What are some pros and cons to becoming a registered nurse?

Nursing is the hardest job you will ever love. You will have your bad days, mean and awful patients, unsure schedules, and situations you have never been in or been prepared for before. That being said, it is an amazing career choice. You have the power to change people's lives every day. Whether you hold a dying person's hand so they don't die alone, help them wash up so they feel human again, add some humor into an otherwise grim situation, or help them on their way to health again, you are helping people through some of the hardest times in their lives. I consider it a privilege to be able to ease the suffering, pain, and fears of patients. I also love watching them heal, and the joy of knowing that what you did led to this person getting their life back. In addition, nursing opportunities and options are essentially endless. You can bounce around and find what feels like the right fit for you (your clinical time in school will help with this a bit as well), but you are not locked into a specific area once you do become a nurse. I am becoming a nurse educator (finishing my master's right now) so I can share what I love about nursing with people like you, and really show you what a wonderful career it can be. I would definitely recommend doing volunteer work in a hospital and working as a nursing assistant while in school if possible, because it really does help you along the way.

My niece recently came to me with this very question. She is now an RN and loves it! I took her around to many of my friends and co-workers to ask them what they thought. I asked them what was the best part of their job and the worst part. I started to see a theme emerging with most people.

What everyone liked was the actual caring for their patient. They loved the hands on nursing part. They also felt that for the most part the schedule could be flexible to help them balance home and work life.
What everyone complained about was that they had to work holidays-- off shifts-- and computer systems were a challenge to learn to document on.

I belive these are pretty standard comments. The hospital is open for business 24 hours a day-- so nursing coverage is required this whole time. ---- But when you find a great area that you love- it really works. You can also choose to go to an area that doesn't work holidays or weekends- like a doctor's office-- if that is something that is important to you.
The nice thing about nursing is that it is such a wide field. So many types of nursing.. so many opportunities....and if you don't like one...you can always change. Best of luck!
Teresa