[bbm21]

Hi all!! I am in the pre-nursing program at my school right now, and to get into the program you have to shadow at our local hospital for so many hours a month on each floor. So far every floor I've shadowed on the nurses have been very discouraging. Almost all of them say they hate their job and advise me not to go into the field. On a few floors, they have even made fun of patients who were very sick. I feel terrible about this. I don't like the environment. I really want to work in a hospital setting though. This is all making me very unsure about my career path. Help!!

[cassioo]

well I love my job I really do. I don't like some things about it and there are things that get on my nerves. But I really do love it. I worked in a factory for 9 years before I went into nursing and the worst day at the hospital is still better then the best day there. I haven't heard my co-workers make fun of someone that's really sick. I have heard them (an me) laugh (not funny laugh but you'll see laugh) when someone comes in not in labor and thinks they are and thinks it's not going to hurt more then it does just walking around pregnant. Or they've watched the baby story too much and think it'll be over in 30 minutes. We have a few lazy nurses on my unit and on others I've worked. Don't take everything from one nurse take the good things you can learn from many nurses and leave the bad stuff behind. Those people are probably grouches at the grocery store too.

[Anonymous]

Don't let them get to you.. Nursing is a challenging profession. It is a rewarding one too. Many of the things you are observing are stress busters. Wait until you see a nurse close the utility room door and cry when her patient dies. Wait until you see a nurse hug a patient and tell them they will get better..Wait until you see a nurse tell a doctor that their patient is in trouble and the doc not order anything and the nurse say I will be charting NO NEW ORDERS and get what the patient needs.

Don't judge a book by it's cover, don't follow the crowd, build your own practice and be proud of it..


WR,,, three commas for Becca

Merekat motto:

Respect the Elders, Teach the young, Cooperate with Family, Play when you can, Work when you should, Rest in between, Share your affection, Voice your Feelings, Leave your Mark

[mercynurse]

I hate to admit it but there are nurses who well we call it "eat their young" They are nasty and mean to new grads, they act as if they know everything and can do no wrong.

I have read this thread and agree with the other resopnses.
Nurses find strange ways to relieve stress..I can remember doing CPR one night (I was doing compressions) crying don't you dare die on me. Sometimes as nurses, we laugh at things that would not be funny...we don't see them as funny either but sometimes you just have to laugh to keep from crying.

Most of us love our profession..but it's like I used to tell my son...I love you always...sometimes I just don't like the things you do. Nursing is like that. I don't always like the rules the facility has, the staffing ratios, the hours, and a lot of other things...but I love being a nurse. Can't imagine doing anything else...ever.

Hang in there and if you need to vent come on back here....we do it too! that's why we're here, to support each other.

Good luck!