I am here looking for opinions and guidance from those in the field. I will be entering a nursing program in Spring and am having second thoughts. I am an older student (late 40s) and put my desire of entering the nursing field on hold for many years. During the early stages of the pandemic, I felt a call to fulfill this more than any other time in my life. Subsequently, I turned my Covid layoff into an opportunity, went back to school, completed all pre-reqs and was accepted. However, I did not anticipate the amount of vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers and the fact that I live in a state with no vaccine requirements for schools and healthcare workers as well as a leading transmission rate of the Delta variant. ( I am fully vaccinated). This is coupled with fluctuating opinions of many nurses I know personally advising that the industry has changed and they have been treated as expendable and to run hard and fast to something else in the medical field. This has me doubting my decision and questioning if I am unnecessarily putting my family at risk in pursuit of something that, according to others, may not be what I had built it up to be. (I should mention I am being offered a place in a Microbiology bachelor's program so I do have options but it is a long, competitive road to a master's and I need to provide for my family now.) If you had to do it all over again, would you become a nurse? Would you go into another field? Do you think an older individual would have a rougher time at present? I get that this may sound whiney but I have met some tired, angry nurses lately who are ready to chuck it all if they have not done so already. Thanks all.
Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
I don't hate my job or my life and come here to post about it. I often talk about the wonderful experiences I've had as a nurse. There are patients I will never forget. I've gained confidence and resilience I never thought I'd have. I've improved my communication and assertiveness. But I do have to be honest with people thinking of going into nursing about the conditions in hospitals and the moral distress they can cause.
If hospitals set nurses up for success, as in better staffing, equipment needed to prevent staff and pt injuries, and support for mental health, I'd probably still work in the hospital. It's rewarding and stimulating. I learned something new almost every day. I do miss a lot of aspects of acute care, but after covid the cons outweighed the pros for me. I don't hate nursing though.
For the love of God, don't make this decision based on opinions from this forum. This place is 98% people who hate their job and want to tell everyone else about how much they hate it.
Anyone considering nursing needs to take off their rose colored glasses and read the negatives of nursing before spending any money on the degree. Read. it. all. You prob already know the good side.
Is liking or hating your job an all-or-nothing prospect?
Maybe some days I like my job 95% (checking high gastric residuals every four hours docks five percentage points of an otherwise perfect shift). On a day with multiple things going wrong, that number goes down. The next shift is usually better anyway.
I became a nurse at 35, after being an elementary school teacher. I am so happy I changed careers. The pay is way way better. (I mean, also, I don’t like kids LOL.)
What I love about it is it’s flexibility. In a lot of jobs, there’s sort of only one thing you do with it— for example, if you’re a teacher, you basically will always work 8-4 in a classroom full of kids. You could do private school or public school, or maybe work in some alternative educational setting, but really, the job is what the job is. With nursing you can do a lot of different things on a lot of different schedules. I work outpatient (and 8-4:30, somewhat ironically I guess) but there’s nights, weekends, 12s or 8s, in every setting from ED to Summer camp to the OR to case management.
For the love of God, don't make this decision based on opinions from this forum. This place is 98% people who hate their job and want to tell everyone else about how much they hate it.
IDK why, but this post just went straight to the funny bone. ? I can agree with the advice to not let the internet choose your life, but I do hope the different perspectives here have been helpful! As I said in my post, I personally have few to no regrets about becoming a nurse. However, it is truly not quite what I expected, it's definitely become more challenging over time, and it's important that people have an accurate picture of what they're getting into before investing time, effort, and money to enter this career. This has truly been eye-opening, though, and I'm kind of bummed to see so many of us have had consistent negative experiences.
For the love of God, don't make this decision based on opinions from this forum. This place is 98% people who hate their job and want to tell everyone else about how much they hate it.
I can't say that I've seen many (if any) posts from people touting their job's good working conditions, adequate pay, reasonable management, and safe nurse-to-patient ratios.
Is this because nurses with these kinds of jobs never check out AN, they check out AN and never post, or because these job situations don't exist in the industry?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
29 minutes ago, Jedrnurse said:
I can't say that I've seen many (if any) posts from people touting their job's good working conditions, adequate pay, reasonable management, and safe nurse-to-patient ratios.
Is this because nurses with these kinds of jobs never check out AN, they check out AN and never post, or because these job situations don't exist in the industry?
Or it is because such jobs are hard to come by these days, because EVERYONE is looking for them?
I can't say that I've seen many (if any) posts from people touting their job's good working conditions, adequate pay, reasonable management, and safe nurse-to-patient ratios.
Is this because nurses with these kinds of jobs never check out AN, they check out AN and never post, or because these job situations don't exist in the industry?
Oh God, this post is so true! I chose door option #3, Richard.
I am a new grad (not a crusty old cob ?) and I have to say I am in agreement with the comments advising the OP against nursing. Nursing is my third career, and I entered an ABSN after earning a previous B.S. degree. I'm suddenly 60k in debt and facing the ugly realities of this career, wishing I had done some more thorough research about how to make my previous B.S. work for me. I know that as a new grad, I haven't earned the right to be this negative, but I observe the mental and physical toll on my colleagues and I'm terrified that is my future. I believe them when they say nursing has changed. I have no frame of reference for how nursing "used to be", but I can see that bedside nurses are burning out for good reason.
Since I'm already in this thing, I need to make it work. I have decided to steer clear of med/surg and pursue non-hospital jobs to manage my mental health. This restricts my options significantly, but so be it. I am very very lucky to have a husband who is an established nurse, which gives me some flexibility to take a bit lower-paying position with a more manageable workflow/stress level.
I am 34, with some life experiences and degrees under my belt that I could have put to better use if I had been a bit more creative. I can only imagine the same is true for you. All I am saying is to thoroughly research your options before committing to nursing school. I think the fact you are having doubts right before starting school is a big sign, and a blessing - you could go another direction before sinking any more time and money into this endeavor. I was 100% dead set on nursing school and NO ONE could have talked me out of it, yet here I am only 1.5 years later, wishing I had gotten the kind of advice being shared on this thread. I wish you the best and I know you will make the right decision for you and your family.
Don't make a decision on only 1.5 years of experience during the WORST TIMES EVER! Everyone is demoralized. With 2 extra degrees under your belt, you may be able to find something you love. Those jobs are out there but they don't go go new, inexperienced grads. However, they probably won't pay as much. IMHO, it wasn't the best decision to go into 5 figure debt for this, but with frugal living you can pay the beast off. Consider working in a medical-short location with loan repayment options.
I see a lot of people saying to run, but just to give you another perspective…I put my wishes to become a nurse on hold for ten years and graduated with my BSN as a new nurse at 42. I’ve been working as an oncology nurse for a year and a half. Granted I’m still considered “new” but I’ve found a great unit with a team that is supportive of one another. This can make all the difference. I can truly say I like my job, and this being said when I started in March 2020 literal days before the pandemic set in. It can be grueling, patients can be difficult (but some wonderful!) and I’m tired, but I’m more content professionally than I’ve probably ever been. I know in my heart that it makes a difference that I went to work each day which is a good feeling. Also the schedule of working 3 nights a week gives me flexibility I’ve never had before. Furthermore, I know when I find it’s time to move on there are many options in and out of the hospital I can pursue. I have a husband and two kids and it’s worked out very well for our family. Best of luck in whatever decision you make!!
I don't regret it. I do wish I would have known more about nursing when I was in high school along with nursing opportunities in the military. Then again even in 2004 (when I graduated high school) no one really spoke of nursing for men. I think if I had to do it all over I would do nursing but then go into the Air Force and do critical care and either stay in as a career or transition to reserves. If I didn't do nursing I would gladly do a job like MRI or CT tech, echo tech or to become pharmacist. If I didn't want all the schooling I would have done a trade like welding. As some posters have said it's hard to recommend this to people given the current situation. Alot would have to change which sadly I don't think it will unless we as a country make drastic changes.
Agree wholeheartedly with nightnerd. Amazingly dental hygienists make as much or more than starting nurses in my area, and you can do contract work for different dental offices and make even more, from what I hear.
I would have to say that I would probably do it again, but wouldn’t have sacrificed so much—
it did allow me to raise my kids (have 3 to go) working off shifts, but I put way more of myself into it than I should have. I decided I wanted to be a nurse when I was 8. But nursing has really changed- admin makes bonuses based on profitability and outcomes that they have little to do with. If you decide to proceed with nursing be sure that it is what you think it is. Like you said, you may have made it out to be something that it’s not, because you had “put it off” and it was always your dream….
LibraNurse27, BSN, RN
972 Posts
I don't hate my job or my life and come here to post about it. I often talk about the wonderful experiences I've had as a nurse. There are patients I will never forget. I've gained confidence and resilience I never thought I'd have. I've improved my communication and assertiveness. But I do have to be honest with people thinking of going into nursing about the conditions in hospitals and the moral distress they can cause.
If hospitals set nurses up for success, as in better staffing, equipment needed to prevent staff and pt injuries, and support for mental health, I'd probably still work in the hospital. It's rewarding and stimulating. I learned something new almost every day. I do miss a lot of aspects of acute care, but after covid the cons outweighed the pros for me. I don't hate nursing though.