The Service Factor - Does one have to enjoy being a CNA in order to be a good nurse?

[smanderson123]

Yet another few questions for all of you seasoned nurses,

I realize that members of this forum have addressed the importance of working as a CNA, however I find myself questioning a few aspects of nursing.

The first, before becoming a nurse, did you possess a strong nurturing streak? Were you always comfortable handling people physically and emotionally, or was it something you grew into as you gained experience?

Second, just how much fecal wrangling do you endure in an average 12 hour shift?

How long did it take you to become desensitized to the daily horrors of the hospital? When did the sights, smells, and sounds stop freaking you out, if they ever did in the first place?

What do you find more personally challenging, the emotional or the physical demands that nursing places on you?

Would it be fair to say that working as a CNA, you are given the "grunt work" a regular RN doesn't have time for?

How awful are your office politics?

I find myself asking more and more questions about this path - did any of you have a similar experience? I realize that many of you may be thinking to yourselves, "Try it and see," however, committing 500$$ plus a month of lost work wages only to find that I sincerely dislike being a CNA - when I'm already going to do a CNA course in nursing school - seems like a bad idea. So again, do you have to enjoy CNA work in order to be a nurse? Is all CNA work the same everywhere you go or does it differ depending on where you work?

I understand that many of you contributors are using this forum to vent, and because of that, many of the posts do have a decidedly negative angle to them, yet I still would appreciate some guidance for any of you that are interested.

Thanks again!