The 5 things you love & hate about being an RN

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If possible, list 5 things that you love about working as an RN and 5 things that you don't exactly like about it.

I am a current student and although still early in the process I'd like some inside thoughts. Thanks so much!

PS. This site is great.:)

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Specializes in pediatric critical care.

LOVE:

-seeing a child I thought would die recover FULLY and go home!

-the amazing coworkers I have

-learning something new every single shift

-having a parent tell me they will go home and sleep because they are happy I am the one taking care of their child tonight

-teaching new grads

HATES:

-petty, backstabbing, high-schoolish behaviors from adults

-when the oncoming shift nurse is late for report, I wanna go home!

-when nothing you can possibly try will save that patient's life

-primary care on an emotionally draining case

-nights that are so busy you feel as if you could have done so much more for that patient if you'd just had MORE TIME!

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

LOVE:

* Everyday is different and I'm rarely bored.

* I get to see some pretty awesome surgery.

* I work with a diverse team of people with the aim to improve patients lives.

* There is always something new to learn.

* I earn enough money to live comfortably.

HATE:

* The lack of resources including staff and equipment that makes us doing our job harde.r

* Surgeons who don't respect nursing staff. (thankfully most of the surgeons I work with are nice people)

* The nurses in my department who are a burden to us all because they just don't 'get it' and management are unable deal with them, so we have to carry their workload, spoonfeed them all day and fix their mistakes.

* Everything seems to be the responsibility and fault of the RN.

* The 'open and close' cases where there is nothing the surgeon can do and you know the patient has been given a death sentence.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Love:

*Educating patients and their families and seeing them actually use what they learn

*All the cool equipment I get to work with in critical care

*Seeing a family make a good choice with palliative care, and watching a "good death" - It can be an awesome thing to be a part of

*Using my specialized knowledge to help my patient's and make recommendations to MDs that listen

*Watching my interventions make a difference

Hate:

*Giving medications - don't know why, I just hate the physical task (mostly because of the computerized scanners)

*Crushing medications - it is just annoying

*People who come to the hospital but then don't want my help

*People who think the hospital is a resort

*Spending half a shift cleaning up other people's mess (previous shifts)

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I work LTC...

Love:

1. My favorite residents. The ones who are always kind, happy to see me, and tell me they miss me when I am gone

2. The co-workers I trust. Working with my favorite nurses can really make a day 100% better

3. Plenty of overtime options, meaning I can make as much money as I need.

4. Managing ongoing care for my residents. I know their medical histories, what is "normal" for them, when to ignore the little stuff and when to freak out about the big stuff.

5. Working close to home. My work is a 5 minute drive from my house, and I love having a minimum commute.

Hate:

1. Overwhelming?! Overextended?! Yes!!! omg, my entire 12 hour shift is packed full, and even when it is time for me to leave, I am never fully finished. Then management comes up with some new task for me (usually babysitting the CNA's), which will only take up more time and steal my time away from the important tasks like NURSING CARE! And if you try to voice your concerns, your DON goes into her "when I was a LTC nurse, I took care of 50 patients by myself, all the med passes, all the tx, all the everything". ..... Well, that sounds great, but since I dont have wings on my shoes or a magical teleportation wand, that seems unrealistic to me.

2. CNA's who do pi$$-poor work. Some are really fantastic, but the bad ones make me want to scream! Non-existent incontinent care, refusing to get residents up/lay them down, ignoring call bells.... ARRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!

3. Discipline is a joke. At least in my building. My DON/ADON will tell me "just write them up". But nothing ever comes of it. Seriously, it is pretty much impossible to get fired from my workplace..... which really sucks because we have some horrible staff members who need to go.

4. The mean/horny/hateful residents who abuse the call bell and grate on your nerves. Of course, the facility will never discharge them (why give up the money? we'll just suffer through instead!), so your only hope is that someday they will die or you will find a new job. Even after UA with C&S, psych consults, behavior intervention from the social worker, they still make your job miserable.

5. The nurses who make you crazy. Either they talk smack behind your back, are in constant "freak out" mode or just too lazy to do their work. Working with them increases your stress and makes you constantly worry about "CYA=Cover Your A$$"

Sorry for the vent, I really need to find a new job!

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Love--- ????

Hate--- everthing else

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Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

LOVE

- the pay

- always learning something new

- the flexibility

- being part of an awesome team

- watching someone improve before my very eyes

HATE

- people who read something on the internet and think they know everything

- the perception that the human body is like a car and we should be able to just go in there and fix everything

- failure to take responsbility for one's health/physical condition

- watching people go downhill until they finally die

- being introduced to someone as a nurse and all they want to talk about is their family member who is also a nurse or ......

- wanting to talk about a physical ailment ad nauseum or ......

- telling me about a "stupid nurse" they had last time they were in a hospital. PS - I always stick up for the nurse.

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Specializes in ED.

I work in the ED:

Love:

1. Learning new things every day

2. Using my knowledge to make a suggestion to the doctor that in the end, makes the patient feel better

3. Being part of the most trusted profession

4. Making a decent paycheck

5. Saving lives

(and yes, I am very proud to say, there are things that I did, I initiated, that directly saved a patient's life/livelihood- very gratifying)

Hate:

1. Seeing the same patients for the same things OVER and OVER because they just refuse to do what it takes to stay out of the hospital

2. Patients that use the ED for their next hit

3. Patients that think I'm a waitress and not a professional with a degree and critical thinking skills

4. Doctors that... (see above)

5. ED-Critical Care rivalry, and nurse-nurse rivalry in general (we all are in it to make people better, so lets quit rolling our eyes at each other and get 'er done)

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Love

1) when my shift goes off without too many bumps in the road

2) that I can work part time and make decent money

3) the patient's who are sweet and kind and appreciate what you do for them

4) co-workers who are team players

5)patient teaching

Hate

1) Feeling like your being pulled in too many directions and feeling like you aren't very effective in any direction

2)Lazy co-workers

3)all the documentation which takes away from time with the patients

4) when people seek medical help too late, a person who ignored a breast lump or the symptoms of a stroke (so sad)

5)nurses who feel it is okay to skip breaks or work overtime for free

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LOVE

1. Some of the pts

2. My coworkers

3.

4.

5.

HATE

1. Being underpaid--I didn't realize before I started working, but I definitely feel like nurses are underpaid, considering the stress

2. Feeling unappreciated

3. Having to rely so much on MDs or other APNs for orders

4. The politics

5. Some awful pts--rude and unappreciative

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Specializes in Cardiac care/Ortho/LTC/Education/Psych.

I love:

on one place - I like people I work with , pts I work for , family members I talk to , docs I help with procedure, manager to organize my schedule

I hate:

see above imagine a different place ( when you end up in second place RUN to find first place and you will be living happily ever after. )

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Specializes in floor to ICU.

ICU here.

Love:

using my critical thinking skills

back up from my coworkers (mostly)

getting to wk in 10 minutes (no traffic)

learning new things/equipment

being able to wk w/ some of the same docs for > 10 yrs

Hate:

5 star customer service

giving report to certain "comb thru the chart" nurses

paper charting/manually graphing Q 15min vitals

getting 87 phone calls daily from pharmacy

working w/ some of the same docs for > 10 yrs (lol)

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