3 answers
Jayquayla
Student
Niagara Falls, New York
1
Question
3 answers
Dr. Lexi Rand, DNP, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-C
Double-Certified Nurse Practitioner
6
Answers
Augusta, Georgia
Updated
Dr. Lexi’s Answer
Jayquayla
Beautiful name!
Is being a nurse hard? -when I 1st started out, during the 1st 2 years it was. I was fresh out of school and everything I learned in clinical was in my head, but I had to put it all together with real patients. I no longer had my classmates or the instructor helping me out, I was on my own. I was a perfectionist and that did not help either, it made it worse. I had to get the IV drops right, the right medications, the dressings had to be done right, and the notes had to be done correctly.
One thing that was in me before nursing school and is still with me today is that it is my calling. I did not choose nursing it chose me and that is why it is not difficult for me because I wake up and look forward to going in to work and seeing my patients. It is the reason why I kept going back to school so I can have more to offer my patients. It is the reason why I added mental health as my specialty because it impacted the medical conditions. It is the reason why I added hospice as a specialty because it completes the circle of life and I know I will lose patients. The more I grew in nursing and the more I learned from my patients, the better I wanted to become.
It is easy doing what I do because I love what I do. This is my gift and I do it from my heart. I meet my patients where they are not where I want them to be. There is no judgment. We are partners and together, we work towards becoming a better version of themselves. I've worked in Labor and delivery, to homeless veterans, to HIV unit, to forensics and inpatient psychiatric unit, ICU, med-surg, rehab, surgery, dementia unit, assisted living, nursing home, outpatient clinic, indigent population, prison population, inpatient hospice unit, home care hospice, pediatric hospice, inpatient pediatric mental health, cardiothoracic unit, burn unit, renal unit, AIDS unit, Substance dependence inpatient unit, homeless pregnant unit, incarcerated suicidal inmates, and REACH veterans. In all of the areas I have worked, the team you work with determines how hard the physical aspect of the work will be. If you have a lazy team, then it is evident that you will be the one pulling most of the weight. If you know how to delegate effectively, then this will not be an issue.
For those who choose nursing to make money, they will tell you when it becomes hard, they leave or when things change, they leave. For those who are called into the profession, you will note that they stay and advocate for the patient and the profession. These are the ones you are able to see the difference in with regards to their passion and dedication. You will get different responses from nurses in the profession and the different responses will give you a broader view of what you are hopefully looking for. There is a growing shortage of nurses that is getting worse as a result of the pandemic and as a result of the nurses who are becoming nurse practitioners.
I do hope you come back to the forum and ask more questions. But more importantly, I hope you also look at all the areas that you can go into in nursing besides bedside nursing. These areas were not available when I came out of school. And guess what- the field is still growing!!!! So do your homework and let us know!!
Beautiful name!
Is being a nurse hard? -when I 1st started out, during the 1st 2 years it was. I was fresh out of school and everything I learned in clinical was in my head, but I had to put it all together with real patients. I no longer had my classmates or the instructor helping me out, I was on my own. I was a perfectionist and that did not help either, it made it worse. I had to get the IV drops right, the right medications, the dressings had to be done right, and the notes had to be done correctly.
One thing that was in me before nursing school and is still with me today is that it is my calling. I did not choose nursing it chose me and that is why it is not difficult for me because I wake up and look forward to going in to work and seeing my patients. It is the reason why I kept going back to school so I can have more to offer my patients. It is the reason why I added mental health as my specialty because it impacted the medical conditions. It is the reason why I added hospice as a specialty because it completes the circle of life and I know I will lose patients. The more I grew in nursing and the more I learned from my patients, the better I wanted to become.
It is easy doing what I do because I love what I do. This is my gift and I do it from my heart. I meet my patients where they are not where I want them to be. There is no judgment. We are partners and together, we work towards becoming a better version of themselves. I've worked in Labor and delivery, to homeless veterans, to HIV unit, to forensics and inpatient psychiatric unit, ICU, med-surg, rehab, surgery, dementia unit, assisted living, nursing home, outpatient clinic, indigent population, prison population, inpatient hospice unit, home care hospice, pediatric hospice, inpatient pediatric mental health, cardiothoracic unit, burn unit, renal unit, AIDS unit, Substance dependence inpatient unit, homeless pregnant unit, incarcerated suicidal inmates, and REACH veterans. In all of the areas I have worked, the team you work with determines how hard the physical aspect of the work will be. If you have a lazy team, then it is evident that you will be the one pulling most of the weight. If you know how to delegate effectively, then this will not be an issue.
For those who choose nursing to make money, they will tell you when it becomes hard, they leave or when things change, they leave. For those who are called into the profession, you will note that they stay and advocate for the patient and the profession. These are the ones you are able to see the difference in with regards to their passion and dedication. You will get different responses from nurses in the profession and the different responses will give you a broader view of what you are hopefully looking for. There is a growing shortage of nurses that is getting worse as a result of the pandemic and as a result of the nurses who are becoming nurse practitioners.
I do hope you come back to the forum and ask more questions. But more importantly, I hope you also look at all the areas that you can go into in nursing besides bedside nursing. These areas were not available when I came out of school. And guess what- the field is still growing!!!! So do your homework and let us know!!
Nate Sukhtipyaroge
Clinical Product Manager
5
Answers
Minnesota, Minnesota
Updated
Nate’s Answer
Just like any career you may choose, nursing can be hard. However, you are able to use a nursing degree is a wide variety of fields. I started out working on the dementia unit of a nursing home right out of nursing school but transitioned to working for an organization that did organ and tissue recovery for the upper midwest. I decided I liked training people so I got into staff education at an assisted living where I met a healthcare consultant who recruited me to join their company as a consultant teaching nursing homes how to use their electronic health record system where I traveled all around the country. After doing that for a few years I went back to staff education and also infection prevention. I moved into a Nurse Manager position to expand my skills now I am a Product Manager for a electronic health record company. Throughout my varied career, there have been moments where nursing was hard but I never felt so trapped that I regretted becoming a nurse. I think it was the best career move I made and if I ever lose my job for whatever reason, I know I will always have a solid backup plan of floor nursing because that job is always in demand. Hope this helps.
Look at 4-year RN programs.
Skip the LPN and 2-year RN programs if you're able to attend school fulltime.
Only look at accredited, non-profit schools.
Nate recommends the following next steps:
Debi Hadden
Clinical Analyst
2
Answers
Tarpon Springs, Florida
Updated
Debi’s Answer
I agree with the previous comment. Being a nurse can be hard no, it is also rewarding and opens the door to many opportunities. As previously mentioned the individual used nursing experience to cater her career and have variety.