I graduated from nursing school 13 years ago and now I'm wondering, sheesh, can anyone can get into nursing? Can anyone get a license to work? Is the NCLEX failing anyone?
Pretty good pay attracts many and schools seem to be passing anyone through to fill the job openings. It is not an academic group so far in my experience which I think is so weird because I think medical issues are very complicated and difficult-- pathophysiology and understanding multiple organ system function/failure-- heavy stuff.
I am sadly disappointed by the caliber of some of the nurses. I've been working over 10 years in the hospital setting and I still feel I don't understand so much and someone with 1 year experience acts like they know it all. So what is in their head? I think taking care of sick people is a huge responsibility. So much to be on top off. Just being aware of what changes to be concerned about-- you know, when someone is going bad. Much responsibility. This is a serious business, nursing and most go to work to socialize. It makes me so angry.
Second issue, but not less important is that the majority don't want to take care of patients- they whine and complain -- so much negativity. Yes, if it wasn't for the money, they'd be out of there. They don't appreciate having a job and not being unemployed-- come on, have they looked at the unemployment rate? Too many have gone into nursing for the pay. The "caring" factor is down at the bottom of their list or just gone. I feel sorry for the patients. I have very hard shifts- up to 10 med/surg patients sometimes and it is so stressful. But really you gotta try to treat the patients like you'd want your family to be treated. Bring back the :heartbeat to nursing!
Or to put it in other words... I didn't go into nursing for the money... but I wouldn't have been able to pursue a nursing career if it didn't pay well enough. After 20-plus years as a software engineer, I longed to do something more meaningful with my life, yet nothing presented itself that would pay my mortgage, child support and whatnot. I came around to thinking about nursing (not many men think of nursing as an option right away... I sure didn't).
All that being said, it is a calling of sorts and if you don't have a caring attitude and a desire to help people and be a therapeutic, healing presence, you probably won't be a very good nurse. But djc1981 is right... we have a right to care what we get paid.
The NCLEX changed where I live 2 yrs ago April, from what I understand just by talking to some passing RN's and some that failed. criteria for the percentages of the categories of questions has increased. Personally I think that is a good thing, but it scares me also, I know I am a competent nurse but get the old test anxiety, so come spring of 09 I will be sweating it for my RN boards. I do agree some quality of nurses are not what I would want to take care of me or my family but does'nt all professions have that, for example the hair dresser who convinces you that a short do would look great and you had long hair for nine years..............just a thought...............really:loveya:
I don't see it as being one way or the other. You can care about patients AND want to make a good living. We work very hard and I don't think we are paid enough for all we do. I don't like the mindset that just because we help people for a living that we shouldn't be interested in the money.
Please dont lump all of the "new nurses" in that category. I am a new nurse and I didnt know how to start an IV when I began nor was I comfortable mixing up IV meds. But boy could I write a wicked APA formated paper!!
Fact is good or bad, nursing school is not what it used to be. Clinical time is tough to come by--think of all the nursing schools out there, think of all the students, there are only so many hospital floors where clinicals can take place. So that means nurses today need a good preceptor. Yet hospitals today need a nurse to hit the ground running, they look at staffing and in many hospitals if you have those magic initials RN behind your name then you can fill a hole in the schedules. It doesnt say RN (who has yet to start an IV) it just says RN.
New nurses need encouragement, they need to be told "Hey suzy-you ever see an thorecentisis? Dr Bhaja is getting ready to do one in 485, go watch" They need to be told "Suzy-you ever zero an Art line-here come with me"
I love to hear the stories of the more senior nurses who actually lived at their nursing schools which were in the hospital. I couldnt imagine. They came out of nursing school being house supervisors. Nursing school is not like that now, that is not our fault, just the way society it. The schools make money by having more students, they get in as many students as they can and then we have to battle with other schools for clinical floor time, that is a scarcity.
The NCLEX changed where I live 2 yrs ago April, from what I understand just by talking to some passing RN's and some that failed. criteria for the percentages of the categories of questions has increased. Personally I think that is a good thing, but it scares me also, I know I am a competent nurse but get the old test anxiety, so come spring of 09 I will be sweating it for my RN boards. I do agree some quality of nurses are not what I would want to take care of me or my family but does'nt all professions have that, for example the hair dresser who convinces you that a short do would look great and you had long hair for nine years..............just a thought...............really:loveya:
Thanks for acknowledging this particular sub-thread. I am particularly sensitive to this subject as I am currently studying to take the NCLEX as we speak (and taking the occasional break to let of steam on allnurses.com )
There is so much that we are expected to know to pass the boards. Nurses of a generation ago didn't have anywhere near the amount of drugs to worry about that today's NCLEX candidates are expected to know, and the level of interventions (from a medical knowledge perspective) expected of today's nurses is much higher. That's not to say that nurses educated 20 years ago aren't up to the task... they have learned to adapt through their years of experience to the changing nature of nursing and have developed the knowledge to carry off all of these tasks. But nursing education back in the day was much more heavily focused on applied and technical things like starting IV's and whatnot whereas it is much more focused on the application of theory and on the huge variety of pharmacological interventions and interactions... the assumption is that the technical skills will be taught by the hiring institution as needed for the particular unit.
I graduated near the top of my class, which was a highly motivated group of accelerated students... and I am still nervous about taking my NCLEX. The exam is hard enough.:uhoh21:
In it for the money? Are you kidding? No amount of money is worth all the heartache, backstabbing, whining, stress, and I could go on and on. Hearing someone say thank you for helping me, for making even a small, tiny, difference (yeah glory bound?) in someone's life. I work in LTC and if I can make the "golden years" happier for them then I have done my job, as well as meds, tx's, cleaning up puke, poop, pee, ya know all the p words! And lets not forget all the paperwork, upset family members and staff!! I love it, but surely not for the money which IMO isn't all that great for what we put up with!!!
it's not my pts who are experiencing my discontent.
rather, it is my pts where i seek refuge from.
leslie
I love this. I agree, I get energy from my patients, sometimes that's all I need to keep my head up and keep going. All the other junk: gossiping, backstabbing, etc, is just noise.
i was checking out the university of michigans 2007 employee salary chart (they are forced to release it). rns were consistently among the top paid employees (short of physicians and professors). they were usually paid much more than pts, ots, rts, and non-health professions like hr and accounting. salary outlook is subjective, but i personally think nursing is far from being poorly paid.
that being said, i think money definitely is a factor for me choosing nursing. i'll be making more than any of my friends when we graduate from college --and they're all liberal arts/business majors. i think the reason nurses have fought for decades for a fair wage is because of this nightingale attitude of being an indentured servant where "money" is a filthy word. nurses do need to stand up and demand what they are worth. do you think accountants or doctors chastise each other for thinking about money? of course not! it is important to care about your patients and give them the best care possible (obviously), but it is irritating when i hear nurses accuse one another of doing it for the money -- everyone should consider pay when choosing a career. i'd be worried about them if they didn't.
i agree...i don't think it's wrong for money to be a deciding factor in choosing a career...even if it's nursing. like i posted before...the cons would make anyone who went into the career soley for money leave. i mean it takes a crazy person to stay in nursing with all of the abuse. and trust me i am that crazy person. i believe that many of us that go into nursing want to answer a higher calling, want to be apart of something bigger than ourselves, and/or had great exp. with nurses. so my point is...if money is the only reason why you chose nursing...you won't stay because nursing is a difficult profession. however, it isn't wrong for money to be a deciding factor...this doesn't make you a horrible nurse.
i also, don't understand why everyone complains about skills...wouldn't you rather your nurse be able to think critically? learning skills come with time. if this is such an issue...nurses should advocate for a required internship that lasts a year for newbies. this intership should be focused more on clinical time than...classroom theory. i came from a bachelor's program and we only got 8hr/wk of clinical time, some semsters it was 16hr/wk, our last semester it was practicum. compared to the diploma nsg...this is a vacation.
I have to admit, money was a thought in my head when I went into nursing. Unfortunately no one told me that Iowa is the worst paid state in the US for pay. I tried something out of nursing for about six months and I have to admit it was easy. I loved it for about 3 months, and then was sooooo bored. (and I gained 10lbs.) Nursing is definitely not easy, but I think it is in my blood.
Specializes in Med/Surg since ‘96; PACU since ‘16.
please dont lump all of the "new nurses" in that category. i am a new nurse and i didnt know how to start an iv when i began nor was i comfortable mixing up iv meds. but boy could i write a wicked apa formated paper!!
oh my goodness that cracked me up- thank you so much. i graduated from a 4 yr program and i came out soooo darn unprepared to be a bedside med/surg nurse. well they really, really emphasized making sure the pillowcase openings faced away from the door, then i remember having a lab on giving bed baths and shaving someone's face so we got to practice on the one male student in our group. a little bit of lab on dressing changes- nowhere near enough. uh, that's it. a professor actually said, well, this is a bsn program so you really don't need to know/have a lot of bedside skills. you'll be managerial. (huh?)
fact is good or bad, nursing school is not what it used to be. clinical time is tough to come by--think of all the nursing schools out there, think of all the students, there are only so many hospital floors where clinicals can take place. so that means nurses today need a good preceptor. yet hospitals today need a nurse to hit the ground running, they look at staffing and in many hospitals if you have those magic initials rn behind your name then you can fill a hole in the schedules. it doesnt say rn (who has yet to start an iv) it just says rn.
i agree. it is scary to see that once a person has passed the nclex and gotten their license saying rn, she is released too soon (6 weeks?) and trusted too soon to take care of a group of patients.
new nurses need encouragement, they need to be told "hey suzy-you ever see an thorecentisis? dr bhaja is getting ready to do one in 485, go watch" they need to be told "suzy-you ever zero an art line-here come with me" new nurses also need to admit what they do not know, be honest and not be afraid to say they need help. sadly some are so arrogant they don't. i'm afraid to offer educational opportunities to new staff. some are just too stuck up to approach.
Great post!
)
I tried something out of nursing for about six months and I have to admit it was easy. I loved it for about 3 months, and then was sooooo bored. (and I gained 10lbs.) Nursing is definitely not easy, but I think it is in my blood.
Bill E. Rubin
366 Posts
Or to put it in other words... I didn't go into nursing for the money... but I wouldn't have been able to pursue a nursing career if it didn't pay well enough. After 20-plus years as a software engineer, I longed to do something more meaningful with my life, yet nothing presented itself that would pay my mortgage, child support and whatnot. I came around to thinking about nursing (not many men think of nursing as an option right away... I sure didn't).
All that being said, it is a calling of sorts and if you don't have a caring attitude and a desire to help people and be a therapeutic, healing presence, you probably won't be a very good nurse. But djc1981 is right... we have a right to care what we get paid.