The evolution of a Nurse

Kitiger, RN · Oct 17, 2016

I don't have an evolution as a nurse story, but I do enjoy reading my old diaries. (Yes, they're written in books - I didn't grow up with computers.) Sometimes I just shake my head at that earnest young woman that was me, thinking things through and writing in such depth!

Things that are so obvious, now.

llg, PhD, RN · Oct 17, 2016

I've gone back and read some of my old posts, too. Well, actually, sometimes they "come around again" as people dredge up old threads.

I was already quite old and experienced when I joined, so I can't say that I have changed all that much. But it is still interesting to see what I said way back then. Sometimes, I have to wonder why I got involved in some of the more heated discussions. Now, I rarely see them as being worth my time.

sassyrn333 · Oct 17, 2016

I've gone back and read some of my old posts, too. Well, actually, sometimes they "come around again" as people dredge up old threads.
I was already quite old and experienced when I joined, so I can't say that I have changed all that much. But it is still interesting to see what I said way back then. Sometimes, I have to wonder why I got involved in some of the more heated discussions. Now, I rarely see them as being worth my time.

Right? I don't debate people on many things in life anymore. I do like to listen and get a feeling for general trends regionally or within the profession in general, but I don't argue with someone who I think is silly. I just silently wish them luck on their life journey in my head. I am adulting well I guess! Thanks for your thoughts.

sassyrn333 · Oct 17, 2016

I don't have an evolution as a nurse story, but I do enjoy reading my old diaries. (Yes, they're written in books - I didn't grow up with computers.) Sometimes I just shake my head at that earnest young woman that was me, thinking things through and writing in such depth!
Things that are so obvious, now.

Hey!! I have a paper journal too!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 18, 2016

I've gone back and read over some of my old posts, especially the threads I've started. October is breast cancer month and domestic violence month and I've experienced both and written about both. So this month, especially, I'm going back and rereading old threads. Sometimes I read a post of mine and I think "I've come a long way from when I felt that way!"

My mother and mother-in-law both suffer(ed) from Alzheimer's, and sometimes I re-read the posts I made early in Mom's disease. We used to laugh about some really strange things, and it's fun to re-read those posts. And with the hurricane, I looked back on my posts about my MIL's experiences with Katrina.

I was in my 40s when I joined this site, so my evolution in nursing hasn't been that dramatic, but my travel through life events sometimes strikes me.

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2016

When I look at my old posts, I see someone who was pretty cynical even as a student. Allnurses helped me as a student and a new nurse by preparing me for the difficult time I would have. From difficulty getting a job as a new grad, to the trials and tribulations a new grad faces, to the overall crappiness of working conditions in nursing. Even so, in some ways I was still a naive idiot. I don't know why I was emotionally vested in getting an ER nursing position. I used to think it was the pinnacle of nursing, for some reason. That novelty wore off quickly as soon as I actually started working in the ER. Now I don't think of any specialty as more special than the other. A job, is a job, is a job, is a job. The current specialty I'm in is only because of the hours, not because I think it's super special. I am not invested in it like I was with my first job.

I have also realized the grass is not greener on the other side. There are problems and stressors with any specialty. Many commonalities too, such as the long hours, short staffing, entitled patients and families, doctors who want to wash their hands clean of the mess they made, and customer service crap. I've been holding out in nursing as long as I can, but I realize in order to survive, I need to get out completely. I'm very thankful I've not been part of an awful, irredeemable situation that has ruined my career. The longer I stay in nursing, the higher the chance of being forced out of nursing in disgrace. I am interviewing next Monday for an informatics position. One day I hope my time as a bedside nurse will be a distant, unpleasant memory.

sassyrn333 · Oct 18, 2016

When I look at my old posts, I see someone who was pretty cynical even as a student. Allnurses helped me as a student and a new nurse by preparing me for the difficult time I would have. From difficulty getting a job as a new grad, to the trials and tribulations a new grad faces, to the overall crappiness of working conditions in nursing. Even so, in some ways I was still a naive idiot. I don't know why I was emotionally vested in getting an ER nursing position. I used to think it was the pinnacle of nursing, for some reason. That novelty wore off quickly as soon as I actually started working in the ER. Now I don't think of any specialty as more special than the other. A job, is a job, is a job, is a job. The current specialty I'm in is only because of the hours, not because I think it's super special. I am not invested in it like I was with my first job.
I have also realized the grass is not greener on the other side. There are problems and stressors with any specialty. Many commonalities too, such as the long hours, short staffing, entitled patients and families, doctors who want to wash their hands clean of the mess they made, and customer service crap. I've been holding out in nursing as long as I can, but I realize in order to survive, I need to get out completely. I'm very thankful I've not been part of an awful, irredeemable situation that has ruined my career. The longer I stay in nursing, the higher the chance of being forced out of nursing in disgrace. I am interviewing next Monday for an informatics position. One day I hope my time as a bedside nurse will be a distant, unpleasant memory.

YES GIRL! A job is a job. Hospitals are hospitals. I've worked in 3 different hospitals in the metro...they are all the same...and colluding together to keep our pay down. But that's another story altogether. Your words ring true with me more than you know! The Critical Care elitism has got to stop. Its all hogwash...to trick people into thinking the're doing something special. Otherwise no one would want to do those jobs. They are traumatizing A.F! Way back when (so the Baby Boomers I work with tell me) It used to be that you had to do floor nursing for so long before you were "allowed" to apply to the Critical Care areas-again creating an illusion of elitism. Now they'll let anyone in, and they do fine...with the exception of lengthy orientation...oh and the whole early burnout/Grad school exodus. But all these new grads come in thinking they're some other socal class from the nurses staffing the floor. Silliness!

sassyrn333 · Oct 18, 2016

I've gone back and read over some of my old posts, especially the threads I've started. October is breast cancer month and domestic violence month and I've experienced both and written about both. So this month, especially, I'm going back and rereading old threads. Sometimes I read a post of mine and I think "I've come a long way from when I felt that way!"
My mother and mother-in-law both suffer(ed) from Alzheimer's, and sometimes I re-read the posts I made early in Mom's disease. We used to laugh about some really strange things, and it's fun to re-read those posts. And with the hurricane, I looked back on my posts about my MIL's experiences with Katrina.
I was in my 40s when I joined this site, so my evolution in nursing hasn't been that dramatic, but my travel through life events sometimes strikes me.

I hadn't even thought of it from the perspective of defining life events (not just career events). That's also interesting. Thanks for sharing.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Oct 22, 2016

I have spent my entire career as a nurse on this forum. I stumbled upon it probably while doing research for some paper or another my final year of nursing school. I did look once at my post history and I sure was a dumb bunny back in the day. But then, there are times I am sure I am still a dumb bunny! I still love reading the experiences of others here, especially as my experiences are way less varied than most. I started my career in LTC and fully expect to finish my career in LTC so I have literally zero experience outside of my field. This is a great place to learn, and no matter what specialty you are in or hope to be in there is always something new to learn.

Maybe even more educating than learning both about my specialty and other areas of nursing has been the socializing. It has been both fun and educational to learn a little about my colleagues around the country and the world. The differences as well as the similarities in practice astound me.

On the lighter side, it is just plain fun sometimes to at least read the more inflammatory threads. Depending on my mood at the moment I may or may not participate, but it's never boring!

sassyrn333 · Oct 22, 2016

I have spent my entire career as a nurse on this forum. I stumbled upon it probably while doing research for some paper or another my final year of nursing school. I did look once at my post history and I sure was a dumb bunny back in the day. But then, there are times I am sure I am still a dumb bunny! I still love reading the experiences of others here, especially as my experiences are way less varied than most. I started my career in LTC and fully expect to finish my career in LTC so I have literally zero experience outside of my field. This is a great place to learn, and no matter what specialty you are in or hope to be in there is always something new to learn.
Maybe even more educating than learning both about my specialty and other areas of nursing has been the socializing. It has been both fun and educational to learn a little about my colleagues around the country and the world. The differences as well as the similarities in practice astound me.
On the lighter side, it is just plain fun sometimes to at least read the more inflammatory threads. Depending on my mood at the moment I may or may not participate, but it's never boring!

Yes there is most definitely a social element. I also enjoy reading the experiences of nurses from different regions of the country. Thanks for the post!

dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN · Oct 22, 2016

I was a raging alcoholic, have been sober for over two years now. I go through my old posts and find myself wondering how drunk I was when I posted them, or how drunk I was during some situation I refer to in a post.