4 answers
Yuridia
Student
Castroville, CA
15
Questions
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What are the top benefits and/or challenges of your job?
What is the most challenging thing for a registered nurse? Or what challenges did you face while becoming a nurse?
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4 answers
Iris L
Registered Nurse
9
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
Iris’s Answer
For me it was learning to prioritize and multi-task while unexpected things were happening and while being constantly interrupted (phone calls on my work phone, especially, and answering call lights). I still struggle, as I have been back at the bedside for over a year now, but I am getting better.
As a new nurse, I had to learn critical thinking skills, which you will learn on the job.
As a new nurse, I had to learn critical thinking skills, which you will learn on the job.
William rivas
Registered Nurse
6
Answers
DeLand, Florida
Updated
William’s Answer
We can discuss this for hours. Nursing is extremely rewarding but can also be high stress and frustrating as well. Nursing school is not easy so the stress begins there. You will have to dedicate time to studying and you can work while going to nursing school, but it is hard. Once you're a nurse you get to help people in their time of need and can literally save lives. Working with the patients is a joy and super rewarding if you want to help others.
The challenges of nursing are tied to challenges healthcare is having in America. There are not enough nurses, cost are skyrocketing for healthcare and the focus is on delivering better care for less money. Nurses today may face short staffing, complex patient assignments, and feeling overwhelmed as more and more responsibility is placed on our shoulders. Some nurses feel they don't have time to spend with the patients because they are doing so many other tasks that are required. You have lives in your hand, so you need to be fast and intelligent and calm under pressure. It is a great career, but I would only do it if your passionate about helping people.
The challenges of nursing are tied to challenges healthcare is having in America. There are not enough nurses, cost are skyrocketing for healthcare and the focus is on delivering better care for less money. Nurses today may face short staffing, complex patient assignments, and feeling overwhelmed as more and more responsibility is placed on our shoulders. Some nurses feel they don't have time to spend with the patients because they are doing so many other tasks that are required. You have lives in your hand, so you need to be fast and intelligent and calm under pressure. It is a great career, but I would only do it if your passionate about helping people.
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Lilian
Olalere Fatima
Freelancer
2
Answers
Ife, Osun, Nigeria
Updated
Olalere’s Answer
The most challenging things for a registered nurse are:
1. Long hours: the work schedule for a nurse is too demanding. Nurses work over 40 hours a week; this leaves them drained and exhausted, both physically and mentally, and leads to challenges such as patients not getting adequate care as well as potential costly mistakes. Aside from long hours, one of the challenges of nursing is that those hours are spent on their feet for most of the time.
2. Nurses are overworked and underpaid.
There is pressure in every part of the world where there are fewer nurses. In some parts of the world, a shortage of nurses leads to an increased workload. For example, in developing countries, a nurse will care for 10 patients in a hospital, but these patients won't get adequate care. The patients will be ranting, calling the nurse on duty names for not being able to attend to them. However, nurses experience physical and verbal abuse from patients. As nurses are overworked, they are underpaid.
3. Using outdated technology:
In developing countries, hospitals did not have the means to supply the necessary equipment to care for the patients, so nurses improvised for them to take good care of the patients. Nurses are suffering from not having modern equipment as well as from patients not receiving adequate care from nurses.
1. Long hours: the work schedule for a nurse is too demanding. Nurses work over 40 hours a week; this leaves them drained and exhausted, both physically and mentally, and leads to challenges such as patients not getting adequate care as well as potential costly mistakes. Aside from long hours, one of the challenges of nursing is that those hours are spent on their feet for most of the time.
2. Nurses are overworked and underpaid.
There is pressure in every part of the world where there are fewer nurses. In some parts of the world, a shortage of nurses leads to an increased workload. For example, in developing countries, a nurse will care for 10 patients in a hospital, but these patients won't get adequate care. The patients will be ranting, calling the nurse on duty names for not being able to attend to them. However, nurses experience physical and verbal abuse from patients. As nurses are overworked, they are underpaid.
3. Using outdated technology:
In developing countries, hospitals did not have the means to supply the necessary equipment to care for the patients, so nurses improvised for them to take good care of the patients. Nurses are suffering from not having modern equipment as well as from patients not receiving adequate care from nurses.
Eric Bergman
Nurse Case Manager
4
Answers
Chicago, Illinois
Updated
Eric’s Answer
The responsibility of a nurse is huge. In some settings you are caring for people who are very I’ll and can easily be harmed by your mistakes, and there are frequently not enough nurses for the amount of work, so the pressure is intense, the hours long and the risks for doing harm are high. However, it is not always that way and on most days a nurse can be sure to do something meaningful to truest help others - sometimes they make huge difference for people who really need help.
It is also hard to get into nursing school and then the study is challenging. Nurses need to know so much that the study is intense and requires hard work.
Think about the rewards too. They are enormous.
Consider if you have the right personality and interest to work in a caregiving role. It is not for everyone.
Look for a job helping nurses as a clerk or nursing assistant. You can get these jobs with less training and school, get a close look at the work of nurses and see if it’s fir you. Often these jobs come with financial support for schooling so you can get help paying for your studies to become a nurse.
It is also hard to get into nursing school and then the study is challenging. Nurses need to know so much that the study is intense and requires hard work.
Eric recommends the following next steps: