Mike65

Perfect answer. Couldn't agree more.

I was told once that I should be "evaluated by another clinical instructor..." Knowing whom she meant, an ogre with a reputation for "getting rid of the dead wood," and I didn't want anyone thinking my wood was dead, I declined. Long story short, I've been a nurse for 24 years, little thanks to them.

Seems like you've set yourself up with a lot of issues, and perhaps a few preconceived notions, and not just a little bit of baggage. If you believe nursing isn't as demanding as anything you've ever done, well, I'm afraid you're in for a bit of disappointment. Expect long hours, missed meals, heavy lifting (as in, 'My 600 lb Life' heavy,) complaints about your best work, sore feet, sore shoulders, sore back, etc, getting yelled at, cursed at, threatened, and (rarely) assaulted, and having to listen to EVERYONE'S life story. Expect an endless littany of complaints, demands and abuse from patients, their families, colleagues, other employees, other departments, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and most of all, management. Expect to engage in mortal combat with the Angel of Death in one room, and then calmly walk into the next and help her as she gently releases Life's grasp. Expect to see sputum, vomit, blood, urine, and pus. Expect to hear blood-curdling screams, and heart-breaking sobs. Expect to work in an environment teeming with pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Expect to see nice people suffer and die. Expect people whom you KNOW will die to rally and survive. Expect everyone you meet to want you to diagnose their every itch as though you're a free physician's service. A few things you should not expect. Don't expect you'll be the object of everyone's deepest respect and admiration. Don't expect to be a millionaire. Don't expect to eventually know everything. Don't expect you'll get off for Thanksgiving this year. Or Christmas. Or for that Toby Keith concert. Don't expect job security. No one has that, and anybody can get fired. Healthcare can be a ruthless, unforgiving game, and just because nursing is dominated by women doesn't mean everyone's nice to you. And you can forget that "male nurse" stigma. It's ancient history. The only thing that matters is whether you can hack it. All that having been said, there are few professions with as much flexibility as nursing. Wherever there are people, there will be a need for healthcare, as people always get sick. And there are speciaties within nursing, quite literally from the cradle to the grave, that can make one's career far more enjoyable and fulfilling. And honestly, in our current economy, a nursing degreee does pay relatively well, but expect to drive a Dodge, not a Porsche.

The answer to this is, "Really? Sign here."