I'm a Nursing Student in my 1st semester of Nursing School. I have my CNA & work in a LTC facility, but mainly pass meds (they have CNAs do it there-bc we only have 1 RN to 150 residents). Anyways, I have always dreamed of being an OB RN or Peds RN, but since starting school I've realized I HATE bedside nursing. I've had people say RNs don't do the dirty work anymore & some say they do.
I'm not looking for criticism here--I've already learned about myself that bedside nursing (at least for adults!) is not for me. I'm just curious how much bedside nursing RN's in hospitals ACTUALLY do in REAL LIFE.
ADD: and despite what everyone tells you, yes u do need at least 1 years experience, in Oz at least, to get nursing work. You won't get a high paying RN job w/out experience - I think the ones on here that say they do get jobs w/out experience are lying TBH. I wouldn't trust all answers on here.
Hmmm......I got a job 6 months ago as a May 2011 new grad with ZERO experience. Applied to well over 20 tech positions, never even got an interview. I got a new grad ICU position in a hospital I had never stepped foot into for clinical, capstone, or work before in my life. Hard work, good grades, BSN, and a good personality/rapport during my interview combined with previous management experience (nursing is 2nd career) earned me the privilege of this job offer. So nope, you do not need experience. Would I recommend it given the current job climate? Absolutely. But I cannot dash the dreams of a new grad simply because they lack experience. 100% truth and fact. No lies here. And, if I am reading this right in your reference to "Oz", well....I can 100% guarantee you a job can be had with no previous experience. At least 25% of my graduating class got a new grad job with no previous healthcare experience. :)
To the OP....if you do not like bedside nursing, get out now. I have only been an RN on a hospital unit for 4 months. Yesterday alone, I cleaned up no less than 8 bowel movements. Complete linen changes. Suctioned vomit out of an intubated patients mouth. Held a kleenex while a patient spit sputum into it. Dumped urine down my arm when the bedpan slipped on the 1 occasion my patient actually asked for a bedpan! I have had ascites draining on my scrubs while doing chest compressions. And yes, we have 2 techs/cna's on each shift. They are busy with other stuff (EKG's, finger sticks, etc) and are not simply at our disposal 24/7. In my opinion, the initials after your name do not dictate your duties. RN does not exempt you from doing the work of a tech, spouse, therapist, housekeeping, chef, and whipping post. Thankfully, I realized all of this and still signed up for the task. To me, a patient telling me thank you is all that I need to make all the gross stuff worth it. I am darn proud of everything I do as an RN. :redbeathe:nurse:
I went into nursing for pediatrics.....17 years after graduation, I got the job I wanted- It wasn't ANYTHING like I thought it would be. The kids were a wreck from being born too early, abuse, car wrecks, developmental/genetic disorders, etc- VERY few were the tonsillectomies or ear tubes. VERY few. A kid with a tonsillectomy was rare. The most frequent were kids that would NEVER be ok.
I work in a peds ER and the fevers, vomiting once, and asthma WAY outnumber the sadder, heavier stuff. And I work at a level-1 trauma center in a poor, urban area. That's still there, and I won't lie, some of it is really, really sad, but there's a lot about working in peds that is truly fun. Like they laugh at your corniest, dumbest jokes. And they can and do recover from some really horrible stuff.
It's definitely not all sunshine and rainbows and stickers, but it's not all one big testament to why living at any cost is not always good or kind.
I honestly rethought nursing after my first semester. I think back then I didn't fully understand the role of the nurse. So much information was coming at me that I wasn't able to see the bigger picture, all I could see was what I did as a first semester nursing student and that I was scared out of my mind every time I entered the hospital. At some point, something began to click. And now I don't know what I would do without nursing. I have found that the pros of my job far out way the cons, and on most days my career is very rewarding. Maybe I have my head in the clouds, and maybe you really don't like it, but I don't think you should run from nursing just yet before you have hardly experienced what it has to offer...
Am I the only one who's confused as to why the OP is passing meds as a CNA? Does this happen often?? eep...
(To the OP, everyone else has summed it up nicely: nursing is hard (and dirty) but yes, rewarding in it's own way. If you are not 100% in it, then find something else before you end up regretting wasting all that time and energy on a degree you despise. Good luck with your decision, regardless.)
If you don't like bedside nursing, don't be a RN. It's as simple as that. Think of being chained to a stove if ur a chef...
Also get a realistic idea re nursing on here. Don't go into a RN program then come back on here & whine & complain endlessly that you didn't know what u were getting yourself into. We have too many students/nurses that do that on here.
ADD: and despite what everyone tells you, yes u do need at least 1 years experience, in Oz at least, to get nursing work. You won't get a high paying RN job w/out experience - I think the ones on here that say they do get jobs w/out experience are lying TBH. I wouldn't trust all answers on here.
Completely disagree. I graduated nursing school August 26, 2011; took state boards September 27, 2011 (Almost a week AFTER I had had my first interview); and was formally hired October 1st into a full time, night shift, ICU position. About ten people from my graduating class have taken boards within the past week, and many of them have had nursing jobs (contingent upon board results), as far back as two weeks post-grad. I do, however, agree that one cannot expect a, "high paying" RN job right out of the gate, because you're a new grad and you have absolutely no ground to negotiate a wage with no experience. Some just get luckier than others and land a good job in a hospital setting right off the bat.
I thought I hated nursing my first semester first day in LTC but once I got comfortable I loved it. Then this semester I thought I hated med surge when we had clinical and we just had peds/ob rotation and I actually was missing med surge where we were running around like crazy. Haha. I think sometimes you just think you don't like an area of nursing until you get comfortable and become good at the routine. If you aren't really into bedside the OR is pretty amazing. I had a day in the OR and really loved it. You never know until you get a taste of everything.
Am I the only one who's confused as to why the OP is passing meds as a CNA? Does this happen often?? eep...
(To the OP, everyone else has summed it up nicely: nursing is hard (and dirty) but yes, rewarding in it's own way. If you are not 100% in it, then find something else before you end up regretting wasting all that time and energy on a degree you despise. Good luck with your decision, regardless.)
Agencies can train employees in medication administration, at least in my state. Working for a non-profit doing direct support, I pass meds in some residential homes. Those trained in medication administration cannot perform med math or make judgment calls needing major assessments, but they can pass medications. This includes emergency medications such as diastat and epipen as well.
I don't really know how I feel about it because, as a nursing student, all of the information I learned during training was pretty basic and does not at all compare to what I learned in school. I think med aides and such are probably mainly utilized for LTC with stable patients.
Am I the only one who's confused as to why the OP is passing meds as a CNA? Does this happen often?? eep...
(To the OP, everyone else has summed it up nicely: nursing is hard (and dirty) but yes, rewarding in it's own way. If you are not 100% in it, then find something else before you end up regretting wasting all that time and energy on a degree you despise. Good luck with your decision, regardless.)
I don't mind the body fluids or the bedside nursing much; you get used to it. With experience, it becomes second nature. What does bother me is the constant complaining from patients. Since hospitals are paid according to patient satisfaction scores, you will find you spend more time pampering them and their family members with constant ice, snacks, blankets, pillows, etc., than you do actual nursing duties. Just today I was tending to my new admit, with advanced dementia who was projective vomiting green fluid. While I was with this patient, another patient was completely P.O.'d because she rang her bell for something frivolous and I didn't come running. She went to administration and accused me of being rude to her. So I get yanked into adm. office and talked to. This is what real nursing is all about~ you will be expected to be in every room every minute, all the while you are dealing with labs, doctors, codes, etc. You will rarely eat or pee. If anything goes wrong, it will be the nurse's fault, period. Unless you live in a state that restricts the number of patients you have, you will probably have 7-8 patients. Body fluids and/or poop will be the least of your concerns. Catering to administration, doctors, drug seekers, attention seekers, etc., will be more important than saving anyone's life. There once was a time when I was respected as an RN, but that was years ago. Bedside nursing is an extremely depressing job with few rewards. Sorry if I sound so down, but you asked for opinions. I personally am trying to get out of nursing altogether, and I would not recommend it to anyone anymore.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Hmmm......I got a job 6 months ago as a May 2011 new grad with ZERO experience. Applied to well over 20 tech positions, never even got an interview. I got a new grad ICU position in a hospital I had never stepped foot into for clinical, capstone, or work before in my life. Hard work, good grades, BSN, and a good personality/rapport during my interview combined with previous management experience (nursing is 2nd career) earned me the privilege of this job offer. So nope, you do not need experience. Would I recommend it given the current job climate? Absolutely. But I cannot dash the dreams of a new grad simply because they lack experience. 100% truth and fact. No lies here. And, if I am reading this right in your reference to "Oz", well....I can 100% guarantee you a job can be had with no previous experience. At least 25% of my graduating class got a new grad job with no previous health care experience. :)
To the OP....if you do not like bedside nursing, get out now. I have only been an RN on a hospital unit for 4 months. Yesterday alone, I cleaned up no less than 8 bowel movements. Complete linen changes. Suctioned vomit out of an intubated patients mouth. Held a Kleenex while a patient spit sputum into it. Dumped urine down my arm when the bedpan slipped on the 1 occasion my patient actually asked for a bedpan! I have had ascites draining on my scrubs while doing chest compressions. And yes, we have 2 techs/cnas on each shift. They are busy with other stuff (EKG's, finger sticks, etc) and are not simply at our disposal 24/7. In my opinion, the initials after your name do not dictate your duties. RN does not exempt you from doing the work of a tech, spouse, therapist, housekeeping, chef, and whipping post. Thankfully, I realized all of this and still signed up for the task. To me, a patient telling me thank you is all that I need to make all the gross stuff worth it. I am darn proud of everything I do as an RN. :redbeathe:nurse:
I think most of us are referencing that you can't get a great paying desk job that requires no patient contact, as a "RN", with no bedside experience...... let alone get through nursing school without being at the bedside and wiping a few behinds. I am sure there will an anecdotal account of how that has been done before by someone somewhere at sometime along the line....but those opportunities are far and few between:o in the best case scenario.
I agree that hard work, good grades, good personality, and previously having a successful career with management experience, helped you to get that job and not necessarily the BSN. That you have been previously employed and been successful enough to have a management position shows you have experience on how to be and what is expected from good employee.
So, in essence, you had previous experience in the working world and shown to be dependable and hard working. Which goes a long way towards being hired by anyone. Most of us nurses are used to a 85% to 90% employment post graduation not25%. So, it is an issue in the current climate of graduating and not finding gainful employment. A 100% guarantee that only a quarter of your entire nursing class will be able to find gainful employment after spending thousands of dollars on an education is shocking and sad. There is NO nursing shortage.
You, however, sound like an excellent addition to the profession:yeah:.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I don't mind the body fluids or the bedside nursing much; you get used to it. With experience, it becomes second nature. What does bother me is the constant complaining from patients. Since hospitals are paid according to patient satisfaction scores, you will find you spend more time pampering them and their family members with constant ice, snacks, blankets, pillows, etc., than you do actual nursing duties.
Just today I was tending to my new admit, with advanced dementia who was projective vomiting green fluid. While I was with this patient, another patient was completely P.O.'d because she rang her bell for something frivolous and I didn't come running. She went to administration and accused me of being rude to her. So I get yanked into adm. office and talked to.
This is what real nursing is all about~ you will be expected to be in every room every minute, all the while you are dealing with labs, doctors, codes, etc. You will rarely eat or pee. If anything goes wrong, it will be the nurse's fault, period. Unless you live in a state that restricts the number of patients you have, you will probably have 7-8 patients. Body fluids and/or poop will be the least of your concerns. Catering to administration, doctors, drug seekers, attention seekers, etc., will be more important than saving anyone's life.
There once was a time when I was respected as an RN, but that was years ago. Bedside nursing is an extremely depressing job with few rewards. Sorry if I sound so down, but you asked for opinions. I personally am trying to get out of nursing altogether, and I would not recommend it to anyone anymore.
It always amazes me how many people I see start a career and have no idea what is involved. Most nurses are bed side nurses. If you look up the definition of nursing or look up the history. You will see what nurses have done and are doing to this day. If you don't like it find something else. I've been a nurse for 33 years. Seems the influx of new nurses that come in the the ICU an ED can't wait to leave is increasing . It's like they are astonished at the responsibility, the hours, the work load and the general life of a nurse. What the heck are they learning is school. Seems evidence based nursing need to teach a little about real life.
I have had ascites draining on my scrubs while doing chest compressions. And yes, we have 2 techs/cnas on each shift. They are busy with other stuff (EKG's, finger sticks, etc) and are not simply at our disposal 24/7. In my opinion, the initials after your name do not dictate your duties. RN does not exempt you from doing the work of a tech, spouse, therapist, housekeeping, chef, and whipping post. Thankfully, I realized all of this and still signed up for the task. To me, a patient telling me thank you is all that I need to make all the gross stuff worth it. I am darn proud of everything I do as an RN. :redbeathe:nurse:
ChinupBSNRN
29 Posts
Hmmm......I got a job 6 months ago as a May 2011 new grad with ZERO experience. Applied to well over 20 tech positions, never even got an interview. I got a new grad ICU position in a hospital I had never stepped foot into for clinical, capstone, or work before in my life. Hard work, good grades, BSN, and a good personality/rapport during my interview combined with previous management experience (nursing is 2nd career) earned me the privilege of this job offer. So nope, you do not need experience. Would I recommend it given the current job climate? Absolutely. But I cannot dash the dreams of a new grad simply because they lack experience. 100% truth and fact. No lies here. And, if I am reading this right in your reference to "Oz", well....I can 100% guarantee you a job can be had with no previous experience. At least 25% of my graduating class got a new grad job with no previous healthcare experience. :)
To the OP....if you do not like bedside nursing, get out now. I have only been an RN on a hospital unit for 4 months. Yesterday alone, I cleaned up no less than 8 bowel movements. Complete linen changes. Suctioned vomit out of an intubated patients mouth. Held a kleenex while a patient spit sputum into it. Dumped urine down my arm when the bedpan slipped on the 1 occasion my patient actually asked for a bedpan!
I have had ascites draining on my scrubs while doing chest compressions. And yes, we have 2 techs/cna's on each shift. They are busy with other stuff (EKG's, finger sticks, etc) and are not simply at our disposal 24/7. In my opinion, the initials after your name do not dictate your duties. RN does not exempt you from doing the work of a tech, spouse, therapist, housekeeping, chef, and whipping post. Thankfully, I realized all of this and still signed up for the task. To me, a patient telling me thank you is all that I need to make all the gross stuff worth it. I am darn proud of everything I do as an RN. :redbeathe:nurse: