5 replies to this topic

[rn in training]

HI MY NAME IS MICHELE AND IM 22 YEARS OLD,I AM ABOUT TO START SCHOOL IN MAY, AND I WOULD LIKE ANY ADVICE FROM ANYBODY IN THE NURSING FIELD. LIKE, WHAT SHOULD I PREPARE FOR, WHATS GOOD AND WHATS BAD ABOUT NURSING?WHAT ARE SOME THINGS i SHOULD NO ABOUT THE COURSES I AM ABOUT TO TAKE IN COLLEGE? I WOLUD LOVE TO MEET NEW PEOPLE, AND CHAT. IT WILL HELP ME SUCCEED IN SCHOOL AND MY NEW PATH TO NURSING. HOPE TO HERE FOR EVERYONE SOON.

[NawlinsGirl]

HI MICHELLE,

WELCOME TO THE NURSECHAT SITE. THERE ARE ALOT OF GREAT NURSES HERE THAT IM SURE WILL GIVE YOU A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF NURSING IN GENERAL. AS FOR MYSELF, I LOVE THE NURSING PROFESSION. I FOUND MYSELF STUDYING MORE THAN I HAD TO IN SCHOOL SIMPLY BECAUSE I ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW MORE..I FIND SCIENCE/MEDICINE VERY INTERESTING. I THINK THAT NURSING SCHOOL ONLY GETS YOUR FEET WET TO THE WORLD OF NURSING, ITS NOT UNTIL YOU START WORKING AS A NURSE DO YOU BEGIN TO LEARN AND BUILD YOUR EXPERIENCE.

IN THE NURSING PROFESSION, THERE ARE GOOD THINGS AND BAD THINGS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PROFESSION. NURSING IS HARD WORK BUT I THROUGHLY ENJOY IT TO THE FULLEST. I CANT SEE MYSELF DOING ANYTHING ELSE. I DONT WANT TO TELL YOU MY THOUGHTS ON THE DOWN SIDE OF NURSING BECAUSE I THINK WE ALL NEED TO ASSESS THAT AND FORM OUR OWN OPINION. BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS I THINK THERE IS MORE GOOD THAN BAD. ANOTHER VALUABLE THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT WE SHOULD BE OUR PATIENTS ADVOCATES TO ASSURE THEM THE BEST CARE POSSIBLY AND TREAT THEM LIKE WE OR OUR FAMILY MEMBERS WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED.

IF YOU HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS PLEASE POST THEM OR CHAT WITH US IN THE ROOM SO WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THEM. GOOD LUCK AND WELCOME TO THE NURSING PROFESSION..

NAWLINSGIRL

[mattsmom]

My future DIL just quit nursing school. Her Mom is a nurse and she wanted to be too..then she got into it a little more and decided it was just not for her. I was sad at first, then glad for her. Not everybody is cut out for the hours,the shiftwork, the stress, the personal care we must provide, seeing humans at possibly their worst moment and maybe their worst behavior. Best she find out now, rather than after she's put 4 yrs into it.

As a nurse, one has to be able to focus on trying to be a helping presence over all else, and be able to do so in an environment that is sometimes less than supportive. Developing a strong sense of professional purpose, a sense of humor, and learning to be assertive are just a few of the skills a successful nurse develops.

There have been times in my career where I was totally overwhelmed with the responsibilities of my career. I just took a year off to recuperate from burnout. It is important for a nurse to take care of him/herself and avoid being 'sucked in'. By that, I mean we can never do enough...and there is so much to be done, and so little time. We can (and do) overextend...unless we are very careful to know our limits and make time to destress. I now only work 2 12 hr shifts a week and say NO to overtime, for myown wellbeing. So far so good.

That said, I have been a successful RN for 24 yrs now and during my year off I really missed my work. It can be very rewarding for those who have a helping personality; and enjoy assisting others.

I know many new nurses who have run screaming away from nursing...saying if they knew what it was like, they never would have chosen it. This is why I recommend future student nurses work in a hospital or LTC facility in some form to see what nurses really do.

Too many watch Scrubs and Strong Women and think they would like to be in that environment, but the trouble is, the media is not always correct in its portrayals. We can all think of examples of this...LOL! You will likely watch as classmates drop out, as they discover the realitites of the job.

Best wishes and good luck in your studies...nursing school is tough but worth it for the right person!

Sorry so long...my mouth went on overtime there...LOL!

[rn in training]

[[font=Arial Black]I THANK YOU'S SO MUCH FOR HELPING ME OUT WITH YOUR OPNION, I
ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A NURSE, I HAD STARTED OFF GOING TO AN INSITUITE WHICH REALLY DIDN'T
GET ME ANYWHERE, THE ONLY REASON I WENT THERE WAS BECAUSE I WAS A YOUNG MOM AND I DID'T
THINK I COULD GO TO A REGULAR MEDICAL SCHOOL. MY PARENTS AREN'T REALLY SUPPORTIVE AND
FRIENDS WERE JUST TROUBLE. SO IT MADE ME FEEL LIKE WHY SHOULD I EVEN TRY ANYMORE. AND THEN
I REALIZED THATS ITS NOT WORTH STRESSING OVER, THAT IM NOT GOING TO LET PEOPLE WORDS GET
TO ME AND I DECIECD TO MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE. JUST BECAUSE I HAD MY 5 YEAR OLD TWINS AT AGE
17, IT WASN'T THE END OF THE WORLD AND JUST BECAUSE MY PARENTS DIDNT SUCCEED IN LIFE DON'T
MEAN I CANT. S O I THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE AND I HOPE TO TALK TO YALL SOON. THANKS SO
MUCH, SOMETIMES PEOPLE NEED SOMEONE TO[/font] TALK TO. XOXO[b][/size][/size]

[aussie-margaret]

my advice

keep ahead of the workload
don't accept any bullying behaviour - confront it
keep a record of all shifts worked - the payoffice makes plenty of mistakes and never in your favour
don't be walked over = otherwise it will happen again and again
expect good days and bad days
don't take something to heart
people you don't like to work with, won't work there forever
busy times alternate with quiet times
don't trust a patient to be truthful in what they say
expect the ward workload to get harder and heavier as the population ages.

[AndreaP]

the best advide i can offer is if you have a question dont be afraid to ask. ask fellow students, nurses, look it up. Taber's is the bible, i use one almost every day that i work. work on the answer until you get it, never just assume that you know it. Prof will be tough and so will nurses you follow for clinical and so will patients, doctors etc etc etc, but know that they are people too, sick, stressed out, tired or whatever, and in the case of the proffessors, sometimes looking to weed out the weak. be strong hold your ground. if you can get your LPN before you get you RN, work as one, it will be the best learning experience ever.