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.
I've always been open to take any unit that makes an offer, my "dream job" isn't really a unit but rather a team. (As unrealistic as that may be) Still I find it a bit amusing how times have changed. When I graduated nursing school 6 years ago everyone wanted to be on med surge, a good portion wanted to go into PICU/OB but once they experienced having to treat kids in critical condition is not the same as giving them a check up. I had my final rotation in a PICU, It was heart breaking, eye opening but I loved how the floor functioned and how much of a team effort was made. Everyone worked together from the RNs to the doctors to the transporters. It was far from perfect but they had a great support system.
And if chasing my goals makes me a princess then oh well. I don't give a ****.
Employers would have no problem kicking workers to the side. You are your best advocate and you have to look out for you.
It wasn't in my best interests to work on a floor that would throw me into a charge role just a few months without orientation.
It wasn't in my best interest to stick around at a place that expected me to sit with patients while taking care of seven people who essentially without a nurse while I was forced to sit.
It was not in my best interests to stay at a place where I was harassed both verbally and sexually.
You don't know my situation but feel free to judge since that is what you seem to be good at.
Funny you say you could never work in a nursing home, because it wasn't even 'on my radar', but I ended up at one, and am still there, although that's a whole 'nother story.
But on the 'hating nursing' thing, I'm only speaking for myself obviously, but I suspect this is true for a bunch of nurses these days: I really like a lot of the patient care, dealing with patients, their families/friends (well, *most* of them :^) - and the same thing with co-workers) ... it's the over-/repetitious documentation I hate, and some other things that have been dumped on us that are making me get out late almost every day.
Another way to put it is, the actual nursing part can be good, often rewarding, but the management/corporate part can suck.
Taken in the entirety of *my* experience, I like nursing... which means that there are aspects that I find very rewarding and fulfilling but also aspects that I detest as well as a whole spectrum of things in between but that, blended together multiplying severity by frequency and summing them up, it's generally positive... and capped off by an excellent wage in a very stable job.
In the ED I get to see a bit of everything, and sometimes a bit more than I'd like to. I'm rarely bored and the time goes by quickly. I work with some excellent people in whose number I consider myself privileged to be counted. I'm sometimes able to make a tangible difference in the lives of some people, either through my competence or through my personality. On occasion I've felt that having me specifically as the nurse has made a difference for a patient.
I've also been threatened, kicked, spat upon, insulted and otherwise belittled. I have had my character challenged as well as my competence. I have been overworked and undersupported. I have been held accountable for things that were far out of my control. I've had my livelihood threatened as well as my life. I have been grossly undercompensated and over qualified for a job.
Some good, some bad. On average, though, the scale in this neck of the woods tilts solidly in the "like" region.
Love? Nope. That's a word that I use to describe my spouse, my kid, my siblings, my dog... flying, reading, and hiking... wonderful music and beautiful art... stunning seascapes and awesome mountain views... singing songs around the campfire and the view of the stars from the pitch-black mountains.
Nursing is my job... better than many and worse than some, but one which I choose to do in exchange for a fair wage and one which I am very thankful to have.
I am not a new nurse, more than a quarter century experience. That has been done at the same PCU all those years, working agency to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I love my work, what I do, but sometimes the job, what I do for my employer, gets to me. Really, you sound like this is a passion, and as long as you remain patient focused, you will love what you do. Attitude is paramount and most of the new nurses come out a victim of their culture, not ready for adversity, pretty self-centered and afraid of failure. The best way to learn is to try, and to try is to fail, lesson learned. Don't let the disillusioned people detract from your dreams, if you are doing what you were created to do, it doesn't matter what someone else's experience is.
So I'm going to give you the best and honest answer about this. I've been an RN now for 4 years and I absolutely love it. The reason I love it is because I know what works well with my personality. For instance, when I worked in a nursing home setting, I was extremely stressed out by the amount of work and the amount of patients I had to care for. I felt that over whelming stress built up and I knew it was affecting me mentally and physically. I stayed for about a year and a half while I was finishing my BSN. After I quit the nursing home, I worked in hospice for a while and I LOVED it. It was my calling. The one on one with the patient, the type of comfort I could give to patients and their families made me truly happy and satisfied. I stayed there for a year and then I tried the hospital after I got my BSN. Once again, the hospital world was way too stressful and overwhelming. I now work as an Occupational Health nurse and I adore it. So here's the reasoning: you have to work in an environment that suites your personality matches who you are. The specialty you choose makes a big difference in your level of satisfaction. You do not need to stay in an area if you know you are getting burned out and stressed out. It's not fair to you or your patients.
So I'm going to give you the best and honest answer about this. I've been an RN now for 4 years and I absolutely love it. The reason I love it is because I know what works well with my personality. For instance, when I worked in a nursing home setting, I was extremely stressed out by the amount of work and the amount of patients I had to care for. I felt that over whelming stress built up and I knew it was affecting me mentally and physically. I stayed for about a year and a half while I was finishing my BSN. After I quit the nursing home, I worked in hospice for a while and I LOVED it. It was my calling. The one on one with the patient, the type of comfort I could give to patients and their families made me truly happy and satisfied. I stayed there for a year and then I tried the hospital after I got my BSN. Once again, the hospital world was way too stressful and overwhelming. I now work as an Occupational Health nurse and I adore it. So here's the reasoning: you have to work in an environment that suites your personality matches who you are. The specialty you choose makes a big difference in your level of satisfaction. You do not need to stay in an area if you know you are getting burned out and stressed out. It's not fair to you or your patients.
Thank you for your honest answer :)
I am glad you now work in a department that you adore now. I agree that people should try and get somewhere they can stand being in. Even if they don't "love" it, they should at least have the right to search around and find a place don't dread going to work everyday.
It wasn't in my best interest to stick around at a place that expected me to sit with patients while taking care of seven people who essentially without a nurse while I was forced to sit.
Thank you for noting this. This is one of the main reasons I want out. If anything happens to those other 7 pts , you are still responsible.Especially if they fall and crack their head open.
No one is going to care that you were 1:1 -ing a patient.
Specializes in vascular, med surg, home health , rehab,.
Why the distain for med/Surg? It's like its the armpit of nursing for new grads. Not "sexy" enough. It's the meat and potatoes of nursing. Yes its hard work. Its the area you can learn so much from. The variety of conditions, juggling patient loads, multiple diagnosis, consults. Tired of new grads stating yes, they wanted ICU but this is all they could get and then acting like they can't learn anything there. Meanwhile making all sorts of basic mistakes. Because its just med/surg right? Nothing to learn here.
I was just saying that it is unfortunate that a lot of nurses are not really given the time because lack of staff and sit with their patients like they used to. I didn't know there was a right answer, I was just expressing my empathy.
I, for one, have no desire to "sit with my patients." Perhaps that's why I've chosen to be an ED nurse... short-term, time-limited encounters (except for those horrid times that I draw a bunch of med-surg boarders).
I ever wanted to be was a nurse-with the exception of being a ballet star for the American Dance Company-I studied hard and researched and found out that I had the flexibility to work three days a week, not be a 9-5 job and could work at night were pluses for me, even as an adolescent.
It will be my 16th year in healthcare; I learned early on how healthcare has become a corporate machine for it's survival-for the worse, good or indifferent almost 16 years ago. Having that knowledge and looking at it practically has kept me in this business without burnout...as long as I am able to do my job competently, everything else is secondary, even altruistic reasons; that doesn't mean I don't dry tears give hugs, hi-five, pounds, stickers, and give people a laugh ; having that perspective ALLOWS me to be able to do those things AND MORE-I also have been paid well due to my knowledge of the business and have been an independent contractor and commanded to be paid handsomely for what I do; I do this every time unapologetically because I have no qualms being paid for the work that I do; pts keep me in business and living comfortably.
I have been a CNA, LPN, and RN...if I wasn't happy with this profession, I probably would've found something else to do, or married a rich man, lol. Seriously.
I have friends in healthcare, public safety, military, education, research, business, IT, real estate, construction, public health, social work...personality does not always transcend professions...the most important aspect in interacting with people, especially peers and the public is your expectations of YOU.
The only expectations that I have with myself is to remain objective and to maximize myself and my profession-I have made polices, helped make changes, and am involved in nursing activism; nursing is an encompassing career that allows the nursing the ability to do the core work-advocacy in EVERY level where nurses are ever present.
I started out outside the hospital setting; in a rehab hospital and in Pediatric Private Duty Home Health-two specialties-and didn't know it would lead me to what I do now-Pediatric Emergency; heck, I didn't think I would work in Pediatrics; and almost 11 years later-here I am.
You will have to make a decision about entering this business-if you look at it realistically and strategically, then that will be a great foundation-become involved in this profession as much as possible, and you may be one who can help shape it into what it was-at least I'm trying!
; having that perspective ALLOWS me to be able to do those things AND MORE-I also have been paid well due to my knowledge of the business and have been an independent contractor and commanded to be paid handsomely for what I do; I do this every time unapologetically because I have no qualms being paid for the work that I do; pts keep me in business and living comfortably.
Seriously.
Spuen
48 Posts
I've always been open to take any unit that makes an offer, my "dream job" isn't really a unit but rather a team. (As unrealistic as that may be) Still I find it a bit amusing how times have changed. When I graduated nursing school 6 years ago everyone wanted to be on med surge, a good portion wanted to go into PICU/OB but once they experienced having to treat kids in critical condition is not the same as giving them a check up. I had my final rotation in a PICU, It was heart breaking, eye opening but I loved how the floor functioned and how much of a team effort was made. Everyone worked together from the RNs to the doctors to the transporters. It was far from perfect but they had a great support system.