WHY do so many people hate nursing? Sigh.

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I feel like everywhere I go people are expressing their hate for nursing rather than their love. I want to go into nursing, and I want to love it. WHY does everyone (almost) hate it so much? Is it really that bad? Can someone express their love for it? I would really enjoy hearing why you love your nursing job.

Personally I could never work in a nursing home, but my goal is to work in the OB/NICU or the ER.

Thanks!

- Super desperate pre-nursing student venting

And I'm glad you are out of there, because it doesn't sound safe.

I had 12 weeks orientation, huge support, etc.

Then again, the hospital in which I worked was pretty great across the board.

Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Sorry you had such a bad time on med surg. I assure you that is not typically the norm. I assume specialty areas do offer more training due to the "higher liability." Every facility is different with the training programs it has, I assure you.

I had an excellent orientation on med surg. I got 12 full weeks with a preceptor who sat with me each night discussing care plans,disease processes, and doctors orders. She taught me to be a proactive patient advocate.

Hopefully nicu works out well for you. Thank goodness for the specialty areas...I know I couldn't do nicu!

Your orientation sounds like a dream. I wish I had a supportive environment in my first nursing job. Instead, here I am, less than a year experience and already quite jaded. :(

Just once I'd like to read a thread by some pre-nursing butterfly who's dream job is to be a really good med-surg nurse.

Enough already with the NICU/PICU/OB princesses.

I work on a mixed peds/adult med surg unit. I like the variety of patients we get. I am thinking seriously about specializing in med-surg.

Theprincessbride:

Actually, 12 weeks for someone with less than a year's experience in an unrelated field seems inadequate for NICU. I would not be confident in having a grad nurse just off 12 weeks orientation responsible for my newborn. 12 weeks in NICU seems about as insufficient as 6 weeks in Med Surg.

But hopefully when the 12 weeks is up, you'll feel adequately prepared for your responsibilities.

Personally, I wish people would be interested in working home health as a plan A, though that Med surg is one of the better starting points for it as well.

I do not hate nursing, I have been a nurse for 34 years and a NP for 11. But I no longer have "rose-colored glasses" on. I see nursing with all its warts and faults. And when I started, I loved (and still do) oncology, but as I am slowing down, I am seriously considering going to work in a nursing home (and as a NP I have been in many,) and have it narrowed down to two (non-profit) facilities in my area. One has only nice residents and staff, people who are nasty (not confused nasty, alert and oriented nasty) are not allowed in (they have a waiting list and an interview procedure before you get in.) That one is the top of my list - at this point in my life nice counts.....

OP, let me say one thing to your dream of Peds/NICU - two or more years of med/surg will serve you well before one of these specialties. You have more time with adults (in general) before an error is critical. Premies - if you "oops" it is MUCH more crucial mainly because of body size (a med error in a 200lb adult versus a med error in a 3lb baby, for example.) And if you ever want to go on, as another poster said, years of head-to-toe assessments, time management, etc learned on a med/surg floor make working on an advanced degree much easier.

I don't think I ever said, I hate nursing but I have vented about working situation and before my new job I was employed at a chronically understaffed, and very unsafe patient situation! I left that place in 5 months and don't even care if I got a contract and sign on bonus of $10k. Take your money back but I am not losing my license because that place is just UNSAFE!! This hospital is a magnet hospital btw. Scary huh?

Now I got hired at a smaller hospital in there ICU on days! When God closes a door (well, I actually ran out of that door haha!), He opens a window! Best decision I have ever made!

Thanks everyone for the info!

Thank you for posting this question....I'm a new nurse, second career! I work as a CNA with the elderly, and currently looking for my first hospital job. I went to a straight through masters program, and yes healthcare is at a time of much change. And it is not an easy money job...it's a lot of work, and it's usually well compensated. I love working hard...I choose nursing because I don't want to sit on my butt for my life. I like how physically demanding it can be, and I want to contribute to help people feel better. I get somewhat upset when I read posts where people say it's just a paycheck to them, or they are happy when they do nothing all day...it's called work for a reason!!! I also don't agree with someone who posted "you will understand when you are older"... you seem pretty bright to me right now as you've reached out on this forum to get a multitude of opinions and experiences in order to have a better experience yourself. I think that shows initiative and curiosity which are two excellent attributes for a nurse.

As far as obtaining your work in ER or OB NICU I agree with people who have posted here to try to get some emergency room experiences as a tech, or volunteer in a NICU or even start a new club Ob/nicu, at your school to invite speakers. I think that would be very smart because you could put that on your resume and it shows that you are proactive. I saw how that helped people in my class to get into the specialties they wanted.

I did post an entry about my passion for nursing and you can find that entry by clicking my username-- i believe you can read my other entry that way.

@RachealAnne

I was fortunate to obtain employment as a new grad into an ICU and I have in my opinion grown appropriately. It is not impossible to do so yourself. One of the biggest offenses a future nurse can do is to not work as a CNA. Whether you work in LTC or in a hospital you will experience first hand what nursing is about as CNA work transcribes into RN work but with added responsibility and duties.

No matter what environment you work as a nurse you will have fellow nurses that continually vent about job satisfaction, patient census, patient complexity, etc. If you get the opportunity to be hired in a hospital after graduation working on a medical/surgical floor take advantage in honing your physical assessment skills, time management (5:1, 6:1) as learning to manage 5-6 fires will only help you manage 2 Blazers in an ICU. Medical/surgical floors are demanding and will wear you down but in most hospitals they are a stepping stone for future ICU or step down nurses.

Ask yourself why you want to be a nurse? I have to disagree with your observation stating everyone hates nursing, as not everyone is stuck in their choice for a career. Seeing a patient in the bed and doing everything you can to make their stay a positive one will make your experience grander. If a patient has hard feelings toward nursing staff they have obviously experienced a burned out nurse that is what I can a refrigerator nurse. A refrigerator nurse is a mechanical nurse that only functions on the task and do what they need to do for a paycheck. They neglect to learn about the patient and their needs and do what only has to be done.

I personally love my job as a nurse and for me, it is all about seeing my patients have a better, less fearful hospitalization. If I am able to play a part in this, and at the same time help them transition to a lower level of care I have done my job!

Good luck and I hope you find your reasons of why you want to be a nurse.

Just like anyone, in any job or profession I have days and sometimes only moments that I love or hate what I do. More precisely however, it is not what "I" do but under what conditions I have to do it. On the whole I love my job because at the end of the day there is always a measure of satisfaction in knowing that I did the very best that I could under the circumstances that I am given and the knowledge that I did something to positively affect someone else's life. So for me it is a selfishness I suppose, no matter what area I am working in there is always something positive that I can draw from it; it gives me a sense of purpose and fulfillment. I do it as much for myself as those I help! Keep at it RachealAnne it is a very rewarding calling. 💞

I think that all new grads should work for a minimum of one year on a med surg floor. You get familiar with meds, IV therapies, disease processes, etc. by experience. Plus, you learn how to prioritize, how to organize yourself & get your work done, and work with other nurses.

I never understood hiring new grads for ICU, ER, PACU----they just do not have the experience, knowledge or skills to work in those areas. How can a nurse work in an ER when they have never started an IV, know how to read a 12 lead EKG, know what the signs & symptoms of different illnesses are, interpret lab results, etc.? How can a nurse work in an ICU when they have never even laid eyes on a vent or central line or PA catheter? Learn how to insert a Foley cath, start an IV, take ACLS & other certification courses, deal with patients & families, learn the routine---and then venture out into speciality areas.

There is very high potential for burnout in ANY unit---it has nothing to do with whether it is med surg, ICU, NICU, etc. It has to do with patient loads, nurse-patient ratios, facility administration. There is nothing wrong with working med surg---it has gotten a bad rep, but that is where you get your best experience from when you're a new nurse.

Just my opinion.

+ Add a Comment