What we're getting outselves into

Nursing is not for the fainthearted. It's not the glorious profession everyone thinks it is. At one time it was a guaranteed job at a decent wage with benefits with minimal/reasonable expense. That is not the case so much anymore. It is respected...but hard. Much harder than anyone expects these days.

Traditionally...nurses have always been expected to do everything with little expectations.....a flaw amongst women for we were brought up to sacrifice for others...our husbands, our children, our families. We are expected to do everything be responsible for everything and be blamed for everything......we are the protectors of the patients...the vulnerable...to care for the sick and injured. It called to our nature.

We had NO IDEA how abused we were.....

When I went to school we were paid very little upon graduation...thankfully that changed....nurses fought hard for "total patient care" and the increases of salary that we have today. for all the pomp and circumstance...nursing hasn't changed all that much.....I haven't been in school for 35 years and I tutor nursing students everyday on care plans and content.

When nursing went mainstream and more males that entered the profession it shed light how abused nurses are.....men are much less likely to put up with abuse...especially from the physicians....although it hasn't changed their behavior much. Nursing changed when big corporations took over the hospitals and they started being run like big business.....that model really doesn't fit the nursing patient care model. There is a human factor that can't be avoided and the patient that codes at shift change to the dying patient that you took extra time with that makes you late with "incidental overtime"....you can't put a price on caring and patient satisfaction scores because some people are going to be angry that their loved one died and some just can't be made happy.

I think the rewards outweigh the bad....but they are found in brief passing moments. I believe that if you really WANT to be a nurse that will help you tolerate the crap that goes with it....I guess I am from the "nursing is a calling" camp.

How bad you want to be a nurse....a nurse...not a CRNA or FNP.....a nurse....will make the journey what you want it to be.