3 answers
Leah Lyric
Student
Palmer, Alaska
4
Questions
Asked
411 views
What do you find most rewarding about the medical field, specifically nursing? ?
Was the process worth where you're at now? I'm head strong at the fact that I'd never want to spend my life doing a career that didn't teach me anything or benefit my life in some way.
Login to comment
3 answers
L. P.
physician
6
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
L.’s Answer
I love your question! It is fantastic that you want to continue to learn new things throughout your life and in your career. Nursing is a great place to do this. I started out in Nursing gravitating to Labor and Delivery. It was fascinating seeing babies being born and it was satisfying to support mothers and their partners in this major life changing experience. I then moved to the newborn nursery, taking care of the newborn babies. Gaining more knowledge, I moved to the Intensive Care Nursery to care for premature babies. Nursing has so much to offer, so many paths! In the hospital setting there are nurses that work in the Emergency Room, Operating Room ,or on specialty floors like: Orthopedic, General Medicine, Stroke, Cardiac, Oncology (Cancer treatment) floors, and many others. Think of what you can learn in all of these different fields! Depending on the hospital you work in, there can be many special opportunities. In large teaching hospitals or medical centers for example, there are nurses working in different types of Intensive Care Units: Medical ICU, Neurosurgical ICU, Surgical ICU. There are hospitals that perform organ or bone marrow transplants and they have nurses specially trained to take care of these special patients. Outside of a hospital setting there are nurses that work in outpatient general or specialty medical clinics. Some nurses work in the in home health field and make home visits. The opportunity to work in so many different fields in nursing is amazing! You can learn so many things. Some nurses continue on in their education and become Nurse Practitioners or Nurse Anesthetists for example. I went on to Medical School and became a physician. The most important thing is that there is always something new to learn in the healthcare field. That makes it rewarding. The fact that you can learn new things continually in your career and at the same time help people who need you and appreciate you is the most rewarding thing of all.
Wishing you the best, L.P.
Wishing you the best, L.P.
Rita Chuang
Physician
189
Answers
Henderson, Nevada
Updated
Rita’s Answer
There are several pros in the medical field. I will start listing as many as I can from the big to the small.
1. Depending on your field, you build relationships with patients. For me, there's nothing more rewarding than a patient telling me I was the best doctor they had or I saved his/her life.
2. I feel your job is safe in the medical field and the pay although could be higher is safe.
3. As a physician, I have received some extra care as a patient when I went to the ER or when I was hospitalized. When my parents were in the hospital, I knew the doctors that were caring for my parents and I feel that helped.
4. Sometimes, you do get respect.
5. You will never stop learning. You can never learn it all and this can be good and bad.
6. If you don't want to take care of patients, you can teach, do clinic research, write, etc
7. If you have your own office, you often get free meals from the pharm reps. You also get free samples of medicine which can help your patients and family.
1. Depending on your field, you build relationships with patients. For me, there's nothing more rewarding than a patient telling me I was the best doctor they had or I saved his/her life.
2. I feel your job is safe in the medical field and the pay although could be higher is safe.
3. As a physician, I have received some extra care as a patient when I went to the ER or when I was hospitalized. When my parents were in the hospital, I knew the doctors that were caring for my parents and I feel that helped.
4. Sometimes, you do get respect.
5. You will never stop learning. You can never learn it all and this can be good and bad.
6. If you don't want to take care of patients, you can teach, do clinic research, write, etc
7. If you have your own office, you often get free meals from the pharm reps. You also get free samples of medicine which can help your patients and family.
Martin Schoen
APRN
282
Answers
Ocala, Florida
Updated
Martin’s Answer
Nursing is a journey of continuous learning. Each day brings with it a new lesson, whether it's about healthcare, other people, or even about yourself. There's always something new to discover in your daily interactions. As for the value of the process, that's a separate discussion.
In my opinion, a significant part of nursing school is beneficial in shaping your thought process. However, a considerable portion also seems to exist just to keep someone in an academic "make-believe job". The real test here is to endure these challenges.
This, however, can also be seen as a positive aspect, as you're bound to encounter difficult patients and you simply have to manage. It's unfortunate though, that many in the nursing faculty seem to overestimate their own importance, treating students as mere cogs in their academic projects, used for writing papers and such. But, let's not forget, there are some truly wonderful individuals in academia too. (Speaking from experience, as I've been a faculty member myself).
So, from the very first day, you'll face challenges. The moment you find yourself unchallenged or with nothing new to learn, that's your cue to move on from the field.
In my opinion, a significant part of nursing school is beneficial in shaping your thought process. However, a considerable portion also seems to exist just to keep someone in an academic "make-believe job". The real test here is to endure these challenges.
This, however, can also be seen as a positive aspect, as you're bound to encounter difficult patients and you simply have to manage. It's unfortunate though, that many in the nursing faculty seem to overestimate their own importance, treating students as mere cogs in their academic projects, used for writing papers and such. But, let's not forget, there are some truly wonderful individuals in academia too. (Speaking from experience, as I've been a faculty member myself).
So, from the very first day, you'll face challenges. The moment you find yourself unchallenged or with nothing new to learn, that's your cue to move on from the field.