What am I getting myself into?

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I just graduated from a good state university with a degree in exercise science. I am now in my first semester of nursing school. I chose nursing after exploring other health careers. I thought I wanted to be a physical therapist and I "liked it" but I didn't love it. I felt like nursing would be the best choice for me because I've never doubted my interest in health care and there is a lot of flexibility in the field. I've been in nursing school for about a month now, it's challenging but I've been doing well. After reading some of these threads and comments I'm starting to get really scared that if I make this career choice that I'll live a really miserable life. It seems that few are really happy. I honestly want a job where I'm intellectually challenged, feel fulfilled, and making someone's life a little better. Am I unrealistic about having this expectation for nursing?

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Specializes in Infection Prevention, Public Health.

Nursing is a great profession. I've been at it for 33 years now. There is no other career I know of that offers such a range of experiences. Have I had nursing jobs I didn't like? Yes. Was I stuck in those positions. NO!!!

Sometimes in nursing it takes a few years of being a nurse until you find your particular niche. Once you find your place, there is a lot of opportunity to specialize and have a career ladder and there is great opportunity.

Public health nursing and infectious disease are my areas of interest and have provided me with a rich and varied career. I am always a bit puzzled when I hear about poor pay for nurses. I'm not rich, but I am largely satisfied with my salary and benefits. My bad luck in picking men has been a boon to my career; I've been able to travel freely.

I get a good feeling about your attitude. Never stop learning! It is natural for people to vent online when things are difficult at work. However, I think you would find that the majority of nurses here are very proud to be called nurses. Nurses heal people in so many little and big ways. My biggest honor has been in having so many patients who have trusted me with their fears and most private worries.

So, go find your niche, never stop learning and have the courage to to do the right thing even when it isn't easy. I hope that helps.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I have been very happy with my nursing career. The variety of shifts and specialties is amazing. I make an excellent living and have had wonderful opportunities. It would be impossible for me to speculate how you will feel about it but for me nursing has been a blessing and one of the smartest things I have ever done.

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I'll be honest. I was miserable with nursing the first few years. Once I got a few yrs of experience I began to like it. Like any job, it has issues....and as you see....all nurses is a great place to vent! It's hard to vent to nonmedical people because they just don't understand.

Now that I have experience under my belt I have endless opportunity. I work on a hospital unit to keep my skill, I just got a job in a SIM lab and teaching. I have received an offer to work from home via telephone. I can work with little babies or new mom. Despite my obstacles and challenges I had as a new nurse, I wouldn't take it back. I'm finally in a good place where I can say u enjoy nursing.

I save lives. I make a difference. No doubt about that. Good luck.

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Sorry for typos...

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You already hold a profitable degree, with ample opportunity to "make someone's life a little better". I cannot fathom why you would subject yourself to nursing school... and the brutality of the profession. Plenty of threads here to describe a nurse's misery.. feel free to browse.

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Specializes in PCCN.
I honestly want a job where I'm intellectually challenged, feel fulfilled, and making someone's life a little better. Am I unrealistic about having this expectation for nursing?

in one word . yes.

you might make someones life better. probably will be 1 in 100. majority are either so confused/demented that they wouldn't know if you were helping them, and the rest are so rude that no matter what you do you will not please them. and then when they fill out the little surveys, they will give you a big fat zero because you didn't give them 10 mg of dilaudid every hour.

physical therapist would be a much better fit. they are more respected, have more regular hours, get breaks, treated better all around. ive never seen a PT get mouthed off at like a nurse would. usually if pt doesnt want too work with PT, they refuse, and thats that. they leave. nurses are stuck with the rude pts for their whole shift.

sorry, just being realistic

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Nursing has been very good to me, I went into home health early after a year in the hospital as an RN following a year as an extern, but this was nearly 30 years ago. Any and every opportunity was available to new nurses back then and the healthcare climate was different. I would not going to nursing now at this time.

Our therapists make a great difference in our patients' lives, improving and returning to function is huge. Just last week, one of our OT's did what I think she called transitional functional therapy but I'm not sure, she took a younger man who had had a catastrophic stroke out into the community and taught him how to grocery shop, that was after getting his arm function improved, and after PT got him walking with a brace. I saw him a few weeks after his stroke, he had zero use of his arm, needed max assist to sit to stand. 2 mos later he's grocery shopping with minimal assist.

M-F days, paid very well.

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Specializes in Hospice.

Nursing is a second career for me. I became an LPN at 48 and an RN at 50. I love nursing. I am proud to be called a nurse. I work in Hospice. There are good days and there are bad days. You will help people and there will be people that you will never be able to please. It does take time to find the right area of nursing but when you do....it all comes together.

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
You already hold a profitable degree, with ample opportunity to "make someone's life a little better". I cannot fathom why you would subject yourself to nursing school... and the brutality of the profession. Plenty of threads here to describe a nurse's misery.. feel free to browse.

Excellent point and I'd urge anyone in a similar position to really soul search before investing the time and money to pursue another career. Not directed to the OP in particular but I often wonder if there isn't more to the story when a young person completes one degree and immediately wants to change to another career that they would "love".

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Another old timer here. In September I will be 23 years a nurse. Don't know if that makes a difference.

I'm not miserable, nor have I ever been as a nurse. Some jobs bettern others, some managers bettern others, etc.

I have had flexibility and mostly made decent money. I feel I have helped people. I've had great co-workers and have learned something every day. Nurses are the best people I have ever worked with.

However, if I had your degree I would pursue PT, not nursing.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

I love being a nurse! I've had miserable days and a miserable job, but wasn't stuck. I'm paid well, most people appreciate my efforts with their family, and I actually like working off hours. The other day I got my 8 y/o daughter's gymnastics schedule for the summer -- Mon. & Thurs 0830-1230, and Wed 1200-1600. My first thought was, how would that ever work if her dad and I both worked typical hours??

A big part of my job satisfaction, I believe, is the boundaries I put between professionalism and BS. I will not hold my bladder for anything less critical than an actual code. I never worry about pt satisfaction scores; I am the best clinician I can be, treat people with compassion, and make sure they understand what's going on. Then, the chips fall where they may. If they are in a tizzy for not allowing their gang "brothers" into my unit, or because I refused to give their overnight visitors a hospital gown/toiletries (true example)...I don't worry my pretty head about it. ;)

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