What's It Like Being A Nurse?

[windcatcher 0]

For those of you who have been/are nurses, know someone who is a nurse, have had experiences with nurses, have completed some schooling for nursing...what's the job like, really???

I just can't decide on what I want to do. I'm taking a break from school until Elijah gets a little older and one of the ideas I've been playing around with is becoming a nurse. My husband Chad thinks I'm too compassionate to be a nurse. ( You can't get emotionally involved with patients, you have to do your job even if you end up hurting them physically). This is coming from a former EMT.

Anyway, I just thought I'd talk to some peeps about it. All I know is that I REALLY want a job where I am able to give of myself and really care for people. What do you think?

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[Squeak 17]

it is largley an unapreciated profession, many nurses are treated poorly by patients (like servants), disrespected by many Drs. and paid poorly,

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[mamajumps 0]

I am not a nurse, but am in school to be an EMT, I graduate in May. I think compassion would be great to have in the nursing field. Having compassion IMHO wouldnt stop you from doing your job, b/c afterall compassion means caring and if you have to hurt them to help them get better, thats caring right? I think there should be more compassion in the medical field. Good luck on your decision!!!! Freefalle who posts on here is an RN.. he could give you some good insight!

[windcatcher 0]

I'm not looking for recognition, I just want to help.

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Holy CRAP I don't remember the last time I heard someone actually ask people about the profession they're looking at going into!! Most people study for a career and TOTALLY FORGET to ask people that are already in that profession what the heck it's like first!!




I'm sorry, hon. I have no clue what it's like to be a nurse. Your beacon of intelligent future planning just glared out of the bonfire like a blinding light and I had to comment.

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[Squeak 17]

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I'm not looking for recognition, I just want to help.

that's why they cal it acompassionate profession. burn out rate is very high.

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[cocheese 0]

What about becoming a massage therapist... or a dancer?

[windcatcher 0]

Silly cocheese, I'm already both of those! At least to my hubby!

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[wmw999 2,122]

There's a wide range of opportunities. I'm not a nurse, but there are some in the family.

From doing doctor-like work as a nurse practitioner, to school nursing, to working in a doctor's office, to working in a hospital (which is where the "caring for your patients" thing might come in depending on what you specialize in), to private duty nursing, to education (e.g. diabetes education).

In general, it's probably smart to get some hospital-based experience in the beginning just to get used to making decisions and working with patients. While the specific decisions might change, people are people, and you have to learn to trust yourself, and you have to learn what you need to be able to trust yourself.

Burnout can be high; there's a lot of responsibility, a lot of pressure, and people do figure you're not a real doctor. People who get frustrated by that need to take it into account.

But the nurses I know love it. Some have changed over the years based on their life circumstances, but that's one of the advantages of nursing, is that it's fairly flexible, and someone is always looking for nurses if you move.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[windcatcher 0]

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I'm not looking for recognition, I just want to help.

that's why they cal it acompassionate profession. burn out rate is very high.

Yes, but I think this country is in great demand for nurses, isn't it? I'm not quite sure if I really want to do it, or if I would even be able to do it. I'm just looking at my options and trying to figure out what road I would like to take. I'm not really into science much, I'm more of a right-brained, artistic, creative kind of woman, so I don't know how well that would work in the nursing profession.

There are just so many things I could do with my life and my problem is I have too many desires. Such as I'd like to write children's books, become a nutritionist or personal trainer, give presentations/speeches, do human resources/training and development, and be a counselor.

Does anyone know if they allow you to "shadow" a nurse working at a hospital? Or do you already have to be in some kind of internship program?

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[Squeak 17]

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I'm not looking for recognition, I just want to help.

that's why they cal it acompassionate profession. burn out rate is very high.

Yes, but I think this country is in great demand for nurses, isn't it? I'm not quite sure if I really want to do it, or if I would even be able to do it. I'm just looking at my options and trying to figure out what road I would like to take. I'm not really into science much, I'm more of a right-brained, artistic, creative kind of woman, so I don't know how well that would work in the nursing profession.

There are just so many things I could do with my life and my problem is I have too many desires. Such as I'd like to write children's books, become a nutritionist or personal trainer, give presentations/speeches, do human resources/training and development, and be a counselor.

Does anyone know if they allow you to "shadow" a nurse working at a hospital? Or do you already have to be in some kind of internship program?

if you are artsy and still want to work with patients look into art therapy

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[DJL 232]

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have had experiences with nurses,

Hello Nurse

I've had experience with nurses. Fun fun fun.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[madhatter 0]

I was a medic in the SA army for a while & yes, it's not always easy, but the 1 in 100 patients that appreciate your commitment & help always makes it worthwhile
My mom was a nurse before I came to light & her only piece of advice (I consulted her about your question) was that nursing, like priesthood, social work or being a suicide bomber, needs to be a CALLING. If you do it çause it's just a job, you're going to hate it & everyone involved will suffer.

If your family can survive on a single income, I'd go for the 'writing children stories'. You can do just as much, if not more, good that way

A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
D.S # 125

[freefalle 0]

I am a registered nurse, I work in the intensive care unit and in the emergency department.
Nursing can be a tough but rewarding profession. There are never enough nurses and the patient to nurse ratio is high you will work hard, you will get frustrated with doctors, families, patients, administration, and other nurses.

The pay is good, depending on what part of the country you are in, for example, Im in florida, the starting rate at my hospital is 20.00 and hour, first raise at 3 months and an average raise of 3% per year after that. night shift give you a added 25% shift differential and another 10% for working weekends. Overtime is plentiful. Many hospitals in my area are giving 10,000.00 sign on bonuses.

You will never be out of work unless you do something stupid and have your license revoked. Once you have some experience you can take travel nursing assignments if you elect to they are usually 13 week assignments at the hospital of your choice. travel assignments pay 30-50 and hour and they pay for your housing

Its tough to watch your patients die, especially when they are young. You will cry from time to time, you will laugh at times too. I love what I do its challenging, and rewarding at the same time, its really cool to know that their are people alive today, directly because of me. I'm not going to bullshit you, sometimes the job sucks and I want to quit but most days I really enjoy it. Hope that helps, if you have any more questions, please feel free to drop me a pm

[skydivermom 0]

I really admire you nurses. My aunt became an RN in her 40's, and has been working in surgery since she graduated. She LOVES it! She says there's a lot less stress becuase all of her patients are asleep
Good luck Windcatcher....I know how hard it is to figure out what you want to do. I just now figured it out myself!

Mrs. WaltAppel

All things work together for good to them that love God...Romans 8:28

[BillyVance 34]

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it is largley an unapreciated profession, many nurses are treated poorly by patients (like servants), disrespected by many Drs. and paid poorly,

My cousin is a nurse and she has described pretty much the same things you mentioned, and the doctors are the worst, but for some reason she likes her job. She takes good care of her patients and they like her.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[ebusto 0]

I used to date a nurse. Sometimes, a patient would poop on her shoes.

Seriously.

That aside, the pay is good, although the hospital she works in is rather understaffed so she was constantly pressured to work overtime.

[airdvr 197]

My SO is a nurse. Has been since 1979.

She has a measure of compassion I'm not familiar with but I know it takes that kind of compassion to do the job well.

Her most recent job was as Director of Nursing at a facility for profoundly mentally retarded adults. I visited the place on more than one occasion. I am so happy there are people who truly care about others in that state. They make up for people like me who are extremely uncomfortable around mentally retarded folks of all ages.

Most of her residents were non-verbal. It took her over a year of observing them to begin to know when something wasn't right. I was always in awe of her abilities.

I also think too many people get into the nursing profession for the $$. Bad idea. It take serious commitment to patient care. Back in the day (early 80's) she was a charge nurse in a local ER. Wow does she have some stories including doing what she could for somebody who went in. Having to tell parents their 16yo daughter is dead because the stupid 16yo boy was trying to impress her with his driving skills is something anyone who wants to be a nurse should seriously consider.

Tough hours, little respect, and a chance to make a real difference in people's lives. I know she wouldn't change it for anything

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[chaoskitty 0]

I manage the Hospital Information System for a health care corporation. In addition to patient care, nurses are responsible for a certain amount of work on the computer. Order entry, charge entry, nursing notes, materials scanning, etc. etc.
If you start nursing school in the next year or two, by the time you are working the patient medical record will be entirely electronic (govt regulation). So if you're not a proficient user, not willing to learn new software, new procedures, etc., then please don't work for me.

ps- yes you will see a lot of blood, vomit, and poop.

You know you can work in a nursing home without going through nursing school, and see if you think nursing would be up your alley. It would be different than working in med/surg or L&D, but it would be a start.

[eeneR 1]

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it is largley an unapreciated profession, many nurses are treated poorly by patients (like servants), disrespected by many Drs. and paid poorly,

I care to argue that point, it depends on what area of nursing you go into. If you are willing to work flexible scheduling you can actually make pretty damn good money here in the states. The other stuff it depends on the hospitals and depends on the doctors.

Yes I agree that nurses dont get the limelight they deserve from everyone, but most do it because they care.

My best friend of 20 years is a trauma nurse. She made DAMN good money this year (over 70k) and has a great staff of doctors and such at her hospital. I will however let you know she does work 3rd shift, which adds a shift differential to her pay, but still it is really good money for having only an associates degree.

She is not a "Dumb Blonde" - She is a "Light-Haired Detour Off The Information Superhighway."
eeneR
TF#72, FB#4130, Incauto

[rehmwa 2]

It sounds tough.

What with the chain smoking and always trying to sleep with doctors......

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[mx757 4]

all nurses need to know this....

The difference between a oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer.. Is....” The Taste”

[akjmpplt 0]

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...what's the job like, really???

This was told to me by one of the ER nurses where I work:

A nude body was found however the authorities were able to quickly ID the body as being of a nurse.

How'd they do that?

Because the stomach was empty, the bladder was full and the ass chewed away.

SmugMug

[Squeak 17]

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My best friend of 20 years is a trauma nurse. She made DAMN good money this year (over 70k) and has a great staff of doctors and such at her hospital. I will however let you know she does work 3rd shift, which adds a shift differential to her pay, but still it is really good money for having only an associates degree.

most nurses are under paid for the work they do and the conditions they work under. and here in OZ it's a FUL degree course

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

[karenmeal 0]

I know that you asked about nursing.. but I love my field so much that I always try to get people to investigate it.

So.. think about speech language pathology!

As an SLP you get to work in and with the medical profession and get the decent pay, and benefits that go along with the field. Unlike professions such as nursing there will never be a speech language pathology emergency requiring you to work hours outside of the normal work week. You get to help all types of people: children with disabilities ranging from cerebal palsy to autism to stuttering, adults with acquired language disorders from strokes or TBIs, folks with cancer of the vocal mechanism, people with degenerative disorders such as Alzheimers or Parkinsons, people with hearing loss and cochlear implants, people with dysphagia (swallowing problems) from things such as spinal cord trauma... the list goes on and on. It is a profession that I do not think you could possibly get bored with. You study neurology, biology, physics (acoustics of sound), counseling, education, behavioral principles, communication disorders, linguistics, hearing loss, etc. etc.

A masters degree is the entry level degree to be an SLP, however with a bachelors, (in some states) you can work as an SLP assistant and expect a modest income. SLPs are in big demand and the demand is continuing to grow. You can work in hospitals, clinics, schools, private practices or in home-based therapy programs. Hours are flexible; part-time and full-time jobs are plentiful and work is available in all areas of the country from cities to rural populations. SLPs should be good communicators, creative, compassionate, professional, detail oriented and able to multi-task.

If you're interested in the profession more information can be found at www.asha.org.

I'm dying to get back to school and working with clients again after such a long winter break. It really is fun, fascinating stuff. I too considered nursing but decided that I did not want to be constantly around death, dying, bodily fluids and I didn't want to work long crazy hours. I also considered education and counseling, but found drawbacks to both of those fields as well. Once I learned about speech language pathology a light went on in my head and I discovered that I am extremely passionate about all aspects of the field.

-Karen

"Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham