Why we don't hate nursing?

It's like a lot of things in life. Yes there are days and instances when I hate it, but I don't really hate the profession itself. It's actually overall a wonderful and noble line of work to be in and be associated with. Remind yourself of this when you are called upon to do something that is really hard, dirty, and disgusting to deal with. We are doing noble work that is good for mankind. And no, we aren't always recognized for that. That's the way I look at it all. And you aren't doing it just for yourself or your employer - you are doing it for your patients.

What do I like about nursing? Other than the pure pleasure that comes from getting paid to stab people for a living?

I kid....(Well, sometimes the stabbing is fun...)

I enjoy NURSING. I just don't enjoy all the BS that goes along with working as a nurse. Ridiculous staffing. Ridiculous TJC requirements. Ridiculous customer service stuff. Ridiculous charting demands. Ridiculous everyone else that works in the hospital that can say, "That's not my job, I'll get you the nurse," but if I say it's not MY job then I'm a lazy non-team player. Ridiculous staffing.

I love that I get to play with some scary meds and lots of tubes

It takes a TON of emotional maturity to be a nurse to deal with the extraneous factors in being a nurse...and sometimes a healthy dose of humor to get through it in order to handle those extraneous factors. :)

I enjoyed your post, OP.

I have always loved the machines that go "bing" - reference from Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life". Seriously, the technology is amazing & getting better every day. There is no better job for a control enthusiast (much better than a control freak, right?) than critical care nursing.

Love the profession, but sometimes hate the 'job'.

It's a privilege to work with so many people in the nursing profession, both clinically and professionally. I believe the job itself is rough and exhausting, but if you don't have the satisfaction at the end of the day that you helped change someones life by caring for them, then you're in the wrong profession.

Making a difference sounds cliche but you will. Over and over and over...You will find those extra few mins to offer comfort when the docs and everyone else are in a rush. You will find the extra patience to explain something they don't understand to give them confidence to face their challenges. Your smile and bedside manner will make them less scared of the unknown. Yes if you take away all those stupid customer service, redundant charting, understaffing cr*p its the best damn job in the world! :)

I love nursing. Yes, sometimes staffing isn't great, then there is unit politics, ridiculous amount of charting, etc, but all in all I really enjoy my job. Helping families get through hard times and good times, and once in a while having time to do the really fun/meaningful stuff with parents in the NICU (ie getting their baby/babies out for a photo shoot together, taking a picture while they are away and decorating it for them) make it all worth while to me. I realize how lucky I am to have such a fantastic job.

Just to amplify a bit on the specific things I do like about nursing - I've always had an interest in science since I was a young boy in grade school (including the biological sciences) so this profession in a way takes that in. I've always had an inclination to help others, even from my earliest days. Nurses are encouraged to be analytical and critical thinkers who tend to think logically, and I've always steered in that direction anyhow. But yet at the same time we are called sometimes to "think with our hearts", as in fact most of our patients & their families do when we deal with them, and again I have this side to my personal makeup too. One of the tricks is knowing when to wear the proper hat so to speak, and to discern properly when to be one or the other, or both simultaneously.

All of the work politics and rat race BS you can keep if that's your enjoyment (some people seem to like it and revel in it - but it's definitely not me). You can get that in any business at any workplace - you don't have to be a healthcare worker to get any of that. The things that I enjoy about this line of work are the things that really make it unique. And there are so many options available and so many roads you can take in this field - that's the one thing I find to be really remarkable.