Will nursing grow on me?

One1, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2011

Your view on nursing is very negative. True, that's not to say that you can't eventually find your "niche" as someone suggested. However, many jobs that exclude some of the things you mentioned you dislike, require actual experience. For example, you can go to one of the main hospital or employment websites, type in/search for "RN case manager", and read what the qualifications are.
So unless you can endure some of the things you absolutely hate for a while, I'm not sure how great your options are. That's not meant to purposely discourage you, it's just being realistic. In this economy, it's not so easy to pick and choose anymore.

I agree that your opinion of nursing seems very negative. If you truly feel that way then your feelings will reflect in the kind of care you will give your patients. Not to say that you should consider cleaning bodily fluids the highlight of your shift, but your patients will pick up on your dislike of nursing. For your and your patients' sake you might want to consider finding a non-bedside nursing job.

LeighaChristineSN · Nov 19, 2011

You could be a nurse educator for diabetes or something though I don't know you may need floor experience for that. I feel like if you hate all aspects of it you probably won't like it in a few years. I guess I don't really know other than I can't imagine forcing myself to do something that I absolutely hate. Although you can get away from the hospital many nursing careers deal with blood, sputum and feces. I feel awful that this is how you feel, I graduate in less than a month and I am so excited for what comes next, hospital smell, exploding feces, and whatever else comes with it. I wish you luck and highly suggest you re-examine your path both for your mental health (doing something you hate is incrdible wearing on a person) and for your future co-workers (it's hard to work with people that hate what they are doing).

Studentsally · Nov 19, 2011

My advice would be to hang in there. You are almost done. I wasn't sure I'd like nursing either when I was in nursing school. I'd never had any desire to be a nurse but at the time it was where the jobs were. I've been a nurse for 32 years and I don't regret one minute of it. The first year is hard, but once you get the hang of it and acquire some orgainzational skills it is much easier. There are plenty you things you can do with a nursing degree within a hospital and outside a hospital. I've done hospital floor nursing, case management, worked at an HMO, worked at the State Medical Society, and a malpractice insurance company. Right now I work in Quality Improvement and just love it. If you like projects, and trying to figure out how to do things better, its great. Good luck in what ever you decide!

OCNRN63, RN · Nov 19, 2011

Hi everyone! I am not quite a nurse but I have on more semester to go then I will have my A.S. The problem is I really dont like nursing. People have always told me that I should be a nurse, I really like to help people and Im always the one bringing the chicken soup or baking cookies for a sick friend. But really since I started school I dont think I have much interest in what it means to be a REAL nurse. I dont mind blood but I cant catheterize someone and I am very disgusted at clinicals. One patient at clinicals had a trach and was coughing up bloody sputum. I know it was bad but I had to leave the room! I have no real interest in science or math and hate anatomy and physiology. Hospitals smells really gross me out! Anyways I was thinking I could be a psych nurse because my LPN friend told me all they really do is pass meds and take vital signs. I think I can do that. But I still hate med surg, OB maternity, and peds nursing. Will nursing grow on me over time when Im actually working as a real RN? Please dont tell me to do something else I invested too much money and time and I only have 4 months left to quit now. Plus down here in Miami RNs are the only people who have jobs

Your LPN friend was wrong, wrong, wrong.

I'm not sure what to tell you, since most clinical nursing requires the very things you hate. Non-bedside nursing jobs are hard to come by, and you usually need a few years of clinical experience to get those jobs.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Nov 20, 2011

I haven't read all these posts yet.

If you don't like nursing now, I can almost 100% guarantee you, in my experience, that you won't like it in future. But finish your course as you don't have long left.

It always amazes me that others see nursing as the Princess Diana type - holding hands, sitting & comforting the sick; whilst these are important things, real nursing is hot, dirty, sweaty, quite often disgusting, physically and mentally and insanely busy, where you have to get a hold on time & people management.

And psych nursing is not easy; it isn't just about passing meds. It's very emotionally draining & wait till your patients sundown and/or go psychotic, or just want to follow you around all day, talking & wanting to hold your hand. Wait till you have 8 patients and half of them are suicidal (or try to commit suicide). There is a lot of paperwork - especially when an incident happens - a lot of visual checks too; then if you can't find someone you have to run around searching for them & then call police, etc. I've known RGNs (not RPNs) who did one shift, then swore they wouldn't go back to psych. It is NOT easy! And you still have to do ECGs, help out with ECT sometimes, or help the doctors with some procedures. I had one patient one night, her ex rang & threatened to harm her little boy, she was crying/screaming, we got the address, police went there & broke down the door, her boy was OK thank the Lord. But I spent most of the night liaising with the SW, police and sargeant on the case, calming an hysterical mother, had to write up a heap of different forms plus still get all my other patient's notes/med/treatments/OBs done. And the very fat CN sitting in the corner just asked me for one update for her h/over and didn't help at all. Typical. Got out late and felt like I'd been hit by a bus.

And how could you be a case manager or NP or whatever it is in your country with NO EXPERIENCE? This attitude always baffles me. Sweetie, down here you can't even get a phone job as a RN unless you have 2-3 years continuous ED experience & have worked on a med/surg ward. I know cos I tried not long ago.

Finish the course, get one year of experience, suck up the hard bits then move on. Or don't do nursing at all if u really hate it, cos it won't get any better.

Fiona59 · Nov 20, 2011

Try getting into a specialty like Opthamology or working for a doctor outside of the hospital. How about a medi-spa? There are so many things you can do with your degree! Just do a little research.

Opthamology gets it's share of fluids. The majority of inpatients are seniors who are often incontinent. Eye infections can be truly disgusting. My friend told me about one that literally resembelled white worms coming out of the sclera:confused:. Homeless types wind up with some pretty serious infections. It's not all "clean" cataract day surgeries and detached retinas.

My hospital requires recent surgical nursing experience to even get an interview on that unit and the turnover is low. People wait to get onto that unit because of the perception that it is "clean, easy work".

Then lets not forget because Opthamology often has empty beds over the weekends, guess where Emerg sends their spare patients?

Not many doctor's offices hire RNs (too expensive) and when they do they want experienced ones.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Nov 20, 2011

OP, along with your considerations regarding nursing in general and after reading these posts, what are your thoughts? Do you want to continue with your nursing program? Would you like to explore other options in the health care industry?

What do you like about nursing? What has been your favorite clinical focus? Have you discussed your challenges/hesitations with your nursing instructors?

rainbowskin · Nov 20, 2011

I wouldn't be surprised. I just learned that lesson this year. I've ran across a few marketers and administrators (which i have to admit are pretty intelligent). but just because you are observant doesnt make up for the actual education it takes to do what we do. What bothers me is that many believe that they can do what we do and that we are unintelligent.

Administrators and marketing are very intelligent for the most part but they typically don't know procedures

and direct care. They are money oriented and forced to be due to corporate ruling.

I've been on both sides, direct care nursing and corporate side. I personally hate the corporate admin. side because I prefer patient care... perhaps you could work well as a corporate liason? There are jobs you could do not involving direct care, such as clinical liason, case manager, admissions, marketing, etc.

Illinurse2010 · Nov 20, 2011

I hate to see anyone discouraging you-- telling you "maybe you should not be a nurse" esp since you are not out of school yet. Being in nursing school is nothing like being a nurse. You are prob confused and a bit burnt out from school. I woke up every Monday thinking "why did I ever want to do this?" most of the time I could barely find an answer. Fast forward a year of working later and even though its been a rough year--I know where I stand as a nurse. I am still learning and most tasks I dreaded have become old hat. I straight cath people almost every night, give shots, and pass enough pain pills to choke a horse, do all that boring charting, talk to doctors and resident's not always pleasant family members..You just need to graduate, pass your NCLEX and get out there. If you still hate it after a year minimum ( I would say longer though) then maybe there is something to your fears..You can always go back to school later if you hate being a floor nurse...

Guest717236 · Nov 20, 2011

Anyways I was thinking I could be a psych nurse because my LPN friend told me all they really do is pass meds and take vital signs.

You have been very misinformed. Psych nursing is not easy and although you will not have the

clinical tasks that bedside nursing has, you need to be fully interested and present.

A Psych nurse is part of a team, and the issue of safety is most important.

You need to constantly be aware of your patients and all of the patients on the unit,

if they are having problems with their medications, if someone appears to be on the

verge of escalating and the potential for a dangerous situation.

The "all they really do " statement above will place you in a potentially dangerous environment

unless you do your research and find out what the job really is.

Sorry, but I can not think of an easy job in nursing. If nursing is not for you, listen to your heart

and select a career you will enjoy.

lori.lvn · Nov 20, 2011

You obviously have a heart for helping. I've found that Nursing, like anything else, falls under the old saying my Dad had, "Life is what you make it." You just have to overlook the undesired in order reach your goal. Not easy, but do-able.

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Nov 20, 2011

Will nursing grow on you? Yeah, it will if you don't wash your hands.