True that a lot of new nurses quit r/t stress and misconceptions of what nurses do?

backatit2 · Mar 9, 2011

the great thing about nursing is that you can get into the field (even at the lowest level - CNA) and get a glimpse of what it's like.

take me for example - i went to college to be a teacher. i was in my 3rd year of college before i ever stepped foot into a classroom. i was in my last year before i actually got to TEACH a group of students. it was in my last semester/my FOURTH year of college that i got enough experience in the field to realize it wasn't what i wanted to do FOREVER.

when i thought about going back to nursing school, i didn't want to do the same thing. so, i signed up for a CNA class - i got a job, and here i am. i LOVE the job. i don't LOVE everything about it (mostly the dynamic between the CNA's/nurses) but i love the patients, the work, the environment. regardless, i'm 99% sure that nursing is for me and the only thing I regret is not getting into it sooner.

For the record, teaching (my first degree) has one of the highest turnover rates known to man. 25% of teachers leave within the first year, and 50%/HALF - HALF! of teachers leave within the first five years. that's alarming. but not surprising to me since we get sooooo little experience until the very end.

i don't know if that helped, but if you're considering nursing - i'd recommend being a CNA and getting a feel for things. i did it (and i have a college degree). i only say that bc so many people whether they admit it or not think being a CNA is degrading or is "wiping butts" but it's so much more than that - not to mention, i rarely wipe butts. however, it has been a WONDERFUL experience and given me the ability to decide if i'd enjoy a career in nursing or not.

86toronado, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2011

In a word; yes. It is very common for new nurses to leave nursing altogether, or at least leave the bedside. Case in point: I oriented at my hospital about a year and a half ago. Of the 8 or so other new graduates in the classroom with me, 5 of us are still working full time at the bedside. Of the other three, 2 quit altogether, and one works per diem. Search for burnout on this site, or just go over to the "First Year in Nursing" Forum and look around there a little bit.

noctanol · Mar 9, 2011

Its not hot air, most individuals think of nursing a "saving lives." It is so overplayed by soap operas and nursing instructors that you actually become brainwashed. No one ever tells aspiring nurses of the beaurocracies that one faces, the insults, fatigue, horror, mandatory overtimes, sleepless nights,patient overload, shortage of staff (cna's), limited supplies and the fact that you are supposed to treat patients as cash cows etc. Once you are out of school, then you come to find out out that the perfect little nursing world is actually a bed of thorns that you are supposed to sleep in and not complain. Very few nurses end up in the units that they long for, there are many pedi wanna be nurses stuck in geriatrics, er and so on. This is why you never quit hearing complaints

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2011

I have said it before and I will say it again: if management were required to work one to three shifts every month (that isn't a great deal of time), they would see and experience the challenges we face daily, and I strongly believe that our working environment would be very different indeed.

RNperdiem, RN · Mar 9, 2011

In my experience, not many.

I have seen nurses go through the reality shock when faced with their first job. But like many life experiences that are like that, you adapt.

Nurses are stronger and more adaptable than lots of people think.

beewink · Mar 9, 2011

I appreciate the idea of becoming a CNA first to dip your toes in. But, I did that, and for me it was a world of difference. The jump in responsibility from CNA to RN is huge. I would see if you could shadow an RN for a day - I know folks who have done this. Some decided they liked it, some ran for the door.

As to your question, YES, many nurses quit or work part time as a way to deal with the stress. It's not for everyone, and it is smart to really find out before you invest the time and money required.

beewink · Mar 9, 2011

Also, I have found that among some nurses who stay, they are trapped by the income and can't work for less.

mama_d, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2011

Out of the several new grads on my floor over the last year:

Two left before their orientation was even done.

Three are really struggling and it's even odds whether or not they'll last out to a full year.

One is doing fairly well and should be really good at it after a few more months and some more experience.

Three are doing so well that they'll surpass the weaker, but experienced, nurses within a matter of months.

Honestly, the only surprising thing is that there are three who are doing so well, instead of just one or two, especially given the lack of decent preceptors that two of them had to deal with.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Mar 9, 2011

no it is not true. first of all, there was not a high drop out rate in nursing school where i went to school. there was a high failure rate. i only know of two that dropped out in first semester stating that nursing was not what he/she wanted. secondly, as for the first year or nursing, most new grads have trouble finding a job. so, yes, many sit around with an active license, but not many sit around waiting for a perfect cushy job.. they are sitting around waiting for the phone to ring for an interview from any job.

as for those who actually land a job, many will job hop if he/she is able because he/she ends up on floors that are nightmares to work! this has nothing to do with the fact that he/she wished he/she was a specialty nurse. i wanted to be an er nurse right out of school but was not able to do so. i accepted a job on a different unit and i fell in-love!!!! i would not have left that unit after 1 year had i remained on that unit. however, my hospital floated the nurses from that unit so often that one day we all ended up floated to a med surg unit and were unable to return. the floor i ended up on was a nightmare that i would have never in a million years applied to and was not allowed to leave!!! so i left that hospital to escape that floor. that floor was always short staffed, the acuity of the patients was high enough to belong in an icu (e.g. i had patient that needed to be on vents and drips), and i had way too many of them (6-8 was the norm for nights).

last but not least, the number of nurses i know is small that have quit nursing all together. in fact, i know of only one that quit because she worked a horrible floor as a new grad and thought that floor was indicative of nursing. even the new grads who cannot find a job are still actively looking. as for the nurses who job hop, they are still working as nurses. some of them choose to work away from bedside rather then quit working as nurses.

therefore, please tell the people who think it is a wise idea to have lots of nursing schools pump out nurses that he/she is wrong! there is not a nursing shortage and there never will be!! having lots of nursing schools does not help nurses or patients in any way! the lie of a nursing shortage only helps managers because they can continue to control us!

specifically, when there is no demand for nurses managers continue to run poor organizations and poor floors. for example, i had managers tell me and my co-workers to "suck it up... i have several nurses who wish they had your job so stop complaining!" when we tell them we are not working safely. they can do this because they have stacks and stacks of applications, emails requests, and voice mail requests from licensed nurses who want jobs!!! physicians do not have this problem because physicians control their own numbers. nurses do not; our numbers are controlled by the lies of administrators.

by the way, in this economy there are not many nurses who wish to have inactive licenses. in fact, check with your state bon. i doubt you will find many inactive licenses of those who have remained in your state. note, people move to other states and choose to make his/her license inactive like i plan to do when i move!!! thus, many inactive licensed nurses do not count in the numbers of those who quit nursing because we are still working as nurses out of state.

Faeriewand, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2011

We did not have anyone leave nursing school because it wasn't for them. Only a very few didn't make it through but had the option of returning the following year.

The new nurses that I know at my hospital do well during orientation and their first year because they have support from other nurses. Need a question answered? Ask the person next to you.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 9, 2011

I'm under the impression that because getting into Nursing school is extremely difficult, the drop out rates are low and retention rates are high.

I am trying very hard to get into Nursing school and, after so much stress and hard work, I would make myself finish the program and at least give the Nursing field a couple years before leaving it altogether.