Question for nurses, please help! Career question.?

Question

A little background information about me: After attending community college for 4 years now, I have explored different majors but have not found anything to keep my attention or that I feel is my calling. I have wondered for a few years now if I want to be a nurse. I am an intelligent young woman, and have a few successful years of schooling under my belt (in all sorts of classes) I don’t think the classes would be an issue for me.

I currently have an office management position at a campground and feel as if I am wasting away in front of my computer. I am used to long shifts and very unhappy people. I care far too much about people's happiness for my current position. If I am going to care about other human beings, I would like it to benefit them in some way. I deal with bitchy people on vacation who are unhappy they are spending time with family and will complain about everything just trying to get a discount. The field I am in currently, my caring and kindness is completely unappreciated and not beneficial to anyone. I am hoping to find something where it matters if I am kind and caring. I like to know what I am doing and having confidence in my responsibilities being fulfilled correctly.

I have two diabetic parents and myself have (controlled) seizures. I am quite used to people who are ill and medical settings.

Now my questions: What do you do in a general day? No amount of internet research will give me a straight answer on this question. I understand each location is different and responsibilities differ, but in general, what do you do, specifically?

Is nursing really as bad as people make it out to be? I understand it is tiring and draining, but isn’t it ever worth it? I read mostly complaints about the field and how much people hate their job.

Is nursing a field where I will know exactly what I am supposed to be doing? I fear being in a position where I am responsible for someone else’s health and I don’t know what to do for them. Do you learn everything you need to know, or do you ever find yourself guessing what is the best option?

With the time it will take for me to complete a nursing program (the waiting list in my area is 6 months to 4 years for nursing courses, depending on the school) I want to be sure that this is what I want to do, and I dearly appreciate any feedback or information you guys can give me. :)

Please, only nurses respond. I don't need people who are not in the field saying "its gross, don't do it." I am looking for insight from professionals.

Answer 1

That's a lot of questions to answer, but I'll try to do what I can. :)

Your general day will of course vary, but usually you start your shift, get your patient assignment and get report from the previous shift. From there you prioritize your shift - who needs to be seen first, who needs meds when, all patients need to have a full assessment, some might need treatments or cares like bandages changed, etc. I would say in most hospital environments the vast amount of your job is passing medications and charting, then actual patient care.

The kind of patient care you give depends on your patient population and how sick they are. A huge part of your job is providing education. Doctors give a diagnosis and prognosis or risks for procedures, etc. to patients, but then they leave, and you are the one as the RN who will have to give more detailed education and answer many of their questions as they think of them.

While most bigger facilities have nursing assistants or other assistive personnel who you can delegate basic patient care tasks to (feeding, bathing, toileting, linen changes, etc.), you will still have to do these things from time to time and it is part of your job. Many CNAs and LPNs complain that RNs are somehow above doing those tasks and act as though we deliberately force them to do those "messier" tasks, but that's their job! If the RNs did all of these things, the CNAs and LPNs would be out of a job. RNs are expected to delegate what tasks they can, and they remain legally responsible for those patients even while others are providing care, so if an RN delegates a task inappropriately or does not follow up, the RN can be held liable.

Personally, I am a high-risk obstetrical and labor & delivery nurse and I truly love my job. I work in the happiest place in the hospital. But being a high risk facility we can also be amongst the most tragic places. But even when those horrible things happen, I find a purpose in the work I do and the attempt at making this time easier for these families. The expressions of gratitude from some of these families is unbelievable.

I don't find that the majority of nurses hate their jobs, I think they either work for facilities that are not respectful of the nursing profession as a whole, or they have simply let themselves burn out in a job they do not like and choose not to find something better for themselves.

My theory is, there are SO many specialty areas and job settings in nursing, if you're miserable in your job, why stay there? There is always something completely different out there if you aren't afraid of taking the plunge.

As far as knowing what you're supposed to do, for the most part, yes. School only gets you so far, and I'd say it's totally normal for new grad RNs to feel rather uncomfortable and at times less than competent in certain situations for at least a year after graduation. So much knowledge comes with experience. School gives you a little taste of a few different areas through clinicals (long term care, medical/surgical, psychiatric, maternal newborn are the most common). But once you are hired at a facility they are the ones who will give you the education that is specific to your patient population. For me in OB/L&D, I had two weeks of eight hour days in a classroom, then another 3 months of training one on one with a nurse preceptor on the units. For the OR, my friend had a combination of classroom and preceptored orientation which lasted 9 months. A more typical orientation period is about 4-8 weeks though depending on what you're doing.

And no nurse is an island. You always operate as a team, lean on your coworkers. Be friendly and up front about your new grad status and always ask for help, all RNs have been new at some point and remember what it's like. You'll learn what co-workers are more supportive than others in time.

I have found nursing to be the most rewarding thing I have ever done (other than being a parent). I feel a very strong spiritual connection to what I do. Not all nurses do, and people aren't bad nurses if they don't. But I do. And I'm glad I do, because it was important to me to find a career that I could say that about.

Good luck to you.

Answer 2

First of all it is hard to give you an idea of what a nurse does without being specific as to where you are interested in working. I work in a nursing home, but I know a little about hospitals and doctors offices, as well as home health and prisons.

As for a nursing home your day consists of passing pills, charting, doing treatments and dealing with bitchy family members. Other job duties include helping out the CNA's with changing, toileting and feeding. You have to learn to be as kind and caring as possible without allowing yourself to get so attached that it affects you too horribly when they pass away. Also as far as knowing what you are doing......you are dealing with humans. No two patients are ever the same. You get plenty of training and the more experience you get the more you learn what signs and symptoms mean what. The elderly are a very special group of people with special needs. You have to have a passion for it to pursue a carear in it.

Hospitals are a little different as you don't have as many patients. But....their illness are more acute and serious. The upside is that you have more access to doctors, but you will find that a nurse will make a better diagnosis because they spend more time with the patient. A hospital is faster paced, so if you prefer that it would be more suited for you.

Doctor's offices are a whole different story. If you want a laid back environment, it's for you. Your day consists of calling in patients, listening to their problems, drawing blood and taking vitals. I find it to be a boring thought, but some like the slow lane.

All in all you should make sure that this is what you want to do. Career is a 24 hour job. There's no such thing as a Monday through Friday job and no holidays unless you work the doctors office thing. You have to have a strong stomach and a big heart. It's a very tiring and trying job, but I love every minute of it. If you feel the passion for then GO FOR IT........health care needs lots of good people.

Answer 3

I know my answer will not be as genuine as you would get from an actual nurse, however if you will accept my commentary on the subject I hope you find it helpful.

I work in a hospital setting (laboratory).  From what I have learned from nursing, it is indeed stressful, long hours, dealing with unhappy patients and families.  All of the people who are nurses generally seem to brush this aside as they really do enjoy what they do.  Most of them are intensely focused on making sure that the patient gets what treatments they need, looking out for problems, and they serve as the end-of-the-line defender for the patient before the doctor comes in.  

I observe that they have so much to do that they often forget little things.  I think it's generally the little things that are important to me in the lab that they forget.  They genuinely care about the patient.

That said, a downside is that the kind of people who love the job, is that they sometimes forget to care for themselves:  eat a meal, go to the bathroom, etc.

Answer 4

Dear Amy R.

You are right it is a very tiring and draining profession. Just like any other job or profession, you'll hear complains about how they hate their job. I guess if you are dedicated to do what you do, its all worth it.  Sometimes people does not appreciate what you do, will even blame you (even Doctors does that).  In most cases you will find yourself wondering what kind of a profession you are in but in some instances you find it very rewarding, knowing that you have helped someone.  

Going thru nursing school will teach you the basics, everything else comes thru experience. Nursing profession has a lot of responsibilities including the care of your patients and knowing what is right for them.  But also keep in mind that in the health care field, it is a team effort.  Everybody has their own duties and responsibilities. You will learn your part and stuff you need to do. Hope this helps

I am a RN since 1997, worked in Emergency Room, Telemetry Floor and is currently working as an Operating Room RN.

Answer 5

Well, i'm not a nurse, but i have done a ton of research on it as i am interested in this field as well. i can tell you that there are two degrees for registered nurses; associates & bachelors.  typically, the associates degree program takes two years and the bachelors takes four.  however, if you have already been in school for 4 years, you may already have some of the required courses, which means you only need to take the nursing credits.

i have actually found the opposite in my research. most nurses' stories that i have read are positive & encourage people such as yourself to go into the field.

sorry that i am not a nurse, just thought i'd tell you what i can. & good luck with finding a career that makes you happy!

Answer 6

Well, let me see if I can help. I work in a large Pediatric Hospital (we get the sickest of kids here). I LOVE my job, a lot of it has to do with the fact that I love working with kids (yes, I know they are sick, but working with these kids you don't see them as being sick, but as kids who need me to help them get better), but also we have a great team approach between the nurses and doctors. I worked in adults as a CNA for 2 years, I hated the way the floor operated (not to mention the cleaning and diaper changing of the older population wasn't my cup of tea) doctors looked down on the nurses, there was just no respect.

As far as what my day looks like (let me first tell you everyday is different) what I do for sure is get report from the previous shift, then I go and see all of my kids (do their Vital Signs, introduce myself and make sure the parents are up-to-date with the treatment plan), I then do my meds (this occurs all night long), Chart, educate parents on any test results, educate them on the treatment plan, and educate them on the diagnosis (Besides assessing the child every 4 hours, educating is a huge part of my job). Some babies don't have parents at the bedside so we will feed them, change them, and take care of their needs throughout my shift. We weigh our kids, perform procedures (i.e. Iv placement, NG tube placement, etc). We communicate with the doctors when the child's status changes or call for necessary orders to provide appropriate care. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tasks, but we are the ones who watch the patients closely  and comunicate with docs to provide the right care.

Everyone is different, once in nursing school you will rotate throughout the different areas of the hospital, from there you can decide which unit suits you best. Good Luck!!!