What HARD truth have you learned once you became a nurse and/or CNA?

[DesiDani]

Good or bad. About the field in general, humanity, or society? How does that truth effect you and how you do your job?

[Cat365]

Your ER patient will never have admission orders until the floor is changing shifts.

No matter how often you say that you leave work at work you will drive home crying because a patient or families pain touched you.

There's always that one person who will send you pictures of body parts you don't want to see and want your to tell them what is wrong.

[basenjilove808]

that is job was a mistake and people are very uneducated

[peripateticRN, BSN, RN]

I'm not overly fond of humans.

This

[Alex_RN, BSN]

My detox/withdrawal patients are lying to me, even when they aren't.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

You don't know when a death will impact you profoundly, even down the road...

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

The patient is the one with the disease. You can't fix them, you can only educate them and provide the tools (and maybe the motivation) for them to manage their disease wisely.

You can't fix stupid. But, if they're the one in the bed, you CAN medicate it. If they're the one in the chair next to the bed, you can't fix nor can you medicate stupid.

Every disaster makes a really great story once sufficient time has passed.

The most essential characteristic of a nurse isn't compassion -- it's a lively sense of humor.

[K9lover, ASN, RN]

1. Burnout can happen in less time then you think.

2. Nurses take out their personal problems on patients and coworkers.

3. Sometimes high pay = high stress and the job just isnt worth a poor mental health.

4. Family members abuse disable family members in many different ways.

You said it sister!

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

What I find funny now I would've never found funny two years ago.

[LibraSunCNM, BSN, MSN, CNM]

Learned in no particular order as a former floor nurse and now a CNM:

-People lie

-Life isn't fair

-Women of all ages and backgrounds know shockingly little about their own reproductive health

-People will surprise you, often in a good way

-Despite myriad issues as a profession, nursing has been a great career for me

[Nature_walker, ASN, BSN, RN]

People will always surprise you, good or bad.

[Guest716906]

Some jobs are super high pay for a reason: burnout and nobody can handle them anymore! And some hospitals truly abuse nurses.

[ashley_bird]

Learned in no particular order as a former floor nurse and now a CNM:

-People lie

-Life isn't fair

-Women of all ages and backgrounds know shockingly little about their own reproductive health

-People will surprise you, often in a good way

-Despite myriad issues as a profession, nursing has been a great career for me

#3 is soooo true! I'm not even a nurse, but it was not until I took a 400 level sexual education class in college that I said to myself "Whoa! I bet you most girls do NOT know this and they SHOULD".