Scared Pre-Nursing Student: Is Nursing as Bad as I Hear?

headinsandRN · Mar 29, 2011

"reality shock number one once you become a nurse" :

While your original intent for becoming a nurse may have been admirable and as pure as the driven snow, there is a very high chance that while working as a nurse you will not have time to be even remotely close to being as personable and intimate as you originally planned to be.

Sidenote: reality shock number one is also interchangable with: " #1 disappointment as a new nurse" and incidentally makes the list of " **** they don't tell you in nursing school"

Ivy Black · Mar 29, 2011

Well I will say that as a man in nursing, aka murse, I do not have to put up with the territorial catty nature of women no offense:) It is tough but just keep a positive outlook and you will get through whatever comes your way

Lucky you! lol

Ivy Black · Mar 29, 2011

"reality shock number one once you become a nurse" :
While your original intent for becoming a nurse may have been admirable and as pure as the driven snow, there is a very high chance that while working as a nurse you will not have time to be even remotely close to being as personable and intimate as you originally planned to be.
Sidenote: reality shock number one is also interchangable with: " #1 disappointment as a new nurse" and incidentally makes the list of " **** they don't tell you in nursing school"

I would like to do nurse education (how did I forget to put that in my original post?). I don't see myself focusing on bedside only. Health based education to girls/women/mothers alongside PP or L&D or Lactation Consulting would be a dream. Joining this site has really opened my eyes to the extreme stress of bedside nursing and also, I am learning that there is a big difference between bedside nursing and other forms of nursing. I think primarily, I am more focused on educational nursing. I just need to be sure that I am going about this the right way (education wise).

GM2RN · Mar 29, 2011

OP...some of your posts, the opening one in particular, come across somewhat judgemental and naive. Nursing school does not come close to preparing you for the reality of nursing, so all I have to say is, wait until you've been in the profession for a few years. You will have a VERY different perspective.

newbie12 · Mar 29, 2011

Hi Ivy, you sound like you will enjoy nursing very much! I am a nursing student currently in second year and can honestly say that I've been enjoying the course very very much. I went into the degree knowing that nursing was what I wanted to do. You will come across many people in your degree and also work with nurses who say they're only doing nursing because their families or whoever told them to or that they didn't know what else to do and that they hate it, but don't worry about them. To be honest, I couldn't continue doing nursing if I didn't want to do it... so kudos to them I guess :confused:

I recently got a job at the hospital as a nurses assistant so I could get more experience whilst completing my degree and I've noticed that the nurses I work with are always on their feet and stressed with the workload. However that definitely depends on the institution or area you work in.

Like you, I also want to become an educator or consultant, though I am still undecided at the moment which area I'd like to go in because there are just so many areas I'm interested in!

Anyway, all the best

martymoose, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2011

I would recommend nursing- as long as it's not in a hospital and at the bedside.

good luck

Ivy Black · Mar 29, 2011

OP...some of your posts, the opening one in particular, come across somewhat judgemental and naive. Nursing school does not come close to preparing you for the reality of nursing, so all I have to say is, wait until you've been in the profession for a few years. You will have a VERY different perspective.

One thing I have seen a lot of on these boards is discouragement directed to the students and/or new nurses who are "niave" enough to have some enthusiasm towards the profession. That's pretty eff'ed up. If you have been doing it for years and have become jaded, (and I don't know if you have or not) that's fine. It is hard not to be "somewhat judgemental" when most of the post you read on these boards sound bitter, cynical and angry. It makes you ask yourself if nursing is this bad, why are these people still doing it? The craziest part is, most of these "I hate my job" nurses say that they have been nursing 5 years or better. I don't think it is "naive or judgemental" to begin to question what must be (forgive me) wrong with people who would go on 5-35 years doing something they claim to despise enough to "warn" anyone even remotely interested in it, not to do it. I don't know about you, but if I hate even as much as a 30 minute TV program, I change the channel. With that being said, I really have to wonder if nursing is really that bad or if some of the nurses here are just without goals that would take them beyond the apparently "hellish awfulness" of bedside nursing. I think after reading approx. 300 "I hate this. I hate this. I hate this" posts over the past 3 hours, me asking if these people are crazy, unmotivated or correct in what they say is an honest and fair question.

I think some of the nurses here, instead of telling us pre-nursing and nursing students and new grads to "just wait until our lives too have been effed up, broke down, frazzled, ruined or destroyed by the dark, filthy, demon filled dungeon that is the inner stinch of this our great nursing profession", should place themselves in our shoes and consider how either terrifying or completely insane all of this "I hate this job that I have been doing for the last 15 years by my own choice" must sound. All I want is a sound answer that does not attack my passion, my goals or my "niave; judgemental" views and there seems to be a lot of that going around on this site. As a newbie, I must say, this site seems terribly negative and non-inspiring. I came here thinking I could learn and read some insightful and encouraging posts from seasoned field professionals. Honestly, there just seems to be a lot of whining. I am just trying to make some sense of all this. Considering the posts that are frequently posted here, again, I think my views are very fair. There are pros and cons to every job.

Ivy Bee :heartbeat

Ivy Black · Mar 29, 2011

Hi Ivy, you sound like you will enjoy nursing very much! I am a nursing student currently in second year and can honestly say that I've been enjoying the course very very much. I went into the degree knowing that nursing was what I wanted to do. You will come across many people in your degree and also work with nurses who say they're only doing nursing because their families or whoever told them to or that they didn't know what else to do and that they hate it, but don't worry about them. To be honest, I couldn't continue doing nursing if I didn't want to do it... so kudos to them I guess
I recently got a job at the hospital as a nurses assistant so I could get more experience whilst completing my degree and I've noticed that the nurses I work with are always on their feet and stressed with the workload. However that definitely depends on the institution or area you work in.
Like you, I also want to become an educator or consultant, though I am still undecided at the moment which area I'd like to go in because there are just so many areas I'm interested in!
Anyway, all the best

All the best to you too! Thanks for the kind words! :~)

GM2RN · Mar 29, 2011

One thing I have seen a lot of on these boards is discouragement directed to the students and/or new nurses who are "niave" enough to have some enthusiasm towards the profession. That's pretty eff'ed up. If you have been doing it for years and have become jaded, (and I don't know if you have or not) that's fine. It is hard not to be "somewhat judgemental" when most of the post you read on these boards sound bitter, cynical and angry. It makes you ask yourself if nursing is this bad, why are these people still doing it? The craziest part is, most of these "I hate my job" nurses say that they have been nursing 5 years or better. I don't think it is "naive or judgemental" to begin to question what must be (forgive me) wrong with people who would go on 5-35 years doing something they claim to despise enough to "warn" anyone even remotely interested in it, not to do it. I don't know about you, but if I hate even as much as a 30 minute TV program, I change the channel. With that being said, I really have to wonder if nursing is really that bad or if some of the nurses here are just without goals that would take them beyond the apparently "hellish awfulness" of bedside nursing. I think after reading approx. 300 "I hate this. I hate this. I hate this" posts over the past 3 hours, me asking if these people are crazy, unmotivated or correct in what they say is an honest and fair question.
I think some of the nurses here, instead of telling us pre-nursing and nursing students and new grads to "just wait until our lives too have been effed up, broke down, frazzled, ruined or destroyed by the dark, filthy, demon filled dungeon that is the inner stinch of this our great nursing profession", should place themselves in our shoes and consider how either terrifying or completely insane all of this "I hate this job that I have been doing for the last 15 years by my own choice" must sound. All I want is a sound answer that does not attack my passion, my goals or my "niave; judgemental" views and there seems to be a lot of that going around on this site. As a newbie, I must say, this site seems terribly negative and non-inspiring. I came here thinking I could learn and read some insightful and encouraging posts from seasoned field professionals. Honestly, there just seems to be a lot of whining. I am just trying to make some sense of all this. Considering the posts that are frequently posted here, again, I think my views are very fair. There are pros and cons to every job.
Ivy Bee :heartbeat

First, I have never seen a thread here started by someone with the intent of "discouraging" anyone from becoming a nurse. Any posts that I've witnessed, other than vents, that could be viewed as discouraging have been in response to a thread started by someone asking about other's opinions of nursing. So if you don't want honest answers, don't ask the question to begin with. As for the vents, every HUMAN needs to vent about something once in a while, and I guarantee that at some point you will too.

Second, there are ways to ask "honest" questions without the judgement, but that's not what you did. The naivty is expected from someone still quite young and brand new to nursing, and has nothing to do with your enthusism, but the fact that that is what you attributed it to underscores my position.

Ivy Black · Mar 29, 2011

First, I have never seen a thread here started by someone with the intent of "discouraging" anyone from becoming a nurse. Any posts that I've witnessed, other than vents, that could be viewed as discouraging have been in response to a thread started by someone asking about other's opinions of nursing. So if you don't want honest answers, don't ask the question to begin with. As for the vents, every HUMAN needs to vent about something once in a while, and I guarantee that at some point you will too.
Second, there are ways to ask "honest" questions without the judgement, but that's not what you did. The naivty is expected from someone still quite young and brand new to nursing, and has nothing to do with your enthusism, but the fact that that is what you attributed it to underscores my position.

No, I am absolutely sure no one is intentionally discouraging anyone. What I am saying however, is that the collective image of many of these post is "discouraging". I had a friend come on this site and leave horrified. In fact, she is the one who told me about this site. She actually dropped out of her program behind the "cold feet" she got after reading some of this stuff (though I still feel that my friend was being extreme to say the least). Of course to you, a professional, it's just " nurses venting" but to us students it sounds like a "red flag". I must say, I was very "concerned" after reading many of these posts. I have taken out loans and expended much energy in my classes. I have absolutely no job security now. I have not had a "good position" since 2008. And, in that corporate office position I experienced extreme racism, bullying, back biting, name calling, racial slurs, mental abuse; it was unreal. It was hell actually. Pure hell. I am looking to nursing to get me out of the not-so-great position I am already in. The last thing I want to hear is that all these classes I'm getting A's in and all these loans I have taken out are just so I can feel like killing myself every day after my RN shift (should I choose to bedside nurse). Clearly, I went through that in my previous corporate office experience (stress related pneumonia, skin infections, hair loss, constant cold, insomnia, crying --- you name it.) I am putting alot of me into this and I am working very hard. This is very serious to me and it is quite alarming to hear so much "I wish I wasn't doing this". It makes you asks a lot of questions of yourself, God and everyone else. Sometimes when nurses "vent", they don't consider what this may sound like to students.

Also, I didn't judge anyone in my initial post.

Ivy Bee :heartbeat

mama_d, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2011

I think nursing, at the bedside at least, has the distinction of being on the list of careers which can be both the worst and the most rewarding at the same time. I think I can say with all honesty that unless you've done it, you'd never believe what it's actually like. I'm lucky enough that I've found a "home" floor to work on that is incredible in general...nowhere is perfect...and I am able to go to work with a smile on my face every shift. Some nights it's harder than others to keep that smile there, but I never dread going back. A lot of people are not that fortunate, however. And healthcare is going through a weird time right now.

I'd like to add, as a side note, that in my area of the country at least $25-50/hr is a little...unreasonabe...to expect for pay. Brand new RNs @ the hospital get just over $20/hr...and as a LPN, with 11 yrs experience, I'm not even there yet. I have a good friend who is a bed coordinator/shift supervisor for our entire hospital, and even she's not making near the $50 mark yet...and she's getting paid more now than she was when she was a interim unit manager.

loriangel14, RN · Mar 29, 2011

You need to remember that many people come here to vent. It is difficult to talk to people that are not nurses, only another nurse would understand. It doesn't mean that we don't love our jobs, but we all have "those days".

The OP needs to remember that she should get a good grounding in bedside nursing before moving on to be an educator. There is nothing worse than being preached at by an educator that hasn't actually walked in our shoes for a while. The suggestion that nurses that ADN nurses with less options are the ones that are unhappy in nursing is preposterous.

Yes nursing is a wonderful job, but it is also stressful,exhuasting and frustrating at times.The OP has rosy intentions of a stellar career but reality can sometimes smack you across the back of the head when you least expect it.