Would you become an RN again if you had the choice?

[eminthesr]

I'll be applying to ABSN (or ELMSN) programs this upcoming year.

I have been getting increasingly frustrated over becoming a nurse which is starting to worry me. The main thing I keep hearing is that nurses are mean and not nice to each other. I've heard this from many different people and I'm getting worried. I don't want to either 1. become one of those people or 2. be treated poorly by my co-workers

My question is, would you still become an RN if you had the choice to do it again? Why or why not?

Would you recommend getting your MSN and NP license? Why or why not?

Thank you! I really hope that the people I am hearing these things from are wrong!

[OldnurseRN]

Absolutely not!

[allevi]

No, I wish I would have done something different. I love the residents and patients I have worked with, but tired of being expected to be supernurse.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

Probably not. OT/PT is more to my liking. I'm interested in their roles, you're still helping people, but with much less stress than nurses for the same pay. I do enjoy nursing, but I think I should have gone that route instead.

[Vtachy1]

No I would not go into nursing if I would've known what nursing was like. At the same time, I would not trade it for the world, the special relationships I have formed throughout the years with other nurses, patients, and families, plus the experiences and life learning I have developed because I am a nurse.

For example I have learned that "life huggers" are miserable people. I value relationships and things that have eternal value instead of wanting to live with tubes coming out of every body orface with expensive invasive procedures. NO!!! I worked in ICU, I saw some horrible things that we do to people, I also worked a much better and much more rewarding position as a hospice nurse. I have worked in telephone triage, med surg, and now I work in the schools.

If I had to do it over again I think I would choose some job that I could work from home. I LOVED doing telephone triage from home for 2 years, but my body refused to let me work nights. I worked night shift for 20 years and my body just said "no more". If I could do that job during the daytime, or one like it, I would be in heaven!!!! It was super stressful but also rewarding to be able to do good teaching and comforting people over the phone. There were times I had 7 voice mails because it was so busy!! You just have to do the best and fastest work that you can possibly do and prioritize which calls were most important to call back first.

But I agree that nurses are just meaner than the normal population. Then you add in doctors that love to use us as punching bags and its just not a good caree. I now work in the schools and yes, teachers are stressed out too, but not to the degree that nurses are. Sick people just plain require a lot of energy and its such a crisis time and it sucks the bone marrow out of your body. But I just don't see teachers being mean to each other to the degree that nurses are.

I also never knew the hours would be so hard. I never dreamed that it would be so hard to work weekends, holidays and miss out on family things. My kids are at an age that they are involved in so many things, it is super important to have evenings and weekends free for their activities. The rest of the world rotates on bankers hours!!

[peasandonions]

Make a conscious choice to be there for nurses coming behind you and renew that promise annually.(that has helped me a lot )

Explore all of nursing that way you will remain fresh

When your getting hyper critical its the 1st sign of boredom or burn out. Listen to it,move to the next area and keep learning.

Being an N/P would be fantastic. Go all the way if it speaks to you. Choosing N/P or MSN is more about 'What is your goal? "

Choose not to perpetuate the myth nurses "eat their young" or are mean. Few people are their best self when tired.

Be part of the solution make it a goal that neither of these things will be YOUR story.

The very best of luck to you.

Being resilient is profitable to your practice.:

Well stated!

[Palliative Care, DNP]

No I would have chosen something else in the health field. Pharmacist, PA, Respiratory, anything except what I am doing. I am in graduate school and really hoping that I will enjoy it more when I am no longer a floor nurse but a NP instead. I also tell my kids to do anything other than nursing. It is a thankless and underpaid position.

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

Wish I had done it years sooner

[ProgressiveActivist, BSN, RN]

no. I would not.

[jh07418]

its nice but, NO its too much labor and direction following. and you don't get the general respect you deserve.

[applewhitern, BSN, RN]

No, I wouldn't be an RN today. I don't even know where to start. The public treats us like we are waitresses instead of educated professionals. You can't tell a patient that you were busy in another room, or that you have X amount of patients to care for. You can't worry about the patient who is in distress, because if you don't bring a blanket to a family member fast enough, you will get written up as the worse nurse they have ever seen. Family members try to tell you how to do your job. It isn't enough that you don't make medication errors or other medical mistakes; it isn't enough that you do all you can to help your patient; the family/patient will find some ridiculous thing to complain about, and it will be your fault. If you follow doctor's orders, they will blame you for the orders instead of blaming the doctor. If the food is too cold, it is your fault. It isn't that I am burned out from nursing; it is that I am burned out by the patient satisfaction scores that are crammed down our throats every day. You can't do what is good for the patient anymore~ now you have to do what the family wants. If your patient has a 103 temp, by all means put 3 blankets on them because the family says to. As you can see, I am totally disgusted with this profession right now!

[cardiacrocks, BSN, RN]

Absolutely YES! I'm curious to those that stated NO, if this was their first job, or did they work elsewhere before becoming an RN? Also, I do plan on continuing my education and becoming a FNP. My intention all along was to become a FNP, I'm hoping to actually obtain my DNP. Good luck to you, you can NOT determine your future endeavors by looking at others. You and only you can decide what is best for you. I work with some incredible RN's as well as nursing assistants. There has been some major transitions on my floor lately, we have a New Nurse Manager (I believe she is a breath of fresh air), I know this year will be filled with many challenges, however, I will always be there to help out and be a positive team player. Good luck in your decision. Remember there are SO many opportunities in nursing, if you don't like floor nursing you can work in an office or just about anything. The pay is pretty good too, and my benefits ROCK!!! :)

[sbostonRN]

No I wouldn't become a nurse if I could go back and do it again. Maybe I would've done a direct entry program but going back for my ASN was a big mistake. It cost me way too much money, too far too long, and I had to start all over with my career.

I don't find that nurses are mean to each other at all. In fact, my coworkers are always willing to help and are generally very nice and love teaching. I just had a vision of nursing that turned out to be a lie.