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Is Nursing a Good Profession Choice?

Need advice regarding the nursing profession. Are you a nurse in a hospital, office, assisted living, nursing home, etc? If you are not a nurse, what is your opinion of the nurses you have encountered? I would appreciate as much information as possible. Please include the good, the bad, and the facts.

8 Answers

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  • Snark
    Lv 7
    10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Pros:

    1. It's relatively easy to find a job.

    2. Nursing pays well.

    3. You can get a job ANYWHERE. In fact, there are travel agencies you can work for that will get you assignments for 6-13 weeks. These assignments usually pay well and they also pay for your housing while you are working for them.

    4. There are many things you can do within the field of nursing. You can go into research, become a practitioner, work in a prison, work in a school, a doctor's office, even work for a lawyer testifying in court cases. And in the more common nursing positions - working on a hospital floor - there is also a huge variety of things you can do. You can care for children, elderly, general population, transplants, cardiac, ICU, labor and delivery, psychiatric patients, and the list goes on for a while. Finally, if you obtain at least a master's degree, you can become a professor and teach at a nursing school.

    5. You will typically have very good benefits. And if you don't have good benefits, see number 3.

    6. There are usually many different options for scheduling (though when you're new, you need to be flexible). Some nurses work 3 twelve hour shifts, then have four days off. Some work five 8 hour shifts. Some alternate weeks - six 12 hour shifts followed by one week off, back and forth. Some work part time and teach part time.

    7. The job is extremely rewarding. If you have a passion for nursing, none of the "cons" below are going to take away the joy of knowing that you're making a real, life-and-death difference.

    Cons -

    1. Understaffing. Sometimes you will run your a** off, because there are a lot of patients for the number of available nurses.

    2. Responsibility. There are a lot of ways in which you can hurt a patient if you make a mistake, and you are both legally and ethically responsible for not making such mistakes. Furthermore, you are responsible for charting and documenting well so that no one can argue that you made a mistake when you didn't. You have to check and double check not only your own work, but you must also check the work of the pharmacy and the doctor and whoever else. If the doctor orders the wrong drug or the wrong dose, you are responsible for spotting it and calling the doctor to have it corrected.

    3. Stress. Nursing is rewarding, but it can also be stressful. You have to deal with people who are terrified and in pain. You have to deal with patients dying on you. You have to deal with families, other nurses, doctors, and various members of the health care team. You often will feel as though there's not nearly enough time to do everything you have to do.

    4. Cliques. Nurses can be very cliquey. You have to learn how to behave professionally and get along with a wide array of personalities. You should resist gossiping without appearing to be snobby to those who don't care to resist gossiping. There are a lot of office politics to navigate.

    5. Continuing education. I wouldn't really count this as a negative, as I think everyone should continue to learn their craft throughout their careers. However, it can be a bit of a burden. You have to get in so many hours of continuing education credits each year to keep your RN license current and valid. You have to retake your CPR classes (BLS and ACLS) every one to two years.

    6. Nothing stays the same. In nursing, things change constantly - the computer systems in your hospital, health care laws, hospital policies, medical research and breakthroughs, new treatments, new drugs, new equipment, changes in your patient's health status... Everthing. Changes. So if you're the type that can't handle change, nursing is not for you.

    7. Hypochondria. This one isn't as serious on this list as the others ;P But nursing school will make you worry about every little thing that can go wrong with your body.

  • 10 years ago

    I am not a nurse but has asked plenty this very question. One black nurse I asked about nursing while at a store told me it was a good job and to get into the profession. But then she told me to watch out for Filipino nurses because a lot of them don't know what there doing. They tend to mess with other nurses things, while not dealing with their own stuff. She also told me that nursing school was one of the hardest things she has ever done in her life. She also pushed her daughter into nursing as well. Another Filipino nurse I asked just told me to become a nurse! She was very cheerleader like with her response. Another nurse I asked just said " Yes I took my training at this school and being a nurse is good" but for some reason she felt a little fake to me. So it really depends, some people will give you the most positive response and others will sound mediocre. Remember there are good aspects to nursing like saving lives, bringing babies into the world and funny moments. And then there are the bad aspects like changing diapers, cleaning every type of fluid that comes out the human body, working short-staffed, gossip, and backstabbing. But if you still want to become a nurse then you will work past this, adapt and find the strength you need to become a top notch nurse.

  • Anonymous
    10 years ago

    Nursing is one of the most respected careers today. The nurse isn't confined to hospital settings. There are hundreds of opportunities for a nurse in the job market. Why nursing? You can help people in their moment of need. You can experience the excitement the position offers. And you can enjoy the benefits and job stability. All of these are good reasons to become a nurse.

    Stable Career

    Nursing is one of the few professions that truly is recession-proof. People will always have babies, get hurt, get sick and die. Nurses are needed every step of the way. Nurses also earn respectable wages with benefits. Typically, nurses can take their degrees anywhere in the country and practice. Nursing can offer travel and international opportunities also.

    Flexibility

    Nurses have more flexibility than doctors. When a doctor picks a specialty, she is normally stuck with it. As a nurse, you can change from one area of medicine to another with ease. Don't like the kids as much as you thought? Try geriatric care or even hospice care. The end-of-life experience can be just as rewarding. Nurses also can have flexible work schedules that meet their needs.

    Altruism

    A career in nursing offers the opportunity to feel good about yourself. The role of the doctor is to identify and cure the illness. It is the nurse who cares for the patient. Nurses help to take the pain away. Nurses save lives. Most of all, nurses can bring hope. Want to see a miracle? As a nurse, you have the chance to watch miracles happen every day.

    Career Advancement

    Nursing careers offer a great steppingstone into other careers. A nurse can become a nurse practitioner, a nurse who prescribes medication, or a doctor. The nursing profession can also lead to work in the insurance industry or to the classroom as a teacher. Want to leave nursing for another career? Having a degree and a respected career on a resume always looks good.

    Read more: Reasons for Choosing a Nursing Career | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_7457768_reasons-choosing-...

  • 10 years ago

    I think Nursing is a good profession. Any patient needs the female nurse due to good gifted politeness to women. They are more sympatric and having loving nature. But there are to much chance that a good nurse is become a bed due many resonse. when a young doctor and a beautiful nurse are on night duty and you know at night men women's sex feeling are at peek and on that moment many nurses are doing sex first time with doctor the thy get start and become a bed nurse

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  • Anonymous
    10 years ago

    A nurse is considered a profession i.e you can sign for peoples passports and they do do very valuable work. Now yes the pay isn't the best but it is a great job for if you want to have a children and work part time, plus there are lots of opportunism to do some freelance work i.e rest bite for people in your community.

    But you have to be able to deal with people, because people generally only encounter nurses when there is trouble and so you will be dealing with very anxious people and you will need to have a great deal of patience to keep going.

    By the way my mum is a nurse and this is what she says to my friends!

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    Obstetrician/gynecologist. As above, midwives are also qualified to care for and deliver but are not licensed physicians. To take care of the mom prior to, during the childbirth, delivering the baby, and caring for the mom and baby after the baby is born. OB-GYN. Neo-natal Care nurses are trained to assist in the delivery of a baby and the immediate care of the baby just after and for the day or so following birth. They will also spend time bedside with the mom while she is in labor. We were very lucky. We had wonderful nurses for all three of our kid's deliveries.

  • Anonymous
    10 years ago

    yes! be proud to become a nurse because in your profession, you help a lot of people specially those who are in need.

  • 10 years ago

    It is good to learn them basics ,but I wouldn't plan on getting rich ..unless you're a rn ...there's way to many out there , everyone wants to take the shortest route to finish skool and they end up making 13/14 an hr just like a hs drop out ..so what's the point ..that you're inside and weather don't affect you ...yeawhhh I am a HS drop out and I guarantee ill make more money than 2 ma put together ..I average 70,000 a year umm how much does a ma make 30000 if that ...think think use your lil peanut zise brain and study something that s worth your time and money ...if you're only gonna be able to pay bills that's not good...85% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck its sad considering all the nonsense bullshitt they told you in school;)

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