allows me to go on. We may seem a little hard, but that is to protect ourselves from the heartache and suffering we deal with on a daily basis. Some of the healthcare politics can be disheartening and that is what I get burned out on. Shift work sucks, and throws your whole life out of whack. I haave had my share of health problems from that. Can nurses be mean? you bet. But name me a field where you do not have to encounter those people and let me know - I would like to see it. You can change that though, by being the kind of nurse you want taking care of your family. Would I do it all over again, knowing what I know now? Again, a resounding yes. I recently started teaching BSN nursing students and I found out that my faith in the future of nursing is not ill placed. They are 21 of the best people out there and I hope that I have passed on my passion, caring, and respect for nursing. One last thing, if you think nurses are all about getting hard, perhaps you need to look again. Interview some nurses and remind them why they got into nursing in the first place. It is definitely not for the easy paycheck.

It feels so good to see what I am going through out in others thoughts. I was just fired a month ago for what seemed like a minor incident. I have to admit though, I was having a lot of health problems too over the last two years. I had switched to the day shift and things seemed to be going better and then this hit me. Needless to say I was a little suprised because I had worked for this hospital for over 16 years. Just today I realized how good I feel now - I bet I lost about 10 pounds that had been sitting on my shoulders!! I have applications out there where I can use my newly acquired masters degree and I am starting to get some response so I am very excited. I have a strong passion for nursing and still love being a nurse and it felt like they had taken part of my identity away. If this is how others are feeling, I would encourage a good soul searching to decide what is best for you and your career and take the necessary steps to make that happen. :) Stay well