Whats to Enjoy about Nursing?

goinforitlpn · Feb 7, 2007

As with any profession or job there are going to be situations and "things" you will not like about nursing. You will find there will be stresses any where you go. You will find something to gripe about or someone else who is griping. Often times it is just venting.

As nurses we like to take care of people we even like to take care of each other, so when someone is doing a little venting we "listen" to them. We know it does not mean they do not like being a nurse anymore. It just means they are having a very stressful moment or day and need an understanding shoulder to lean on. We have all been there. Nursing is a very stressful profession, and if you, after hearing all the complaining feel you do not want to enter the field then you should not.

This is an excellent forum that allows nurses to bounce things off each other and vent if they need to. Some times they may not be able to do that at there place of employment, so this is an opportunity for them to get it all out while having other nurses give them feed back.

I have been a nurse for 29 years and certainly have done my fair share of "venting" about working conditions such as staffing, supervisors, other nurses who have made it more difficult to work on the floor, ratios, supplies etc, but not ever did I ever forget why I was there and what I got out of it personally, and it certainly does not mean I do not want to be a nurse. It just means that I do not like whatever it is I am complaining about at the time.

Nurses do not work with machines, computers or the like. We are responsible for the lives and the well being of humans that rely on our sound judgement each and every day. It is a noble profession that not everyone is successful in. There are some that shoud never have entered into it.

Please be sure that it is truly your calling because it is not an easy profession, the money really is not the best considering the conditions & hours, and the sacrifices you ultimately make. You obviously have heard the complaints so think it over carefully. Myself, well, after all these years I am finally working towards my RN because I love nursing and know I make a difference. Good luck and thank you so much for listening. :roll

payitforward · Feb 7, 2007

What's to enjoy?? Good Lord, only someone who has been doing this for a few years can tell you. I have been in the nursing field, since I was 14 years old. I started out volunteering at a local hospital, and now I am an LPN. What's to enjoy? Lets's see, there's:

1. The scared child in the ER who takes a liking to you even though their parents are there. Who hugs you afterwards.

2. The patients who bring you boxes of chocolate after they are discharged- just to say thank you.

3. The service man who just came back who you are taking care of who calls you at 2am to come to his room- just to talk.

4. Your co-worker who goes on a code with you, and even though the patient expires, you console each other because you ran a good code, and worked as a team.

I could go on. it's sometime a thankless job, but you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. The good days will ALWAYS out weigh the bad ones.

Any other nurses out there with me??

sayitgirl · Feb 7, 2007

Nursing is probably one of the few occupations that if you get tired of doing one aspect of it you can change and do something else.:roll

I love being a nurse, but it is not for everyone. If you do not enjoy it, you should change occupations .

peds77 · Feb 7, 2007

I've been a rn for 5 years and I used to love to go work, but lately I can not stand the lack of respect that rn's get from md's and pts/pts families...now don't take this wrong its not all md's or pts but the ones that do disrespect us and flat out treat us like crap have taken a huge toll on me.......I did not bust my butt in nursing school and I do not leave ny family for 12-14hrs a day so I can go to work and be treated like a servant or maid or in the md case an idiot thats less of a person bc i don't have md after my name........my biggest issue is that in the past year I haven't been able to hold it in and I have found myself in several confrontations with docs and families....any advice????????????

blueyesue · Feb 7, 2007

For those who are fed up, tell me how this sounds:

"I'll be happy when I have my house paid off"

"If only I had a boss who wasn't such a dictator"

"If only I had a husband who was more patient"

"If I could just have more time to myself"

"If only these people would leave me alone"

Anytime we think the problem is 'out there," that thought is the problem.

We give power to what's out there to control us. You are saying in essence: "What's out there has to change before I can change"

The proactive way is to BE different, to effect positive change in what's 'out there'

We are responsible for our own effectiveness and for our own happines.

I would highly reccomend the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. All these words come from the book.

.

sayitgirl · Feb 7, 2007

Not much information to go on, maybe it is time to change departments. Five years is a long time to be in one spot.

steve0123 · Feb 7, 2007

I've been in the game for seven years. What used to get me out of bed was knowing that I was doing something good that couldn't be bastardised for the profit of some fat cat somewhere. Now I've gone about 180 degrees, and I've come to realise that I was just deluded by youthful naivety. It took about seven years for me to really see and understand the true nature of the beast and all the interacting elements that continue to see the profession (as a whole) underpaid, overworked, and severely undervalued by both patient's and allied colleagues. So I amputated most of those altruistic attachments I once held to the job, and found myself a series of brilliantly paying contracts. I'm now roughly 75% in it for the money, and 25% in it because it's "what I do", at least as a stepping stone to my next career. Sorry Sissyboo, but this notion of nurses as angels from heaven with an unshakeable belief in back breaking labour being it's own reward is something that you'll soon learn doesn't really work in this day and age. What gets me out of bed these days (and I'm not the least bit ashamed to state this) is knowing just how fat my paycheck will be at the end of the week. And you know, I think I'm happier at work and provide much better patient care as a result!!!

Ann RN · Feb 7, 2007

I've been a rn for 5 years and I used to love to go work, but lately I can not stand the lack of respect that rn's get from md's and pts/pts families...now don't take this wrong its not all md's or pts but the ones that do disrespect us and flat out treat us like crap have taken a huge toll on me.......I did not bust my butt in nursing school and I do not leave ny family for 12-14hrs a day so I can go to work and be treated like a servant or maid or in the md case an idiot thats less of a person bc i don't have md after my name........my biggest issue is that in the past year I haven't been able to hold it in and I have found myself in several confrontations with docs and families....any advice????????????

1. Anger management

2. Stress management

3. Take some time off & regroup

Hoosiernurse, ADN, RN · Feb 7, 2007

I'm not there yet (still a nursing student), and neither am I a babe in the woods of life, either (37 years old, mother of 3). I think each person's feelings on here are valid and should be respected, but I find it aggravating how people who have a very "down" attitude about their work seem to almost hope the newer people will acquire their attitude. It's like they can't wait to see that spark in the eyes of the new nurse get snuffed out, so they will validate their own attitudes about nursing.

That has been my general perception of people in any walk of life. People who are down about something want others to stop being positive about it and commiserate with them. That's why I've always irritated so many of those types...I refuse to be pulled down. :coollook: :clown: There are down sides to everything in life, it's whether or not they are overwhelming for you, and whether or not there are enough "up" sides that you feel it's all worth it. That is purely perception, and it's going to be different from one person to another. What's intolerable to one is merely a tiny bump in the day of another.

One day I might decide that where I am in nursing is just not cutting it anymore, and I will find one of a thousand other things I can do within nursing instead, because that's the way I am...I see possibilities and I go for them.

I love the prospect of being able to move around and do so many different things in nursing. I will never stop learning, never stop using my head (and I've had jobs where I had to do pretty much nothing with my mind...bleah), never stop improving. As long as I have to work with other human beings, there are going to be politics, headaches, misunderstandings, meanness, slights...whatever. Some days I will come on this list and scream about them, and then I'll be back right where I belong the next day...being a nurse. That's normal and healthy stuff, you vent and then get back out there and find the good in things.

I can't wait to be a nurse because I was once the patient. I had peripartum cardiomyopathy, but have since healed from it. Still, I will always be on meds and I will always carry this insurance in my chest called an AICD. It was this event in my life that showed me I wanted to make a difference in cardiac nursing. I know that's where I belong, and everytime I learn more about it I just become that much more excited. When you love something and are driven to it that way, the little bits of inconvenience don't matter so much.

So I guess who we become in a few years as nurses purely depends on who we are inside right now, and how we're going to let things affect us, and what we do about it when they do. I'm sure it will be harder than I imagine, and more fulfilling than I've dreamed.

Cara

goinforitlpn · Feb 7, 2007

Nicely put Cara. You are right. Every ones feelings are right and ought to be validated. However there should never be anyone trying to take another's bright ideas and strong desires to have a future in nursing and marring them with thier own bad experiences. We are who we are! Allow no one to change that.There is so much potential for personal reward and growth in nursing.

Peds77 and AnnRN, we all share some stories that can taint the professiion if taken out of context by an inexperienced non-nursing or nursing person. Why do that? Why don't we let a bright mind learn themselves what is out there? Lord knows we need some sharp minds in this profession to join us. We are at an all time low there are not many people opting to get into it for a career. There does not seem to be a lot being done to fix this shortage.

There is something also to be said here though and realized...someone can not make you feel anything. You have to feel that something on your own.

If someone has come to the point that an MD or a pt. is making them feel less than who they feel they are, then it is time to take another look at what they are doing.

Perhaps 12 - 14 hour days are just too long for you to be dealing with demanding people. As nurses we all know the egotistical personalities of many physicians, and the demanding character of some pts. Now, if you combine these things with the every day demands of the job on top of long days, and day to day life outside of your job, well, eventually something somewhere has got to give.

I truly believe 12 -14 hour days can only be carried on for so long. Peds77, you may find you can deal with this MD, (who thinks the "MD" after the name gives them right to treat you as if you were a low form of life) with a little bit of edge, if you had a little more rest and felt more confident in yourself. Remember, this MD needs you and the other nurses 24/7 to complete his/her assessment of the pt. As far as demanding, demeaning pts. well they will always be with us, that is what makes the nursing world go 'round, but remember this, there are more ways to say #$@% u without actually saying it (don't every one go crazy on me here I am just figuratively speaking). And of course, it is always said with a smile.

Learn to pick and choose your battles. Draw the boundary lines where you will not allow anyone to cross. What do you find offensive? Do some soul searching. Figure out the answers. Once yuo do this set the boundary lines and allow no one to cross them. You can still maintain your professiionalism while not being taken advantage of.

You are afterall as human as the ones you are taking care of. Treat yourself as good as you treat them. It sounds like you are "burning out." If you are then you need to re-evaluate, and take inventory of what is important to you, and find the balance in your life and profession. Once you find the balance, you will need to create those boundaries and a plan to stick to them. If you do this you will return to the confident professional who will not allow this bully MD (who is most likely not satisfied with him/herself), and demanding pts. to interrupt another productful day again. Good Luck!

Payitforward I think you have the right idea! Very very postive!

blueyesue · Feb 7, 2007

I'm not there yet (still a nursing student), and neither am I a babe in the woods of life, either (37 years old, mother of 3). I think each person's feelings on here are valid and should be respected, but I find it aggravating how people who have a very "down" attitude about their work seem to almost hope the newer people will acquire their attitude. It's like they can't wait to see that spark in the eyes of the new nurse get snuffed out, so they will validate their own attitudes about nursing.
That has been my general perception of people in any walk of life. People who are down about something want others to stop being positive about it and commiserate with them. That's why I've always irritated so many of those types...I refuse to be pulled down. There are down sides to everything in life, it's whether or not they are overwhelming for you, and whether or not there are enough "up" sides that you feel it's all worth it. That is purely perception, and it's going to be different from one person to another. What's intolerable to one is merely a tiny bump in the day of another.
One day I might decide that where I am in nursing is just not cutting it anymore, and I will find one of a thousand other things I can do within nursing instead, because that's the way I am...I see possibilities and I go for them.
I love the prospect of being able to move around and do so many different things in nursing. I will never stop learning, never stop using my head (and I've had jobs where I had to do pretty much nothing with my mind...bleah), never stop improving. As long as I have to work with other human beings, there are going to be politics, headaches, misunderstandings, meanness, slights...whatever. Some days I will come on this list and scream about them, and then I'll be back right where I belong the next day...being a nurse. That's normal and healthy stuff, you vent and then get back out there and find the good in things.
I can't wait to be a nurse because I was once the patient. I had peripartum cardiomyopathy, but have since healed from it. Still, I will always be on meds and I will always carry this insurance in my chest called an AICD. It was this event in my life that showed me I wanted to make a difference in cardiac nursing. I know that's where I belong, and everytime I learn more about it I just become that much more excited. When you love something and are driven to it that way, the little bits of inconvenience don't matter so much.
So I guess who we become in a few years as nurses purely depends on who we are inside right now, and how we're going to let things affect us, and what we do about it when they do. I'm sure it will be harder than I imagine, and more fulfilling than I've dreamed.
Cara

:yelclap:

rnanm · Feb 7, 2007

I am so sorry you are seeing the many complaints about nursing, but the reality is there for each of us to learn from. It is up to you to decide how you will practiice, set boundaries, give of yourself freely or with reservation.

I have been a nurse for 26 years and still feel compassion and empathy for my patients. I love teaching new grads and meeting the challenges nursing presents these days. Please stay strong and give yourself a chance to make a difference. Ignore the few who hate nursing because they will burn out soon enough. I welcome you with open arms. Good luck in your future nursing goals.:smilecoffeecup: