No. I would pick something less traumatizing with better pay that’s easier on my body and mind.
YES, YES, YES! I've been an RN for 45 years and counting, and an NP for 27 of those. I adore what I do and encourage others to enter nursing as well. I'm 75+ and working on a` DNP. Retirement is a dirty word as far as I'm concerned. As long as my legs and brain hold up, I'll be practicing and teaching it. I love nursing!
No I really don’t believe so… I have been a nurse for 26 years and have worked in multiple capacities and roles. Patients have become demanding and mistreat nurses.
I have a $150,000 college degree with a masters level nursing and I have not found that perfect job! Educators and unit directors are paid peanuts, and require higher levels of education. Everyone wonders why there are no nurse educators yet no one wants to pay them for their expensive degrees and extra length and effort they put into their education. I feel nurses are treated, poor and disrespected by many of their patients. The only thing that keeps me going is when you get that one patient that appreciates you. That is the part that is priceless. It seems like it is few and far between these days… Aunt disrespected, mistreated, poor working conditions and low pay….. that’s what nursing is all about.
Nurse, yes…NP, no
No never. Healthcare is the worst. They don’t take care of us. There is no life/ work balance. The pay sucks. I’ve been doing this for 50 years. Still work full time in the Surgery dept. The hours are bad and after all that , I love what I do. How bad is that ??
No. I was an RN in the ER, and in the Army for 14 years before becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. If I could have a conversation with myself 25 years ago, Id tell myself to look at a different career choice. There are two types of veteran nurses, those who love the job and those who are so vested that they are stuck in the job. I am the later. At 52, with both undergrad and graduate degrees in nursing, Im too old to look at another career. My advice; if you're young, as in your early 20's, and just statring a professional career and you have a genuine interest in nursing, then go for it. If its not for you, you still have pleanty if time to make a change. If you are in your late 30's or early 40's, and are looking at nursing as a second career, forget about it. It is a thankless and very unfullfilling career choice, full of pure BS at every level! There are better, and far easier ways to earn a similar paycheck, without all of the BS that comes with being a nurse. RN: refreshments and narcotics.
No. I missed out on so many things with friends and family. Plus, no matter how much you give to wherever you work, they always want more. Right now I'm not working due to my husband having a car accident where he fainted and he lost his license for 6 months. I drove him back and forth to work every day. He got it back in September and I still haven't gone back. I really don't know if I want to. I'm starting to think I'll go work in a clothing store where I can where what I want, get my nails done and go home with no worries.
absolutely not
Absolutely NOT!! Under paid, under staffed, unappreciative, putative at best!!!
No. I worked really hard for my degree and don't get paid on an equal level to those I went to dchool with who got business or other science degrees. The curriculum at the time is much of what they now teach in NP school and I really don't use 1/2of what I learned
Maybe. Retired almost 2 years ago, due to the Covid BS, and would now never return. I did put my license on 'inactive' status at the time since renewal was just a couple months after I retired, and I wasn't sure at the time if I might want to try another aspect of it, outside of the hospital environment. Now, renewal will be coming up in just 5 months, and I will let it lapse. I have zero desire to return to it, Especially post-Covid!
Nursing school was very hard, but worth it. I learned so much..about nursing, about people, about myself. And continued learning. I graduated from a Diploma school and the teachers were great and truly loved teaching .. which I think made a huge difference. That could never be taken away, even if I had then chosen a different path, which I almost did...at several different times!
Over the years, I've worked in many areas from med-surg to ortho, critical care, ER, a burn unit and finally landing in mother-baby. Spent the last 35 years of my career there. I truly loved getting new families of to their best possible start!
The first 10 years I worked at a hospital that after a few years really became a toxic environment, administration wise. By the time I left there, Lots of nurses were leaving, and only ONE administrator wanted to know why .. he asked me to "Please share with me WHY so many nurses are leaving! We're bleeding nurses and I can't get anyone to talk to me about it .. they're just leaving!" He was the new CEO, and he came as the massive outflow was happening. I also knew his brother, who had no connection to healthcare, so maybe he felt I would be more willing to tell him, since I had also turned in my resignation. So we sat down, and I told him everything, without 'holding back'. He seemed 'surprised' at much of what I told him. He was actually taking notes! I told him that since you're fairly new to the organization, you just walked into a 'hornet's nest', and if you want to turn this sinking ship around, you're going to have to get brutally honest with yourself about what you can and can't do, and you're going to have to be making some really hard decisions, administration wise, if you stop the hemorrhaging. Since I had nothing to 'lose' so to speak, at the time, I named names, dates, instances, etc. There was a ton of nepotism, bullying, coersion, 'special favors', retaliation, etc. AND I was able to prove all of it! I 'almost' felt sorry for him, since he was a nice guy and seemed to want to do well. He asked me to Please stay and help me with this. I already had a new job, so I was interested. Too little, too late scenario. I didn't belive that he was actually going to do anything about it, but later was pleasantly surprised at some of the changes that were taking place there, many of which I suggested! Still had friends there, so I was able to get the 'updates'. ;)
Was at my next job in M/B for the next almost 33 years. The first 10-15 years were great! Good leadership, comraderie, support, communication, etc. The next 10 were a slow decline into corporate running, with nurses at the bottom of the totem pole. But I loved the people I worked with (for the most part), and we still had each other's backs. We had a really good manager, until the last 2 years when she 'turned' on us due to upper management 'pressures'. The last 3-5 were challenging at best, and were reminiscent of the one I had left prior. Uggh! When the mandates happened, I told them BYE! I was able to retire, thankfully. That last year was all about CONTROL, paranoia, lies, bullying, coersion, broken 'promises', etc. I was NOT going to deal with that again! The administration became a Nightmare! And, again, many nurses were leaving!
What 'ruined' it for me was when hospitals became more like factories. It was ALL about the satisfaction scores and how much $$ could we save. They wanted 'top notch' care, but would not give us what we actually needed to accomplish it, and many times just did things to 'sabatage' it! Paid lip-service to 'loving our employees and nurses'. Definitely would throw you under the bus if the opportunity arose. The 'extra' requirements being thrown at us on the daily, involving more paperwork, time, committees, etc that we were expected to do. The double-standards, the lies and manipulation was just more than I was willing to tolerate! It was time to go. In the last 5 years there, about 15 +/- retired or went to other positions... and these were Long-term employees with 20+ years there! In talking with my friends who are still there, soooo many of them keep saying, "you got out just in the nick of time! This roller coaster is about to derail!"
If I could have "just" taken care of my new parents the way they needed, I would have been a very happy camper and stayed. Sadly, that wasn't the case, and I'm not sure there is even a place in the U.S. where that's even possible anymore. I'm afraid this scenario is more universal and common than I'd like to admit. And it makes me very sad!
If I wanted to work again, it would be with animals. They have no hidden 'agendas', and just want to love and be loved and cared for! They pay with licks, tail wags and 'puppy dog' eyes! I have a friend who has a business doing animal transports and training and certifying dogs as service animals for flights. I'll be joining her in the next year, more than likely. :) I'll be sticking with the transportation side of it :)
This is a hard time in history & many people are becoming burned out. I started as a RN in 2012 & the world is definitely different. However, nursing has presented many wonderful opportunities for me & my family. I will always be needed in my line of work for one. I get connect with the community & a specific patient population for two. And it seems like I am presented with more opportunities the further I advance my education. I also have the knowledge to help my family when needed. I mean there are so many positives about being a nurse.
I ended up in wound care & ostomy care, but since it is so specialized & nobody seems to want to do it so I feel like I get paid more than some RNs do, more than a floor RN for sure (no bragging, I just know that I do).
With wound care & ostomy I started in home health, moved to the outpatient wound clinic, & started inpatient wound/ostomy care when COVID hit. I became a CWCN (certified wound care nurse) through the WOCNCB & I feel this has opened doors for me.
Even though certain patient populations are hard (at times) to take care of I still love taking care of people. Nursing school was the hardest thing I've ever done, but I would do it again. Don't get discouraged by how things are going today. I'd focus on what you LOVE about nursing & pursue that to its fullest. Sorry for such a long answer! Hope this helps ")
Absolutely not!! I would find a career where I am valued, not verbally abused,, work fairly assigned and appreciated by management and customers/patients/people. Nursing was my dream, only job I ever wanted and now I’d give anything to find a job with comparable pay.
No
Personally I would not. That being said I’ve learned a lot about myself and met some phenomenal people since I started, but that doesn’t balance out in the end I don’t think.
I’ll be finished my MSN by the end of the year and I hope to transition into case management or an education position.
Find your passion and you can find your place as an RN.
Hell. To. The. No.
Nope. I’ve learned a lot about myself in becoming a nurse and working for 12 years in various areas of nursing. But it doesn’t fill my cup!
After 32 years, and still practicing I would say yes.I have worked with some of the best people in the world , and a few that were not so good. The opportunity to help save lives is a gift. Overall, it has been a fine career filled with gratitude and some of the best ever people.
Jeff K RN
No
Absolutely not! The pay is horrible as well as the hours. I wasn’t in the hospital long because I had four kids and wanted to have some semblance of a life so I went into ambulatory surgery. While my hours were still long I didn’t have to do holidays or weekends.
Is there job security? Not always. First, if you do what I did and work in a specialty field for 20 years good luck finding a job anywhere else. As usually everyone wants at least a years worth of experience (if you transfer with in the hospital it’s a bit different). On top of that they would rather hire and train a new grad than pay you for your years of experience and retrain you. Not to mention how hard it is being of a certain age and taking orders from someone who graduated two years ago!
Also, with the direction that health care is going it’s scary to be a patient as well as a professional. Insurance is a nightmare and banks buying up private practices to consolidate and resell like some a pyramid scheme should be illegal!
With that said, I left nursing 15years ago to go into Marketing and I haven’t looked back. I made more money, didn’t worry about my license and accidentally causing harm due to being short staffed and therefore over-worked and exhausted. I made a much better salary, had a voice, decent hours and little to no stress.
If health care is still you thing… don’t stop at an RN degree or you’ll never make what you’re worth. Consider Nurse Anesthetist, Physicians Assistance or Nurse Practitioner and go on to the difficulty floors like Telemetry. If you’re going to put in the hours at least get paid fairly for them.
I would have become a nurse straight out of high school in 2004 instead of working forever as a CNA2 and going back to nursing school in 2015 like an idiot!
As a second profession: YES
I’m happy I derailed my first profession to pursue healthcare. I found financial security and job security for the first time in my life. I found work with benefits and much lower job hazards.
It’s not my “calling” but no job has ever has been my “calling”. I take pride in doing my job well. Work is work, play is play.
Definitely! I knew I wanted to be a nurse as a child whose great great grandmother delivered most of the African American children in my community. I love how versatile the profession is. I have been at the bedside providing care, in the educational setting teaching our future nurses, and in the informatics area introducing technology to the EMR platform.
Perhaps…the first 20-25 years, it was fulfilling and enjoyable. I felt safe in my position. The last 20 years, not so much. It became a business and the nurses were expected to give all with little appreciation. RN= Refreshments and Narcotics. My last 3 years, I worked in a Drs office and realized I ravaged my body all those years (L&D)and could get the same paycheck without body fluids pouring over me, and enjoy a much more relaxed tempo.
Absolutely, I have never been without a job. I have managed to care for myself and my family for over 30 years. Nursing school is difficult but it is definitely worth it.
I knew I wanted to be a nurse when I was 7 years old. I have never regretted it for one moment. It is the most rewarding career and allows for the individual to pursue other specialized areas. I have been able to work in ER, cardiac, home health, long term care, and work as a surveyor for the Department of Health. I also have a certificate in Legal Nurse Consulting and Forensic Nursing. The opportunities are endless. My favorite job was working with the developmentally challenged. I am now working from home doing disability claims and love it!
No.
That would be a definitive NO.
No! No way! I’ve put my family through so much…. Experienced major health crises along the way, relationships have suffered/disappeared, because I’ve not been able to fulfill my end… I’m exhausted all the time…. Nursing is nothing like what I expected it to be. In my heart of hearts, I know without a doubt that I’m a great nurse!
Probably not. I don't regret it, but the realization of how healthcare REALLY works is disappointing to say the least. How someone can expect you to do more with less has eluded me from day one, and my day one started in 1983. If it's not for you, you'll know before too long.
Absolutely, but I would move around more and not stay with one specialty.
Yes
No, I am experiencing age discrimination! Something I would have never expected. Also, I was an ICU nurse for 17 years , had to quit working 12 hr. shifts due to a divorce (2 little boys to raise)and now it's impossible for me to get back into acute or critical care. Nurses are treated horribly and over worked. Never!
I have thought about this question a lot. On one hand- this job is HARD- it can be so draining. Even the smooth days demand constant physical, mental, and emotional energy for up to 12 hours with few breaks. On the other hand- I can’t imagine any other job that suits me as well. I work in the OR and there isn’t any other type of nursing I want to do at this point -
if I had to do it over again I would have still become a nurse but gone back to school early on and branched out into something else- informatics maybe- something that would avoid the fate of being a nurse these days where profits are prioritized over everything else.
Yes, I love helping people to become independent and self reliant.
Yes. But not in the states. Profit over people doesn’t work in healthcare
No. Especially not after the COVID pandemic.
Yes because i know i have job security, am able to move around to different specialties and advance my degree to a higher position. Plus i like to care for people.
Yes, looking back...it has added unmeasurable meaning to my life
Yes. Nursing was my Plan B after 17 years as a journalist. I stuck with psych and I love it.
Yes. To be honest there are those times when Target looks very inviting but looking back over 37 years of nursing it was the best investment of time, energy and money. I have been licensed in five states and now carry a second license as a Special Services Provider for Special Education. I have always been able to support my family when my husband could not work or his pay was not enough. I have five specialties, one in which I was board certified. They developed over the years of moving around the country with my husband. When I was burned out in one specialty I always had the option of trying something new. Nursing opens doors to many different careers . I know several BSN JDs, BSN MSN PhD, NP, DNP Educators , Consultants, travel nurses etc. Nurses have the opportunity to be innovators. I proposed starting a perinatal hospice in one of my hospitals. I was fortunate that all my administrators and coworkers were supportive of me and the nurses where I worked, especially when our families needed us at home for crisis, long term illnesses or special events.
Looking back over the years of my career, and I am still going strong, the best part is remembering and sometimes meeting again the people and families that I have touched. Celebrating healthy/recovering people leaving the hospital for home, being thanked by families who lost a love one but appreciated my care and support, advocating for patients and families for better care and helping them navigate a confusing health system all help me remember why I work those long exhausting hours with short staff and less than adequate pay at times. I am a school nurse now and it is the best feeling when a student, teacher, or parent sees me in my office and say "I am so glad you are here, I know you can help me." That's why I would become a nurse all over again.
Absolutely, I can find a job in or out of the hospital, at the bedside or in research, in sales or quality control... the options are endless. All with one little nursing degree
No, I'd never be an RN again. Maybe temporarily to immediately become a CRNA, but never to be a nurse again.
Yes, because I adore my patients. Acute care or ambulatory care, I love empowering patients to self care.. But then there is the drop dead run of acute care, or the personalities of the 'team' in a small office. Can be so discouraging. I have been a RN, BSN for 2.5 years and trying to find my niche. At 63 (I went back to school in my late 50's. Perfect 4.0. So much enthusiasm) Now I find I am frustrated with the disparities of NCLEX world vs Real world. I am looking at prison healthcare or switching to cardiac cath lab in house. We'll see. I'm not about to give up now!
I would’ve picked nursing first right out of high school and worked on degree advancement sooner
No.
❤️❤️❤️
No.
The restraints and “bottom line” are barriers to this
No,NEVER!
No. No No.. soo much to say. . But how we r treated by. Management and up is Simply disgusting at times. No respect or being valued as a person.
No
Absolutely!! 1000% yes!!
Short answer. No. I would have became a entrepreneur or computer science engineer
If I had to choose nursing as my major; I would had declined. Why do I say this, I been on the health field over 30 years. I work for the same hospital for all those 30 years. I build my career with them which I found wonderful and helpful. But now the field have made a major turn instead of nurse/patient is business/profit which I don’t like. Compassion care empathy and kindness are nonesistance in nursing. I can’t wait to retire and close that chapter in my life.
Nope!
Although 20 out of 30 years as a psychiatric nurse was great , if I had to choose again I might do it differently. I would still go into nursing because that’s what my calling was but I would not do bedside nursing. It is unbelievably difficult. As a psychiatric nurse you have to have in ordinate amounts of patience, know mental health nursing backwards and forwards, be quick on your feet and eyes in the back of your head, have very strong boundaries and be very knowledgeable about people’s personalities. You work so so hard, in the ER I developed kidney stones multiple times because there wasn’t enough time to get water or pee, no time for lunch, knee and hip
Surgeries because of walking on concrete for years and years, I have been hit, kicked and bitten, you learn how to keep your mouth shut with management because not matter what anybody tells you they have drank the hospital coolaid, they care about money, not patients. Oh boy I could go on and on. I worked on a fascinating research project identifying young people who were at risk for psychotic illnesss. I loved it. I worked with the families and their kids. I traveled domestically and internationally teaching other researchers about our project. It was the best job ever. Unfortunately it was funded by grant money and that funding ended. So if I were to do it again I would work in research or in clinic work but no more hospital. If I had only known.
I hope this was helpful information.
I kind of fell into nursing. My mother got her GED and went through nursing school when I was in high school (so mid 1980’s) and I used to help her study by quizzing her on her notes etc. When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I loved biology and learning about the way the body (humans and animals) worked BUT I was totally not good in math-even basic math was hard for me so even though I loved biology and science, I did not have much in the way of math skills which limited a lot of areas of science since science and math often are intwined. My mom had gotten her nursing degree and was working making decent money as a new grad and didn’t have to have an algebra credit to get her degree so my parents thought nursing would be a great career for me and they were paying for my education so I finally agreed to try it and got my ADN but really, from my first learning rotation, I knew I wasn’t going to like it but I didn’t want to disappoint my parents so I stayed with it and got my degree in 1988-since I helped my mom study and I had a great memory, getting my degree was easier on me than some of my classmates. I jumped around a lot early in my career. I’d get bored of the work or tired of workplace politics so most places I worked I only stayed a year or two. I had gotten married a few months after graduating-in fact I got my NCLEX results a couple days before we left for our honeymoon (luckily, I passed). I hated working in the hospital-nights or evening shifts, day/night rotations, every other weekend and every other holiday but my 3rd job was better than the first 2 tries and so I got a couple years of med/surg experience under my belt then I got pregnant and just couldn’t physically do the 12 hour night shifts anymore so I left the hospital to work at a LTC facility-day shift, every weekend, 2-12 hour shifts-working 24 hours but got paid for 32 and got health insurance benefits like a full timer. This job sucked work wise but allowed me to be home with my son M-F and my husband was home on weekends so we didn’t need childcare but my husband and I never had a full day off together but it worked for the family. I was there about 3 years but the owner did some shady deals (was later was incarcerated) and there were some really crappy things that happened-he was pocketing the money coming out of my check for my health insurance premiums so the last few months I worked I thought I had health insurance but didn’t plus he owed me a week of PTO I never got and when new company took over the facility, I left. I got into home health which was great for several years but I didn’t stay longer than 1-2 years at these places then we decided to move to another state. With a nursing degree, I knew I’d find work and the new state had better opportunities for both my spouse and I. I worked in home health then got a job at an ophthalmology office doing both eye clinic work and ambulatory surgery a couple days a week and it was a great job except the head nurse was a psycho so I left that position for a job at a wound clinic but hated the drive then I got a call from a coworker that the psycho was finally fired so I went back to that job, thrilled to be there again, then shortly after I came back the ophthalmologist sold the practice and the parameters of the job changed with the new company and were not changes for the better so I left for a position in an ambulatory eye surgery clinic just doing eye surgeries, no clinic. It was an interesting learning opportunity until I injured my back and couldn’t physically do “hands on” care any more. After that I got a job in a naturopathic’s office doing IV therapies-I was skeptical of the whole naturopathic thing but I did learn a lot and it was interesting but then my hours changed and I got another job as a telehealth nurse health coach, then was laid off from there but found a similar job for an insurance company working remotely, which was fantastic until we were bought out by another company and things started going way downhill but being a work from home job, it was hard to walk away from and I stayed there for 13 years but we lost a huge contract last year and I got laid off after being there for 13 years! So here I am looking for another job at age 57 and not being able to do “hands on care” anymore so it severely limits my choices.
So for me, the answer to the question is a resounding “NO”!! If I had it to do over, I would have chosen a different career!!
If I would have known about the tons of paperwork that we have to do and so much less patient care, I would not have became a nurse. I would have went into imaging studies/Diagnostic Medical Sonographer.
Yes, but I would have worked less years on a very stressful unit where many children ( 40%) with brain tumors and neuromuscular diseases died. That was in the 80’s and 90’s. Now, we have better treatments and kids live longer or are in complete remission.
I would speak up sooner against nurse bullies and power hungry managers. Fortunately, the bullies were
Only 5 total in my 40 year career.
There is no room in a career/vocation where we vow to do no harm, for anyone to try to intimidate or demean another fellow nurse. I am proud that I did speak our against one
Manager by taking her to HR and two years later she was fired.
In my last year as a full-time nurse I spoke out with another staff member against a nurse bully and she was counseled and reprimanded. She never spoke a disrespectful word to me or anyone else in our division again. I found 99.7% of my fellow nurses and ancillary staff to be compassionate, caring and so helpful. I encourage anyone thinking of becoming a nurse to shadow a few different types of nurses to get an idea as to how you
Would like it or if you would thrive.
Nursing is one field I can express myself,
Collaborate and enable patients to be as painfree and independent as possible. This gives me great joy! I am still part time employed as a nurse in two positions and love it! ♥️☀️♥️☀️
No
Yes, absolutely! It gives me purposes in life even though nursing is very hard on my mental and physical health at times lol
Absolutely, I have met some amazing people and gained some great work experience with many opportunities for growth. I am an official preceptor for the unit, as well as currently training for charge nurse
Absolutely 💯 %
Absolutely NO! Not that I don’t like nursing itself, but i’m sick of being the scapegoat every time when something went wrong. I lately had an experience at the hospital resulting being let go by the hospital. The reason was I failed to report patient’s deterioration and pt died. That’s a complete ass lie. I started reporting s/s to the MD, but he was being an sassy ass, nasty attitude until it was too late, he came to the floor. Pt was already in a very poor condition, too many comorbidities. Everything in the chart, the texts between me and doctor proved that I have been doing everything, reporting deterioration in time. And yet…. I don’t really care about that job but i do care all the efforts i put in pt care and i was still blamed for things that were not my fault.
Nope
Yes but I would decrease my expectations. Nurse for 31 years. Np for 8. Came up through the ranks CNA, LPN, BSN, MSN,NP. I've had a fulfilling career until a stroke in 2022! Love precepting.
Yes, but I would have lower expectations
YES!! Except I would have done it sooner.
In that proverbial "New York minute"! 45 years an RN and almost 30 of that an NP. Yes. I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat!
Knowing what I know now, no.
It’s been good in many ways though.
In a nutshell: IN A HEARTBEAT!! 45 years and RN and 27 of that an NP. Still loving it and all I've done over that time. Still hoping to finish my doctorate, even at my age. I truly believe I was put on this Earth to follow this path and am grateful every single day for it.
No way!!!
Probably not. I'm a third generation nurse who worked as a unit secretary at 19. Didn't really know what else was out there.
If I were 18 again. I would do consulting. I went in to leadership. But as much I like my employees. Turns out my passion is strategy, implementation and performance management.
I would be making bank by now. And I think I would have been better at it.
But nursing allowed me a lifestyle most of my friends didn't have in their 20s. But by 30, they were catching up and passing me.
PS, I do like nursing leadership.
Maybe
Absolutely,Positively NO NO NO!!!
H311 to the capital NO!!!!! Definitely choose something else
More than likely, no. After a while, the life and death thing causes an inordinate amount of stress. Also, people that don't do your job (management), want to tell you how to do your job.
Yes! I love being a RN! Our career is stressful and there are those patients that treat us like crap, BUT it is those amazing patients and their families that make it worth it. The majority of the patients I care for appreciate the care I provide. I also work for a hospital that pays very well and provides excellent health, vision, and dental benefits, a pension plan and 401K. My suggestion is to work for companies that will provide you with the most benefits, because no matter where you work, nursing is pretty much the same.
No, absolutely not. Am a good, well respected nurse but I see so many people make so much more money with so much less responsibility. I would probably seek a science field
Just wondering how many of you would be interested in striking to reform nursing. I think the pay, lack of retirement and unsafe patient ratios are due to the fact most of this field is female and we just do it and put up with it. What if we don't anymore? Is anybody with me?
In a perfect world, I would have gone to art school. If artists were paid more or I didn't need to make money.
No way! I would go into the Air-force and take up finance, or work with animals instead. Nursing is a THANKLESS job that doesn’t get ANY respect. We pay these football players MILLIONS of dollars to play a game!… nurses will ACTUALLY SAVE YOUR LIFE, healthcare needs to be rethought and nursing jobs need to be compensated appropriately. Nurses shouldn’t stand for the toxic work environments and administration playing favorites because some employees are constantly in the office tattletaling on others.
Not to toot my own horn, but someone has too…I’m great at being a nurse. I’ve done all types of ICU, some IMCU, a little med surg. I would not be a nurse. It’s masochism. Management allows patients and families to treat us like garbage, executives get paid waaaaaaaaay too much while not giving staff raises, they continue to pile more and more responsibilities on us without giving us the staff to keep our patients safe or the compensation I’m keep us. I went into this career to help people and all I feel like I’m doing is hurting myself.
Absolutely not. I’d have become a veterinarian because after 20 years of nursing, I’m tired of humans 😂
I would have become a veterinarian or Veterinarian
tech
No.
Yes indeed !!! I find nursing very rewarding. I did not compromise my ability to just obtain a diploma , I pursued a BSN. Started my masters but did not complete. It was very difficult in my days and moreover being a minority to matriculate through the University of Illinois.Thanks God I survived.
Nope. Absolutely not. Healthcare is broken.
I would become a nurse if I was doing it over again. Everyone has an option to"do all over again" nobody forces people to stay working as a nurse against their will and there is a ton of opportunity to train to other careers with a nursing background. Those who stay and are miserable really Dona disservice to themselves their coworkers and patients. Why not take ownership to try and find joy somewhere else ?
Yes! Because there are only a handful of people in this world who can make a difference in someone else’s life and tolerate this profession. Fact, I hate how medical care has become so corporate/just a business and they don’t compensate nurses for the capacity of what they expect you to do, but at the end of the day I got into this field to make a difference in someone’s life when they need you the most.
Yes 👍🏽 every day after 44 years working RN I am certainly Grateful and Thankful to Sharon Mancuso who sat and listened to me, during a Pediatric visit, I told her my story! She told me that I should not give up on becoming a Nurse! Sharon invited me to attend her Alumni HFCC! I followed her advice, enrolled @ HFCC in Dearborn, Michigan ! I was admitted to the Nursing Program by Mr.Foster! This was a life changing Opportunity for me! 💙🙏🏽
After 35+ years at the bedside....NO! absolutely not. The level of abusive behavior dealt with by patients (both physical and verbal/emotional), management, and other colleagues has left me a shell of my former self. I still love humanity (as an abstract), just hate people.
Absolutely fckn not… I would’ve gone to medical school and became a radiologist or forensic pathologist.. I love the science behind medicine, I just can’t stand the people.
No
Do what you like n like what you do
Find your niche. It can be a challenge but worth it. Graduated in 1961. 82 84 88 got 2 Masters n held a variety of positions. Still work per diem
NEVER LOOKED BACK
No way...trauma abuse trauma abuse...stress more stress and more stress and its not good enough..do better.
I had an ADON tell me to have a patient stand on the scale and have him hold something so he could have his bariactric surgery ...so the hospital physician anesthesiologist etc would get paid.
I told my supervisor " no way I'm not doing that!" " why"...ummm because it's lying and FRAUD.
My Mom kept asking me why don't I become a PT. No Mom I want to be a nurse.
Before that I wanted to be a Vet.
Wish I had done something else
no. except for the fact that through Covid I DID have a job... so there is that....
I graduated as an LV N at the age of 19. Worked 3-11 school from 7-1. For my RN. I worked at a county hospital affiliated with UCLA. Level I Trauma center. From 1980 to 2000. This was during a time when myself and my colleagues cared about the patients. Slowly but surely I noticed a change. From 2001-2017. Moved to the desert, suddenly we were told not to call our patients, patients but clients. It became a business. ER nursing for 40 years, trauma certified, MICN ( mobile intensive care nurse) talked with medics on the radio. Actively involved with safe staffing ratios, which took 10 years. Involved in Quality Assurance. I was the Public Acccess Defibrillation Coordinator of Southern California. Research. 4 years of hospice. After Covid, everything changed. That’s when I was expected to change who I was professionally. I refused
Absolutely not.
Absolutely Not!! The same education dollars I spent to become a Nurse, Masters Prepared, I should have spent those same dollars to become an Attorney.
No, I’d choose something else in healthcare.
No. Nurses are not respected as their own profession! There are many “non-nurse leaders” who like to tell nurses what to do and how to do it and you’ll have to fight/strive to break out of that! Doctors are more respected professionals and no one tells them anything! There is a huge pay gap, gain all the skills you can, become a clinical nurse specialist and you will make money or a nurse lawyer or nurse business person.
Absolutely 💯
No! PTSD
Yes I wouldn't even think about it
I only wished that I could have been able to go to nursing school before age 38. I loved being a nurse and taking care of patients in several roles and for 34 years
Yes! I was born for this. I would have gone to my BSN quicker and then for my NP before now. But my initial RN program was hard but amazing. It taught me how to be a really great nurse. I will forever be grateful.
Absolutely been a 3 yr diploma grad for 56 years. I'm still practicing and use my experience to help family, friends co workers with health and nsg questions. Never been without a job met amazing people learned something new everyday still do. Been cpr instructor have insatiable need to learn. Been taking certification courses throughout my career to keep learning. It's been amazing many highs and lows.
Sadly, no.
Absolutely! 45 years at the same hospital! I worked PACU the last 35
You have to live helping people and being a good team player
Yes
I would do it sooner. I became a nurse after 50. I work in psych and absolutely love it.
Knowing what I know now, I would have become either an engineer or if I did decide to stay the medical route, I would have attempted an advanced degree right after my BSN.
No I would not.
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Unfortunately I was not given a choice of which career I wanted. My parents forced me into nursing. Their exact words were "We're paying for your education and you will be a nurse." It was non-negotiable.
If I had been able to choose I would have chosen a career in music but its' too late now. At 54 years old and 37 years of healthcare under my belt I am too old to be pursuing such a drastic career change so, I stay stuck in a career that I loathe but am good at.
Ues
The better question would be - would you still become a nurse working in your current place of employment. You see there is very little investment given to nurses in most health care organizations. Most nurses do not see their full potential, nor do they feel autonomous, appreciated or even that they have an experience worth paying for. I have worked in many organizations: Catholic Hospital, School District, Health Care Agencies, Federal Government, Health Care Organizations and University Systems. I saw great nurses leave within 2 years and not so good nurses who endured, basically because where else are they going to go, they are so miserable. Ok, i do admit some of those leaving after 2 years, left to advance their practice, but this still is sad to see. Especially, due to the loss in continuity and knowledge which could have lead to an expertise in their current hospital. Such a tragedy to see a break in novice to expert within a hospital system.
The most effective hospital was a small hospital in New Hampshire. A tier rewarded approach and the pay was outstanding. Nurses were looked at as part of the upper echelon team, not as a class system but in expertise. Nurses were expected to move from Novice to Expert. We were trained, rewarded and paid for certifications, advanced practice and PALS, ACLS, NALS, PICC,Telemetry etc. Now asked me " if you had to do it all over again would you still become a nurse"
"Be That Nurse, the one they will never forget" - me
Maybe not, I would have wanted to be a speech pathologist because, I love the elementary children since, I have become a Nana.
Yes, it is a good career, with chances to vc
Connect with other healthprofessionals and serve the community.
Yes!
In a heartbeat
No. The expectations are too unrealistic in a capitalist society.
Absolutely not! Too much stress and not enough pay
Yes! It was a goal of mine for many years to become a nurse. Nursing school was both challenging and rewarding. One of our instructors gave us advice that I followed-when you begin working as a nurse, if you find you don't like the job, find another area of nursing! There are too many options for nurses to stay where you are if you feel too much stress. I changed specialty teams twice within the same hospital to find a career position that I enjoyed.
ABSOLUTELY!! I took me 6 years to figure out “why” I became a nurse. I worked in LTAC,med Surg, med inc, home health, ER. One day I had a conversation with the family that brought their dad grandfather great grandfather in for an infection. He had lung cancer and dementia. I sat with that family for over an hour. I realized that day that the ER was not for me, but I was going to try oncology. I have been doing outpatient oncology for 10 years now. And I love every day of it. When I stopped looking for people to support me and me support them is when I found my true calling. Don’t get me wrong. I have had many companies that I couldn’t believe treated the way they treated people, but I just kept telling myself. I was there for the patients. Now I do oncology every day, educating patients, and the nurses that are new to the unit and I am a clinical manager. I treat my people how I WANT to be treated. I worked retail before oncology and honestly, they don’t treat too much different in healthcare or in big corporations or businesses. But I do get an immense amount of satisfaction helping a patient through the worst time of their life.
No. I would go for radio tech, sonograph, other AH careers. But im glad I tried nursing out.
I would.
But, with experience, I now know I would be more selective about the situations I put myself in. Toxic work environments are just toxic, no matter the field.
Overall, I would join this adventure again in a heartbeat!
And demanding patients/ family members are often just acting out of stress. I find that when I slow down, listen, offer a little extra care, things improve. I try to remember that this is my "every day", but for them, it is an unknown and perhaps terrifying new situation.
I wouldn’t honestly. The stress can be overwhelming.
No. The only pro I can say about nursing is that I’ve always had a job. I did enjoy parts of it and the patients but overall I would not do it again.
Apparently, yes. Nursing is a calling, it's true.
After 25 years of bedside nursing in ER & critical care (with some m/s, too!), I took some time away from the bedside to see if I could make money doing something else that was easier on the body. I had just lost my father, and my mother had a stroke caring for him while I was working Covid units. She deserved better care than she was receiving.
Plus, I was angry that the realtor who sold my uncle's house made my nursing salary in a year with that one transaction! Internet writers brag that they make 6-figure incomes.
Saving lives is hard work & doesn't pay as well, but it's in my blood. I can't help myself from helping people, so it's back to the bedside for me! It turns out that showing up for a shift is way easier than continuously drumming up business. :)
Yes, I would do it again. Nursing is hard work, but it has been so rewarding to me. I have been a nurse for 42 years at the same hospital. I worked for 40 years at the bedside working on as many as 2o or so units within the hospital and now I am the Nurse Onboarding Specialist. Yes, we would all love to get paid more but I look at it differently. My goal was to come to work and make a difference in at least one person's life any given day. Also, we have so many opportunities in our career. I have always been passionate about nursing, and I truly have cared about the patients I cared for on any given day.
Yes, I worked very hard to become a nurse & I'm super grateful that I have the privilege to be one. Lots of prayer during this entire journey, & I must say that God is Good!
Yes,always and any time.Forever will be a nurse.
When you know you have made a difference and made a patient who is about to give up because it seems that no one else cares; you have made that patient feel comfortable, that there is someone who does care about what they are feeling; you know it is worth it. I had a student who had this very experience. She shared how the patient was telling her "Just go away, I know you will not be back"; the student (under guidance of her preceptor) proceeded to sit with her, to give her an ear to listen to her. By allowing the patient to feel that someone was there to hear her and to allow her to express herself, this student was able to do what other nurses had not been able to do. She was able to get this patient to be in compliance with her treatment plan. The student was grateful to have been able to make a difference for this patient. I am sure that patient was ever so grateful to have received such a caring nursing student who would take the time to sit and listen. Sometimes as nurses, we become so busy with meeting the demands that we forget to look and hear our patients. We must remember to take the time to stop for those extra few seconds or even minutes to really hear our patients in order to help them to achieve their goal of improving their health, even if only for a brief moment in time.
Yes I will still do NICU area as my area of work. Babies are so delicate to take of but on the other side once discharged home and go back to say hello that’s the best part ever to feel your accomplishments as a nurse
Yes. 25 years and counting. Has it been easy? No. Have there been times in my career when I wanted to leave the profession? Yes. I’m glad I’m still here for my patients. Nursing is a calling. I don’t know that I could be satisfied in another job. I go home knowing I made a difference every day. Not everyone can say that. When times get tough, I get involved and push to find solutions. When I’m burnt out, I change jobs. There are so many choices out there that I have never felt stuck. Yes, I would do it all over again. Best decision I ever made for myself.
I think so, I think ultimately, the pros outweigh the cons for me, but I’ve also been in a very good environment, that makes a difference, next week I might have a different answer though lol
I wanted to be a nurse since I was five .i finished nursing school with two children under four away from my home town .(I had a wonderful husband who took the kids the last four months) I would do it again .I am not saying I didn’t have those moments we all question why we went into nursing .
IN a NY minute. Or any other State's minute for that matter! RN for 47 years; 26 of that an NP. 3 specialty areas: Psych, ICU, ER and I hope never to retire. NOw I work in Neuro-testing, and I taught at BSN level for 20 years. I love what I do - LOVE IT! -and can't imagine not working and doing what I do with my life.
Absolutely!!!
Absolutely, started in 1982 as an LVN and worked my way up to MSN and manager. I love my patients and my staff, planning on retiring in 2 years just because I want to travel while I'm still young. But would do it all over again in a heart beat!
Absolutely!! I was fortunate to work part time after I had children and I was able to fit my career around my family needs instead of my family around my career! I spent the past 18 years teaching nurse aide classes, which I loved! The options available to nurses is unlimited! My daughter has her BSN and works remotely in pharmaceutical research!
OMG YES. 1000x over I would! I graduated 1986 and in 2000 i randomly ended up in ER and it’s been the love of my career since. I still love it and would continue here until I can’t.
It takes a big dedication and fully in love with nursing in order for you to endure and stay intact. However, I would probably go to other career since my mantra is life is too short, for me to be stressed out and deal with sick or dying individuals. These patients come in to you because they’re in need or undergoing sickness. And it’s sad to see ppl go through that which affects me in general and point of view in life. It isn’t a bad thing, we all have our own decisions and I fully respect that.
Absolutely!!
nope
No I'd finish Med School.
Absolutely! 50 years, ICU, Hemodialysis, Hospice, teaching...loved it all.
Absolutley. Had a great career at the local children's hospital and then went into clinical research for for the last 30 years. Now retired but keep my license up.
Yes I will.I love what I was doing. I was a nurse for 44 years.I retired more than 2 yrs ago.I miss being a nurse.I didn't retire because got tired of if but because they won't release my pension since I'm still with them so I did.I was 66 at the time I applied for it.
Absolutely!
Not sure…..
Yes. No doubt about it. I love and like what I do being an operating room nurse.
100%!! I really like being a nurse. I’m fortunate to work in a wonderful unit with professional, supportive management. And my colleagues (except for a few) are amazing! Plus, being in Oregon, the party is outstanding.
100% yes!
Absolutely - without a doubt !!!!!
YES i would it was a calling for me!
nope.
Yes
Yes, most definitely
Yes definitely
Nope.
Absolutely, yes!
No
Yes!
Yes
@Michael Lewis I totally agree!
Yes but not stay bedside for so long
No, it has taken a toll on me physically and emotionally.
ABSOLUTELY!! I'm 76 a nurse for 57 years and I love it! Been in hospice nursing, medical Surgical, have always worked two or three part-time nursing jobs, worked in nursing homes for years and now I'm doing private duty with the closed head injury at least 30 hours a week! Loving it loving it love it!
