Should I beome a RN?

ORNerd, BSN, RN · May 6, 2014

I probably wouldn't go into nursing if you want a slow to moderately paced career. Even when I'm not moving fast, I'm always thinking fast...what this patient could need, has this person done a, b, or c yet, when was the last time I did this...etc. you gotta keep up, constantly, or you'll never make it.

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SionainnRN · May 6, 2014

Honestly if you have to ask a bunch of strangers if nursing is for you, it's not. We can't tell you what to do with your life, only you know that. But if you're looking for slow pace, hospital nursing isn't for you.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · May 6, 2014

Are you "slow" with things in general, or are you just in the process of learning this new job? I ask b/c a couple weeks into my first CNA job--PM shift in LTC--I was told, and I quote..."You need to move your butt." I did manage to get the hang of it, and ended up being a valued member of the staff. If you're brand new at the job and it's your first job of its kind, I would give it some time.

If this is always how you are though, you'll probably have a tough time in nursing. You definitely need a head for it--not just a heart.

klone, MSN, RN · May 6, 2014

What is McNursing?

vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN · May 6, 2014

I agree with the Posters who said nursing tends to be a career in which you are expected to be fast. Nurses have a multitude of competing demands for attention on their plate all the time.

I'm a new grad LVN and I feel that the need for speed is real.

While your supervisors may say they want accuracy, they really do also require speed.

In time, you will become more efficient. You'll get faster, you'll learn how to group certain tasks together to save time, your understanding of your role will increase and with that knowledge you'll learn to get your work done faster, if you work at it.

That being said, I've noticed that the noc shift pace is totally different from day shift. Home care and 1:1 positions have a different pace also. There are niches like these that aren't as hectic, but this is not to say that nurses who work in these areas don't work as hard, or do as much. But the pace allows me to spend more time with my patients when I work these niches. You still have to work smart, fast and be efficient, though, that's just the work of a nurse.

Shadow, or spy on, another person in your role and watch how they prioritize their tasks. Learn from that person how to accomplish your work in an efficient manner.

AgentBeast, MSN, RN · May 6, 2014

What is McNursing?

I'd imagine it's assembly line nursing. Where basically you are just a robot doing the master's bidding.

OCNRN63, RN · May 6, 2014

What is McNursing?

I'd love to get an explanation for that. I don't think it's a compliment.

Ruas61, BSN, RN · May 6, 2014

I'd imagine it's assembly line nursing. Where basically you are just a robot doing the master's bidding.

Renfield!

pinkrain94 · May 7, 2014

Nursing is not for everybody. I know a lot of people in my community college that is questioning being a nurse. It is very hard and some people think they can do it and some people cant. Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life is what you wanna ask yourself.

NurseGirl525, ASN, RN · May 7, 2014

Nursing is a very high paced job. Just is. That is a small reason of why I am going into it. You have to understand though a PCT and a RN are two completely different jobs. I know lots of people who will say be a PCT before becoming a nurse to see if you like it and I completely disagree with this because while they are two important parts of the medical team, they are not the same job. They are not the same job and one just has more schooling that the other, they really are two different jobs and that needs to be understood off the bat. But you need to think about if you were in a hospital and you had 6 patients who are using call lights, med pass needs to be done, charting needs to be done, education needs to be done, and so much more you need to do in a shift. It is not just walking in and handing off some meds, there is a lot that needs to be done in a shift. You need to thoroughly research what a nurse actually does and decide if it is for you. A group of random people off the internet cannot answer that question for you.

Navygurl · May 7, 2014

If I had friends or relatives in nursing industry, I would definitely ask them first. However, I don't. I tried asking school counselors, and they said they don't know the answer to that question. They said I would need to try it out to see if I like it first.

See, I already wasted a lot of money becoming a PCT. I don't have the time for the games.

Heathermaizy, your post was helpful because you said that the two are not the same.

Yes, when I say mcnursing, that is exactly what I mean, robotic, assembly line nursing. If nursing is like that, I don't want it. That is what a dialysis pct is, an assembly line worker. This news article says it the best

""By 1985, 44 percent of dialysis units were in hospitals and 56 percent were in freestanding clinics; 46 percent were operated by for-profit groups, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By 2002, 85 percent of dialysis units were in freestanding clinics, and 81 percent were for-profit.

"Over the years, as the for-profit industry started to get involved in dialysis, there were big changes ... unlicensed technicians or uncertified technicians instead of nurses," Ferriter says. "It has become more impersonal. When you think about it, it's the same principle as an assembly line.""

I wish I found this article earlier, then I would have never got into this field.