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Every time someone asks me what I want to do with my life and I say nursing, this is what they say, even my parents! I'm sure it's something every nurse has experienced. When people ask you this question, how do you reply? Do you have a good sassy comeback?
Instead of working on a sassy comeback, deeply consider their advice. You are in high school and advice and guidance is what you need.If you are THAT bright.. you have many options available. Nursing is NOT a calling or a romantic vision of soothing the fervored brow.
Review the MANY threads here written by nurses that are sorry they became a nurse. I am 34 years in...and still sorry. I was smart, talented, and ambitious. I could have been a doctor, a lawyer, or an administrator. Instead.. I cleaned a lot of butts and took a load of crap.
You're Right! Polls have been done down through the years that have perenially identified nursing as being the #1 most trust worthy profession, among other superlatives, and way ahead of doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs. But now that I'm older and have a bit of a " hitch in my getalong" all I can think of is that Cuba Gooding Jr. line: "Show Me The
Money!"
Respectfully, although this has been your experience, the OP should also know that nursing does not always involve backbreaking labor and disrespect from doctors and administration...I'm not saying it doesn't happen at all because it does. However, at the institution where I work I am respected by all of my colleagues, especially the physicians and nurse practitioners that I directly work with. Mutual respect and teamwork are so important in order to deliver safe and effective care to our patients.As for the ridiculous hours...most hospital nursing jobs require three 12 hour shifts a week, sometimes rotating days and nights, working holidays, and sometimes overtime as well. I knew this before even going to nursing school and was more than okay with it. I actually prefer it over working a 9-5 schedule 5 days a week. But again, this is just my experience. The amazing thing about nursing is that there are so many different opportunities to pursue!
Assuming you are responding to my comment, certainly there are individual experiences with hospital nursing. That is why I suggested the OP search AN for feedback. If you do not feel
"rotating days and nights, working holidays, and sometimes overtime as well. " is ridiculous..welcome to the brainwashing .. served to you by corporate health care.
You're Right! Polls have been done down through the years that have perenially identified nursing as being the #1 most trust worthy profession, among other superlatives, and way ahead of doctors, lawyers and Indian chiefs. But now that I'm older and have a bit of a " hitch in my getalong" all I can think of is that Cuba Gooding Jr. line: "Show Me TheMoney!"
Oh yeah.. the public views us as the most trustworthy. NOT the most respected. We are the most trustworthy because we work RIDICULOUS hours, have RIDICULOUS responsibility, and the public knows it.
OP.. another consideration for you.
Here is a link that will help you and give you information that you need for your career pathways:
No one has ever had anything negative to say to me about becoming a nurse, not one. So it is not something that every nurse hears. I have honestly never gotten anything but a look of respect from people when I tell them I'm an RN.
And even though I'm still a newbie, the docs on my unit seem to respect me. They listen to me and what I may feel is best for my patient, my observations. I work with several teams of physicians.
We are the first line for our patients. You have to be extremely smart to pick up on what is going on with our patients. Those changes are often very subtle.
The physician treats the disease, the nurse treats the person and how they respond to that disease. Both people must work together for that patient in order for them to heal.
I have to say being a nurse is a wonderful career that is filled with the most opportunities you could imagine as a CNA EMT LPN. I have seen met lots of Doctors and a lot of times with all the years of school and booms instead of true patient care with helping them to the bathroom cleaning them and bathing people and building relashonships with your patients. So know sometimes it's not about how smart you are, but how much you care about people that truly matters.
The short answer I give is that I like to spend a lot of time with patients to provide care and to provide education whereas doctors might see 75 patients per day for less than 10 minutes each, and also that I know COULD handle the responsibility of diagnosing treating and prescribing... Because I'm smart enough. But I believe it comes with more intrinsic stress. Toxic stress. And I would prefer not to carry that extra responsibility and stress myself and rather work together with doctors as a team, but leave them to be liable for the lawsuits (lol). I also did not want 8 plus years of school. People stop asking once you answer their genuine curiousity. I always consider it a compliment because they are saying you are smart enough to be a doctor.
I'm ashamed to say I was one of those people who didn't think nurses had a very good medical knowledge base. I thought of them as the wait staff of the medical world, just following orders. I was shocked at how hard nursing school was! It's actually one of the hardest, if not the hardest, college curriculum out there. Even some other ancillary staff think nurses are just support staff, not professionals in their own right. Brush it off! If this is what you want, pursue it with your whole heart.
It's actually one of the hardest, if not the hardest, college curriculum out there.
It's a vigorous curriculum to be sure, but it's certainly not the hardest.
Engineering typically is considered the hardest major.
I would put other STEM majors up there as well.
Accounting is no piece of cake.
Other people might come up with additional majors that could arguably be considered more difficult than nursing.
Seeing as though this comment has caused such controversy even among this community, I think your response to people saying this is a reflection of the kind of nurse you want to be and to be remembered as. Your friends, your family, and your patients might not know how amazing of a nurse you really are, but you can shape their opinion of you and the opinions they have of all nurses as a collective by deciding how you respond. That being said, I get this comment a lot too, and I usually tailor my response based on my audience. Sometimes it's sincere, sometimes it's sassy or playful. I think we all just need to be more aware of the fact that one nurse, in or outside of the patient-care setting, does indeed impact the view society has on everyone that goes by our title. Choose your words wisely.
peanutfish
9 Posts
My father is a retired surgeon. So is one of my uncles. Another is a retired anesthesiologist. Two of my cousins are physicians.
When I told my father (hesitantly) that I'm considering trading in my MBA for going back to school and studying nursing, he said it was a great idea, and I should consider putting in a year to specialize (such as cardiac step-down). I admitted I had been a little concerned he'd be disappointed in what I was suggesting and his exact words: "You'd make a great nurse, use your brain and your skills; in this climate you'd be crazy to become a doctor."
I am not a nurse, I'm interested in becoming one. I'm just sharing the perspective of someone who comes from a family of many doctors: you don't/won't have anything to be "ashamed" of.
Good luck to you, whatever your choice.