What's harder? NS or your first job as new RN?

Nurses New Nurse

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I am about to start NS and am a little worried about the stress for the next few years. I keep thinking that it will go by fast and I'll be done. But then I was thinking... what if being a brand new nurse is just as stressful as school???? Is this really going to be worth it? Right now, I stay at home with my kids and do not work. I am worried that I will regret my decision to go back to school/work if nursing is as stressful and miserable as so many nurses seem to be...

So for those of you who completed nursing school and are now working, is it easier than when you were in school? Do you like your job? Would you have chose to do something different?

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I would say two completely different kinds of stress but both are stressful. In my nursing school we constantly had multiple class assignments due and I saw numerous students break down in the middle of class or a test. Also by the time we graduated quite a few of my friends were on anti-anxiety medications. Personally for me my anxiety level improved once I started my job. Everyone handles it differently. I have never once regretted my career choice even after some of the worst shifts imaginable.

In my junior year the Student Nurse's Association was selling t-shirts to raise money. The slogan on the shirt read "Nursing: If it were easy everyone would do it." That pretty much sums it up.

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My first job. Times a thousand.

That said, I feel like a contributor to life in so many ways that it is so worth it to have gotten off the couch and out of the PTA...

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Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.

Probably nursing school. At least at work you know once you leave you can forget about it until tomorrow. With school it's a 24/7 raw deal

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I am one of those that thinks being a CNA first is worth it to see if nursing is really for you. That being said now that I am an RN I had no idea that it would be so different then being a CNA. Way more responsibility, just so much more in depth. Way more period. But I couldn't imagine not being a nurses aid or tech before being a nurse. You get so much of your basic care skills down when you are a CNA and you get a general idea of how it will be (as CNA we had 10 + patients).

I also believe you can be a perfictly good nurse without being a CNA beforehand. For me though it really helped as I am a slower, hands on type learner and having the CNA experience made the transition to RN easier for me. Also I wanted to start as a CNA before I invested alot of time into nursing school because I wanted to see if I could actually take care of people (besides my family).

Yes school is stressful and so is being a new nurse. Both in different ways. But to me it has been worth it. :redbeathe:nurse::redbeathe

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Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).

One of my classmates, who worked on my unit, used to say, "Remember when we thought nursing school was hard?" He had a good point. Actually, nursing school was hard, and with preplanning, careplans, homework, it was almost a 24/7 deal. Your first year as a nurse can eat up some of your free time, too--there is some studying, but not nearly as much. But I found the transition to working nurse a good bit more difficult. Some of that was pressure I put on myself, but some of it came with the job. I never imagined how much I would miss having an instructor breathing down my neck!

It is doable, though. And, for me and apparently a lot of other people, it does get easier after the first year or so. Some things that used to throw me have become more routine, and you kinda begin to think that if the world was going to end, it would have, by now. Sometimes I find myself hustling to get things done that I didn't even know I was supposed to do, a couple of years ago. I'm also noticing that my charge nurses have gotten away, somewhat, from making sure I had a fairly easy assignment. Still, I feel like I'm at least marginally competent, most of the time, and I don't really regret becoming a nurse. There are people in this world making minimum wage and stressing out over whether somebody gets their burger fast enough.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

Both hard in different ways, but when it comes down to it I am getting paid for working!!!! :yeah:vs having to pay to go to school!

FYI the stress of preparing for Nclex is the worse stress out there.

Also want to add, I am soooo happy I completed nursing school. I love my job. It is stressful but in a good way.

Best of luck on your exciting future!!!

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Specializes in NICU.

At the time I thought NS was pretty hard, but I'd vote for your first year of nursing. The thing about NS is that you eat, sleep (you wish) and dream NS and homework is always hanging over your head. Stress with your first nursing job is that there's no real way to prepare you for it. It's rough, but I'd do it again...at least today, LOL.

The thing is, don't equate stress with misery. While I have found both stressful, neither one has been miserable. A lot of it depends on your attitude. I did the best I could in NS and let the rest go and the same with working. Keep your family first--no reason you can't study with a toddler on your lap, or as my toddler preferred, sitting on my back while I lay on my belly to study :chuckle.

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"FYI the stress of preparing for Nclex is the worse stress out there."

Oh yeah I forgaot about that. (No wonder). Yes hands down stress of NCLEX is the worst. I have to say that the Neclex and waiting for the results far out stresses NS and the new job!!! I didn't ahandle the wait for results so well. Literally stayed up all night reading posts!!! YIKES!!

Don't let me scare you though I tend to over dramatize things sometimes.

I hope you decide to become a nurse.

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Once you have completed the dreaded nursing school part:bugeyes: you will love nursing.

at least I do...however.....nursing school prepares you somewhat...but the first year of nursing is where you will learn the real meat of nursing. I am a new nurse in a hospital......and i will tell you it is very challenging but very rewarding. I leave so frustrated some nites (3-11:30P shift) everything must be covered or else it comes back to the RN. eg labs, taking off orders, new med orders, dealing with family of patients, assesments and the list goes on.....:bugeyes:.....depending on acquity/admission/discharge I leave anywhere between 11:30-my latest 1:40am) due to charting. Time management for first year is major......I am getting better, thank God.....:)

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Specializes in NICU.

Nursing school was a walk in the park compared to my first year as a nurse.

It's something everyone has to go through, but it's over before you know it, and it's definitely worth it.

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I am in my second month as a new nurse in a MICU, and I can say that they are both hard, just different. Nursing school was just time consuming to me; not overly hard because if you put the time in to study and didn't procrastinate, you'd be fine.

My new job however...is hard. I already feel much better than my first day on the job, and my preceptor is freaking awesome (she actually teaches everything 'by the book' which is what I want). The things that make my job much harder are the little things you 'didn't see' in nursing school such as admitting/transferring patients while taking care of other patients, learning the insides and out of the hospital system, and all the while getting your phd in reading patient orders (still don't think I'll be able to read scribble after 10 more years :)

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