What's your "honost" opinion of nursing?

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I'm a RN, and I'm just curious as to how everyone else honostly feels about nursing. The good and the bad.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Tele, ER, Military.

Well I'm not an RN yet...graduate in December. But honestly, if I would have known then what I know now I don't know if I would have gone into nursing. I definetely love the medical field but from what I've experienced during clinicals and school..its a whole lot of stress and responsibility. Maybe I was a bit naive before I started the program but I had no idea how much liability there is with being a nurse. You always hear about doctors having these huge malpractice suits thrown at them..but I just never heard the same for nursing. Needless to say, I enjoy nursing but I wish I would have known what i was truly getting myself into...just my two cents :twocents:

I'm a RN, and I'm just curious as to how everyone else honostly feels about nursing. The good and the bad.
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Specializes in Anesthesia: Peds, General, ENT, Trauma.

Well,

I love what I do on a daily basis! Some days I hate my job! I guess that means I have a love-hate thing happening! :redbeathe:argue:

Really, on the highest level, I absolutely love being a nurse. I get as much as I give to my patients. I really like being able to help people through some of the most emotional, terrifying, amazing moments of their lives.

Of course there are those days and patients....patient families :banghead:, administrators :banghead:, that make me wonder why I still do this.

HOWEVER, the good days out weigh the bad ones everytime!!:icon_hug:

In any job the bad comes with the good. For me the good I do and receive in nursing far outstrips the bad! Hopefully this will continue to be the case.

I guess I've rambled on enough today!:thnkg:

I'm not too eloquent, but I think the point has been made.

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Well I'm not an RN yet...graduate in December. But honestly, if I would have known then what I know now I don't know if I would have gone into nursing. I definetely love the medical field but from what I've experienced during clinicals and school..its a whole lot of stress and responsibility. Maybe I was a bit naive before I started the program but I had no idea how much liability there is with being a nurse. You always hear about doctors having these huge malpractice suits thrown at them..but I just never heard the same for nursing. Needless to say, I enjoy nursing but I wish I would have known what i was truly getting myself into...just my two cents :twocents:

I chuckle at myself when I think back to how I imagined it would be to practice nursing. I had hardly set foot in a hospital before my first clinical day, and it was the biggest eye opener of my life. Like you, I had no idea until that first day what I was getting myself into. I just knew that I was strong in science, loved people, and wanted to do something good. And I too doubted my decision until very recently. I used to wonder why on earth I didn't choose to be a teacher, or a psychiatrist, or a social worker, or a massage therapist, or a ventriliquist....anything but a nurse!! But, after 8 years of practicing nursing I now consider my blind entry into the profession one of the best things I've ever done and don't regret it one bit. I can't even begin to explain this change in a discussion board posting, but I can tell you that I'm proud of the work I do, and proud of my fellow nurses. So hang in there! Nursing might just surprise you again.

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I'm a RN, and I'm just curious as to how everyone else honostly feels about nursing. The good and the bad.

It's definitely a very rewarding field. No regrets about going into nursing. But I think it is very important what type of nursing you ultimately do. I found my whole ICU experience to be an experience in "brown stuff rolls downhill." Lots of stress, conflicting orders, not enough resources - and nurses are supposed to solve it all, know it all, grin and bare it, etc. Not for me. My new area, PACU, is more my style. Fast-paced, some adrenalin-type moments, not much patient continuity - without the ceaseless ICU grind. In fact, I really enjoy coming to work and can actually see myself settling into one unit/one hospital for the foreseable future.

So my ultimate thought - choose what area of nursing you go into with some care. There is a huge variety in the profession. The key is to find an area that you enjoy! Nursing allows you to "change careers" every few years - which is incredible. Also - the lifestyle kicks butt. I work 3 days a week - with some on-call to provide OT. Can't complain...as a Dad - I don't know of a comprable paying job (maybe on the FD) that gives so much time off.

Thoughts?

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Although I am not a RN yet, graduate in December........ I have to agree with most of the other posters. While it gives me a great since of accomplishment helping people, all of the politics and things that are invoved sometimes I wish they would just go away!!! But I really am looking forward to all of the nursing opportunities out there! (honneymoon phase)

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Thanks for all your replies. I work on a step down trauma unit in a big hospital, which I only plan on doing until next summer and then moving on. If anyone ever gets a chance download that old song by Poison titled Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Well that's how I feel about nursing. The good: I like the technicle aspect of nursing, and everyday at work I'm constantly seeing something I've never seen. We got a lot of run off from other units, for example I had four patients, one respiratory, one cardiac, one neuro, and one head trauma; even though I work on a trauma unit. The bad is: I feel like i'm constantly taking patients that don't belong on that unit like I had a fresh CVA patient, and a patient who had an excacerbation of his Cystic Fibrosis with SBO. I work on a trauma unit I remind you. The trauma I get are mostly GSW and most of the GSW patients are your typical gang bangers who were walking their grandma to church and some how got shot up. I'll be honost with you, I don't have compassion for these types, and most of them are strait up A-Holes along with their families and home boys. Or you get the one who got beat up with a baseball bat and is refusing any treatment and you have to reason with him over and over to just take this one med to prevent his seizures, and you don't care if he takes any other med but this one.

Well I switched to nights for a couple of reasons. You make more money, and the families are gone. HA! Much better times. There are a few patients who I like taking care of. I really like the critical patients who can die if you don't watch them. Our step down unit from what I hear would be considered an ICU at some smaller community hospitals. For some reason I'm really attracted to that acuity. I like having to breath for someone, kind of sick and twisted isn't it? But that's what I'm drawn too. So after I do my time here I'm going to go to an ICU. I'm going to go to a city which I'll finally be able to call home and which I should have done years ago. But finally I'll be home, and the good thing about nursing is, it can take me home.

-David H.

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This is off of the subject but as my graduation day nears I become more anxious about being able to find employment? I just had my light bulb moment? There may be a nursing shortage but not a shortage of new grads! I saw UMC and TMC offering new grads jobs but I really dont want to have to relocate all the way to Tucson. I am going to just relax as I start my preceptership in two weeks at county so maybe I will get lucky?

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I had to relocate to find a job. I went to UMC. I applied really early tho and got the position. Good thing about UMC is that if you apply online you will recieve a call either the same day or the next following day to schedule an interview. You may just have to do it.

-David

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