The worst job you had before becoming a Nurse?

Nurses General Nursing

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What was the worst job you had before becoming a Nurse? How has Nursing changed your life?

Specializes in Oncology.
Ballet ?

Something like that.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.

Worst job- working as a farmhand on a horse farm during the hottest summer NC had seen in years. That part wasn't the worst- I actually liked the manual labor and independence I had in completing my tasks- it was the horrible owner of the place. She was a hoarder, and her house was practically falling down. She did take good care of her horses though, and ironically the barn was in great shape!

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What was the worst job you had before becoming a Nurse? How has Nursing changed your life?

I had 3 factory jobs while I was in HighSchool (one was sorting almonds and the other one was in a candy factory and one was producing wooden ice cream sticks). I became a paramedic and first aid teacher and phased out the factory job after getting a part time job as a paramedic. I got a full time job and after a year decided to go to nursing school.

I made good money with the ice cream stick job, I made good money as a paramedic.

Nursing has given me a lot of opportunities, adventure, secure income, flexibility...

Money is ok .

I grew up in a family that lived on welfare, not enough money to get by, oftentimes no money for food, clothes, school supplies and so on and forth. Our utilities were shut off for months on end - one time we did not have electricity (and therefore no light and hot water), another time we did not have money for oil and no heating...

I missed school at times because there was no money for school transportation and the weather was too bad to ride the bike.

Naturally, having a steady income is important to me. Nursing has provided me with a wonderful career but also job security, which I needed. My husband and I have good jobs and live a comfortable middle class life. Nursing is not always fun - but - if I am having a bad day I look at my paycheck and I am ok.

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Oh, hands down, Dollar General.

You will be worked like a dog for minimum wage, no benefits and treated like dirt.

Now, I loved unloading the truck. I love a little mindless physical labor... burns calories :lol2: but working the cash register was bogus!!!

I got stuck on the register because I was articulate, polite and could do math when the register went all to hell. Screwed myself because people can be nasty peices of work.

I had a "lady" threaten to come behind the counter and kick my ***.

I had an old man throw batteries at me and another customer (who smelled like booze, mold, sweat and urine... and looked just as good) make lewd comments.

Loved the time all the other employees left me there alone to go next door to the pub! I had a line wending its way through and back around BFE. When a customer complained, I apologized and told her she could find my coworkers next door. People left and no one left in the line blamed me. Minimum wage was not enough money to keep me from being so honest. At least I was gracious when I said it, lol.

We were in a seedy part of town. So much shoplifting! We had a huge group that would come in together and steal. No way we were going to confront those guys. We just let 'em go.

When I got my job in behavioral health, I ran as fast as I could. Thank god, I just missed being stuck there during the holiday season!

Soooo many bad stories from that place, but that's it in a mutshell.

I may put up with a lot of crap in behavioral health, but that place gave me a nursing degree for practically free... and I'm paid MUCH better.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

Delivering newspapers. ugh

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Specializes in ER, Med/Surg.

Most people would THINK it was when I cleaned a slaughter house afterhours, but I really didn't mind that job.

Probably the worst was working at the ski resort. Fiberglass in your hands from picking up ski poles and drunks vomiting in rental boots.

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Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.

When I got out of the military, I did this phone rep job while in college. I think it was for Time handling their magazine subscriptions. People are insane.

I once had this guy get all bent out if shape because he didnr receive his plastic globe ball that came with his national geographic subscription. I was trying to explain the process and he kept cutting me off and talking down to me. "If you dont know what Im talking about --".

Actually, I did but I had to ask a series of questions to get him the gift. We couldn't just give things away. I was trying to help but since he wanted to be snotty?

I said 'please hold' and disconnected the call. Let him call again and be put through the wringer until he learns how to speak to people. Some people do use bullying and meanness as a tactic. It doesn't work with everyone, though.

Another lady had a bone to pick with Martha Stewart and took it out on me. The company serviced a lot of magazines from National Geo to Martha Stewart to Cosmo. This was at the time when Martha got into that legal trouble. It was a billing complaint. I offered an apology and she was acting as though martha and I were in a conspiracy to get her money. 'Why are you apologizing? What do you mean by that?!' and popped off about Martha going to jail.

Finally, I just said, 'I dont know, maam. I dont know what else to say. I dont know Martha Stewart. I just do phone work for her magazine. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

I'd already given her freebies and she was still going off about Martha. I only offered an apology to shut her up.

It didn't take long before I knew that sort of low-pay/go nowhere type jobs wasn't the life for me. A fact that was reconfirmed when I became a CNA. No way in hell could I have done that for years.

How has nursing helped me? I dont know. I thought Id be a good fit because I like to help and such. I was able to function better and handle this occupation when I stopped looking for this career to fill me. I thought having a job that allowed me to 'be' what I was would allow me to love what I did. Isn't that what we're taught to shoot for?

These days, I volunteer for my altruistic fix and treat nursing like the job it is. I tend to approach nursing jobs as I was conditioned to as a business student. I feel better about it all these days.

I like the flexible hours, though. Knocking out a week's worth of work in two days is a good deal. Nursing is a nice career to have as well. It's perceived well. People assume all sorts of nice things about you when you when they see you in scrubs.

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Specializes in NICU, Cardiac.

I worked at a home warranty company in customer service. People get so pissed when you can't get an a/c company to come to their house on the same day they called. Someone once told me that they hoped I died in a fiery car accident on my way home that day. [emoji15]

Nursing has given me a purpose in life. It's also made it where my husband and I can start building a better life for ourselves and our children. We can afford to go on vacations and enroll them in sports now. We went from being on food stamps to making 6 figures within 2 years. I realize how blessed we are and I will never forget the struggle we lived through.

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The worst job I ever had was through a temp agency the summer before I started my nursing program. The company I worked for had hard copy invoices that needed to be put through a scanner so that the information could be stored on the computer. Before those invoices could go through the scanner, all staples had to be removed. Yes...I spent 40 hours each week doing nothing but removing staples from paper.

Which makes me appreciate my CAREER now even more. 🤓

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Worst job- Text chat operator. Not bad until the owners started ripping off the bonus $$. The only saving piece was that you worked from home.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

I wouldn't say I've had any bad jobs. I was a church organist and freelanced piano/organ/singing for weddings while in high school. Post high school/pre nursing school graduation, I worked as a CNA.

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Two for me. One was laying concrete and the other was maintenance guy at local YMCA. The concrete work was actually better than the disgusting things people do and leave behind at the hot tube, saunas, pools and gyms. Kids vomit every where and smear their poop in bathrooms. Also the parents generally were rude and looked down on me.

Best job was land surveyors helper..got to hang out in remote country side most of the time riding a ATV and trying to find property markers. Not great pay but spring and fall outside was beautiful..winters and summers though sucked!

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