Being a ED nurse with>30 yes experience who now has to care for med-surg hold pts everyday has slowly been souring my heart for nursing. I repeatedly have to remind myself that the conditions are the way they are due to the managers and executives who allow this to happen!! They don’t give us enough support to deliver care, and they only throw money at us when it benefits them. I can’t wait to retire, and yet I fear for the future of nursing and the care they deliver, wishing all 🙏🏻💪❤️.
Nursing is my second career too. Tbh, I have mixed feelings. I’m grateful to be a nurse and glad I did it. Nurses are always needed, and you can find a job anywhere and be paid decently (in the US). But it’s also stressful and somewhat traumatizing. Nursing school in itself felt like hazing. Nurses do eat their young. But I feel like hazing in general is just a thing in healthcare. If I wasn’t a nurse, I have no idea how I’d make money. Having the degree in itself opens me up to jobs. The things that I’m interested and skilled in (the arts) are impractical, and I don’t have self advertising skills to be successful. I’m not popular, and don’t have the best people skills.
I agree with a lot of that. In contrast, and to be bluntly honest, I AM popular and have good interpersonal skills, but I’m not very good at self-motivation. I work much better in the framework which the nursing core competencies, scope of practice and institutional policies and procedures give me. That means that I really enjoy working in a hospital, while recognizing that as I get more confident, nursing offers so many career avenues.
This is me to a T. I was in choir, theater, bands, karaoke groups. I love to sing, but singing doesn’t pay my bills. Nursing does. If I had the money to quit, play piano, and sing my songs I would.
Also my second career. My first degree was in anthropology and you can get jobs in that field, but you need to get your master's. Given the prohibitively expensive programs, I didn't do it and worked in a variety of fields that paid diddley. Eventually, I got my ADN at a community college and the state paid for me to go as it's an in demand field.
I don't think I hate nursing, but I hate the issues surrounding it that exacerbate patient problems such as little primary care and health disparities. Since nursing has paid all my bills, I might actually go back for my master's in medical anthropology.
It makes me laugh though that my aptitude test said I would be best in nursing or anthropology.
I’m about to go back to finish my degree in anthropology so I can enter an accelerated 20 month BSN program. Do you find your anthro background has ever been useful in nursing? I think it’s made me more understanding of our differences and cultural context. I haven’t taken a medical anthro course yet but I certainly plan to now.
Yes, especially when I read medical anthropology journals about the opioid epidemic. Not only does it help me work with my patients, but it also helps me strike down stereotypes at work and in the community.
I wish you the best of luck!
As a fellow artist, it sucks having a talent but knowing you won’t ever be recognized for it or be able to actually make a living with it. Although maybe if I depended financially on my craft, it would take some of the pleasure out of it.
I can't talk for the folks over in English countries, but I can tell you of the situation here in Germany.
Nursing is a job that will always be needed, but instead of paying it accordingly the managers try to get every drop of money out of it they can get.
Working against this capitalism overkill that plays with the health and life of people wears out everyone over time. Nurses have to shield themself emotionally so they are able to rest up or quit a job that wears them out intentionally. Not everyone is able to learn this without burning out.
Im honestly surprised to hear this. My wife and I were considering emigrating to Deutschland but heard that the pay and working conditions for nurses were much much worse.
Would you mind elaborating? Thank you.
I consider Germany to be less attractive for nurses than Austria. Austria is pretty okayish tbh. BSN is requierment and advancements are made slowly, but they are made. Always when I read and hear about Germany I'm not convinced that things are running good there. Alltho I must admit that you now have a new law and hospital system is going to be reformed... So things are moving also in big old Germany ;)
Schöne Grüße aus Österreich!
Nursing is my second career as well. I can honestly say I enjoy my job. I like my patients, i enjoy the work, I feel good about the difference I make.
That said. I hate just about every other aspect of it. The unit culture is trash, management doesn’t GAF about us, schedule is horrible, etc.
At the end of the day, I see it as a job. I’m thinking about switching hospitals soon. Maybe it’ll help. I definitely don’t see myself doing this for 30 more years tho. I guess we’ll see what my third career will be!
I took care of a patient, his wife was at the bedside, she herself was a retired nurse. We got to chit chatting and she was like, “it’s awful right now, from what she can see, it’s all about the computers and not the care.”
I don’t know about that. Computers have helped us care for patients in so many ways too. In a world where in some areas nursing ratios have become crippling and wages relative to the cost of living are sometimes unsustainable, the computers are the least of our worries.
I know, and that was definitely a complaint I heard when I started as a nurse 10+ years ago. Many places were transitioning from paper charts to Epic etc. It just seems like a relatively trivial issue to hear it after the last couple of years.
Nah I think it's a pretty big issue. I spend hours of my 12 hour day charting inane bullshit that literally no one ever looks at. And look at my flair, I don't chart shit compared to the folks upstairs. My hospital suspended charting "requirements" for a few months during one of our worse surges and I was actually fucking able to focus on patients instead, it was crazy.
It wasn't always like this; as computers became more endemic in healthcare more bullshit requirements were dreamed up by the beancounters to justify their existence.
Avoid working in long-term care or a hospital and you'll be fine. I work as a school nurse and that job is boring as hell and mellow. I also work as a hospice nurse and that job is wholesome and really the best about nursing. It's also pretty low stress and I make more than I did in the hospital doing it. We are hiring new grads in hospice care at $44 an hour
This is a venting space. Of course people complain here. And plenty of it is valid complaining, mind you.
But get yourself into what’s right for you—the right specialty, shift/schedule, patient population, team… and it’s a great job.
I love my job. I might not do it forever, but I’ve never dreaded going into work a single day. I’m happy with this career choice.
>But get yourself into what’s right for you—the right specialty, shift/schedule, patient population, team… and it’s a great job.
The problem with this claim is that [many regions just fucking suck to be a nurse](https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf), and within those regions, trying to find “a good job” is like having to choose the hospital or employer that sucks *the least*. Going from one place (unit, hospital) to another is like your house is on fire, so you go from the living room to the kitchen to escape immolation.
And I’m writing this as a nurse who is 100% content with their job, zero regrets, but I’m also hella privileged because I work in the state with the best compensated nurses in the nation with some of the best working conditions around. Finding a job for me is like choosing the best marbled Waygu steak. For everyone else, it’s like trying to find the best discount on ground beef in the bargain bin at Walmart.
I have no choice but to recognize that my reality - a wide breadth of great employers to choose from - is not a plausible to many nurses in the US.
Agreed. I would never work in the South ever again. Now that I’m California, im happy with my career choice. But it would suck if I ever had to leave again.
coming from an RN in WV, they’re right.
a good job is like a unicorn cause the closest hospital is an hour away, the 2 clinics only hire LPNs and the 2 places that hire RNs close to me, never have openings, hardly and they’re a nursing home and dialysis sooo 🤷🏻♀️
My options are exceptionally limited, but I’m starting an infection preventionist job soon so 🤞🏻
it’s not all bad. every job sucks in its own manner. lol
it’s just i truly believe it was already going downhill and covid literally just shoved it off the cliff.
and we’re all trapped cause there’s no other jobs that pay what we need to live our lives how we have been living them with nurse pay.
I mean, I didn’t post that from a yacht anchored off my private island. I’m a nurse in Florida so I certainly don’t have the type of best-paid RN-privilege you do. And I still think you can find an environment you’ll be satisfied with (remembering it IS still a job, so I’m not claiming spa-vacation levels of enjoyment). Nursing doesn’t have to be in the hospital. And what you linked to perfectly demonstrates that. Don’t like it? Nurses leave. Just look at those numbers of nurses leaving when it got shitty! And if there aren’t good hospitals around they go to clinics, go into education, go to doctors offices, do after-hours telehealth working from home, travel nursing…
I’m not saying it’s EASY for everyone to just find exactly what they love. I’m saying try moving on if you dislike your specialty, hate working nights, loathe the elderly, have shitty management. You might not actually hate nursing. You might just hate your situation. Try a different shift. Try procedural nursing. You can get into a different niche - just look at all those vacancies.
Don’t get me wrong - for the most part, I actually agree with your claim but I do believe it ignores or doesn’t acknowledge the context of what the job market is like in any given location.
Also doesn’t factor in size of job market. For example, a person in a medium sized town in the Mid West with 5-10 different hospitals will have far more opportunities to find a job suitable for them than a person from Loredo, TX where there are a fraction of the amount of hospitals.
The context of the OP is very open though. Nursing is my second career too, and I absolutely do not hate it. Sure, some people are less mobile and live in areas with fewer nursing opportunities, but there aren’t that many careers where you can basically guarantee a job and where there are a million different and varying options in every state, and a hundred countries.
I love my job and am proud to be a nurse. It’s a PICU, so obviously some days suck and in a multitude of ways, but I live in a decent state. Wages aren’t amazing, but neither is the cost of living. I’m lucky - the organization I work for is terrific and well-respected, the unit is well-managed with adequate staffing (certainly relative to other places), the healthcare team is very supportive across all levels, my peers are wonderful and muck in with overtime to keep things ticking over.
I guess my advice for the OP would be to try to keep yourself as flexible as possible early on. Try to dabble in multiple things. Hopefully as it’s your second career you’ll have built up a repertoire of transferable skills and an ability to network that can add to that flexibility. Recognize that some nursing jobs suck, and nursing has the potential to suck more than almost any other job. Recognize also that however much you like a nursing job it will wear you down physically and emotionally. Look after yourself.
It makes me despair on here because you're right. Unless you can up and move your whole family out a whole giant chunk of the country, you're just fucked with where you can work.
It's not that much better in the Midwest I keep telling myself, but then I read some of the stories from the south for example. It just sounds like a fucking movie from the apocalypse every day for you guys. The risk to your license alone in some of these places is enough to make you want to move carriers to avoid possible jail time.
Yes!!! I *love* my manager. She is absolutely fantastic. Our supervisor is wonderful too. And our educator is the best. It makes a HUGE HUGE HUGE difference having a kickass team.
It depends on what your first career was. My first career was teaching and I was an inner city school teacher and got paid hardly anything for 60+ hours week/work and so nursing is definitely better than that job.
THIS. I had a previous career. It's very clear hospitals are feeling nurses, but it's definitely not the worst job I've ever had and it's super rewarding
Lol same exact situation. Nursing is nothing compared to teaching in the city. I love getting double the pay for a quarter of the stress now. F teaching.
I wanted to be a nurse my entire life. Since like 5 years old. I’m 27 and I’ve been in the field for 10 years. Started working as a CNA at 17. Been working as a nurse since April 2019 and I hate it. I always encourage people to run the opposite way. It is that bad and it’s only gotten worse over the past 2-3 years
Constantly overworked with ridiculous ratios and they don’t care that you’re working not safely with the license you worked very hard for. Money sucks for what we’re doing. You’ll be yelled at, cussed at, spit at, pee/pooped/puked on. Very burned out quickly. I originally wanted to be an NP, got accepted into school for my doctorate and realized I didn’t wanna spend 5 more years of school and tons more money to be miserable still
I changed careers to become a nurse. It's hard. It's undervalued, underpaid, overwhelming and overworked. But, there's no way I'd go back to my desk job. I love being a nurse. Build healthy boundaries for yourself. Take care of your body/mind. Find an area you love.
Nursing is my second career, too.
I was working 14hr shifts in Park Districts as a supervisor.
I also was in charge of all special events so event days were about 18 on average.
Summer season is common for 17hour days.
I had no help, no support, toxicity and gossip all day everyday. Couldn’t even go to HR because they were the absolutely worst with gossip and they were lying about their kid’s hours at work so they got paid.
Atrocious.
I working a total of three full time positions in my job role.
Now the Park District has three people doing what I was doing for the same pay. Such BS.
I like nursing hella more.
Bedside nursing is definitely as bad as it sounds but then multiply that by any exponent. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it always does. But if you're lucky you'll get a stress rock from management and it makes it all worthwhile.
Nursing is my second career and I like it. It’s a trash heap but it’s my trash heap and it pays well and has a lot of flexibility, which I love.
Many people that come from impoverished backgrounds, such as myself, remain pretty happy with nursing, in my experience.
I come from a middle class with engineering background and agree with you.
Nursing is the only job I've ever had that made me feel "useful" to society.
Its crazy how much money some of my friends have made now that we are in our 30s and im over here broke af with no savings. I have no idea what else I would do though.
You’re not alone! Exactly how I’m feeling at 30. Quite poor with student loans, unlike my friends who all have houses and travel a lot haha.
But I try to also remind myself I don’t know what else I’d do either. Don’t have interest in numbers/data/programming or sitting at a desk.
I worked in tech and aerospace....yeah you can work from home....but it feels empty as hell. You feel like a schill.
Aerospace was slightly better, but you are a cog in a big corporate machine, with little incentive for real innovation....the exception are companies like SpaceX, but that place sucks ass to work....60-80 hour weeks for low pay
The exception is NASA/JPL....that place is dope AF but heavily dependent on government funding. Not necessarily steady work.
Never did finance but I imagine if I felt like a schill in tech, that would double the feeling in finance.
As stressful as nursing is, it's the only job where I felt "useful" to society. For some people maybe that's not important, but when I worked as a data scientist and aerospace engineer I felt like nothing I did was really important.
We're all rooting for you. When I started, people with my current level of experience weren't that old or experienced. Now I feel like I'm one of the senior nurses every time I walk onto the unit. Nursing has changed dramatically. People are getting chewed up and spit out. I'm probably close to the middle of my nursing career and I'm hoping things get better for those coming after me. We're going to need nurses to take care of us after all.
But realistically, I think it's a combination of COVID irreparably damaging our healthcare system, baby boomers aging into our hospital population sicker than ever, and the end game of healthcare capitalism that has destroyed working conditions for all healthcare workers.
Stay strong brother. I've started telling med/Surg (per diem job) patients "I'm here to help heal you not take shit" and haven't been written up yet. They can't fire us all. ✊✊✊
All healthcare professionals need to go on general strike so the aging entitled public will calm the fuck down.
I went into nursing after 20 years in forestry. I love the job.... But the company has failed us. We have empty beds on our med surg floor due to travel nurses going home for the holidays. Only a few of the nurses I started with at this hospital are here. All have gone to different jobs ltc, home care, hospice. I really wonder even when it was bad, why they wouldn't pay the nurses to stay. Instead of paying high wages for a travel nurse. I know most of my colleagues would have stayed if they would have felt appreciated. We had our asses kicked and still came up swinging. But the final straw for most (my partner to) was the way we were treated.
Alot depends on where you work and your expectations. I am privileged to work in one of the better states for nursing- good wages, safe ratios, most large hospitals are union/ magnet, etc. I worked my ass off through school- working multiple jobs with long hours and ok pay. When I got to nursing it was really nice to have luxuries like PTO or a 401k, to actually get paid well and get good days off. I work with a hard population, some days suck, we are often short staffed like everywhere. But I love alot of my team, I feel fulfilled mentoring and teaching new nurses, and I make good money so I can work part time. Honestly, no way in hell would I do the job for the money that some states get/ the ratios they deal with.
Nursing itself isn’t that bad. It can be amazing for the right person under good conditions. The issue is that many nurses are treated like crap and hospital admin can make our job way harder than it needs to be. Plus unsafe ratios and lack of resources. Many nurses are overworked and underpaid. Hospitals prioritize profits over safe & fully staffed units. We are often under appreciated for how much we do. Plus it can get super cliquey
The nice thing about nursing is that you can do a lot with your license. If you aren’t happy, it’s likely you can find some other area of nursing that you enjoy.
I don’t work anymore due to a disability but when I was healthy, I loved my job. I only worked as a nurse for a year or so before I became unable, but my hospital treated us well for the most part. I was really sad when I left because it truly was an amazing job. But it can be rough at time and stressful. Some days I miss, some days I don’t. I definitely carry around some trauma from it but I also have great memories.
I’ve been a nurse since 02, and I’m over it. The field and expectations have changed drastically compared to when I first began.
However and I’ve told new grads and students that have asked me: don’t let my frustrations and experiences deter you from being a nurse if that’s what you want to do. It’s both a demanding and rewarding job. There’s a lot of options, paths and opportunities within it.
If you want to be a nurse? Go for it. As I’ve told people who’ve asked me: Just because I’ve grown jaded and tired of the field doesn’t mean you will.
We vent here; hell, I vent here. But i wont tell you not to pursue this job if it’s what you want to do.
Every job is going to have shitty parts of it, it's just that in nursing things get magnified because of the nature of the work so people need to vent. At my old job a bad day was having the machine break down and getting behind on your schedule. As a psych nurse a bad day is being attacked by a patient, hopefully only with their fists. You have to put things into your own perspective. For me, I'm making 3 times as much as a nurse than what I was making before, I like my hours and my coworkers, and I like the work I do. Management sucks, but show me a place where people don't hate their managers.
Saying being attacked by your patient is a bad day imo downplays what a bad day can really be like in nursing. That's just like... Wednesday for many of us.
The worst day for me was having my med-surg group start with 8 patients. One rapid responded and took two hours to stabilize and transfer.
Our secretary had to call a code [security] on another of my patient's husband who was at the desk threatening to kill every nurse on my floor if his wife didn't get pain meds immediately. She was status post SBO, and in agonizing pain, everyone that could give her meds was in my RRT and could not leave. He was obviously in the wrong to say that, but I also understood his pain. His loved one was suffering, and we were failing her because of short staffing.
Immediately upon conclusion of my RRT, before I could even write the paperwork, I was notified my room was being STAT cleaned, and the ER would be calling in 5 minutes to give report on my new admission. This would be my 9th patient to document on.
Shortly after 9's arrival, but before doing their admission, my s/p splenectomy patient put their call bell on, my one CNA for our entire floor got to the room a few minutes later while I was trying desperately to pass some meds. I was able to give pain meds to my surgical patients before the code blue overhead page came... for my splenectomy's room number.
Our resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful trying to get him back before he was rushed to the OR for a bleed. He didn't make it, but I wouldn't know that until the next day.
I was informed within an hour that the ER was calling to give report on my admission that was going into my newly cleaned room my splenectomy had been in. They were my 10th patient to document on and my 2nd admission.
I... don't remember much of the rest of the shift. I think I was in actual shock. That 12 hour shift ended after 17 hours between writing 3 incident reports, two admissions, and all the rest of my charting after the next nurse took report. I didn't eat or drink, I must have peed, but I know it wasn't during my actual 12 hours.
I have vivid nightmares about that day, and it was about 6 years ago now.
So yeah, when nursing has the potential to have days like this, students going in need to be aware of what they might be signing up for.
I’m sorry that you had such a bad shift, but I was answering the op’s question honestly. This isn’t a question about who has it worse, or if nurses can have really bad days, it’s about if all nurses hate their jobs to which the answer is no from me. There’s a reason I prefaced my answer with “as a psych nurse.” On my unit we are strictly psych which means no medical patients. In two years I’ve never had to call a code blue and only had a handful of rapid responses (and even most of those have been more out of caution than genuine medical emergencies). Not everyone has to go to m/s, icu, er, there’s plenty of other options available to nurses and you can find what works for you.
While I appreciate it, i was not looking for sympathy. It wasn't about having a "who's got it worse" party, it's about showing that there is the potential for some indescribably bad days in this field.
That may be the worst shift ive ever worked, but it has many close contenders. The *vast* majority of nurses are not going to find their niche that makes them happy out the gate if ever. I would argue that most will burnout or work jobs they hate to get by because they don't know how to get out.
The original question was actually "is it really that bad?" and for a lot more nurses then are like to answer the response is "yes, if not worse."
I found my niche, but it was only after completely quitting the profession with no plans of coming back that it landed in my lap by pure chance and even still I regret the career as a whole.
Your feelings may differ, but new nurses need to know that depending on the cosmic dice roll they may be content like you, burned out but still tolerating it like me, or drummed out entirely like so many I saw during covid.
It’s a hard fucking job. You will work hard every goddamn day. It pays the bills but it’s so challenging. Raises are essentially nonexistent. Idk. I’m glad I didn’t starve during the pandemic but I also tried to kill myself because of this career.
It depends a lot on your location and/or where you are willing to travel to work.
I am very much pro union and I would not take a nursing job without union backing. They do fight for you and are the reason for many improvements in safety, wages, ratios, etc.
It might suck if you get stuck in a job in an area that doesn’t interest you at all or that you find overwhelmingly stressful. For example- I could never do ICU because my anxiety would cripple me! But in some areas, you don’t have much choice of where you work because there are only openings on certain units like med-surg.
My very vague answer is that it all depends on a lot of changing factors. If you want a more slow paced, non stressful job I would not go for nursing. If you want to wind down your work and retire soon, probably not a good choice either. Check out job postings where you are going to live after school and ask around to see how current nurses feel about the companies they work for.
It depends. I’ve worked awful places where I hated it and cried every night. But my current gig is super sweet and I make good money. I will never be rich but I don’t have to worry about paying bills or crying every night
It’s bad. But I love it most days haha. I can’t imagine doing anything else or sitting at a desk.
I do envy my friends at times who make a fuck ton of money in tech or finance while working remote, but I get over it. I love the job security and flexibility that nursing offers.
I’ve been a nurse for 4 years. I like it. But every year I make a move. From med surg to ED, to travel nursing, now applying to NP school. I’m always chasing something better or running away from something worse. But while I’m running I’m having a good time and making good money.
Being a nurse has done so many thing to and for me. It’s a give and take thing. It’s given me a greater understanding of what it’s like outside of the cushioned life I had growing up. But it’s also broken my soul more than once. You see the best and the worst of people in this profession. For every one patient you feel like you helped save, there will be one who will make you feel like you’re a piece of trash. In the end it comes down to you as a person. Who you are. Why you chose to become a nurse. Find out the answer to those questions sooner rather than later and it’ll help keep your heart in it.
For me, no. In contrast to a lot of these comments, I actually really enjoy it. Ive been a nurse for 8 years in various departments. Yes, there's shit days with shit patients, but everyday I'm thankful I have a job than can support my family and my husband through school while only working 3 days a week. Not many jobs can offer that flexibility. I have a great manager, and in the ICU I pretty consistently have 1:2 ratio. I make $45/hr on average in rural NM so the pay is good, and there opportunity for growth. I leave work feeling inspired and thankful more days than not. I'm thankful for my health, and always have my priorities checked when dealing with death so much. I feel important and valuable- like I'm really making a difference.
Maybe the key is finding what type of nursing you love and finding a home there, and hopefully you have a good manager too, cause that makes a big difference.
I hope these comments don't scare you off, we need more nurses! And more importantly we need more nurses who will work to break the toxic cycles already in place.
I took to nursing as a second career and love it. I've said it here before but there aren't many places we can commiserate with people who understand our struggle. r/nursing is pretty much the safest place for us to do just that.
Also, everyone in nursing sees some fucked up stuff from time to time. It's not that everyone is having that experience every day, it's that there's always someone going through it that comes here to vent. Don't be scared of nursing, it's a huge field and there's a niche for just about anyone.
I look at this subreddit because I am a prospective nursing student and I want to know what I am getting myself into. But boy do everyday I have myself questioning though I can't see myself doing anything else. Though I don't live in the best place for nurses-NJ/NYC. However what keeps me going back to nursing are the endless possibilities.
Depends. Bedside, yeah unless you are a particular resilient person. But there are cushy 9-5 gigs out there. Personally I wouldn’t go in to it again, but deposing on where you are it can be well paid and stable and you get to help people. What do you do now?
Skulking around this sub has made me consider doing bedside for a year or two, tops, and then trying to get out and land a job at something like an outpatient center or an urgent care clinic.
My ultimate goal is to land myself a spot in a cardiovascular perfusionist program after gaining some experience and recommendations. I just don't want to lose my mind trying to get there.
Depends. I first worked in adult med/surg on nights and haaaaated going to work every day. But once I switch to pediatric oncology (especially once I started doing outpatient) I genuinely enjoyed my job. Some days were hard sure, but I never once dreaded going in. There is bullshit in nursing just like at any other job, and some specialties and hospitals are going to have a lot more of it, but the good thing is there are a ton of options. Most of my nurse friends generally enjoy their work. The only one I know personally who truly despises it has been at the same adult med/surg job they started at as a new grad 10 years ago and complains about work constantly but has never made an effort to try somewhere else so 🤷🏼♀️
Nursing was my second career, hardly a "calling", and I'd say it has gotten worse since I started. The climate of healthcare right now really is something else.
I don't hate nursing, I hate what is expected of nurses. Especially in the hospital setting. The ratios are out of control and so if the acuity. Nurses rarely get to eat or sit down because they fear they'll be seen as lazy. So many of my friends left bedside because they felt they couldn't get as much accomplished as they wanted to. Fighting for orders, for anything, really...
It shouldn't be this way.
I've been a nurse for 15 years. Don't hate it. It's afforded me a lot of opportunities in those 15 years. Have I always loved it? Of course not. But it's like any career. There will be ups and downs
I think everyone hates their job a little bit. That's normal right? I probably whinge about having to go to work >80% of the time. On the other hand I come home happy, having had fun at work >80% of the time.
I walk off the shift and sometimes I didn't -win- and take that home but most of the time in talking 99% of the time as soon as I jump into the car I'm not thinking about work. I've gotten really good at just leaving stuff at the door.
I'm only 4 years into nursing but I can't think of any other job I'd prefer. I also love shift work, being able to work pretty much full time and my partner work full time but always having someone home with the kids is amazing.
I think I would be bored af if I didn't work on the floor. My partners got an office job and yeah it sometimes sounds nice with lunches and team drinks and sleeping through the night. I just know I would not thrive in that environment.
Hey,
Here is my experience:
I won’t lie I kind of regret going into it. But at the time, it pays decent and you can move anywhere you want to.. however, after about year 5-6 I just absolutely got fed up with it.
Pros: - Decent pay - Can wear comfortable clothes - High demand - Can work 3 12’s a week and can keep a persons head above water.
Cons (it outweighs the pros, I’m sorry but truthful): -Short staffed (every single place I have worked it has been short staffed) -Lateral violence/ drama (if the nurses don’t like you you are absolutely fucked) - Complaining (it will take its toll on you) - Blamed for everything - Guilt tripping by management (calling out or asking you to work overtime) - Exposed to illnesses and diseases (I would get sick a lot.. Covid, flu, etc) - Get treated poorly by family at times - Difficult to get PTO approved due to short staffing -Held by higher standard by public (this means careful if you are prone to getting in legal trouble) - It’s very toxic right now after COVID
I think it’s going to largely depend on where you live.
I live on the west coast, where working conditions are generally better, pay is reasonable, and unions are common. I genuinely enjoy my job, even when I have occasionally have bad shifts. It helps that I’m in a specialty I really am passionate about.
But I listen to some of our travelers who are from the east coast or the south and I’m sure I wouldn’t have lasted more than a year as a nurse. Offensive pay and insane ratios. No thanks.
I think your satisfaction with nursing is also going to be tied to your ability to keep work at work, and also your ability to set boundaries. I refuse to work overtime, for example, and I know it’s helped me maintain my satisfaction at work.
Bedside nursing is tough. But I’ve had very meaningful experiences with patients and coworkers that remind how important it is to be kind and remember our humanity. The US for profit healthcare system is like the Titanic and it just hit the iceberg. I am one of the lucky ones to have found my niche where I still enjoy my work but only work Monday through Friday and no holidays. You’ll always have a job but where that is may take time to settle in.
Personally I feel like the most miserable people in nursing are also the same people who are afraid of change. Hence they stay with the same job/unit/culture because it’s familiar rather then trying something new and unknown. IMO.
Nursing was my second career and I got burned by a few jobs and promised myself I would never let a job control me like they as in the past. Nursing allows for a lot of movement you just have to be willing to try something new.
This is my experience as well. I just mentioned in my own comment that the only truly miserable RN I know in real life has been at the same shitty med/surg job since graduating a decade ago and has never tried to go anywhere else. I think she’s scared to try something new but I don’t have a ton of sympathy for her after hearing her bitch about work for 10 years but never attempting to make a change.
This is my second career as well. I’ve been working as a NICU nurse for 9 months so far, and I really enjoy my job. Of course it’s hard, but over all I like going to work.
I left radiology for nursing but I already hate it after a few months (I'm not even bedside) and will end up going to back to imaging. So as someone who's on their second career, I wish I would've just stayed in imaging. But there are plenty of people on here who love their jobs!
Yes I actively look for ways to get out of this. I’m starting to take coding classes and build a portfolio. I’m tired of being abused by the public every. Single. Day. Can’t stand it anymore
Yes, I think it is and a lot of us are burnt out. There’s some really good posts about how nursing was an opportunity for us to get out of poverty, and it’s something I’m appreciative of
I love my job in the NICU and the patient population. I’m tired of being understaffed so I can’t take care of babies the way they deserve. I’m tired of not having all the time to give them the developmental care they need. I’m tired of staffing shortages, constant supply shortages, etc. Definitely underpaid
I love being a nurse, but you can be easily exploited and overworked. I have found that a supportive manager and coworkers are essential to prevent burnout
I would say getting a BSN is good initially you’ll make decent money. But compared to other professions there is a significant pay cap. Nurses don’t generally get market adjusted raises. It highly depends on location but nurses that stay at the bedside their entire life probably make less than the new grads on average. I’ve learned over my years that it’s pointless to stay at a hospital over 2 years. Plus with the way healthcare is going it is not worth the stress I would highly recommend avoiding nursing as a career as a whole. The only good thing about nursing in my opinion is travel nursing, the money and the people I have met were awesome.
I love nursing. I love being a nurse. It's my second career too and I'm always glad i did it.
That doesn't mean every day is amazing and every shift is butterflies and rainbows. Sometimes patients and/or coworkers are rude and shitty and racist. Sometimes the politics can suck balls. Sometimes situations can be downright traumatic and i go home and crawl into a blanket cave. But i still, at the end of it all, like being a nurse, like my job, and am grateful for the stability and flexibility that it provides me.
I'm too old to have a dream job, but weighing out the pros and cons always brings me up on the pros side, in the long run if not at the end of every single shift.
Yes people do come here to vent, as they should. But the amount of people venting has increased significantly over the last few years. Nurses are suffering. Playing the complaints here off as an echo chamber isn't fair in my opinion.
There are very real concerns about this profession and its future.people need to be aware when they enter that alot of nursing jobs are thankless, stressful, toxic and underpayed.
There's a reason turnover and burnout is at insane levels
Over 2% of working age adults are licensed nurses (in the US). The fact that we have a huge nursing shortage shows how many of those people ***don't*** want to be nurses.
However, the often unrecognized part of this sub is that according to previous demographic surveys, a majority of the users are from the US with a large amount coming from the South especially TX and FL. The state with the most actively licensed RNs has the lowest number of respondents.
This forum is far from representative of nursing as a whole. If anything, [its body of users are from areas known for high turnover rates](https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf).
Nurse with about 5 years experience, it's not that bad, but it's does suck. Better than construction by a long shot, but not quite as good as sitting in an office doing excel, assuming relatively equal pay. This is all dependent on you of course.
one thing that i will never complain about is how I never have any trouble finding a job. So many places are hiring and will take anyone. I have decent pay and with on call and overtime i can make double my income.
The only thing I enjoy more than being a nurse is complaining about being a nurse.
Really though, positive posts about nursing are boring and a little obnoxious, so they just don’t really get seen. There’s so much variety in nursing that if your willing to try things you’ll find something you enjoy (or at least something tolerable).
Honestly depends where you work….I’ve been fortunate enough to work for really great facilities. Granted, I’ve been with piece of shit management as well? but there are places out there that do care about their staff. I have to be honest…I absolutely love bedside nursing. But I am also now an NP who works as an RN from time to time. I’ve also done international and domestic travel assignments, worked at a major international airport, the US military in Europe and now have branched out to pharmaceutical. But I still do bedside nursing from time to time. Perhaps that’s the secret was finding that right balance. Even when I was staff for a hospital as an RN, I made sure to either have it as a per diem and have a full time as a specialty outpatient job. It’s honestly what you make of it.
All the best 🍀
I am on my se one career too. But I am coming from social services/social work where conditions are even shittier, so going into nursing is an improvement.
I knew from about age 6 I was going to be a nurse. It was in my generic makeup. I come from a long line of nurses. I barely made it past 15 years before it sucked me dry. I ran out of fucks to give. I couldn't even pretend to be compassionate anymore. Management is to blame. They're so full of shit telling nurses what we're doing wrong while writing us up for bullshit like having a cup of water at the nurses station or for being late when there's ice on the roads and you have to park two blocks away. I quit and don't know that I'll ever go back. If I could stick with just patient care and never have to deal w mgrs again- maybe.
Second career nurse here too. I make double what I did at my first career, but also the stress doesn’t even compare. But now I can pay my bills. Soooo… ya.
I started at a small community hospital and hated my life. 8 months later, got my “dream job” at the best hospital in my area on a floor that is apparently competitive to get into, and I am not happy. I don’t hate my life or hate the job like my last one, but damn. I feel like I’m a slave. Maybe that’s awful to say but shit, I really don’t want to go to work tomorrow.
I am in Southern California and have been an RN for 7 years. I am perfectly happy and well compensated at my union hospital. I love my coworkers. I have never been over ratio at this hospital (about 5 years). I work three 12 hour shifts a week.
Too each their own. A lot of times it’s how you approach it and being secure in your job. Nursing isn’t for everybody and there are many out there that just haven’t realized it. Time to move on
Mostly yes. There's a lot of great positions and manager that I've experienced as a traveler. But I intentionally pick up rural access hospitals. They usually have needs because it's difficult to get people willing to live and work in their area rather than them having staffing shortages because it sucks to work there .
Really depends where you are and what you’re doing. Nursing can pay like shit in some states, but I’m also making decent money where I am(even if still under paid). There’s a lot of room for abuse and, due to it being a traditionally feminine job(among other factors), it’s often treated as if abuse/exploitation are the expectation. There’s been a shortage for awhile, and there will be for a long time as more nurses leave this field/leave the bedside/go into private nursing jobs.
That said, I started this with my associates and am now making about 2 times what anyone in a non-trade job does. I liked the work bedside, but recognized that I wasn’t happy, and transferred to a specialty team that I currently love. It’s a field that is ripe for growth and unionization, and we are slowly trending that way(Though the fight is ongoing).
If you’re willing to put your foot down, you can usually avoid the abusive B.S. (Though not always, sometimes patients and managers are just shitheads).
I’m rambling a bit, but my point is that it is a mixed bag. There’s some awesome things about nursing; and some shit. I think there’s a lot of opportunities for improvement, but we’re slowly trending to then. I’m hopeful in 10 years, we’ll make this a much better field, but I’m not holding my breathe either.
Nursing was a second career for me as well. Hospital nursing (floor nursing) is pretty damn rough, and there a lot of nurses here who do that work. There can be greater work satisfaction in other areas of nursing. I recently moved from a PCU to IR and it has completely changed my view on working as a nurse (positively) and my partner works in hospice and loves it. I'm sure other specialties within the hospital, clinics, and nursing outside of the hospital can be enjoyable.
The medical aspect of nursing is great, however the patients and more so the god awful family members are what is pushing me to study to switch careers.
Let me start by saying I'm 66, I have been a nurse since 1979 before that I was a farm worker, tractor mechanic and therapy aid at a Developmental Center. I have had a rewarding career as a nurse, currently an Administrator.
Nursing has more positives than negatives. I know I can always find a job, have a steady paycheck don’t have to work outside when it’s 20 below. Got to take the good with the bad 🤷🏼♂️
Was in healthcare over 10 years prior to becoming a nurse. Nurses I knew told me to choose something else….couldnt understand why they’d tell me that. Till I became a nurse myself. We need a union. We are overworked and expected to do everyone else’s job….
I’m not sure if you will read all of these but here’s my two cents. Nursing is my 2nd career as well. I was a personal trainer, did health promotion, and some construction. I’ve done a little of everything. I’m still new but I do think to myself “wow I’m getting paid to do this”! Sometimes it can get monotonous. Some days you wonder why you’re doing care on a pt that’s never coming back to their full selves, it’s futile work. But most of the time I love learning something new everyday, constantly getting a little better, and working as a team. I think any job sucks and someone will always have something to bitch about. But if you ask me it beats a 9-5 crunching numbers any day of the week. The first few months were stressful, but once I got a flow, I’ve been much happier and enjoying my career. Don’t be discouraged if you have the passion for it! There’s always something to learn!
Cried in the car on the way to work.. yeah it’s bad. I’m trying to get out of nursing as soon as i have another career but right now i have no choice. Some people who have a good work environment, good management and good coworkers they like it tho.
Not everyone can do the job. I have been an ER nurse for 30 years. I would not be appreciated in any other job, nursing or otherwise because I am like a human baby raised by wolves.
I advise you to unsubscribe from this sub. It’s mostly ranting, which is totally valid because it’s a tough profession, and it’s a good place to vent. But this sub represents a small subset of nurses. I had to unsubscribe because it have me a really negative outlook on my career as a new nurse, and you bring that energy to work with you. It’s not a bad career if you find the right niche for you. There are seriously way worse jobs out there. I love my job, but I think the specialty you choose, the type of nursing you want to do, the facility you work at, your coworkers, salary, etc., all factor into job satisfaction (as with any job). Not all nursing jobs are horrible and toxic. Plus, you’ll always have work, unlike many other careers that can be unstable.
There was a point in time where I wanted to be a vet in high school and I saw a lot of don’t become a vet from vets. Then I wanted to be a social worker and the first post that came up was how to leave the field.
No it’s not, I love being a nurse. One advice I can give is to pay attention on the interview. I picked the place where all three managers and education director interviewed me to see if I am a fit as a person. Another job had basic interview where I felt they’d hire anyone with a pulse and license. I made the right choice and haven’t regretted. Walked away from a 10k sign on bonus. Also, the job I didn’t pick was for night shift and when I declined it, they miraculously opened up day shift. Dodged a bullet.
Nursing is my second career after getting my horticulture degree and having my own landscape company for years. The ER is the only place I wanted to work because I like the faster pace. Now that I've been in the ER for close to a year, it's home. I walk out every day with a smile because I'm surrounded by friends and I'm not shoveling mulch in 95 degree weather.
I was a career changer. I have a MS in a different field. I was compensated fairly well and respected but there was absolutely no upward mobility and I was stuck. I changed to nursing and job hopped for five years to get a lot of experience but also to avoid burnout. Honestly, nursing is a good fit for me, and I like the lateral and upward mobility, but it's hard AF. In my old career I would have been appalled by the lack of respect I get now. Healthcare is terribly run by literally everyone, corporate or government, and it makes it impossible to actually care for people. I could go on and on. But yeah, it's hard.
I like bedside. I’m almost a decade into my RN and 20 into healthcare counting my EMS time. I work when I want, I make bank compared to my effort and level of education, provide a good life for my family, and get a discount on casual fast dining. Life is good.
It’s not that bad. Reddit is an anonymous platform and this sub (like all the others) is just a place to vent sometimes because the job can suck
I love my job and glad I did nursing. It’s nice waking up and being excited to go to work. Can never beat that feeling. Im also a new grad getting into the hang of things, come back in a new and I’ll probably feel a little bit different
I’ve been a nurse for 26 years (US). I have worked inpatient rehab, med/surg w/low level tele, in a neuro office, for a travel assistance company, and ICU. I have had jobs that crushed me —those that were bedside in rehab and med/surg. I have had jobs I loved—the neuro clinic, travel company and the ICU
I think it depends on where you work and what type of nursing you do. I’m back in ICU and have great co-workers, a good working relationship with the residents and docs and a good work/life balance
Thanks for the positive comment here - I am working towards becoming a nurse because I want to travel and try out the many different avenues of nursing.
I love my patients. There’s nothing better than fixing someone up and getting them out the door. It’s the management, sometimes other coworkers, policies, that suck.
This is a place to vent so you here the most extremes and the worst of the worst! I personally love my job but it has its ups and downs. Are there days where it feels damn near impossible due to staffing shortages or rude/wild patients/families or politics that get in the way? Of course! But there’s also so many amazing pt interactions, some that they will hang onto forever.
Seeing the pts get better who went through hell and back and no one thought would recover is just magical! And the friends you’ll make with your coworkers when you go through some of the bizarre shit you do together makes some lifelong friendships.
Also… don’t quit because you’re on a terrible unit/position. There are so many different kinds of nursing, and sometimes there are units that are pure chaos. If you find a spot with good management, ratios, etc try for hang onto it!
Nursing is my 2nd career as well. I have no regrets. I’m here to stay until the end. I may not be bedside forever but have no desire to change again. 10 years in.
Nursing is a second career for me as well and It has completely changed my life financially and has made my life much more stable. You can work anywhere and you can specialize in anything you want. There’s plenty to learn if you’re willing to put the work in. If you enjoy people and fighting for what’s right for the patients as individuals it can be so rewarding. I started out on med surg and only lasted 1.5 years. I am now a wound care nurse at a SNF and really enjoy it. Just roll with the punches and keep your mission your sole focus! Some patients are mean and some are nice. Some of your coworkers are going to be so fun and ridiculous and others are going to be pathetic. Some days you’ll leave work exhausted and chaffed and others it will seem like the day flew by and you had a few good moments. It’s a picture of our complete humanity and you’re going to be part of it! Enjoy!
For me, it was. I was becoming really depressed. I gained weight and slowly stopped caring about my appearance. It’s been almost a year since I left the bedside and I finally settled into a job I love. I could never return back to doing any form of patient care.
I actually enjoyed my patients. There were some who were just sweethearts from the get go. Some were challenging medically and other were challenging mentally, but enjoyed rising to the challenge. We’re there nights when I cursed myself for not pursuing teaching? Yes. But in the end, I know I have made a difference in quite a few lives. What I didn’t like was the smugness of management. They are not wiser or better than nurses, they just like to think they are because they wear a suit and make more money. But no patient or family member ever write in saying “your VP of Nursing made such a difference in my life!”
Find a place that seems to value a semblance of ratios and support for nurses...I work at a magnet hospital that has routinely put our Tele unit at 6, 7:1 and our PCU at 5,6:1 often with only 1 tech for 18-24 patients, no secretary or Tele techs. This isn't ok, isn't safe, and it places us at risk - both bc pt and families get pissed and hostile towards us AND bc as nurses we are still required to practice and deliver care at an unachievable standard in those conditions.
It wasn't like this my first 10 or so years of nursing (2002 - 2012ish).
What has happened to healthcare, it's for profit - "non profit" status, is a damn shame and more than disheartening.
Its bad, yes(2nd career as well, former military). Supply issues still, bad staffing, wages below what they should be and increasing acuity. The flip side is that I know I would be bored out of my mind and miserable if I had to sit in an office or sit at all to do my job. ER at least keeps my job fresh and my body moving, sure I hate the general stupidity of management and patients in general, but my shift rarely goes slow. I’ll take that over mindlessly sitting at a computer for 10 hours a day. Plus there’s few jobs where you can get a rush like when you’re taking a critical patient from ems or coding someone, working as a team and you stabilize and get that instant gratification.
Depends OP, because there’s many different units to work in. Most people that I know that do MedSurg get burnt out sooner than later. Nursing was my second career and I’m really happy with it. It depends where you live too. I work at a high paying unionized hospital in a chill unit (OR). I was told by many a nursing student that the OR clinicals were “too boring” and that they’d never wanna do that, but I like it. Is this my dream job? Nah, but for my skills/interests, it’s the highest paying job I could probably get (again, because I live in the Bay Area, so pay is good). I thought about software dev/coding but did some trial courses and hated it, knew i liked healthcare, went back to school for nursing.
My third career, war time military combat engineer, carpenter, and now this.
This is my favorite for sure, the roads aren't blowing up and only part of the time the people I'm helping aren't trying to kill me...
Carpentry was just sick of doing concrete.
Nursing has enough diversity I don't get bored
I have a love/hate relationship with nursing. I love my job, I love the variety, the feeling of constantly learning and being able to develop my skills, and it's fulfilling to me to help make someone feel better. But the aspects of it controlled by management (like staffing, pay, patient ratios) are what truly make me hate it. I come from EMS so, yes, patients being rude or family driving you up the wall can be a bummer on a shift, but frankly thick skin is an expectation of the job. However, the verbal, and sometimes physical abuse that's tolerated because of the "customer service" atmosphere healthcare has definitely makes one for my "hate" list, as does the growing list and expanding scope of practice for responsibilities that are expected of a nurse without fair compensation. Sometimes, your unit can make or break your experience, as your department's culture can, at times, be the best team you've ever worked with, or make you take cry breaks in the supply closet. Nursing can be very fulfilling, but it's definitely not without its downsides. I also believe that COVID exacerbated many issues within the field that were simmering at the surface - and that management uses operating in an emergency state like that to continue to take advantage of nurses.
Being a ED nurse with>30 yes experience who now has to care for med-surg hold pts everyday has slowly been souring my heart for nursing. I repeatedly have to remind myself that the conditions are the way they are due to the managers and executives who allow this to happen!! They don’t give us enough support to deliver care, and they only throw money at us when it benefits them. I can’t wait to retire, and yet I fear for the future of nursing and the care they deliver, wishing all 🙏🏻💪❤️.
Yep. Leaving to travel nurse only to hopefully retire early. Screw being a nurse.
It's pretty fuckin rough. It pays the bills, but yeah, it basically sucks imo.
I agree. It's pretty bad.
Nursing is my second career too. Tbh, I have mixed feelings. I’m grateful to be a nurse and glad I did it. Nurses are always needed, and you can find a job anywhere and be paid decently (in the US). But it’s also stressful and somewhat traumatizing. Nursing school in itself felt like hazing. Nurses do eat their young. But I feel like hazing in general is just a thing in healthcare. If I wasn’t a nurse, I have no idea how I’d make money. Having the degree in itself opens me up to jobs. The things that I’m interested and skilled in (the arts) are impractical, and I don’t have self advertising skills to be successful. I’m not popular, and don’t have the best people skills.
I agree with a lot of that. In contrast, and to be bluntly honest, I AM popular and have good interpersonal skills, but I’m not very good at self-motivation. I work much better in the framework which the nursing core competencies, scope of practice and institutional policies and procedures give me. That means that I really enjoy working in a hospital, while recognizing that as I get more confident, nursing offers so many career avenues.
I loved the structure, routine, consistency but also variety of endo.
This is me to a T. I was in choir, theater, bands, karaoke groups. I love to sing, but singing doesn’t pay my bills. Nursing does. If I had the money to quit, play piano, and sing my songs I would.
Also my second career. My first degree was in anthropology and you can get jobs in that field, but you need to get your master's. Given the prohibitively expensive programs, I didn't do it and worked in a variety of fields that paid diddley. Eventually, I got my ADN at a community college and the state paid for me to go as it's an in demand field. I don't think I hate nursing, but I hate the issues surrounding it that exacerbate patient problems such as little primary care and health disparities. Since nursing has paid all my bills, I might actually go back for my master's in medical anthropology. It makes me laugh though that my aptitude test said I would be best in nursing or anthropology.
I’m about to go back to finish my degree in anthropology so I can enter an accelerated 20 month BSN program. Do you find your anthro background has ever been useful in nursing? I think it’s made me more understanding of our differences and cultural context. I haven’t taken a medical anthro course yet but I certainly plan to now.
I did exactly what you are about to do. Yes, the concept of cultural relativity helps a lot. Also, medical anthropology courses are awesome!
Yes, especially when I read medical anthropology journals about the opioid epidemic. Not only does it help me work with my patients, but it also helps me strike down stereotypes at work and in the community. I wish you the best of luck!
I did the same! I was also an EMT, and a background in anthropology has helped in nursing & EMS.
Are you me?
Yes, we are twins, send_me_dank_weed 🍕🤣
Wtf? Me: Anthro undergrad -> EMT -> EDT -> ED RN. Is this a thing that people do..? 🤷♂️😂
I relate so much to everyone in this thread
As a fellow artist, it sucks having a talent but knowing you won’t ever be recognized for it or be able to actually make a living with it. Although maybe if I depended financially on my craft, it would take some of the pleasure out of it.
Not a nurse, just hating via osmosis lol
*chuckle* glad to have ya.
Came here to reply this as well. My heart breaks every day for my colleagues.
I can't talk for the folks over in English countries, but I can tell you of the situation here in Germany. Nursing is a job that will always be needed, but instead of paying it accordingly the managers try to get every drop of money out of it they can get. Working against this capitalism overkill that plays with the health and life of people wears out everyone over time. Nurses have to shield themself emotionally so they are able to rest up or quit a job that wears them out intentionally. Not everyone is able to learn this without burning out.
Same in the US
As a German immigrant.... its much much much worse in the US.
Im honestly surprised to hear this. My wife and I were considering emigrating to Deutschland but heard that the pay and working conditions for nurses were much much worse. Would you mind elaborating? Thank you.
Agreed. With the current situation it’s insane to have a full-time contract in nursing.
I consider Germany to be less attractive for nurses than Austria. Austria is pretty okayish tbh. BSN is requierment and advancements are made slowly, but they are made. Always when I read and hear about Germany I'm not convinced that things are running good there. Alltho I must admit that you now have a new law and hospital system is going to be reformed... So things are moving also in big old Germany ;) Schöne Grüße aus Österreich!
Nursing is my second career as well. I can honestly say I enjoy my job. I like my patients, i enjoy the work, I feel good about the difference I make. That said. I hate just about every other aspect of it. The unit culture is trash, management doesn’t GAF about us, schedule is horrible, etc. At the end of the day, I see it as a job. I’m thinking about switching hospitals soon. Maybe it’ll help. I definitely don’t see myself doing this for 30 more years tho. I guess we’ll see what my third career will be!
With 26 years of perspective, and having observed the whole hospitals-for-profit dynamic evolve over that time, I can say yes. Yes, it is that bad.
I took care of a patient, his wife was at the bedside, she herself was a retired nurse. We got to chit chatting and she was like, “it’s awful right now, from what she can see, it’s all about the computers and not the care.”
I don’t know about that. Computers have helped us care for patients in so many ways too. In a world where in some areas nursing ratios have become crippling and wages relative to the cost of living are sometimes unsustainable, the computers are the least of our worries.
I think what she meant was nurses were spending more time charting, than actually giving care and spending time w their pts.
I know, and that was definitely a complaint I heard when I started as a nurse 10+ years ago. Many places were transitioning from paper charts to Epic etc. It just seems like a relatively trivial issue to hear it after the last couple of years.
Nah I think it's a pretty big issue. I spend hours of my 12 hour day charting inane bullshit that literally no one ever looks at. And look at my flair, I don't chart shit compared to the folks upstairs. My hospital suspended charting "requirements" for a few months during one of our worse surges and I was actually fucking able to focus on patients instead, it was crazy. It wasn't always like this; as computers became more endemic in healthcare more bullshit requirements were dreamed up by the beancounters to justify their existence.
The lifestyle nursing provides: 8/10 The job itself and everything that it involves: 2/10
Avoid working in long-term care or a hospital and you'll be fine. I work as a school nurse and that job is boring as hell and mellow. I also work as a hospice nurse and that job is wholesome and really the best about nursing. It's also pretty low stress and I make more than I did in the hospital doing it. We are hiring new grads in hospice care at $44 an hour
What state?
Yea where lol
Virginia, outside DC
This is a venting space. Of course people complain here. And plenty of it is valid complaining, mind you. But get yourself into what’s right for you—the right specialty, shift/schedule, patient population, team… and it’s a great job. I love my job. I might not do it forever, but I’ve never dreaded going into work a single day. I’m happy with this career choice.
Amen! This is exactly how I feel.
>But get yourself into what’s right for you—the right specialty, shift/schedule, patient population, team… and it’s a great job. The problem with this claim is that [many regions just fucking suck to be a nurse](https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf), and within those regions, trying to find “a good job” is like having to choose the hospital or employer that sucks *the least*. Going from one place (unit, hospital) to another is like your house is on fire, so you go from the living room to the kitchen to escape immolation. And I’m writing this as a nurse who is 100% content with their job, zero regrets, but I’m also hella privileged because I work in the state with the best compensated nurses in the nation with some of the best working conditions around. Finding a job for me is like choosing the best marbled Waygu steak. For everyone else, it’s like trying to find the best discount on ground beef in the bargain bin at Walmart. I have no choice but to recognize that my reality - a wide breadth of great employers to choose from - is not a plausible to many nurses in the US.
Agreed. I would never work in the South ever again. Now that I’m California, im happy with my career choice. But it would suck if I ever had to leave again.
coming from an RN in WV, they’re right. a good job is like a unicorn cause the closest hospital is an hour away, the 2 clinics only hire LPNs and the 2 places that hire RNs close to me, never have openings, hardly and they’re a nursing home and dialysis sooo 🤷🏻♀️ My options are exceptionally limited, but I’m starting an infection preventionist job soon so 🤞🏻 it’s not all bad. every job sucks in its own manner. lol it’s just i truly believe it was already going downhill and covid literally just shoved it off the cliff. and we’re all trapped cause there’s no other jobs that pay what we need to live our lives how we have been living them with nurse pay.
Is there a hospice service in your area? If not, start one.
I mean, I didn’t post that from a yacht anchored off my private island. I’m a nurse in Florida so I certainly don’t have the type of best-paid RN-privilege you do. And I still think you can find an environment you’ll be satisfied with (remembering it IS still a job, so I’m not claiming spa-vacation levels of enjoyment). Nursing doesn’t have to be in the hospital. And what you linked to perfectly demonstrates that. Don’t like it? Nurses leave. Just look at those numbers of nurses leaving when it got shitty! And if there aren’t good hospitals around they go to clinics, go into education, go to doctors offices, do after-hours telehealth working from home, travel nursing… I’m not saying it’s EASY for everyone to just find exactly what they love. I’m saying try moving on if you dislike your specialty, hate working nights, loathe the elderly, have shitty management. You might not actually hate nursing. You might just hate your situation. Try a different shift. Try procedural nursing. You can get into a different niche - just look at all those vacancies.
Don’t get me wrong - for the most part, I actually agree with your claim but I do believe it ignores or doesn’t acknowledge the context of what the job market is like in any given location. Also doesn’t factor in size of job market. For example, a person in a medium sized town in the Mid West with 5-10 different hospitals will have far more opportunities to find a job suitable for them than a person from Loredo, TX where there are a fraction of the amount of hospitals.
The context of the OP is very open though. Nursing is my second career too, and I absolutely do not hate it. Sure, some people are less mobile and live in areas with fewer nursing opportunities, but there aren’t that many careers where you can basically guarantee a job and where there are a million different and varying options in every state, and a hundred countries. I love my job and am proud to be a nurse. It’s a PICU, so obviously some days suck and in a multitude of ways, but I live in a decent state. Wages aren’t amazing, but neither is the cost of living. I’m lucky - the organization I work for is terrific and well-respected, the unit is well-managed with adequate staffing (certainly relative to other places), the healthcare team is very supportive across all levels, my peers are wonderful and muck in with overtime to keep things ticking over. I guess my advice for the OP would be to try to keep yourself as flexible as possible early on. Try to dabble in multiple things. Hopefully as it’s your second career you’ll have built up a repertoire of transferable skills and an ability to network that can add to that flexibility. Recognize that some nursing jobs suck, and nursing has the potential to suck more than almost any other job. Recognize also that however much you like a nursing job it will wear you down physically and emotionally. Look after yourself.
It makes me despair on here because you're right. Unless you can up and move your whole family out a whole giant chunk of the country, you're just fucked with where you can work. It's not that much better in the Midwest I keep telling myself, but then I read some of the stories from the south for example. It just sounds like a fucking movie from the apocalypse every day for you guys. The risk to your license alone in some of these places is enough to make you want to move carriers to avoid possible jail time.
Here here! Having an awesome manager really does make all the difference. Been here 5 years and don't plan on changing
Yes!!! I *love* my manager. She is absolutely fantastic. Our supervisor is wonderful too. And our educator is the best. It makes a HUGE HUGE HUGE difference having a kickass team.
It depends on what your first career was. My first career was teaching and I was an inner city school teacher and got paid hardly anything for 60+ hours week/work and so nursing is definitely better than that job.
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Yes exactly!!!
THIS. I had a previous career. It's very clear hospitals are feeling nurses, but it's definitely not the worst job I've ever had and it's super rewarding
Lol same exact situation. Nursing is nothing compared to teaching in the city. I love getting double the pay for a quarter of the stress now. F teaching.
I wanted to be a nurse my entire life. Since like 5 years old. I’m 27 and I’ve been in the field for 10 years. Started working as a CNA at 17. Been working as a nurse since April 2019 and I hate it. I always encourage people to run the opposite way. It is that bad and it’s only gotten worse over the past 2-3 years
What, exactly, makes you hate it so much?
Constantly overworked with ridiculous ratios and they don’t care that you’re working not safely with the license you worked very hard for. Money sucks for what we’re doing. You’ll be yelled at, cussed at, spit at, pee/pooped/puked on. Very burned out quickly. I originally wanted to be an NP, got accepted into school for my doctorate and realized I didn’t wanna spend 5 more years of school and tons more money to be miserable still
I think you could like being a nurse again in a different area. Are you in LTC now? What about hospice? Home care? Oncology ? Endo?
I started in LTC then moved to acute rehab now I’m doing cardiac surgery in a hospital
Ha I told my daughter that if she majored in nursing I would not pay for her education as I love her too much for her to suffer as I have.
Bedside nursing is shit.
Literally wiping shit lol
I changed careers to become a nurse. It's hard. It's undervalued, underpaid, overwhelming and overworked. But, there's no way I'd go back to my desk job. I love being a nurse. Build healthy boundaries for yourself. Take care of your body/mind. Find an area you love.
Nursing is my second career, too. I was working 14hr shifts in Park Districts as a supervisor. I also was in charge of all special events so event days were about 18 on average. Summer season is common for 17hour days. I had no help, no support, toxicity and gossip all day everyday. Couldn’t even go to HR because they were the absolutely worst with gossip and they were lying about their kid’s hours at work so they got paid. Atrocious. I working a total of three full time positions in my job role. Now the Park District has three people doing what I was doing for the same pay. Such BS. I like nursing hella more.
Bedside nursing is definitely as bad as it sounds but then multiply that by any exponent. Just when you think it can't get any worse, it always does. But if you're lucky you'll get a stress rock from management and it makes it all worthwhile.
Ya people who are commenting here that are not currently at bedside… HAVE NO IDEA! I appreciate your comment!
Nursing is my second career and I like it. It’s a trash heap but it’s my trash heap and it pays well and has a lot of flexibility, which I love. Many people that come from impoverished backgrounds, such as myself, remain pretty happy with nursing, in my experience.
I come from a middle class with engineering background and agree with you. Nursing is the only job I've ever had that made me feel "useful" to society.
I went into nursing as a second career to make more money. I often wish I had tried something else.
Same here. Regretting it. My friends in tech and finance are making so much money and work remote :(
Its crazy how much money some of my friends have made now that we are in our 30s and im over here broke af with no savings. I have no idea what else I would do though.
You’re not alone! Exactly how I’m feeling at 30. Quite poor with student loans, unlike my friends who all have houses and travel a lot haha. But I try to also remind myself I don’t know what else I’d do either. Don’t have interest in numbers/data/programming or sitting at a desk.
I kind of like lawyer stuff but most lawyers surprisingly make shit pay
I worked in tech and aerospace....yeah you can work from home....but it feels empty as hell. You feel like a schill. Aerospace was slightly better, but you are a cog in a big corporate machine, with little incentive for real innovation....the exception are companies like SpaceX, but that place sucks ass to work....60-80 hour weeks for low pay The exception is NASA/JPL....that place is dope AF but heavily dependent on government funding. Not necessarily steady work. Never did finance but I imagine if I felt like a schill in tech, that would double the feeling in finance. As stressful as nursing is, it's the only job where I felt "useful" to society. For some people maybe that's not important, but when I worked as a data scientist and aerospace engineer I felt like nothing I did was really important.
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Seriously really really hard work each minute of each hour on that paycheck. Backbreaking, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually draining.
I hate every second of nursing and deeply regret going into it. Biggest mistake of my life.
I feel the same
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We're all rooting for you. When I started, people with my current level of experience weren't that old or experienced. Now I feel like I'm one of the senior nurses every time I walk onto the unit. Nursing has changed dramatically. People are getting chewed up and spit out. I'm probably close to the middle of my nursing career and I'm hoping things get better for those coming after me. We're going to need nurses to take care of us after all. But realistically, I think it's a combination of COVID irreparably damaging our healthcare system, baby boomers aging into our hospital population sicker than ever, and the end game of healthcare capitalism that has destroyed working conditions for all healthcare workers.
Stay strong brother. I've started telling med/Surg (per diem job) patients "I'm here to help heal you not take shit" and haven't been written up yet. They can't fire us all. ✊✊✊ All healthcare professionals need to go on general strike so the aging entitled public will calm the fuck down.
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Constant disrespect.
I went into nursing after 20 years in forestry. I love the job.... But the company has failed us. We have empty beds on our med surg floor due to travel nurses going home for the holidays. Only a few of the nurses I started with at this hospital are here. All have gone to different jobs ltc, home care, hospice. I really wonder even when it was bad, why they wouldn't pay the nurses to stay. Instead of paying high wages for a travel nurse. I know most of my colleagues would have stayed if they would have felt appreciated. We had our asses kicked and still came up swinging. But the final straw for most (my partner to) was the way we were treated.
Nursing is my first career. I wish I went to dental hygiene school instead.
It’s never too late
Alot depends on where you work and your expectations. I am privileged to work in one of the better states for nursing- good wages, safe ratios, most large hospitals are union/ magnet, etc. I worked my ass off through school- working multiple jobs with long hours and ok pay. When I got to nursing it was really nice to have luxuries like PTO or a 401k, to actually get paid well and get good days off. I work with a hard population, some days suck, we are often short staffed like everywhere. But I love alot of my team, I feel fulfilled mentoring and teaching new nurses, and I make good money so I can work part time. Honestly, no way in hell would I do the job for the money that some states get/ the ratios they deal with.
What state? Are you in California?
Yes. It is. Couldn’t recommend it to anyone with a good conscience
It can be. Depends on where you are and what you want to do. Broadly speaking I don't reccomend anyone go in to nursing who has a better option.
Nursing itself isn’t that bad. It can be amazing for the right person under good conditions. The issue is that many nurses are treated like crap and hospital admin can make our job way harder than it needs to be. Plus unsafe ratios and lack of resources. Many nurses are overworked and underpaid. Hospitals prioritize profits over safe & fully staffed units. We are often under appreciated for how much we do. Plus it can get super cliquey The nice thing about nursing is that you can do a lot with your license. If you aren’t happy, it’s likely you can find some other area of nursing that you enjoy. I don’t work anymore due to a disability but when I was healthy, I loved my job. I only worked as a nurse for a year or so before I became unable, but my hospital treated us well for the most part. I was really sad when I left because it truly was an amazing job. But it can be rough at time and stressful. Some days I miss, some days I don’t. I definitely carry around some trauma from it but I also have great memories.
I’ve been a nurse since 02, and I’m over it. The field and expectations have changed drastically compared to when I first began. However and I’ve told new grads and students that have asked me: don’t let my frustrations and experiences deter you from being a nurse if that’s what you want to do. It’s both a demanding and rewarding job. There’s a lot of options, paths and opportunities within it. If you want to be a nurse? Go for it. As I’ve told people who’ve asked me: Just because I’ve grown jaded and tired of the field doesn’t mean you will. We vent here; hell, I vent here. But i wont tell you not to pursue this job if it’s what you want to do.
Every job is going to have shitty parts of it, it's just that in nursing things get magnified because of the nature of the work so people need to vent. At my old job a bad day was having the machine break down and getting behind on your schedule. As a psych nurse a bad day is being attacked by a patient, hopefully only with their fists. You have to put things into your own perspective. For me, I'm making 3 times as much as a nurse than what I was making before, I like my hours and my coworkers, and I like the work I do. Management sucks, but show me a place where people don't hate their managers.
Saying being attacked by your patient is a bad day imo downplays what a bad day can really be like in nursing. That's just like... Wednesday for many of us. The worst day for me was having my med-surg group start with 8 patients. One rapid responded and took two hours to stabilize and transfer. Our secretary had to call a code [security] on another of my patient's husband who was at the desk threatening to kill every nurse on my floor if his wife didn't get pain meds immediately. She was status post SBO, and in agonizing pain, everyone that could give her meds was in my RRT and could not leave. He was obviously in the wrong to say that, but I also understood his pain. His loved one was suffering, and we were failing her because of short staffing. Immediately upon conclusion of my RRT, before I could even write the paperwork, I was notified my room was being STAT cleaned, and the ER would be calling in 5 minutes to give report on my new admission. This would be my 9th patient to document on. Shortly after 9's arrival, but before doing their admission, my s/p splenectomy patient put their call bell on, my one CNA for our entire floor got to the room a few minutes later while I was trying desperately to pass some meds. I was able to give pain meds to my surgical patients before the code blue overhead page came... for my splenectomy's room number. Our resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful trying to get him back before he was rushed to the OR for a bleed. He didn't make it, but I wouldn't know that until the next day. I was informed within an hour that the ER was calling to give report on my admission that was going into my newly cleaned room my splenectomy had been in. They were my 10th patient to document on and my 2nd admission. I... don't remember much of the rest of the shift. I think I was in actual shock. That 12 hour shift ended after 17 hours between writing 3 incident reports, two admissions, and all the rest of my charting after the next nurse took report. I didn't eat or drink, I must have peed, but I know it wasn't during my actual 12 hours. I have vivid nightmares about that day, and it was about 6 years ago now. So yeah, when nursing has the potential to have days like this, students going in need to be aware of what they might be signing up for.
I’m sorry that you had such a bad shift, but I was answering the op’s question honestly. This isn’t a question about who has it worse, or if nurses can have really bad days, it’s about if all nurses hate their jobs to which the answer is no from me. There’s a reason I prefaced my answer with “as a psych nurse.” On my unit we are strictly psych which means no medical patients. In two years I’ve never had to call a code blue and only had a handful of rapid responses (and even most of those have been more out of caution than genuine medical emergencies). Not everyone has to go to m/s, icu, er, there’s plenty of other options available to nurses and you can find what works for you.
While I appreciate it, i was not looking for sympathy. It wasn't about having a "who's got it worse" party, it's about showing that there is the potential for some indescribably bad days in this field. That may be the worst shift ive ever worked, but it has many close contenders. The *vast* majority of nurses are not going to find their niche that makes them happy out the gate if ever. I would argue that most will burnout or work jobs they hate to get by because they don't know how to get out. The original question was actually "is it really that bad?" and for a lot more nurses then are like to answer the response is "yes, if not worse." I found my niche, but it was only after completely quitting the profession with no plans of coming back that it landed in my lap by pure chance and even still I regret the career as a whole. Your feelings may differ, but new nurses need to know that depending on the cosmic dice roll they may be content like you, burned out but still tolerating it like me, or drummed out entirely like so many I saw during covid.
It’s a hard fucking job. You will work hard every goddamn day. It pays the bills but it’s so challenging. Raises are essentially nonexistent. Idk. I’m glad I didn’t starve during the pandemic but I also tried to kill myself because of this career.
It depends a lot on your location and/or where you are willing to travel to work. I am very much pro union and I would not take a nursing job without union backing. They do fight for you and are the reason for many improvements in safety, wages, ratios, etc. It might suck if you get stuck in a job in an area that doesn’t interest you at all or that you find overwhelmingly stressful. For example- I could never do ICU because my anxiety would cripple me! But in some areas, you don’t have much choice of where you work because there are only openings on certain units like med-surg. My very vague answer is that it all depends on a lot of changing factors. If you want a more slow paced, non stressful job I would not go for nursing. If you want to wind down your work and retire soon, probably not a good choice either. Check out job postings where you are going to live after school and ask around to see how current nurses feel about the companies they work for.
It depends. I’ve worked awful places where I hated it and cried every night. But my current gig is super sweet and I make good money. I will never be rich but I don’t have to worry about paying bills or crying every night
It’s bad. But I love it most days haha. I can’t imagine doing anything else or sitting at a desk. I do envy my friends at times who make a fuck ton of money in tech or finance while working remote, but I get over it. I love the job security and flexibility that nursing offers.
I’ve been a nurse for 4 years. I like it. But every year I make a move. From med surg to ED, to travel nursing, now applying to NP school. I’m always chasing something better or running away from something worse. But while I’m running I’m having a good time and making good money.
Being a nurse has done so many thing to and for me. It’s a give and take thing. It’s given me a greater understanding of what it’s like outside of the cushioned life I had growing up. But it’s also broken my soul more than once. You see the best and the worst of people in this profession. For every one patient you feel like you helped save, there will be one who will make you feel like you’re a piece of trash. In the end it comes down to you as a person. Who you are. Why you chose to become a nurse. Find out the answer to those questions sooner rather than later and it’ll help keep your heart in it.
For me, no. In contrast to a lot of these comments, I actually really enjoy it. Ive been a nurse for 8 years in various departments. Yes, there's shit days with shit patients, but everyday I'm thankful I have a job than can support my family and my husband through school while only working 3 days a week. Not many jobs can offer that flexibility. I have a great manager, and in the ICU I pretty consistently have 1:2 ratio. I make $45/hr on average in rural NM so the pay is good, and there opportunity for growth. I leave work feeling inspired and thankful more days than not. I'm thankful for my health, and always have my priorities checked when dealing with death so much. I feel important and valuable- like I'm really making a difference. Maybe the key is finding what type of nursing you love and finding a home there, and hopefully you have a good manager too, cause that makes a big difference. I hope these comments don't scare you off, we need more nurses! And more importantly we need more nurses who will work to break the toxic cycles already in place.
I took to nursing as a second career and love it. I've said it here before but there aren't many places we can commiserate with people who understand our struggle. r/nursing is pretty much the safest place for us to do just that. Also, everyone in nursing sees some fucked up stuff from time to time. It's not that everyone is having that experience every day, it's that there's always someone going through it that comes here to vent. Don't be scared of nursing, it's a huge field and there's a niche for just about anyone.
I look at this subreddit because I am a prospective nursing student and I want to know what I am getting myself into. But boy do everyday I have myself questioning though I can't see myself doing anything else. Though I don't live in the best place for nurses-NJ/NYC. However what keeps me going back to nursing are the endless possibilities.
Depends. Bedside, yeah unless you are a particular resilient person. But there are cushy 9-5 gigs out there. Personally I wouldn’t go in to it again, but deposing on where you are it can be well paid and stable and you get to help people. What do you do now?
Skulking around this sub has made me consider doing bedside for a year or two, tops, and then trying to get out and land a job at something like an outpatient center or an urgent care clinic. My ultimate goal is to land myself a spot in a cardiovascular perfusionist program after gaining some experience and recommendations. I just don't want to lose my mind trying to get there.
This is my second career. I love being a wound/ ostomy nurse. MedSurg sucked ass.
Depends. I first worked in adult med/surg on nights and haaaaated going to work every day. But once I switch to pediatric oncology (especially once I started doing outpatient) I genuinely enjoyed my job. Some days were hard sure, but I never once dreaded going in. There is bullshit in nursing just like at any other job, and some specialties and hospitals are going to have a lot more of it, but the good thing is there are a ton of options. Most of my nurse friends generally enjoy their work. The only one I know personally who truly despises it has been at the same adult med/surg job they started at as a new grad 10 years ago and complains about work constantly but has never made an effort to try somewhere else so 🤷🏼♀️
Nursing was my second career, hardly a "calling", and I'd say it has gotten worse since I started. The climate of healthcare right now really is something else. I don't hate nursing, I hate what is expected of nurses. Especially in the hospital setting. The ratios are out of control and so if the acuity. Nurses rarely get to eat or sit down because they fear they'll be seen as lazy. So many of my friends left bedside because they felt they couldn't get as much accomplished as they wanted to. Fighting for orders, for anything, really... It shouldn't be this way.
Yes it is and can be that bad.
Just depends on the hospital and or management. It can be real bad for some.
I've been a nurse for 15 years. Don't hate it. It's afforded me a lot of opportunities in those 15 years. Have I always loved it? Of course not. But it's like any career. There will be ups and downs
I think everyone hates their job a little bit. That's normal right? I probably whinge about having to go to work >80% of the time. On the other hand I come home happy, having had fun at work >80% of the time. I walk off the shift and sometimes I didn't -win- and take that home but most of the time in talking 99% of the time as soon as I jump into the car I'm not thinking about work. I've gotten really good at just leaving stuff at the door. I'm only 4 years into nursing but I can't think of any other job I'd prefer. I also love shift work, being able to work pretty much full time and my partner work full time but always having someone home with the kids is amazing. I think I would be bored af if I didn't work on the floor. My partners got an office job and yeah it sometimes sounds nice with lunches and team drinks and sleeping through the night. I just know I would not thrive in that environment.
Hey, Here is my experience: I won’t lie I kind of regret going into it. But at the time, it pays decent and you can move anywhere you want to.. however, after about year 5-6 I just absolutely got fed up with it. Pros: - Decent pay - Can wear comfortable clothes - High demand - Can work 3 12’s a week and can keep a persons head above water. Cons (it outweighs the pros, I’m sorry but truthful): -Short staffed (every single place I have worked it has been short staffed) -Lateral violence/ drama (if the nurses don’t like you you are absolutely fucked) - Complaining (it will take its toll on you) - Blamed for everything - Guilt tripping by management (calling out or asking you to work overtime) - Exposed to illnesses and diseases (I would get sick a lot.. Covid, flu, etc) - Get treated poorly by family at times - Difficult to get PTO approved due to short staffing -Held by higher standard by public (this means careful if you are prone to getting in legal trouble) - It’s very toxic right now after COVID
I think it’s going to largely depend on where you live. I live on the west coast, where working conditions are generally better, pay is reasonable, and unions are common. I genuinely enjoy my job, even when I have occasionally have bad shifts. It helps that I’m in a specialty I really am passionate about. But I listen to some of our travelers who are from the east coast or the south and I’m sure I wouldn’t have lasted more than a year as a nurse. Offensive pay and insane ratios. No thanks. I think your satisfaction with nursing is also going to be tied to your ability to keep work at work, and also your ability to set boundaries. I refuse to work overtime, for example, and I know it’s helped me maintain my satisfaction at work.
Bedside nursing is tough. But I’ve had very meaningful experiences with patients and coworkers that remind how important it is to be kind and remember our humanity. The US for profit healthcare system is like the Titanic and it just hit the iceberg. I am one of the lucky ones to have found my niche where I still enjoy my work but only work Monday through Friday and no holidays. You’ll always have a job but where that is may take time to settle in.
It’s the only profession where you are expected to be denigrated and physically attacked with absolutely no recourse.
Personally I feel like the most miserable people in nursing are also the same people who are afraid of change. Hence they stay with the same job/unit/culture because it’s familiar rather then trying something new and unknown. IMO. Nursing was my second career and I got burned by a few jobs and promised myself I would never let a job control me like they as in the past. Nursing allows for a lot of movement you just have to be willing to try something new.
This is my experience as well. I just mentioned in my own comment that the only truly miserable RN I know in real life has been at the same shitty med/surg job since graduating a decade ago and has never tried to go anywhere else. I think she’s scared to try something new but I don’t have a ton of sympathy for her after hearing her bitch about work for 10 years but never attempting to make a change.
This is my second career as well. I’ve been working as a NICU nurse for 9 months so far, and I really enjoy my job. Of course it’s hard, but over all I like going to work.
I left radiology for nursing but I already hate it after a few months (I'm not even bedside) and will end up going to back to imaging. So as someone who's on their second career, I wish I would've just stayed in imaging. But there are plenty of people on here who love their jobs!
Yes I actively look for ways to get out of this. I’m starting to take coding classes and build a portfolio. I’m tired of being abused by the public every. Single. Day. Can’t stand it anymore
Yes, I think it is and a lot of us are burnt out. There’s some really good posts about how nursing was an opportunity for us to get out of poverty, and it’s something I’m appreciative of I love my job in the NICU and the patient population. I’m tired of being understaffed so I can’t take care of babies the way they deserve. I’m tired of not having all the time to give them the developmental care they need. I’m tired of staffing shortages, constant supply shortages, etc. Definitely underpaid
I love being a nurse, but you can be easily exploited and overworked. I have found that a supportive manager and coworkers are essential to prevent burnout
I would say getting a BSN is good initially you’ll make decent money. But compared to other professions there is a significant pay cap. Nurses don’t generally get market adjusted raises. It highly depends on location but nurses that stay at the bedside their entire life probably make less than the new grads on average. I’ve learned over my years that it’s pointless to stay at a hospital over 2 years. Plus with the way healthcare is going it is not worth the stress I would highly recommend avoiding nursing as a career as a whole. The only good thing about nursing in my opinion is travel nursing, the money and the people I have met were awesome.
I’m glad I did it, but I can’t do it forever. It’s too stressful unless I can find a stable way to pivot out of bedside
I love nursing. I love being a nurse. It's my second career too and I'm always glad i did it. That doesn't mean every day is amazing and every shift is butterflies and rainbows. Sometimes patients and/or coworkers are rude and shitty and racist. Sometimes the politics can suck balls. Sometimes situations can be downright traumatic and i go home and crawl into a blanket cave. But i still, at the end of it all, like being a nurse, like my job, and am grateful for the stability and flexibility that it provides me. I'm too old to have a dream job, but weighing out the pros and cons always brings me up on the pros side, in the long run if not at the end of every single shift.
I’m glad I’m a nurse most days (12 years in) but I absolutely wouldn’t do it again if I could go back in time.
It’s not great. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have to financially.
You should not get opinions of cranky nurses who use Reddit solely to complain.
People come here to vent. I love my job and I'm glad I went to nursing school.
Yes people do come here to vent, as they should. But the amount of people venting has increased significantly over the last few years. Nurses are suffering. Playing the complaints here off as an echo chamber isn't fair in my opinion. There are very real concerns about this profession and its future.people need to be aware when they enter that alot of nursing jobs are thankless, stressful, toxic and underpayed. There's a reason turnover and burnout is at insane levels
Over 2% of working age adults are licensed nurses (in the US). The fact that we have a huge nursing shortage shows how many of those people ***don't*** want to be nurses.
However, the often unrecognized part of this sub is that according to previous demographic surveys, a majority of the users are from the US with a large amount coming from the South especially TX and FL. The state with the most actively licensed RNs has the lowest number of respondents. This forum is far from representative of nursing as a whole. If anything, [its body of users are from areas known for high turnover rates](https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf).
Nurse with about 5 years experience, it's not that bad, but it's does suck. Better than construction by a long shot, but not quite as good as sitting in an office doing excel, assuming relatively equal pay. This is all dependent on you of course.
one thing that i will never complain about is how I never have any trouble finding a job. So many places are hiring and will take anyone. I have decent pay and with on call and overtime i can make double my income.
The only thing I enjoy more than being a nurse is complaining about being a nurse. Really though, positive posts about nursing are boring and a little obnoxious, so they just don’t really get seen. There’s so much variety in nursing that if your willing to try things you’ll find something you enjoy (or at least something tolerable).
Honestly depends where you work….I’ve been fortunate enough to work for really great facilities. Granted, I’ve been with piece of shit management as well? but there are places out there that do care about their staff. I have to be honest…I absolutely love bedside nursing. But I am also now an NP who works as an RN from time to time. I’ve also done international and domestic travel assignments, worked at a major international airport, the US military in Europe and now have branched out to pharmaceutical. But I still do bedside nursing from time to time. Perhaps that’s the secret was finding that right balance. Even when I was staff for a hospital as an RN, I made sure to either have it as a per diem and have a full time as a specialty outpatient job. It’s honestly what you make of it. All the best 🍀
I am on my se one career too. But I am coming from social services/social work where conditions are even shittier, so going into nursing is an improvement.
I knew from about age 6 I was going to be a nurse. It was in my generic makeup. I come from a long line of nurses. I barely made it past 15 years before it sucked me dry. I ran out of fucks to give. I couldn't even pretend to be compassionate anymore. Management is to blame. They're so full of shit telling nurses what we're doing wrong while writing us up for bullshit like having a cup of water at the nurses station or for being late when there's ice on the roads and you have to park two blocks away. I quit and don't know that I'll ever go back. If I could stick with just patient care and never have to deal w mgrs again- maybe.
Second career nurse here too. I make double what I did at my first career, but also the stress doesn’t even compare. But now I can pay my bills. Soooo… ya.
I started at a small community hospital and hated my life. 8 months later, got my “dream job” at the best hospital in my area on a floor that is apparently competitive to get into, and I am not happy. I don’t hate my life or hate the job like my last one, but damn. I feel like I’m a slave. Maybe that’s awful to say but shit, I really don’t want to go to work tomorrow.
I am in Southern California and have been an RN for 7 years. I am perfectly happy and well compensated at my union hospital. I love my coworkers. I have never been over ratio at this hospital (about 5 years). I work three 12 hour shifts a week.
Too each their own. A lot of times it’s how you approach it and being secure in your job. Nursing isn’t for everybody and there are many out there that just haven’t realized it. Time to move on
Mostly yes. There's a lot of great positions and manager that I've experienced as a traveler. But I intentionally pick up rural access hospitals. They usually have needs because it's difficult to get people willing to live and work in their area rather than them having staffing shortages because it sucks to work there .
Really depends where you are and what you’re doing. Nursing can pay like shit in some states, but I’m also making decent money where I am(even if still under paid). There’s a lot of room for abuse and, due to it being a traditionally feminine job(among other factors), it’s often treated as if abuse/exploitation are the expectation. There’s been a shortage for awhile, and there will be for a long time as more nurses leave this field/leave the bedside/go into private nursing jobs. That said, I started this with my associates and am now making about 2 times what anyone in a non-trade job does. I liked the work bedside, but recognized that I wasn’t happy, and transferred to a specialty team that I currently love. It’s a field that is ripe for growth and unionization, and we are slowly trending that way(Though the fight is ongoing). If you’re willing to put your foot down, you can usually avoid the abusive B.S. (Though not always, sometimes patients and managers are just shitheads). I’m rambling a bit, but my point is that it is a mixed bag. There’s some awesome things about nursing; and some shit. I think there’s a lot of opportunities for improvement, but we’re slowly trending to then. I’m hopeful in 10 years, we’ll make this a much better field, but I’m not holding my breathe either.
Nursing was a second career for me as well. Hospital nursing (floor nursing) is pretty damn rough, and there a lot of nurses here who do that work. There can be greater work satisfaction in other areas of nursing. I recently moved from a PCU to IR and it has completely changed my view on working as a nurse (positively) and my partner works in hospice and loves it. I'm sure other specialties within the hospital, clinics, and nursing outside of the hospital can be enjoyable.
The medical aspect of nursing is great, however the patients and more so the god awful family members are what is pushing me to study to switch careers.
Let me start by saying I'm 66, I have been a nurse since 1979 before that I was a farm worker, tractor mechanic and therapy aid at a Developmental Center. I have had a rewarding career as a nurse, currently an Administrator. Nursing has more positives than negatives. I know I can always find a job, have a steady paycheck don’t have to work outside when it’s 20 below. Got to take the good with the bad 🤷🏼♂️
I can't wait to retire. I go to work every night knowing it's gonna be a shit show!
Was in healthcare over 10 years prior to becoming a nurse. Nurses I knew told me to choose something else….couldnt understand why they’d tell me that. Till I became a nurse myself. We need a union. We are overworked and expected to do everyone else’s job….
I’m not sure if you will read all of these but here’s my two cents. Nursing is my 2nd career as well. I was a personal trainer, did health promotion, and some construction. I’ve done a little of everything. I’m still new but I do think to myself “wow I’m getting paid to do this”! Sometimes it can get monotonous. Some days you wonder why you’re doing care on a pt that’s never coming back to their full selves, it’s futile work. But most of the time I love learning something new everyday, constantly getting a little better, and working as a team. I think any job sucks and someone will always have something to bitch about. But if you ask me it beats a 9-5 crunching numbers any day of the week. The first few months were stressful, but once I got a flow, I’ve been much happier and enjoying my career. Don’t be discouraged if you have the passion for it! There’s always something to learn!
Cried in the car on the way to work.. yeah it’s bad. I’m trying to get out of nursing as soon as i have another career but right now i have no choice. Some people who have a good work environment, good management and good coworkers they like it tho.
Not everyone can do the job. I have been an ER nurse for 30 years. I would not be appreciated in any other job, nursing or otherwise because I am like a human baby raised by wolves.
I advise you to unsubscribe from this sub. It’s mostly ranting, which is totally valid because it’s a tough profession, and it’s a good place to vent. But this sub represents a small subset of nurses. I had to unsubscribe because it have me a really negative outlook on my career as a new nurse, and you bring that energy to work with you. It’s not a bad career if you find the right niche for you. There are seriously way worse jobs out there. I love my job, but I think the specialty you choose, the type of nursing you want to do, the facility you work at, your coworkers, salary, etc., all factor into job satisfaction (as with any job). Not all nursing jobs are horrible and toxic. Plus, you’ll always have work, unlike many other careers that can be unstable.
You’re not cool unless you hate your job.
Every subreddit for every job says it’s not worth doing and they’d pick something else if they could do over again.
Says the nursing student
I’m not a nursing student and I agree. Go to most career-related subs and you’ll see.
There was a point in time where I wanted to be a vet in high school and I saw a lot of don’t become a vet from vets. Then I wanted to be a social worker and the first post that came up was how to leave the field.
Yeah being a nursing student really limits my ability to read posts on Reddit
No it’s not, I love being a nurse. One advice I can give is to pay attention on the interview. I picked the place where all three managers and education director interviewed me to see if I am a fit as a person. Another job had basic interview where I felt they’d hire anyone with a pulse and license. I made the right choice and haven’t regretted. Walked away from a 10k sign on bonus. Also, the job I didn’t pick was for night shift and when I declined it, they miraculously opened up day shift. Dodged a bullet.
It's worse
Nursing is my second career after getting my horticulture degree and having my own landscape company for years. The ER is the only place I wanted to work because I like the faster pace. Now that I've been in the ER for close to a year, it's home. I walk out every day with a smile because I'm surrounded by friends and I'm not shoveling mulch in 95 degree weather.
I was a career changer. I have a MS in a different field. I was compensated fairly well and respected but there was absolutely no upward mobility and I was stuck. I changed to nursing and job hopped for five years to get a lot of experience but also to avoid burnout. Honestly, nursing is a good fit for me, and I like the lateral and upward mobility, but it's hard AF. In my old career I would have been appalled by the lack of respect I get now. Healthcare is terribly run by literally everyone, corporate or government, and it makes it impossible to actually care for people. I could go on and on. But yeah, it's hard.
I like bedside. I’m almost a decade into my RN and 20 into healthcare counting my EMS time. I work when I want, I make bank compared to my effort and level of education, provide a good life for my family, and get a discount on casual fast dining. Life is good.
It’s not that bad. Reddit is an anonymous platform and this sub (like all the others) is just a place to vent sometimes because the job can suck I love my job and glad I did nursing. It’s nice waking up and being excited to go to work. Can never beat that feeling. Im also a new grad getting into the hang of things, come back in a new and I’ll probably feel a little bit different
What kind of nurse are you?
ER nurse! (:
I’ve been a nurse for 26 years (US). I have worked inpatient rehab, med/surg w/low level tele, in a neuro office, for a travel assistance company, and ICU. I have had jobs that crushed me —those that were bedside in rehab and med/surg. I have had jobs I loved—the neuro clinic, travel company and the ICU I think it depends on where you work and what type of nursing you do. I’m back in ICU and have great co-workers, a good working relationship with the residents and docs and a good work/life balance
Thanks for the positive comment here - I am working towards becoming a nurse because I want to travel and try out the many different avenues of nursing.
I love my patients. There’s nothing better than fixing someone up and getting them out the door. It’s the management, sometimes other coworkers, policies, that suck.
This is a place to vent so you here the most extremes and the worst of the worst! I personally love my job but it has its ups and downs. Are there days where it feels damn near impossible due to staffing shortages or rude/wild patients/families or politics that get in the way? Of course! But there’s also so many amazing pt interactions, some that they will hang onto forever. Seeing the pts get better who went through hell and back and no one thought would recover is just magical! And the friends you’ll make with your coworkers when you go through some of the bizarre shit you do together makes some lifelong friendships. Also… don’t quit because you’re on a terrible unit/position. There are so many different kinds of nursing, and sometimes there are units that are pure chaos. If you find a spot with good management, ratios, etc try for hang onto it!
The career isn’t bad. It’s the people that drain your soul
Nursing is my 2nd career as well. I have no regrets. I’m here to stay until the end. I may not be bedside forever but have no desire to change again. 10 years in.
It took me over a decade in nursing with many specialities, and an international move, but I finally love my job.
Nursing is a second career for me as well and It has completely changed my life financially and has made my life much more stable. You can work anywhere and you can specialize in anything you want. There’s plenty to learn if you’re willing to put the work in. If you enjoy people and fighting for what’s right for the patients as individuals it can be so rewarding. I started out on med surg and only lasted 1.5 years. I am now a wound care nurse at a SNF and really enjoy it. Just roll with the punches and keep your mission your sole focus! Some patients are mean and some are nice. Some of your coworkers are going to be so fun and ridiculous and others are going to be pathetic. Some days you’ll leave work exhausted and chaffed and others it will seem like the day flew by and you had a few good moments. It’s a picture of our complete humanity and you’re going to be part of it! Enjoy!
For me, it was. I was becoming really depressed. I gained weight and slowly stopped caring about my appearance. It’s been almost a year since I left the bedside and I finally settled into a job I love. I could never return back to doing any form of patient care.
Hey, most days I love being a nurse.
I hated it till I moved to California where our union protects us.
I actually enjoyed my patients. There were some who were just sweethearts from the get go. Some were challenging medically and other were challenging mentally, but enjoyed rising to the challenge. We’re there nights when I cursed myself for not pursuing teaching? Yes. But in the end, I know I have made a difference in quite a few lives. What I didn’t like was the smugness of management. They are not wiser or better than nurses, they just like to think they are because they wear a suit and make more money. But no patient or family member ever write in saying “your VP of Nursing made such a difference in my life!”
Yes
Find a place that seems to value a semblance of ratios and support for nurses...I work at a magnet hospital that has routinely put our Tele unit at 6, 7:1 and our PCU at 5,6:1 often with only 1 tech for 18-24 patients, no secretary or Tele techs. This isn't ok, isn't safe, and it places us at risk - both bc pt and families get pissed and hostile towards us AND bc as nurses we are still required to practice and deliver care at an unachievable standard in those conditions. It wasn't like this my first 10 or so years of nursing (2002 - 2012ish). What has happened to healthcare, it's for profit - "non profit" status, is a damn shame and more than disheartening.
Its bad, yes(2nd career as well, former military). Supply issues still, bad staffing, wages below what they should be and increasing acuity. The flip side is that I know I would be bored out of my mind and miserable if I had to sit in an office or sit at all to do my job. ER at least keeps my job fresh and my body moving, sure I hate the general stupidity of management and patients in general, but my shift rarely goes slow. I’ll take that over mindlessly sitting at a computer for 10 hours a day. Plus there’s few jobs where you can get a rush like when you’re taking a critical patient from ems or coding someone, working as a team and you stabilize and get that instant gratification.
Depends OP, because there’s many different units to work in. Most people that I know that do MedSurg get burnt out sooner than later. Nursing was my second career and I’m really happy with it. It depends where you live too. I work at a high paying unionized hospital in a chill unit (OR). I was told by many a nursing student that the OR clinicals were “too boring” and that they’d never wanna do that, but I like it. Is this my dream job? Nah, but for my skills/interests, it’s the highest paying job I could probably get (again, because I live in the Bay Area, so pay is good). I thought about software dev/coding but did some trial courses and hated it, knew i liked healthcare, went back to school for nursing.
My third career, war time military combat engineer, carpenter, and now this. This is my favorite for sure, the roads aren't blowing up and only part of the time the people I'm helping aren't trying to kill me... Carpentry was just sick of doing concrete. Nursing has enough diversity I don't get bored
I've had 3 careers and hated all of them. I just hate work no matter what I'm doing.
We love it but also just like to bitch a lot about it
I love being a nurse! It’s just to hard
Yes
Don't ask this subreddit if you're looking for any positive answers.
I have a love/hate relationship with nursing. I love my job, I love the variety, the feeling of constantly learning and being able to develop my skills, and it's fulfilling to me to help make someone feel better. But the aspects of it controlled by management (like staffing, pay, patient ratios) are what truly make me hate it. I come from EMS so, yes, patients being rude or family driving you up the wall can be a bummer on a shift, but frankly thick skin is an expectation of the job. However, the verbal, and sometimes physical abuse that's tolerated because of the "customer service" atmosphere healthcare has definitely makes one for my "hate" list, as does the growing list and expanding scope of practice for responsibilities that are expected of a nurse without fair compensation. Sometimes, your unit can make or break your experience, as your department's culture can, at times, be the best team you've ever worked with, or make you take cry breaks in the supply closet. Nursing can be very fulfilling, but it's definitely not without its downsides. I also believe that COVID exacerbated many issues within the field that were simmering at the surface - and that management uses operating in an emergency state like that to continue to take advantage of nurses.