I'm an RN, and have been for a year. CNA for three years before that. So i've been in healthcare for a total of four years. Right now I'm in long term care and skilled rehab. (Lots of people coming from surgeries and in need of strengthening, but some other cases too, lots CHF's, pneumonias, wounds, arterial and venous insufficiencies, well, a little bit of everything.) I'm probably going to go for my NP and remain in healthcare for my life. I digresss.
So what is nursing REALLY like?
It has it's ups and downs. You have to be committed to it like a marriage, you have to give it your all. And if you like it and do a good job at the end of the day, it's very satisfying and fulfilling work. It will become a big part of your identity.
What are some of the toughest parts?
In the beginning, for me, it was all the "abuse" or, more sincerely, sick people getting upset. After a while, you can read further past that into their suffering and effectively make them better. Now, it's the loads and loads of paperwork. Some of it can be repetitive. You have to cover all your bases all the time and be focused on mundane details, making sure that your i's are dotted and your t's are crossed.
Do you have to be a people person?
You should like people. Do you have to be an extravert? It helps, I can't say much for introverts as I really enjoy 8 hours of constant talking.
Are most of your patients "old" people?
In my field? Yes. In the hospital floors? Still yes. We have a growing population of chronically ill baby boomers so the people who are admitted onto the floors have more than just flu-bugs and broken bones. It's diabetes and renal failure heaven nowadays. It really depends on where you go though. I'm planning on being a Family Nurse Pratitioner, will probably end up in a cushy office focusing on both illness and wellness throughout the lifespan. (A generalist.) You can choose to work with any population you want, though.
Is it really a "S" field and N's generally find it boring/repetitive/mundane?
There are aspects of the job that are very repetitive and routine. But the nurse is taught to "think like an RN" and that means to look at the whole picture of people's care. Psychologically, spiritually, physically, emotionally. You develop "nursing judgement" if you have your RN, and that means that you can look at the patient as a whole picture and know what to do. The science can be interesting, too. The more you know about the human body, illness, and wellness, the better you will be. Creative ability shines the most when talking to patients and planning their care, making suggestions to the MD, and many more. It's all evidence-based, though, so you won't be coming up with wildly imaginative and flowery plans, as whatever you are doing needs to be proven to work. (Well, we hope doctors and nurses are all doing things that work, anyways!!!) Repetitive and routine things are more along the lines of med administration, treatments, discharges, admissions,(though they can be fun because there is a lot of planning involved) tasks, transcribing orders.
Are most nurses ESF's?
There are a lot of us, yes. In nursing school in our last semester we actually took a color test, (that went along with the four types.) It was interesting to see how 56 of us nurses divided up. It was similar to the general population, though, and since a lot of people in general are ESF's, a lot of nurses are ESF's, if that makes sense. About half the class was gold, (SJ), 25 percent was blue, (NF), followed by SP's, and finally about 5 NT's. (Rough guesstimate on all counts.) That was my lil' study. Like I said, you can go into any field, doesn't have to be strongly skill and task based. Oh, and if you were curious about how many made it into the field, all of us eventually passed and got jobs, I think most everyone is practicing somewhere now a year later.
Is being a IN starting off on the wrong foot?
Nope, not at all. Every nurse has something to bring to a healthcare team. There were plenty of those in my class, there are all different viewpoints. They struggled through school for their own reasons, I struggled through school for my own reasons. It's a very tough and eye-opening experience, not for the weak-willed. It has little to do with type, though.
Is being "smart" seen as a bad thing?
Being smart is seen the same way it is in any educational program or job. I quickly gained respect for it, but I'm also a people person combined with being smart, so that helped me too. You'll be more successful and gain more enjoyment if you're smart with all the learning opportunities and power over patient's well being.
Do you have to remember and frequently use your anatomy/physiology training?
Not constantly, but often enough. You'll use more or less of it depending on the patient population. A cardiac floor will use a lot of cardiac, and so on. Seems like the ICU needs to be heavier on the science end, assessing all systems all the time. Being with a more chronically ill but stabilized population, I use it on a lighter level, but on a lot higher patient load, and benefit from increasing my knowledge.
Are doctors often rude/condescending?
Not if you are charming, know how to talk to them, (they teach you that in school), and are a good nurse. They seem to be good then. I've had a little trouble in the beginning, since you don't put it into practice a lot in school, but now I have a very good relationship with all the doctors that I work with. The one that I work with the most is difficult at times, but now I know him better and we get along good. (Side note: There is actually a sector at my work that wants me to date him, despite the fact that I always feel like he's lecturing me/ being condescending!- More digression.)
What makes you want to quit the most?
An insanely busy and thankless night when it is impossible to do my job well, and finish all the odds and ends that I need to. This is combatted by a lot of support from co-workers, prioritization, and good communication at report.
What do you wish someone had told you before you started?
Nothing, when you're already in healthcare you just "get it" so to speak. The only advice I would have to you is to become an aid first. I did that, so I had a warm up to the big deal.
How serious is "burn out"?
It's bad. I've had burn out a few times but came out of it. It effects your whole state of being. You hurt, you feel like you're a hundred years old, you hate people, you don't care, you dread going back to work. I've come out of it, though, you need to take excellent care of yourself outside of work to be a good nurse. Obviously, there is the possibility of burnout beyond relief if you don't know how to deal with burnout.
Anything else you wanna pass along?
No, but if you have any questions, I'm a good resource. I love to teach and help new nurses and students succeed. I have a lot of people in real life asking a lot of questions about school and the field and love answering them.
Oh, and lots of people management/delegation. If you know what you're talking about, that comes naturally, though.
Edit: Before going into healthcare, I didn't think I was going to do anything science related. Most other people thought I should be a professor or writer, because teaching and writing are where most of my skills are. I personally wanted to be a lawyer or go into advertising, (the creative side of it). God only knows why I became a nurse in the end and decided to stay in the profession.
You never know who's meant to be a nurse!
