Why did you go into nursing?

[Disney Darling]

I'm trying to decide what I want to do with my life.

Boy, is this a hard decision!

I've been thinking about nursing. Not because I have this great calling to be a Florence Nightingale but for several other reasons. Sorry if they should sound shallow.

1.) I know nurses are in DEMAND! Our own state has a shortage of nurses (which I understand to be the case in most of our states). In researching, I have found that our state is "Wooing" nurses. Offering great perks, sign on bonuses creating "magnet" hospitals.

2.) With demand you have the whole supply and demand thing, i.e. good money!

3.) I like the hours that nurses can work. I love that you can work three 12's. I like that you could even work just a few days a month and make great money. I like the whole idea of being a traveling nurse.


Don't get me wrong. I am a compassionate, empathetic, caring person. I know it may not "sound" like I am because of the top three examples but I am a good "home" nurse maid to people who are sick and ailing like my grandmother, grandfather and sisters and DH. But, I've never had a "calling" to be a nurse. In fact I always thought, "Nah, not for me." But, now (at 31) I'm thinking maybe I would like it.

I asked my dad and DH if people are always from the get go ok with the blood and trauma they may see or if they just get "used to it" over time? And my dad said being a nurse or what have you is like be a Correction Officer (at the prison) no one goes into it because they "love" being a correction officer. They do it because it's a steady, reliable job with good benefits. Some end up liking it but for the most part you just get used to it. So, being a nurse or doctor you just get used to it.

So, there you have it.

So, why did you go into nursing? Do you love it?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Judy from Boise]

Definatly called, and spent my school years preparing for it!I have always loved nursing (although the healthcare system we work in is broken beyond repair). The purist in me doesen't want anyone else in the profession that doesen't have a transendent view of it.......but the realist in me knows that a skilled and professional nurse is all that matters. Go for it.

 

[Disney Darling]

Definatly called, and spent my school years preparing for it!I have always loved nursing (although the healthcare system we work in is broken beyond repair). The purist in me doesen't want anyone else in the profession that doesen't have a transendent view of it.......but the realist in me knows that a skilled and professional nurse is all that matters. Go for it.

Thank you for taking the time to respond!

Anybody else want to share your experiences or reasons? I really am interested.

Thanks.

 

[WonderfulDreamer2]

It's all I've ever wanted to do. My GM died when I was 8. She was very sick for a long time and my Aunt was (is) a nurse. She would come to the house and take care of my Nanny and I was in awe of this woman. She heavily influenced my decision....not in words, but actions.
While a lot of it sounds so great, it is an incredibly hard and often thankless job. You are expected to put up with things that no other profession would ever dream of putting up with....from verbal to physical abuse. 12 hours is great but your day is shot and when you work 3 in a row, the next day is also shot because you need recovery time. You are often expected to pick up extra days or hours because remember....there is a shortage. While the pay is nothing to sneeze at, it is not anywhere near what it should be. I've been nursing for 15 years and there are days that I wonder why I continue. But then I'll have 1 defining moment....the twinkle in an eye, a heartfelt thank you or a child laying their head on your shoulder....and I know I was never meant to do anything else.
All this to say, I do think it is a profession that you need to have a love for and not just because it seems to be a "hot" market. There are lots of mediocre nurses who put no heart into it and it shows in everything they do.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[MagicalMom]

One reason I chose nursing was because of the various paths you could take. One girl I went to school with went straight into Psych, she hasn't given medical care to a pt since school. There is also school nursing, public health, OB, ED, it goes on & on. If one area is not for you, another area might be.

As far as the shortage goes, I don't think the general public is getting the whole picture. There is no shortage of nursing students. People are fighting for positions. I don't feel there are a shortage of nurse either. If ever nurse who still held a license worked full time we'd be in much better shape. I work 2 12 hour shifts a week, weekend alternative. The thought of even adding one more day a week to my schedule makes my head whirl. I know my co-workers feel the same. It's not the work, it's not the pts, it's just the stress & exhaustion.

 

[Cantw8]

It's all I've ever wanted to do. My GM died when I was 8. She was very sick for a long time and my Aunt was (is) a nurse. She would come to the house and take care of my Nanny and I was in awe of this woman. She heavily influenced my decision....not in words, but actions.
While a lot of it sounds so great, it is an incredibly hard and often thankless job. You are expected to put up with things that no other profession would ever dream of putting up with....from verbal to physical abuse. 12 hours is great but your day is shot and when you work 3 in a row, the next day is also shot because you need recovery time. You are often expected to pick up extra days or hours because remember....there is a shortage. While the pay is nothing to sneeze at, it is not anywhere near what it should be. I've been nursing for 15 years and there are days that I wonder why I continue. But then I'll have 1 defining moment....the twinkle in an eye, a heartfelt thank you or a child laying their head on your shoulder....and I know I was never meant to do anything else.
All this to say, I do think it is a profession that you need to have a love for and not just because it seems to be a "hot" market. There are lots of mediocre nurses who put no heart into it and it shows in everything they do.
Good luck with your decision.

Oh, pleeeeze...tell the truth, you like looking at gross stuff LOL

 

[Mono~rail]

#1 - I like gross stuff! Not much turns my stomach. My favorite in the ER was assisting the docs with I&D's (incision and drainage)!

#2 - I like helping people! It makes me feel good to know that I helped others.

#3 - I like critical thinking and problem solving.

#4 - I like the versatility of being an RN - endless possibilities for job variety!

 

[Disney Darling]

It's all I've ever wanted to do. My GM died when I was 8. She was very sick for a long time and my Aunt was (is) a nurse. She would come to the house and take care of my Nanny and I was in awe of this woman. She heavily influenced my decision....not in words, but actions.
While a lot of it sounds so great, it is an incredibly hard and often thankless job. You are expected to put up with things that no other profession would ever dream of putting up with....from verbal to physical abuse. 12 hours is great but your day is shot and when you work 3 in a row, the next day is also shot because you need recovery time. You are often expected to pick up extra days or hours because remember....there is a shortage. While the pay is nothing to sneeze at, it is not anywhere near what it should be. I've been nursing for 15 years and there are days that I wonder why I continue. But then I'll have 1 defining moment....the twinkle in an eye, a heartfelt thank you or a child laying their head on your shoulder....and I know I was never meant to do anything else.
All this to say, I do think it is a profession that you need to have a love for and not just because it seems to be a "hot" market. There are lots of mediocre nurses who put no heart into it and it shows in everything they do.
Good luck with your decision.

WonderfulDreamer2, thank you for taking the time to respond. You have a great testimony. And thank you for giving me a glimpse into the other side of nursing. Some of the things they leave out on the nursing recruiting pages. You've given me some great points to ponder. Thank you.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Totally a calling. Dorky, but true.

Compared to McDonald's, I guess nurses make "great" money. But there are a gazillion other jobs that pay just as well and lots that pay better. If you're looking for money, go find one.

Most (not all, but most) hospital nurses that don't love it hate it. It is really demanding work and some folks are too sick to thank you for it, being busy suffering/dying. AND some folks will give you a hard time to boot! So, if you aren't feeling rewarded from within yourself...you might end up hating it.

And yes, it is stinky and messy, too. I'm fine with anything from inside, any kind of infectious ooze/drainage, stinky dying people, etc. But every once in a while, I still gag on the poopies. Can't help it! (I try to hide it.)

Working 3 twelves isn't the happy thing it seems. You do nothing but work, then are wiped out. For me, the body and spirit may be willing, but the feet rebel!

 

[Cool-Beans]

Double post due to "Database Error." I have no idea what that is. ???

 

[Mono~rail]

I have to agree with cool-beans about the money. My sister is taking a new job as a Pharmacy Tech, and without any prior experience with that position she is making $2/hr less than I make as an RN.

When you consider that I have a university degree in my profession, and she only has her high school diploma there seems to be a discrepancy there.

Another example is my dh's profession which is in the natural gas industry. Guys with a high school diploma and no college degree start out making $5-$10 more per hour than RN's.

 

[DawnCt1]

My father was sick a lot when I was growing up and I admired the nurses that took such good care of him so I decided that I would like to be a nurse. I had just turned 17 when I graduated from high school and I went directly to nursing school. By my 3rd year I wasn't so sure that it was for me. I was only 19 and a lot of the women in my class were older. I stuck it out because I was closer to graduation than not. My first job was on a locked psychiatric unit. I enjoyed it and I liked the patients. We moved so I took a job in the OR. Absolutely hated it. I went from talking to patients to watching them sleep. I just couldn't "relate" to all of those stainless steel instruments I guess. I have worked adult psych, circulating nurse in the OR, a surgical unit, postpartum, assistant head nurse on a locked adolescent unit in a general hospital, charge nurse on a locked children's unit at McLean (psychiatric) Hospital in Belmont, Ma, back to the adolescent unit, post partum and then I spent 17 years as an occupational health nurse. That was the most "fun". I could spend all the time I needed with my patients. A lot of issues come up in the work place and the health clinic is always a safe, confidential place to go.

 

[KimStaR]

well... after 2 years of school and not knowing what to do with my life i was kindof just told to do it, and not knowing any nurses personally i figured how hard could it possibly be. i just finished nursing school and i should be registered by the spring. so basically im looking foward to the money and thats about it! if i could turn back time id be a pharmacist instead! they make more and dont have to touch gross naked people

 

[DawnCt1]

well... after 2 years of school and not knowing what to do with my life i was kindof just told to do it, and not knowing any nurses personally i figured how hard could it possibly be. i just finished nursing school and i should be registered by the spring. so basically im looking foward to the money and thats about it! if i could turn back time id be a pharmacist instead! they make more and dont have to touch gross naked people

You are where I was after two years of nursing school. I figured at the time, I have one more year, I can work, make money and do something else. DH was in college and headed to medical school so I found areas of nursing that I liked. I also found areas that I hated and had nights at work when I would say, "Dear God, just get me through the next 10 hours". What I LOVED about nursing school was going to school. I loved the sciences, most of my classes, (hated nutrition and nursing lab) When I went back to work paart time in the hospital after DS#4 and a prolonged absence, I LOVED orientation. I was at the point that I didn't like acute care. That's when I went into Occupational Health. I had fun on most days. Those jobs are hard to get and getting harder. A lot of companies have decided that they don't need a wellness clinic. If you have doubts, go back to school and get your PharmD. It will be well worth it. Better hours, better pay and a lot cleaner.

 

[DawnCt1]

#1 - I like gross stuff! Not much turns my stomach. My favorite in the ER was assisting the docs with I&D's (incision and drainage)!

I HATE gross stuff. I hate mucous! I can't stand it when someone coughs and hacks. It turns my stomach. My dad was a 2 pack a day smoker and he coughed like that every day of my life and I never got used to it. I couldn't watch the first incision in the or. I used to just glance away and watch out of the corner of my eye. I hate vomit, pus and any kind of excrement. Blood doesn't bother me.

 

[Microcell]

I am not a nurse, but told my boss, an Ophthomologist (used to be a surgeon- cataracts etc... and a flight surgeon in the Army) that I didn't think it was for me because of the gore, and he told me that he was a little queasy the first surgery he saw, and he needed a seat the first eye surgery he saw! He went on to be a successful surgeon!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think I had a calling (sorry, LOL). Growing up, my mother worked in a local nursing home, so even when I was very young I'd go in to sit and talk with bedridden patients. I think when I was about 13 I got a job in activities, then went to the kitchen, then became a nurse's aide. I worked as an aide there all through high school and became a hospital aide in Boston during college/nursing school. That was 23 years ago. I've been in Boston ever since and I have to say I love it.

That's not to say it isn't difficult work. There are times I am completely frustrated and exhausted. Last week I accepted a patient from the OR who even her family told me to watch out for, she was in a foul mood. They were so right! But we worked it through and within an hour or so she was happy and sincerely thanked me. In our jobs there are often no earth shattering thanks, you have to learn to get by with the self satisfaction that you did a good job, saved a life, made someone comfortable, or listened to someone's last thoughts. Those are the rewards. If you like to make a difference in people's lives but are content to be rewarded with little things, then nursing might be for you. Like others have said, there are lots of different areas of practice, but generally, hospitals are where you'll get the flexible scheduling and better salaries.

Good luck.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thought the OP might enjoy this thread http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1292989

 

[Disney Darling]

well... after 2 years of school and not knowing what to do with my life i was kindof just told to do it, and not knowing any nurses personally i figured how hard could it possibly be. i just finished nursing school and i should be registered by the spring. so basically im looking foward to the money and thats about it! if i could turn back time id be a pharmacist instead! they make more and dont have to touch gross naked people

Thanks, KimStaR. This is pretty much how I'm feeling. Not knowing what to do with my life.

Pea-n-Me:: Thanks for the link. I'm reading it with great interest.

 

[KimStaR]

good luck with whatever you decide!