Any nurses out there really love their job?

[ha98ed14]

I have been thinking about making a career change, but every nurse I have talked to does not like their job. I would be going back to school for at least 2 years to get a BSN, so I don't want to do it if I'm not going to like it any more than my current field. So, any nurses out there like what they do?

[tnrnchick74]

I've been an RN for 10 years - working in high intensity/acuity Level 3 NICU for 5.5 years. I LOVE my career! I love the current hospital I work at - the management has their crap together; I have good friends who are co-workers; and I generally enjoy going to work.

I have worked a lot of hospitals and there are plenty of places that I don't like...but I'm still passionate about the area I work in.

Nursing is one of those professions that some people look at as a job vs a true career. Burn out does occur a lot. But if you truly love the TYPE of nursing you do and are passionate about it, its the best thing in the world.

[pb&j]

I'm not a nurse, but my mom has been an Operating Room nurse for over 40 years, and has no plans to retire. An OR job is a very different from a floor nursing position, or working in a medical office. I think a lot of people's career satisfaction depends on finding the right field to work in. But the great thing is, there are so many different types of nursing jobs available. In fact, my sister is an RN, but doesn't work with patients at all - she works for a pharmaceutical company.

[Andrea S]

I worked in the PICU for 13 years. I was working a few days a month until I had my second child. I would have kept up with it if he has been a better sleeper and took a bottle when I was gone. I really liked my job. There are so many specialities to choose from I think you could find your niche.

[elephantmeg]

I love, love, love my job. I'm a peds nurse at a small hospital and yeah, love the flexable hours, seeing kids get better, the adult interaction. I did go part time when I had DS and took 12 weeks off with him and will take 12 weeks off again this time. Now I will admit that I am ready to not work any more, but I am due Tuesday, so...

[tylersmama]

My SIL is a nurse at Children's hospital in Cincinnati and loves it. She's been a nurse for about 3 years now, and was a medical assistant before that. She loves the kids that she works with. She works nights for the shift bonus, so she makes a very good living. The night shift is challenging, but she knows she won't do it forever.

[icunurse]

I have worked in two fields since becoming a nurse - a level 3 NICU and a level 1 trauma unit. I love the adrenaline rush on the trauma unit and being able to play such a major role in people's lives. It is fast-paced, always surprising, and a real team effort to save the most critical of patients. That said, management at our hospital isn't too swift and our clientele is, ahem, questionable (think big city + trauma unit = gangbangers and idiots). Do I like my job? Yes. I adore most of my co-workers. And you can't beat the flexibility or job security. But I despise management (beyond our unit manager), it is physically and mentally exhausting work and we don't get paid nearly as much as we're worth. As others have said, though, there are tons of options out there for nursing, so if you go into one area and don't like it, there is always something else to try. I don't plan to work in a hospital setting forever (as I said, my unit is too physically difficult for a life-long career and anything else after this unit just seems boring or "easy"). So, I will teach or work in the community health education field or something. Tons of options :)

[tnrnchick74]

I have worked in two fields since becoming a nurse - a level 3 NICU and a level 1 trauma unit.

Funny! I started out my nursing career working in the Level 1 Trauma unit then eventually made a switch to NICU!

Nursing is one of the most flexible careers out there. In my 10 years I have done trauma, ER, pre/post op, med/surg, recovery room, peds, neonatal ICU & stepdown, neonatal/pedicatric cardiac, flight nursing, school nursing, endoscopy, home health, and I'm sure I forgot a few others!!!

[hellokitty]

Nurse here who is taking a break from nursing to raise her family and take a break from the field due to burn out. I have to admit, I became pretty disenchanted with nursing after only a few yrs and felt very burned out. My biggest issue with nursing was dealing with bitchy co-workers. Nurses are known to eat their young and that was very much my experience, they hated that I was so nice (yes, I was actually known throughout the hospital as the, "nice nurse" on the burn unit, b/c the other nurses were all such hags to deal with) and when you are a new nurse sometimes it seems like a sport for the older nurses to throw you out to see if you will sink or swim. If you are lucky, you will find a mentor who will take you under his/her wing, they do exist, but they are rare finds. :)

I'm not saying that all nurses are like this, but a LOT of them are like this, esp the older ones who are just biding their time until retirement. I loved doing my job, my patients loved me, I got along with the rest of the staff, BUT I *hate* the hospital politics and I hate dealing with how catty many nurses can be. In fact, that is one reason why I much prefer to work with male nurses over female nurses.

Anyway, the key to nursing is finding your niche. Your first job or two out of school will probably be not-that-great, but once you get that 1-2 yrs of experience under your belt, you can pretty much get your foot in the door in whichever specialty that you'd like. The problem is finding what you will actually like. I thought I would like peds and community health while I was in nursing school and those ended up being my worst clinical experiences. I would never have imagined myself going into critical care. I would eventually like to try OB or OR nursing, but both of those fields are ones where once you get into those areas, there is no turning back, same with ER nursing. It would be extremely difficult to return to floor nursing. PACU was my absolute favorite unit, it is upbeat, you only have your patients for a short time, you get some critical care, but also outpatient and you get to see tons of different types of surgical patients. It was also the only unit I ever worked at where I actually got breaks like I was supposed to. I really liked the variety. I also liked working with the anesthesiologists, out of all the docs I have worked with, they treat the nursing staff with the most respect. However, that's just me. There will probably be someone else who posts and says they hated pacu, lol.

Good luck with your plans. It seems to me that ppl who go into nursing as a second career are usually happy with their decision.

[kransden]

I am not a nurse, but my sister is a nurse, my mom was a nurse and I worked for a college of nursing with about 30 nursing professors. If you become a nurse and hate your job, you can always find another one doing something else in the field. Work at a hospital, be a school nurse, home healthcare, doctor's office, nurse hotline, visiting nurses, or get an advanced degree and teach. The only common area is you you have be a people person.

[dogmom]

I made a career change 18 years ago (yikes, has it been that long!) to go into nursing. Since I already had my BA in something else I chose to go into an entry level master's program. (There were only 4 in the country at that time, now there are 4 in just my city.) Having a MSN has given me flexibility to do a variety of things, like teaching. Currently I'm working in a Surgical ICU in a large tertiary teaching hospital. I love being a nurse. I think it's a great job for mom's. I think if you only meet nurses that hate their job they got no one to blame but themselves. There is such a shortage of nurses out there you can always go find another position that is interesting, pays well, and treats you well. My feeling is if you can deal with a toddler, you can deal with cranky co-workers. My problem isn't that I don't have opportunities, but that I have too many. I'm currently getting begged to teach, but I'm pretty happy where I am. It's been years since I had to look for a job vs a come looking for me. Feel free to PM me if you want.

[EXPECTINGMAY]

[QUOTE=hellokitty]Nurse here who is taking a break from nursing to raise her family and take a break from the field due to burn out. My biggest issue with nursing was dealing with bitchy co-workers. I loved doing my job, my patients loved me, I got along with the rest of the staff, BUT I *hate* the hospital politics and I hate dealing with how catty many nurses can be. In fact, that is one reason why I much prefer to work with male nurses over female nurses.


Like the above poster I am an RN who has worked in nursing for almost 10 yrs. I spent my 1st year + 6 months as a float nurse & therefore was able to sample different areas & specialties. I like excitement & therefore ER & PACU were my favs. I ended up in PACU for 8 yrs. I have to agree w/Hellokitty about bitchy, catty, sometimes ruthless co-workers. Nursing is a very bitchy profession. This includes staff nurses through higher management. There are many lovely, decent, caring people of course. I was shocked to encounter that often times co-workers would act like a group of kindergarten children playing the "that's not fair game", or the "I'm gonna tell game". For cryin out loud, you 're friggin 40 yrs old ....grow up!!!!! Sorry for venting but sometimes the politics and BS is overwhelming.
The other issue is management & administration related. It seems that no matter how hard you work or how dedicated you are they always find something negative to point out. I hate to sound negative but my unit had some winners for management. No surprise... but in the last 4-6 months they have all left or were let go.

In all honesty, I love nursing, I love helping people, & making a difference in their lives. The issues that hold me back from loving nursing all together are management related, political, beaurocratic BS, & the short staffing situation.

I truly wish you the best in whatever decision you make. Nursing can be very rewarding but also physically & emotionally exhausting. Just like anything else you have your good & bad.

[tnrnchick74]

It is true that some nurses "eat their young". That was the model I was introduced to when I started 10 years ago. However, at least in the areas of the country I have worked at, that practice is discouraged now. I have made it a point in my practice to NOT continue this "tradition" and to befriend newbies and precept with the ideal of success instead of failure.

Management has a lot to do with these attitudes and enforcing policies. Anytime you get a bunch of hormonal women together for long periods of time, especially in high stress situations, you will have cattiness and bitchiness. Gossip and rumors and the "news source" of the hospital some days. I CHOOSE not to be apart of that and I encourage others to take a stand as well. That's not the type of person I want to be and I don't like myself when I do those things.

Burnout is high in nursing - its a high stress environement. But I love what I do; I love my flexibility and time off.

[swampnurse]

I have been a nurse for the last 15 years and have both loved and hated it. Most of my time has been in level III NICU, but i also have done critical care transport of both adults and children, PACU, PICU, and probably something else i'm forgetting. Oh yeah...occasional home care for overtime.

This is my motto after all these years..."It's not what you do, it's who you do it with". Currently i work in a totally boring, mindnumbing Labor & Delivery unit and level II NICU. My coworkers however, are really great and i usually have fun at work. The jobs i have loved are ones with great coworkers and the ones i hated were with people that made me cry everyday!

It pays OK, I make over $100K if I work full time. It is VERY flexible and i love working two 12 hour shifts/week so i can stay with my children the rest of the time. I was even a travel nurse which allowed me to move across the country for next to nothing!

Go ahead and do it. I wouldn't recommend it as a first career for a college-bound 17 y/o like i was, but it's a great second career for others who need the decent pay and flexibilty.

[daisy1234]

Not a Nurse but I worked with many in the hospit al and out in the communiity...I am a registered Dietitian. I have to say....It appears to be a great career...What other job can you go anywhere and find a job....with so many areas to work in. Most of the nurses I worked with that were miserable...just needed to get another job, had a lot going on in their personal lives and some just seemed taht no job would make them happier. I have actaully thought about going back for nursing....I would love to work in the ICU or on Oncology. Good luck with your career choice. My neighbor is considering Nursing and she has a teaching degree. She works as a nurses aid...One hospital...she had a bad experience and now sje is working at another and loves it and love sthe people! Good luck!

[newmomto1]

Just wanted to say that I am really enjoying this thread!
I was an RN for 13 years.
Although I loved being a nurse, I never actually had a job that I loved.
Over the 13 years, I had two long term positions & 2 shorter term jobs.
I dealt with a lot of backstabbing, politics, etc...
That being said..I always did love helping people!
I quit working when I was 7 mos pg with DS, so that was a little over 4 years ago.
Just recently I have been toying with the idea of going back (VERY part time though!).
I haven't even looked at what my options are yet.
And, before I re-enter the work force, I'd definitely want to take a refresher course!
Anyway, this thread is very timely for me!
:)

[Oregonmother]

I would have to say that I enjoy my job, of course it has it's problems all which have been mentioned in previous posts. I have worked in the OR for the last 10 years and worked FT up until 4 years ago when ds was born. I now work PT and love the flexibilty that I have. I pretty much pick the days and hours that I work. There are so many options in nursing, you can work any hour of the day and there are so many different specialties that you can change to something else if you don't like your current position. I also love that when the kids are raised I have the option of working as a traveling nurse where I can go just about anywhere, get paid great money, and they even pay for accomodations. I say go for it, I think it was one of the best decisions that I ever made.

[traumarn]

i've been an rn for 13yrs...done just about every type of nursing you can think of- that's a great part of the job- if you decide you don't like what you are doing or, like me, get bored easily...i go do something else for a few years...
in your situation, i would not recommend the bsn right off the bat...you should have no problem getting a job and experince w/ an assoc degree...with a few years exp, you can still make $75k/yr. also, then you will not have wasted the 20-30k that the bsn will cost you, if you decide you don't like it.
also, bsn's are primarily 'needed'(read: get more than $1/hr more) in certain areas of nursing- most of which require several years experience, anyway...management...case review...research... social work....advanced leadership positions....
btw this my first-ever post here, so i'm gonna try playing w/ the smilies, for fun...:jammin: :boogie: :32: :ROTFLMAO: like that one!!!!....:love-retry:

[ha98ed14]

Great to get such a variety of perspectives. I had never heard that nurses "eat their young," so I am glad to know that that sentiment has been out there, but I hope, as a pp said, that it is on the way out and not tolerated by mgmt.

Lots of you seem really happy with your jobs/ decisions, so that is heartening to me. I imagine that in any field dominated by women cattiness/ bitchiness is going to be an issue. The alternative is a field dominated by men, which is what I am in now, and it has its own issues. One post said that you had to be a people person, and I am that, so I have no worries there. Plus I think the science of the human body and how all the interventions work with it is interesting.

I just spent a week with my DD in the hospital, so I have a little perspective on what it might be like on a peds ICU & floor. Even in the week I was there, I saw that some nurses were better than others. The ones who were "good" were friendly and talked to you, sensitive to *when* was a good time to do a blood draw/ change IV/ take bp & temp (i.e. NOT when baby is sleeping!) The good ones were flexible about this on night shift. The crappy ones insisted on doing it on the hour and never said anything other than "I am here to do X." The good ones always said at the end, "Can I get you anything?" NOT that I expected them to be my waitress/ flight attendant, but they were just sensitive people who understood that being a week in the hospital with your baby in a tiny room with another family with their sick kid was no one's idea of a vacation! They were just friendly/ outgoing people who were sensitive to the needs of others during a stressful situation, and that is something I know I am good at. Being good to people in a moment of crisis is not hard for me. BUT I can see where one could/ would burn out if this was a 40hr/ wk thing. Luckily for me, between me and DH, I think I will be able to be 1/2 time or 3/4 time. So I think I am going to go for it.

One post said that an AA RN would do me fine and not to do a BSN. I'd like some other feedback. My situation is that I already have a BA and a Masters in my current field, so for me, an AA would take the same amount of time to complete as a second degree BSN. With my previous background, I could totally see myself taking on a specialty area of management or policy work within my career, so having a more "academic" degree might be good for me.

Thanks for all the feedback. One again, the ladies on this board have proved to be a wellspring of info on all topics!

P.S. PICU is peds intensive care unit. What is PACU? And how does med/ surge differ from pre-post op?

[tnrnchick74]

P.S. PICU is peds intensive care unit. What is PACU? And how does med/ surge differ from pre-post op?

NICU - neonatal ICU
PACU - Post anesthesia Care Unit...sometimes known as recovery room
Med/surg - is the "bread & butter" of the hosptial. It's a mixed floor where MOST patients are admitted; they either have a medical problem (ie - COPD, asthma, heart problems) &/or have had surgery. IT's not an intensive care environment.

Pre-post op - in some hospitals I have worked in, people coming in for surgery were in a "pre-op" unit to get them ready for surgery; you took hoistory, did assessments, started iv's, did any prep labwork, then shipped them to surgery. The only post-op "unit" I have worked on was in PACU and in endoscopy where we recovered our patients after conscious sedation procedures. Some hospitals have a "same day surgery" type unit where you go before/after surgery then go home...but not stay the nite

As far as the RN/BSN issue...I was in the same boat. I had a BA in another field and an AA for my paramedic. It took less time for me to get a BSN than it would for an AA. I know that around here, BSN's are preferred for most of the ICU environments unless you have experience. In my particular unit, if you are a new graduate nurse, you HAVE to have a BSN. Might be something to check out. And if it takes jsut as much or less time to get a BSN...I say go for it

[hellokitty]

Great to get such a variety of perspectives. I had never heard that nurses "eat their young," so I am glad to know that that sentiment has been out there, but I hope, as a pp said, that it is on the way out and not tolerated by mgmt.

Lots of you seem really happy with your jobs/ decisions, so that is heartening to me. I imagine that in any field dominated by women cattiness/ bitchiness is going to be an issue. The alternative is a field dominated by men, which is what I am in now, and it has its own issues. One post said that you had to be a people person, and I am that, so I have no worries there. Plus I think the science of the human body and how all the interventions work with it is interesting.

I just spent a week with my DD in the hospital, so I have a little perspective on what it might be like on a peds ICU & floor. Even in the week I was there, I saw that some nurses were better than others. The ones who were "good" were friendly and talked to you, sensitive to *when* was a good time to do a blood draw/ change IV/ take bp & temp (i.e. NOT when baby is sleeping!) The good ones were flexible about this on night shift. The crappy ones insisted on doing it on the hour and never said anything other than "I am here to do X." The good ones always said at the end, "Can I get you anything?" NOT that I expected them to be my waitress/ flight attendant, but they were just sensitive people who understood that being a week in the hospital with your baby in a tiny room with another family with their sick kid was no one's idea of a vacation! They were just friendly/ outgoing people who were sensitive to the needs of others during a stressful situation, and that is something I know I am good at. Being good to people in a moment of crisis is not hard for me. BUT I can see where one could/ would burn out if this was a 40hr/ wk thing. Luckily for me, between me and DH, I think I will be able to be 1/2 time or 3/4 time. So I think I am going to go for it.

One post said that an AA RN would do me fine and not to do a BSN. I'd like some other feedback. My situation is that I already have a BA and a Masters in my current field, so for me, an AA would take the same amount of time to complete as a second degree BSN. With my previous background, I could totally see myself taking on a specialty area of management or policy work within my career, so having a more "academic" degree might be good for me.

Thanks for all the feedback. One again, the ladies on this board have proved to be a wellspring of info on all topics!

P.S. PICU is peds intensive care unit. What is PACU? And how does med/ surge differ from pre-post op?

If you already have a bachelors, you can do the accelerated program, which is what I did (I have a prior degree in dietetics). The one I did was a BSN program. However, BSN doesn't really mean much in nursing. Everywhere I have worked, ADNs had gotten mgmt positions w/o any trouble and as for critical care, they could care less if you are ADN or BSN, as long as you have the experience and skills needed to be a good nurse. Plus, you already have a BA... so that is already part of your qualification. I kind of over did it by getting a BS and BSN when I didn't really have to. I really wish I would have just gone the MSN route and gotten my NP, but back when I did this, those types of programs were not plentiful. Now they are everywhere. If you'd like to get your NP, most definitely consider the MSN program for non-RN bachelor degree holders.

Oh and I wanted to add on to what the pp said. Around here the ADN prgms are wait listed. The BSN pgrms are not. It will probably be easier to get into a BSN program, b/c there is no wait list and you may be able to transfer a bunch of credits. I have a friend in vegas right now in the same boat as you, and she cannot get into ADN programs, b/c there are such long waiting lists. However, BSN programs are available. They have been talking for DECADES about making all RNs get their BSN, but it will never happen, esp with the shortage and b/c the hospitals will still refuse to acknowledge nursing as a profession (the rationale is that nurses will demand more respect if all nurses are req'd to have their BSN). Having a BSN doesn't make you a better nurse, having your ADN doesn't make you a worse nurse, I know good and bad nurses, regardless of their degree. I also know LPNS who could run circles around some RNs.

One thing I highly recommend. Get a job as a nursing assistant. This will give you a better idea of what it is like. I worked PT in nursing school as a nursing asst and I learned a lot and got to practice a lot more skills. My classmates who worked other non-nursing asst jobs or didn't work at all, only had experiences from clinicals. It was VERY obvious who had nursing asst exp and who didn't and although being a nursing asst is not a glamorous job, 75% of your job as a RN will be the same stuff that nursing asst do. It also helps for the RN to know what it is like to be the nursing asst and being bossed around by the RN. I have always been very nice to my nursing assts (IF I even have one, on critical care units, you usually don't get any), b/c I remember what it was like to be in their shoes. However, when I was a nursing asst there were a few nurses that treated the nursing assts like crap and I always vowed to myself that I would NEVER treat my nursing assts like that when I was a RN. I am proud to say that I kept my word and I was usually the nurse that all the nursing assts preferred to work with, lol!