Who actually likes nursing??

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2012

Hi, there. Visit our Success Stories In Nursing forum to read all about the nurses who love what they do. Click on the link below to get there.

Success Stories in Nursing

Keep in mind that anonymous internet forums are ripe for negative venting. When people have a good day at work, they typically do not feel the need to vent or talk about it. However, when people have the shift from hell, they vent away.

It is similar to having a bad experience at a restaurant. If the service was good, you might tell a few people, but you're certainly going to tell everyone you know if the service was horrible. It is part of human nature to broadcast the negative.

Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2012

I like nursing. I don't like the business model of healthcare delivery, where patient safety takes a back seat to profit.

I feel a great responsibility toward the patients who trust me to keep them safe, and it drives me crazy how upper management makes cost cutting decisions that directly impact my ability to do that.

I like taking care of people. I like making a difference. I don't like being expected to do more and more with less and less, while simultaneously being expected to make the patient happy so that they will give the organization good marks on their satisfaction survey.

I am a nurse; not a waitress, not a maid, not a customer service rep. My job is to help the patient achieve their maximum level of wellness. It is not to kiss their behind or enable their dysfunction for the sake of hospital reimbursement.

I do not simply follow doctors' orders or perform tasks. I practice the profession of nursing.

I love nursing. I hate the "job" that is "nurse". Do you see the distinction?

Genista, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2012

Hi there. Hope you don't mind if I respond. Sorry if the vents posted here are discouraging for you as a student. I have vented here myself many times. For me, nursing is a love-hate relationship. I did enjoy working inpatient hospice for awhile. It was my most favorite specialty of the 4 I have tried. I felt like taking care of end of life patients and their families was the deepest honor. It was very rewarding to be able to provide care and help make a difficult situation a little more bearable. There was a lot of teaching & listening in end of life care, and I enjoyed that also.

It is not the job of being an RN itself that I dislike. It is the working conditions and having so much responsibility for human lives but having a workload that feels like you are barely able to keep up. Healthcare today is a business, and we work under intense pressures. We vent here because no one else understands the stress and pressures of the job. I hope the negativity we express here doesn't completely discourage you. That is personally not my intention. I come here for support & to connect with others. There are many wonderful things about being a nurse. Currently, I work part time, do interesting & somewhat meaningful (at times) work, and make a great wage. However, my workload is challenging and the responsibilities are great. It is wearing on my spirit and health. Like many jobs, you just have no idea what you are getting into until you are deeply into it. :-)

I wish you much success & satisfaction in your journey! Please know that many of us who vent, actually would like to stay in the field if the workload and pace were safer and more manageable. I went into nursing because I found health/wellness interesting & I enjoy the critical thinking & helping others. I look forward to hearing other responses, too, to your post as I am still looking for a great place in nursing (or somewhere else entirely) to fit in. Good luck to you!

wooh, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2012

I like nursing. I don't like the business model of healthcare delivery, where patient safety takes a back seat to profit.

That. Exactly how I feel.

BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2012

I third that, I didn't minor in Hospitality:)!!!

I am perfectly fine with cleaning a rear end, but don't make me kiss it!

Daisy_08, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2012

I love my job as a whole. Compared to past jobs, placments, floors ive floted to. This is what i like the most. I like to really provide care, teching, and learning my self. I also work with a great group, that can make or break any job. Don't like to chart, having to be jack of all trades and least of all the politics!

Laught3r · Dec 21, 2012

I agree with the first responder that you only have something to say when it goes wrong. I perfectly love nursing. I love taking care of my patients and their families. I like many nurses do not like the fact that hospitals are now being ran like hotels. We do not have time to cater to people like hotel concierge. We must put their safety first. If you are to have surgery, you may not have ice chips for you may aspirate during surgery, I know that you are thirsty, but NO. I know its hurts a patient to walk after surgery but i must get them up and make them use thier incentive spirometer. I care more about their care and health than if they get mad at me. Unfortunately I have been written up by patients and their families I have also been thanked by many families and patients. I have found that patient teaching is the single most important tol we have to get paitents and their families to understand the why behind our actions. i wish you peace and blessings in your journey into the world of nursing.

yuzzamatuzz · Dec 21, 2012

I love being a nurse. When I became I nurse I was expecting the difficult families. What I wasn't expecting was management that wants our inner city hospital to be a hotel yet they don't give us the staffing or supplies or resources to come even close to that. I never expected to have to run around looking for ambu bags, suction equipment, or IV poles. I did not expect to have management breathing down our throats about press-ganey scores but then they don't do their part by having the proper equipment or staffing. Most of the negative posts I see are about inadequate resources/staffing. I love being a nurse which is why I continue to do what I do, and I imagine that is the same for most people. It is the good moments that outweigh the bad and make me come back for more. There's just a lot I would change.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Dec 21, 2012

You have to find where your love is-- I enjoy hospice, psych, detox, addictions.....for me, these areas of nursing are what inspire me as it is not a dog and pony show, it is as real as it gets. For others, it is something entirely different. So many areas of nursing rely on "survey says" questionnaires and how you interact with patients on a customer service level. I say, be appropriate, focused, and leave your own personal "stuff" at the door. However, that sometimes is not enough.

We all have bad days. Sometimes there's a vent on here that either someone is going to say "ya, me too" or "stop, look, listen and move on". Lively debate. Encouragement. A "CYA" from someone who has been there. But don't ever base your future plans solely on the content of a message board. Weigh the pros and cons equally, look to your family for support and encouragement. Good luck in your studies, and remember EVERY job can appear to be really awful at one time or another. Be mindful in your clinicals of what hospitals and floors seem to encourage and support their staff, and where it is you perhaps would like to work. With a master's level, you can do a whole lot of a whole lot. You may find you want to teach or research.

Best of luck to you in your endevours, and really talk to Mom and Dad and get their thoughts in helping to plan your future. As parents we LOVE that! LOL!

iluvivt, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2012

I too love my profession. I also have 2 jobs,one in a busy hospital and one in home infusion. Yes there are many aspects of the job that I do not like and most of those are in the hospital.

I despise the punitive nature of nursing and the whole system of incident reports. I think they are out of hand and there is much better way to handle some of the problems that arise in complex healthcare environments.

I also despise the culture of customer service and the fact that reimbursement is tied to patient satisfaction. I refuse to call a patient a customer. What group of idiots thought this was a good idea. New studies show that patients that are the most satisfied had a higher rate of complications and mortality. That is not shocking to me. So a post op patient does not want to get up and ambulate and maybe now in this culture you do not give them a little nudge and oops they get a PE. Is any nurse or health care professional surprised...NO we are not!

I live and work in Ca so we have ratios but I used to despise the horrid systems we used to use for staffing. Most all other states use these horrid systems to monitor and justify horrible staffing. You can get an in and out burger in a few minutes because there are gobs of employees to get that for you..but go into any American hospital and care is often delayed when it should not be and I am not talking about routine care that can wait.

I cannot stand that our EDs are used as clinics and the nurses there are often overwhelmed. There has to be a better way.

Since I do have 2 jobs there are endless certifications and mandatory things I am constantly doing. I can deal with that but it used to not be this much.

There are many more but I am good at adapting and somewhat enjoy working in a fast paced environment. I also have been able to have a good say in policy and how we do things and have many many good changes but I agree Nursing is is not for the faint of heart at least not in the hospital setting.

CT Pixie, BSN, RN · Dec 21, 2012

I do! As I've said in many posts, I do love my job, I love being a nurse. But there are days (sometimes many in the same week) that I want to walk up to my DON, hand her my license and walk out the door never to look back or return again. But that has more to do with the politics, insane family members and out of control new 'policies' that hinder my ability to be a nurse and turn me into a secretary or paper pusher.

But more often than not, I love being a nurse :)