This is my first thread on allnurses.com My name is Dan, I'm a 28 year old and I'm in the process applying for financial aid and studying for placement tests. I'm intending to go into nursing because that's what I feel is right for me and had things been different when I was a younger man I've no doubt I'd by an RN today.
One thing I've found rather troubling about the prospect of nursing is all the talk about stress and dissatisfaction with the career. Please know it is not my intent to offend or invalidate some of the things you guys might experience I simply want to dive a little deeper into the subject beyond the surface level when it comes to all this talk about stress. To be honest I am a bit skeptical about how bad it actually is.
I will grant that I don't actually know what its like to be a nurse. However, I do know what it is like to be stressed. I want to ask you guys what specifically is it about your career which you find to be unbearably stressful in your own words? Also I'd like to talk a little bit about how I've had to make a living sense I was 19 and I'd like your honest answer as to whether you'd prefer to do the sort of work I do now, stay with your current job, or if you don't find it to be any different.
So in no specific order some of the occupations I've found myself in are moving services, welding, construction, automotive manufacturing, debris removal, industrial painting, and woodworking shops.
What have I found to be stressful about it? No future or chance for advancement, no job security, extremely heavy lifting and carrying (200lbs+), getting burned by welding sparks, working in and coming home covered in dirt sweat and garbage, abusive bosses, drug addict idiotic coworkers, inhaling paint fumes and dust, working 7 day weeks 18 hour shifts, no ability make plans or keep personal schedules, danger or being cut or crushed by machinery and tools, dealing with angry belittling customers, pay range of $8-14/hr, no respect for what I do, no vacations, no sick days, either working to the point of utter exhaustion or not having enough work to survive. When compared to your current job would you say this is the same or worse than being a nurse?
Its not that I believe nursing is some sort of walk in sunshine. Please don't take offense to what I am saying here but it is my belief that most people who choose to be indignant about their situation have nothing to compare their situation to. I just wonder sometimes would I find nursing as stressful and soul crushing as the work which I do now? Or do you believe my perspective and experience would serve me well when meeting the challenges and expectations nurses face with their day to day lives? Do you believe you would have a better appreciation for your job if you had something far worse to compare it to?
There are many factors to consider in answering the OP's question, but two in particular come to mind.
For one thing, who you are before going into nursing will define how you handle the profession. If you are a high stress person who gets worked up about everything, then you will likely be a stressed out nurse and probably be miserable in any busy environment. If you are an emotional kind of person, then you will be an emotional nurse who probably gets upset and depressed in acute care environments. If you are an angry person, you will be an angry nurse who will probably be extremely irritated in environments that you have to deal with patients that are taxing on your patience (ha). I'm a pretty laid back person who loves being challenged and being busy, so I thrive in environments many people consider stressful. I work on a busy surgical floor and love it, while some of my coworkers feel overworked and exhausted. On the other hand, I would get bored and go crazy on other floors that aren't as demanding, but some people love those kinds of floors. It really just depends on the individual in many ways.
(by the way, I also worked many of the jobs you mentioned before I went into nursing, so I know exactly where you're coming from.......)
Which brings me to my next point: how you perceive nursing will depend a whole lot on where you end up working. The field is huge and you can work in a stressful ER or a laid back clinic, so there's kind of something for everyone if you're patient enough to wait for a spot to open up. Keep in mind though that you may not start off in a place you want to be, most new nurses don't have too much room to be picky, so you may end up somewhere that doesn't suit your personality. Just don't let that make you give up on nursing as a whole.
What specifically is it about my career do I find to be unbearably stressful? Being short-staffed and not having the resources we need to care for people's lives, having the entire world depend on you for everything, the number of patients we're assigned every day, etc.
Good thing there are many different areas of nursing you can go into... because I'm transferring to a much better area. I'll be much happier.
I don't find anything to be unbearably stressful in my work, nor anything remotely soul-crushing. I think you find drama where you want to find it, and there's a lot of drama on an anonymous internet board.
And it's "... might have decided to do," not "of."
I cannot believe how many people are not satisfied with their jobs as nurses. I find it very sad because, drumroll please, they can get a different job!
I have a lot of respect for carpenters. It's awesome to know how to make and fix things. Would I want do be a carpenter? No. I like working three 12 hour shifts. I like my union. I like my amazingly cheap health insurance and sweet benefits. I can take time off almost whenever I want (though I had to work Christmas, New Years and the day after Thanksgiving this year.)
But I also love my patients. I like learning every day. I like working with doctors. I like getting better at my job. The great thing about nursing is the seemingly infinite amount of possibilities.
My my job is really really hard and stressfull. Will I work on my unit forever? Of course not. But I'll always be a nurse.
+1 I totally agree with nurse hila My favorite thing about nursing is whenever I get bored or tired of the unit I'm working on I change units and do something different.
Just like that? It's that easy, huh? I would like to know, who you know, that can pull the strings for you. It's been my experience, which has been driven solidly home this past year, is that once you reach either a certain age, or a certain time in the profession, you WILL be dispatched out to pasture. "Oh, I'll just hang on a few more years until my 25th anniversary, then I'll hang it up." Don't count on it. Management WILL find a way, to -encourage you- to resign, because you cost too much to keep on board. Then GOOD LUCK finding work. Anywhere. This is not just in nursing either, but in other areas of the medical field. Check the other forums, the stories are out there, and it's happening where you work too.
To me, the most stressful thing is doing a really good job being a nurse, but, for example, being dragged into management's office because a patient got upset that he waited too long for a blanket when you were attending to the medical needs of a patient who was SOB with saturation in the mid-80s. This really happened to me.
You know how in nursing school we take tests where we need to prioritize care? Always choose C., the patient's daughter-in-law who is yelling at staff because the ice has melted in her mother-in-law's cup. Dead people don't answer surveys after all.
Carrie RN
152 Posts
I think you will make a great nurse, you are used to being burnt, carrying heavy things, and working with crazy people. Welcome to the profession.