So the thread "if you could do it over again, would you?" has really got me thinking, i went and researched some other medical forums, and pretty much NOBODY in healthcare recommends it to students/younger people, this includes :
nursing
optometry
MD/DO
Dentists
Pharmacy
why does everyone not like their jobs? i understand that nobody really likes their jobs, but almost every doctor, nurse, etc. told me if they could do it over again, they wouldnt, why is this? I have worked in business, retail, sales, and those fields suck and are unpredictable and i couldnt see myself doing that forever, but i always thought healthcare was different, you have a guranteed job, good pay, good benefits, good knowledge, room for advancement, helping others, so whats up with this?
If I had to sum it up....the fact that patients and patients families expect us to treat them as if they are in hotel and demand the right to "customer service" and that the management backs them up. Thats the number one thing I hate about being a nurse especially since nurses are overworked, underpaid and treated like crap from the patients/families. It will NEVER change and will only continue to get worse as our society in general continues to become more and more selfish.
But....you can always find a job and you make decent money if you do it the right way....so for those reasons I would mention it to people trying to figure out a career but in general nursing isnt the fairy-tale Florence Nightengale crap you thought of before you started working the real world. Its not about actually helping people b/c half of the patients could care less about you and if you dont kiss their ass then they report you to the managers who "take care of it"...instead of growing a backbone and telling the "clients" that we are NOT the Hilton Hotel and that we are not Burger King and you cant "have it your way!"...haha
In addition to that I'm going to add the fact that this world has gotten to sue happy and insurance companies can make life a living hell. You can't run the tests you need / can't hire enough staff, etc because insurance companies won't pay, but then you get sued when something goes wrong. We are in a business where CYA is a massive part of life.
maybe the ER is great but ask anyone what they think of Med/Surg and the nurses being "verbal" will tell you how "unhappy" they are with that particular area of the nursing field.................
I can only give you my viewpoint on this, I cannot speak for other nurses.
I am a new grad with almost 6 months on the job. I work on a telemetry unit with a little med/surg thrown in for variety. I have been lucky in that my unit has lots of good nurses (in fact, I did 2 clinical rotations here during school). They like to teach, like their jobs (most of the time), and really are sincere in their care for the pts and family. I have also experience the opposite as a student, which is why I interviewed here even before I graduated.
I think in most cases when you read posts where nurses are stating how much they hate what they do, it is because they either had a really tough shift with difficult patients and need to vent, or they are frustrated with the "political" side of nursing.
In my short time as a nurse, I have experienced both of these problems, and it can be frustrating. My reaction is to do what I need to on my shift, make sure the pts are well cared for to the best of my ability (and yes, I do ask for help alot!), and then go home and vent to a friend, coworker, etc. about what a horrible day I have had. I cannot count the times I have wanted to run screaming out of the hospital in the middle of a shift, or considered slapping a pt or their family (just kidding! but, really sometimes it is tempting!), or getting so fed up with the political "stuff" that keeps people from getting what they need.
Nursing is NOT a glamorous job, where we sail into the pts room, give meds, and chart our assessments and then go home. It is dirty, disgusting, ugly, stressful, exhausting work. At the same time, it is (for me) a career where I can go home knowing I have in some small way made a difference in someones life that needed me. A pt who is incontinent and needs to be cleaned. A family member who is watching their loved one die and just needs a hug, or a simple "I was thinking about you last night...Did you manage any sleep?" The thank yous' I get after a death for just being there and showing I care. The happiness I feel seeing a pt get discharged.
This more than makes up for the people who make me want to tear my hair out sometimes!
I actually had a pt tonight ask me if we had a laundry service!
So, to make a long answer short...I love what I do, but sometimes I hate it also, but usually only for a moment.
Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, Home Health, Oncology.
maybe the ER is great but ask anyone what they think of Med/Surg and the nurses being "verbal" will tell you how "unhappy" they are with that particular area of the nursing field.................
I work Med-Surg & have done so for 30+ yrs of my 40+ yrs working.
As I said in my earlier post--I love it!! I would do it again in a heartbeat. No ifs ands or buts about it.
I'm not in management, I work nites at the bedside. I gripe & complain about certain aspects of this job, but no matter what, at the end of the nite--I still love it.
Sure, I make good money now, but that wasn't always the case.
I don't care what anyone says about me & this job--I know it's worth while, & that's all I need.
I agree with a previous post on this thread. I think that maybe the view is skewed because when people are content/ happy they generally aren't very verbal about it. However, when people are unhappy they tend to be very verbal about it. Also, even if someone is happy in their job, sometimes a negative aspect of the job might be verbalized. I am guilty of this- I am constantly sick of the never-ending stream of paperwork that keeps me from caring for my patients. I had someone come to me the other day and say- Jeez Skip- You really don't like your job do you? I had to pause at that point and really think about how I was being perceived. I do like Nursing as a whole- but there are aspects that I do not like. Isn't it like this with most jobs? The wicked cool thing about nursing,however, is the ability to stay within the profession, but change jobs. If one is unhappy with Med-surge nursing- consider a different area. If one is unhappy with OB nursing- consider a different area etc,etc,etc..... Plus- there are a multitude of scheduling flexibilities. 8 hour or 12 hour shifts. Part time or full time options. The money in Nursing is decent. It is a decent living wage (at least in the mid-west in Michigan) Do we all want to make more money? HELL YES! But, again, the wage IMHO is decent.
To sum up: I like nursing, don't always like the BS, Hate the multitude of paperwork.
I think we are all very idealistic when starting our careers. When the light goes on that all is not roses and wine, it is hard to revamp. Most of us do. We go on to find our nitche and succeed.
No profession is perfect,not one. Well maybe stay at home MOM/DAD is one,,,,lol
Life and work is what u make of it. Complaining,constant anger and bitterness,make for a very unhappy person and work enviorment. Believe me, there are many like that in the work world.(all professions) One has to really like what they do, find their little piece of the pie and go forward.
Specializes in ICU, SDU, OR, RR, Ortho, Hospice RN.
"NOBODY" is the wrong word to use. There have been many posts on this and similar subjects here, and there are quite a few of us who would recommend nursing. I love my job. My daughter is following in my footsteps and I am proud of her.
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bill4745, RN
874 Posts
1. I love my job (ER).
2. Unhappy people are more verbal.