What is the best part of being a nurse?

[Mona Al-khabaz]

Hi everyone

 

I'm interested in going into nursing (3 years technical program) next year and I was wondering 2 things

 

1) What is the best part of being a nurse?

2)What is the least favorite part of being a nurse ?

 

non-nurses or future nurses are welcome to post a reply

[medisforme]

From personal experience

 

Best part of being a nurse

1) Job security

2) Benefits (BCNU has done a great job of getting great benefits for BC nurses)

3) Large variety of work environments within the profession

4) Fairly good salary/wages in my opinion (though this depends on what you are comparing it to)

5) Powerful unions will ensure job security and competitive wages for years to come

6) A lot of professional autonomy

7) Get to work with a wide variety of interesting people

 

Negatives of nursing

1) Shift work (I don't have anything against actually working nightshift but the older I get (31) the more I find my sleep messed up coming off nightshift. (on the plus side you get paid more money for night shift)

2) Many places have stressful work environment where nurses are overworked (ie. most ER's)

3) R/t (2) above, staffing levels are inadequate on many hospital units which adds to workload

4) Having to do non-nursing duties (ie. create charts, take phone messages etc...)

5) Engaging in "dirty" side of nursing (toileting, bed baths etc...). Though I switched into psychiatry now where it is less of an issue.

6) Due to staffing levels, can sometimes be difficult to get days off (this is 100% dependant on institution and unit where one works and isn't an issue everywhere)

7) Despite nursing shortage can be difficult for new grads to break into workforce with full time position (many work several jobs in a casual position and/or part-time positions)

[shikimate]

"The head nurse gets to eat medical students for breakfast" - the medical hierarchy, a visual guide, by Dr. Michelle Au

[Mona Al-khabaz]

thanks a lot for your replies :}

They were very helpful .

[ploughboy]

My favorite thing about being a nurse (and at the same time, my most-feared thing) is the fact that most of the people in your life (friends, relatives, and patients alike) have a deep respect for your knowledge and depend on your advice. It is a rewarding and sacred thing to be able to guide someone through a medical crisis and be the support that they lean on, whether they be patient or family member.

 

It's terrifying because you may not always be able to be all that they want/need/expect you to be. It can be a huge responsibility. Never be afraid to say "I don't know tthe answer to that, but I'll help you figure it out."

 

Gosh, that looks familiar. Not saying you're a spammer or anything, but check out:

 

http://allnurses.com/general-nursing-discussion/best-thing-about-426115.html#post3878220

 

(post by roser13, part-way down the page)

 

 

And as for the original question? From my perspective as a physician, the best thing about being a nurse is going on break. Actually, the best thing about being a nurse is paging the on-call resident in the middle of the night and *then* going on break so nobody on the ward knows why the heck you paged him.

[medisforme]

Actually, the best thing about being a nurse is paging the on-call resident in the middle of the night and *then* going on break so nobody on the ward knows why the heck you paged him.

 

Why would that be the best thing about being a nurse? Are just looking for a forum to complain about your work experiences? Stick to the medicine forum and quit spamming on the nursing forum.

[ploughboy]

Why would that be the best thing about being a nurse? Are just looking for a forum to complain about your work experiences? Stick to the medicine forum and quit spamming on the nursing forum.

 

I apologize. It was inappropriate for me to post that in the nursing subforum. I'll save my grumbling for elsewhere.

[charh5]

I apologize. It was inappropriate for me to post that in the nursing subforum. I'll save my grumbling for elsewhere.

Perhaps the nurses you're having trouble with would be a good place to start. Passive aggression isn't a good strategy for resolving your workplace issues.

[DonGeo]

Lol, come now, with the amount of grumbling we nurses make about docs (not to mention each other), it's nice to see some fire from the other side

 

My favourite part: you can work in any and all areas with little re-training. There isn't the pressure of "choosing a specialty" for the rest of your life. Also, you get to work with some awesome people in bizarre situations.

 

Least favourite part: even though you do have a lot of responsibility, you're rarely calling the shots.

 

Cheers,

[whiteteeth]

Best part:

Get to work in different specialties (OR, ICU, Cardiology, Neurology, Orthopedics) and many types of nursing jobs (office, sales, nurse practitioner, informatics, research)

Good pay ($60,000-$80,000 base before overtime)

Flexible schedule (Work 3 days & get 4 days off)

 

Worst part:

Poo Poo & Vomit

[yugerry]

Best Part:

 

Chatting with cute docs

Travel Nursing (amazing experience)

Being patient's first line of contact.

 

 

Worse Part:

 

Dealing with 'mean' nurses.

Night shifts.

[RN-MD]

Here goes my first post:

 

Honestly the best part of being a nurse is when you get a chance to listen to the patients stories, when you can hold their hand during something painful, when their family hugs you and thanks you for making a difference, when you can bring dignity and honor to a really difficult situation. It honestly sounds so corny, and we all really fight through the boring "self and others" courses but once you start nursing you look back and see how important they were.

 

The coolest part of being a nurse for me is the wounds. Burns, fistulas, ostomies, incisions, tumours, Clagetts, trachs- very very fun. Makes my day so much happier.

 

The worst part of being a nurse is when no matter what you try you cant help with a patient's pain or help them find comfort in their journey/situation. Second worst is watching the patients you care for make the same bad choices again and again and you just cant understand why. However its just important to accept people as is, employ harm reduction principles, and just be with them in the moment.

 

Wow this post sounds very nursey (hope this helped a little- there are so many reasons to choose this profession)

[taiga gal]

Best part: drinking coffee and making posts on Premed 101 at 0200...

 

just kidding, actually i prefer nite shifts to days, way less stressful.

 

Best part: seeing patients transition from sick to healthy with the power of medicine, care and kindness. Since i applied to med school, being more proactive in my suggestions to MD's, and more knowledgable about their role.

 

Worst part: when i am treated poorly by pt's, families, and MD's. it's hard to remain calm in the presence of stressed people, and i try not to take it personally, but it is oh so challenging.

[RN-MD]

did you get into med school with an RN degree ^^?

 

I applied this year so Im currently trying! I know quite a few nurses who are pursuing their MD- so we'll see where this adventure takes me.

[cabelreyes]

The best part about being a nurse is the fact that most of the people in your life (friends, relatives, and patients alike) have a deep respect for your knowledge and depend on your advice..Learning to fly under the radar is really very difficult and also lack of respect from employers, and docs, the general bad treatment of nurses, and the OVERWHELMING amount of work that we are all expected to do, and do perfectly, every day makes it the worst part about being a nurse.

[bobbynelson]

My favourite part: you can work in any and all areas with little re-training. There isn't the pressure of "choosing a specialty" for the rest of your life. Also, you get to work with some awesome people in bizarre situations.