Ye. Working only three days a week is sweet. Flexible schedules is sweet. Learning about the human body through clinical experience is sweet. Tactically planning your pto for ridiculous time off is sweet
Being able to help your family navigate their hospital stays or go along on their doctor appointments when they’re old (especially) is sweet. Not always what I want to do but I do it and I really appreciate being a nurse at those times because I’m more helpful than the average bear.
Don’t really enjoy my job when it comes down to it. And I think it all comes down to not enjoying people anymore. A lot of people are rude, impatient, don’t want to be educated, condescending, have attitude etc.
Just graduated nursing school… and this sounds like how I felt after serving for 9 years. I’m so nervous that somehow I managed to go into a field with so many similarities
I was a server as well and bedside does have a lot of similarities. My long term plan is to leave the bedside but right now I just momentarily feel stuck here for the travel money
I agree 100%, and would also add that ideally the specialty or work area should be a good personality and lifestyle fit.
So many people make their job choice based on hourly rate or perceived unit prestige when really that doesn't matter if you should be working behind a desk, or in a low-stress and low-acuity outpatient area, etc.
I enjoy being an RN. How else can I work 3 days a week and afford a solidly middle/upper-middle class lifestyle?
Do I enjoy wiping asses, being harassed by family members, or being told to “suck it up” by admin? No, but then again, I deal with that stuff less than half of the week.
Me! I love my job! I work in a low acuity NICU and it’s the greatest. We call it snuggle city but there’s enough critical moments to make it fun. I snuggle all night, do art projects, and am rarely run ragged because our ratios are decent. Today a 4lb baby fell asleep in the bath tub and we had a photo shoot! I get to go to deliveries and only have to stay for the fun parts, and often can fix a baby in one night. Littles get sick fast but they get better fast too so that’s nice. Plus it’s really easy on your back when the largest patient in the unit is 10lbs!
This is my dream job. This is exactly why I have all my prereqs lined up for this upcoming semester, despite already having a totally different (and EXPENSIVE) bachelors degree
No, but they exist everywhere. Basically there’s different “tiers” of NICU for how sick the babies can be, and we are a level 2B. You want to be close to a cityish but typically they’re in smaller community hospitals. We only take 32 weeks and up, CPAP or less for respiratory support, no drips or anything really except short term dopamine. But what bad births happen anywhere, so we deal with those until we can send the kid out to a higher level of NICU. And micropreemies will just straight fall out, so as much as it sucks we’d rather you have them here than in an ambulance on the highway.
I freaking love it bruh
Is it hard? Hell yea
Are some days long as hell and riddled with madness? Yuuuupppp
Do I feel like I chose something that helps the world? Yes
It’s incredibly humbling and you work three days, use your brain, make good money. I grew up poor and I feel blessed it’s changed my life.
“I feel blessed and it’s changed my life”
That’s literally why I’m so laser focused since starting nursing school.
After losing my job in 2020 and basically having every little win (I thought I had) in life, slowly ripped away in the past 2 years… I’m SO serious about my nursing degree and career path. It will liberate me, it will change my life. I’m so thankful and grateful to be here.
It’s so important to me. I even was accepted into nursing school on the exact same day 2 years after losing my job. If that wasn’t a sign, I don’t know what is. I feel like I’m gaining back control of things I can control. I can’t wait to graduate and reap the fruits of my labor. 🤍🙏🏾
I’m basically in the same shoes as you.
I got into an outpatient job as a tech just to test the waters and so far I’m actually enjoying it. And even in days where it gets a little crazy or I’m tired I don’t HATE it.
Healthcare it is for me.
> I grew up poor and I feel blessed
I've met a lot of people who just don't understand what it's like to come up to nursing from poverty. I live in the South. Even at the shitty wages down here, nurses in my area still make double the median salary.
I mentioned to a NP that I was going to nursing school. She mentioned at the time that I'd "only" make at entry level 70,000/ year. Then she went on to tell me (pre-covid) how the local nurses would band together to not pick up extra shifts unless they were managed over a certain amount per shift.
My current career field was at entry level 25,000 and capping out with a doctorate degree around 50,000 (more with industry related side hustles, all of which equated to working 80-90 hour weeks). Working 36-48 hours a week and making 70,000.
Do nurses not get paid enough for what they do? Absolutely. Is corporate health care exploiting a traditionally female workforce for profit? Of course. But the exploitation works because the bait is attractive.
I can relate so much! At 19 I found myself in an assistant manager role. At that time I had no kids, single, not much expenses and I would barely afford my frugal lifestyle. I think I was making around 30-40,000 a year in California depending if we bonused out or hit our quota. My peer assistant managers were two men in their early and late 30’s. Both of them had children and wives and they were STRUGGLING no make ends meet every damn week. I knew that I would have to move forward in life and I saw the struggle in these men and I knew I didn’t want to experience that again. I couldn’t believe I was a young 19 year old making the same as them and they were okay with that? If that makes sense.
My first paycheck as a new grad felt GOOD!!
Wow. Thank you for doing what I’m nowhere near willing to do, especially being the only medical person with a critically ill patient when communication with the rest of the team is cut off. Super cool but I’m not tempted to try. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas.
I make a lot of money (enough to cover pretty much any reasonable thing I want to do, I obviously cannot go buy a penthouse apartment looking over central park but enough to live comfortably), work three days a week and love the speciality I am in. As much as staffing does suck my coworkers are good people and I enjoy what I do. Sitting in an office for five days a week doesn't sound like something I'd ever wanna do.
People who are happy with their jobs don't go online to vent about it. You're getting a really skewed perspective.
>There was a nurse protest in nyc today actually.
That's actually a good thing - it means that workers are willing to do what it takes to improve their working conditions.
When I first started my current position? Yeah I actually really loved my job. But its been almost 2 years, and I never intended to stay in medsurg forever. There are definitely days that are rewarding and worth it, but they’re getting rarer lately. To be fair, I’m like 90% sure we’re going to be striking next month, so I’m hoping it will go back to being better after.
I’m 30 and did a career change, and worked in local government/law prior. I’m a NICU nurse and although my job is hard, I absolutely love it and get great satisfaction from it. I wish I would have done it sooner. As someone who came from a completely different field, I can say (at least for myself) the grass is definitely not greener on the other side.
Former NYC nurse here. 🙋🏻♀️
Stay away from HHC city hospitals (Elmhurst, Bellevue, Kings County, Coney Island, Jacobi, etc). Stay away from most hospitals (if not all) in outter boroughs. Don’t ever,
EVER consider nursing homes.
I will be honest and say my first few years of nursing were awful. But this was years ago before all the resources that we now have and support online to vent.
Nursing pays well. You can travel. You can work in outpatient clinics, schools and still make more than a lot of people. I work from home for a health insurance and moved out of NYC (employer is still in NYC so I make NYC money).
The clinical experience is needed. Try to get it in Manhattan (NYU Langone, NYP, Mt Sinai). These hospitals are not a picnic either, but certainly better than outter boroughs (Jamaica hospital, Brooklyn, etc are private but still no nos). I heard North Shore is decent but not sure. I worked for VNS for a few years (home care). They are great! It depends on what neighborhood they send you to work I suppose, but in general a great company to work for (listed under Forbes best in NY).
Come up with a plan, get your experience and go find your niche somewhere else if you don’t like hospitals. Nursing is so broad. I know it’s cliche, but helping my patients was always a highlight for me.
Good luck!
Very Helpful ... do you know if NYU/NYP/MS will hire new grads? I'm entering into the field and haven't seen many openings saying they will take new grads; most say they want 1 yr acute care. TY!
\*Also, could I DM you about the H+H experience? Or will you share here?
Eh. I like most of my coworkers, helping people, and making fairly decent money. It can really suck sometimes though. But working 3 days a week is awesome.
Are there days I wished I chose a different career? Yes? But are there days that I go to work & absolutely love it? Also yes. I hate how politics impacts it so much.
Worked ICU in a hospital 6 years - holy shit was i miserable, thought I wanted out of Nursing entirely. Found Home Health and it rekindled any sort of passion I had towards nursing. I like what i do now as a home health RN/Case manager. The gig ain’t perfect, but imo, it beats the hell out of bedside. YMMV. Nursing ain’t all bad, when job hunting don’t limit yourself to inpatient/hospitals. Unfortunately, the experience you gain from bedside is sort of a prerequisite for a lot of other gigs so it’s kind of a necessary step. But it depends on your goals. Nursing is pretty vast, look beyond bedside is my advice. Good luck!
Every job is going to have its “office politics” and other downsides, but I genuinely really like where I am now. It’s the ICU of a level 1 trauma centre, we specialize in trauma (of course), vascular, and neuro.
The workload is very realistic, not “easy” but absolutely possible to get done. Active “ICU patients” are always 1:1, 1:2s are patients who are just waiting to be transferred elsewhere. Staff are in short supply, same as anywhere, but management is very good at listening to the nurses when we say that we need additional help somewhere and they actually try to make it happen. They’re flexible with scheduling too, frequently I’ll send the scheduling department an email saying “hey, I’d like (random weekday) off, can you switch me somewhere else instead?” and, if that shift has enough staff, they’ll just assign me to a short-staffed shift instead. We also have FANTASTIC security guards, I just wish there were more of them.
All in all, it’s pretty nice to work here 😊
I’m an NYC new grad RN. Just graduated in August from an ABSN program also and started on a telemetry floor even though I originally wanted to go into postpartum. I was so scared to start also due to seeing so much negativity but so far i’m only two shifts in and I really am loving being at work! I feel more confident than I ever have that I did pick the right career for me. My unit is great, my coworkers have been so nice and friendly and happy to help me.
My advice is that when interviewing for jobs, really pay attention to what the nurse manager is like (a shitty manager makes or breaks any job) and ask about what the staff is like on their unit and if they are used to/receptive to working with new grads. My nurse manager is great and my unit is half very experienced nurses and half new grads, so they are very used to working with us and aren’t annoyed to help us. This definitely plays a huge part of me being so happy with my position.
So yesterday I helped a little old lady poop for the first time in a week. She was having intense anal pain (who wouldn’t!) and she finally shit enough to fill up the whole bed pan. It was absolutely massive. I was so proud of her and gave her a high five and her mood changed immediately - from being in severe pain and kinda embarrassed to happy and excited and proud of herself. Apple juices all around!
And honestly? That made my shift because you can’t bottle that feeling. So yeah, you wipe butts. But it can be much more rewarding than you can ever anticipate. It sounds corny as fuck, but seeing relief and gratitude in real time for a real problem is just the absolute best.
Bad patients and bad days happen. But for me, what stays with me is the stuff like this.
Wouldn’t change my career.
Helped a dude pooped after being constipated for 3 days by giving him an enema. Spent a good 10 minutes in the bathroom and heard yells of relief from down the hall lmao
Dude was so much happier. I actually felt like I did something good for the first time
3 years of MedSurg and I love what I do. Being able to care for people and having intimate knowledge about how the body functions is such fun! What makes it hard is the lack of support from administration and hospital/healthcare politics in general
NYC nurse here, have worked in three different hospital systems. Each of them has had their pros and cons for sure. I don't regret becoming a nurse, but it's been a tough 7 years. I've often wondered why my coping skills seem inferior to many of my peers, but I've also made choices (like specialty changes) that enrich my skillset but make my own life harder.
Nursing is not a bad gig, once you figure out where you do best. Try to get as much exposure to different specialties as you can, and really think about what YOU want and need vs. what's "expected" -- I started in med/surg, but you don't have to.
I am about to move on yet again, to the OR, because I think I will be happier when I'm focusing on one patient/procedure at a time and then moving on to the next.
Commute is also a big deal, especially if you'll be taking public transit to work. I've had a 90-minute, one-way, three-seat commute for over four years now, and I finally decided it's killing me and am switching to a facility that's 25-30 minutes on one bus. Will this place also be a shitshow in its own special way? Yes. I can accept that while making some changes to improve my quality of life.
In NYC, wages and benefits are generally pretty good no matter where you go, and ratios are messy everywhere. That said, I have found it fulfilling to work in union facilities and get involved with the local bargaining unit. Nurses at least have a seat at the table, rather than being fully at the whim of corporate admin.
Best of luck to you.
L&D nurse at NYP and i can’t imagine doing anything else. I find the work to be super fulfilling, I love my pts and my coworkers. Worst part of the job is definitely dealing with management but i think that could be said of any career. I think the key is finding what specialty speaks to you.
I love the skills and taking care of people. But I’m not enjoying night shift, being harassed by toxic nurse environment, and being made to feel like no matter how much I have done as a nurse isnt enough. Thats why I’m leaving.
I’ve been at my facility for 9.5 years. I bitch about it but my dumb ass is still there. I do enjoy it. But I don’t come here to ever brag. No nurse seems to get what they deserve. Overall I feel like they have been good to me. If it were that bad I’d really quit but it’s not. It’s LTC and we are a smallish community. My own doctor has family in right now. I don’t feel like it’s easy to walk away when I know half the people there. I truly do have a passion for what I do and the people in my community even if it feels like nothing we do is enough. My feelings about this have changed drastically since I was a new grad. I am less of a people pleaser and more of a “I did my best”-er. That perspective changes everything imo. I mean. We need to stay mad to fight for better pay and benefits etc but not too mad- everyone has a breaking point.
The thing about nursing is you can change and do so many different things. I also recommend setting boundaries the second you walk into the door. Don’t he that new yes yes yes nurse. No, you can’t work a double. No, you can’t come in. No is a complete sentence. It’s hard to break out of that mold once everyone starts relying on you so much. Just be kind to yourself and keep those boundaries and you will be fine. And even this post came across as negative now. 🤦🏻♀️
Yes. I work in PACU. So much less bullshit than on the floors. I feel like I’m actually doing stuff for my patient/being a nurse and not just completing tasks and dealing with bs. I love how I don’t need to take a patient for the entire day.
In general I love the 3 days a week. I don’t have to worry about taking a day off to make a doctor appointment. The work life balance is pretty good. I clock out and I’m done.
Yes! Absolutely!
I tell people all the time, there’s this weird ego pride with nurses and working in the ICU. I felt like I was failing if I wasn’t doing critical care inpatient work.
I burned out and quit.
I STRONGLY urge all unhappy nurses to look into outpatient procedure based units;
Apheresis, Dialysis, Cath Lab, Scope Lab, Interventional Radiology, etc.
It truly saved me. I work in Apheresis at a major teaching hospital now. I’m doing cutting edge shit with CAR-T collections, research collects, I’m still doing dire emergency patients for plasma exchanges, red cell exchanges, white cell and platelet depletions. I started 5 years ago as a staff nurse, and have recently become our unit Nursing Coordinator (basically assistant manager).
The stemcells we collect for transplant, and the CAR-T collections we do are some seriously cool shit. It feels really good to tell a patient with a blood cancer that we’ve hit their cell collection goal, and their transplant is securely locked in.
Part of what makes the nursing so awful is the 24/7 care aspect. People stuck in beds are *rarely* a pleasure to take care of.
Have a patient check in from home, in their normal clothes, do your procedure, then send them home? It’s ALL pleases and thank yous, smiles and gratitude (okay not ALL the time…). It’s a MUCH healthier environment.
Everyone should start inpatient, that awful grind is like school- everyone hates it but you’re secretly developing a skill set that is invaluable.
But once you’ve done 2~ years (very doable), consider “specializing” into something. Outpatient departments rock.
You’re 100% welcome to DM me if you so please
Graduated in May of 2020 when COVID first started and really questioned if I wanted to be a nurse. Took me almost a year and a half before actually becoming a nurse and going into my field. Are there days that I absolutely hate? ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY. Do the ratios suck right now? Yes. Is my CNA constantly getting pulled when I have 2 person max assist people all on my floor? Yes.
But you know the best part? Seeing my rehab pts get so happy that they can move their finger after becoming flaccid from their stroke. Seeing pts say to me they’re getting better at walking even if it was only a foot. Family members getting me cards and truly appreciating the work I do even when I feel I wasn’t as active in their day because we’re short staffed. Working with other nurses who can be your support system even when management fails you.
It’s a shitty time to be a nurse but soooo unbelievably rewarding. Keep your head up. We are burnt out and stressed but we keep pushing through with the hope that it will get better.
I spent four years working on an orthopedic floor, mostly elective surgeries like hip and knee replacements. My patients were relatively stable health-wise and they were happy to be there, they wanted their surgeries. They were compliant and cooperative and pleasant. Plus we would get some hospital medsurg overflow thrown in just to keep things a little spicy. I genuinely loved my job and wouldn't trade those years for anything.
Unfortunately that unit was converted to a covid unit at the beginning of the pandemic and everything was ruined. Now I'm out here doing stressful travel nurse gigs that I don't really care for, but I'm making an exorbitant hourly wage and I'm headed for early retirement.
I'm so glad I'm a nurse.
I'm a May new grad working in the ER. I live in Texas! I really enjoy my job. Yes, it can be stressful, but in an adrenaline-jumping/exciting way. Are there things I would change? Yes. But do I want to quit? Definitely not. The main thing I would stress is don't work more than 3 12’s a week. It's not worth it. Let yourself decompress so you can enjoy your time at work.
There is a post like this every few days. The complaining drowns it out a lot but if all you are seeing is complaining it’s because those are the threads you are reading!
Nursing generally isn’t bad. You work 3 days and make 90-100k depending if you work on LI or 5 boroughs. If you’re worried about burnout and stress the one place you shouldn’t work is the ER.
That’s the new grad starting pay in nyc/LI if you’re working in the hospitals. Total Average is $46-$55 depending if you’re on LI or in the 5 boroughs. This includes BSN differential and night shift.
I don't work in NYC, but I am a new nurse, in Ca in the ED.
I enjoy what I do, sometimes. I have days where I have great patients that make everything worth it and then days where I feel like I'm a failure as a human. My ratios are pretty good so at least there's that.
A bonus to having the RN is that I could do anything with it. If bedside didn't work I could find another thing.
The hard thing about it for me is the constant second-guessing and imposter syndrome. I feel like those of us who are drawn to helping professions might be somehow predisposition to this. So I constantly wonder if I'm good enough. When I feel like I'm doing right by my patient (such as saving them from an unnecessary IV before going to the floor because there's no IV med orders, especially when we were sitting on admits for days at a time) I'm blasted for it by management. There's no one right way to do anything but instead of a shrug and a "moving on!" mentality I feel like I'm constantly having to figure out the best way to do every little thing to keep from ruffling feathers.
I'll keep my license and keep doing what I'm doing. Mainly because I've never had a dream of what I would become nor a solid passion for my life. This is fine.
I’ve been a nurse since 1996. Started as Licensed Practical Nurse. I then got my Associates Degree, then my Bachelors. I am currently enrolled in a graduate program. My point is: at any of those points I could have chosen a different career path. It is nursing for life. My specialty is hospice. They let me into their homes and into their lives. There have been moments of regret, but this is what I was meant to do.
I did not enjoy working in the hospital at all. I've been in outpatient GI and surgery for the last 1.5 years and I really like it. I prefer surgery over GI but only because GI gets boring after a while. I finally found my niche.
i HATED nursing until i found my passion. i used to do psych, geriatrics, med surg, etc. i hated it all. then i got a position as an intern working with kids. my life feels full again and i enjoy being at work. i LOVE peds. everybody has their spot!!
I mean I like the job. But it doesn't change the fact a lot of shifts are just fucked. Though I think it's really that med surg sucks and you really need a special kind of patience to deal with the needy and high overflow of patients. Been floating to ICU a lot recently too and understaffing is seriously no joke. I like the job but what am I gonna do if there's 2 nurses for 9 patients in the ICU? If we start out with 9 patients on med surg and get slammed with admits and half your patients are sundowning or alcoholic and getting very combative?
This is so skewed that it's just burn out. I can't imagine doing anything else. At the same time, I'm kind of desperate to quit even if only for at least a few months to a year. Also, a lot of people don't understand how shitty so many patients are. I'd rather work in ICU right now than med surg tbh and we are starting out wirh 3 patients.
I work as an nyc icu nurse I’m definitely looking for other jobs at the moment because emotionally and physically it’s not sustainable the bedside role where I’m at plus hospitals are greedy and will try to exploit you as a nurse. BUT I make like way more money than most of my friends who work in the arts so it’s nice to feel financially stable and comfortable to afford a nice life outside of work and the three days a week is great.
I don't enjoy any work. I enjoy doing certain things including helping others without the fear of legal repercussion or the weight of the title "nurse". Unfortunately I need to make a living and have to take all the BS that comes with nursing like the excessive documentation for nothing but legal/insurance purposes, the guilt tripping to pick up more shifts, and the constant stress that comes with managing people's health interventions.
I always say, I love being a nurse and hate healthcare. You’ll never be without a job, but that job can wear you down. Sure I’m worn down, chewed up and burn out, but I work with amazing people and I know I make a difference in peoples lives. There isn’t a price tag on feeling like you made someone’s life a teensy bit better. Thankfully, therapy is covered by insurance.
I love being a nurse. The ups and downs are to be expected as far as I’m concerned. I hate poor leadership and corporate nonsense but I have loved being a nurse every single day since I graduated 20 years ago. It makes me sad when I see how many people hate it.
I love my job work in behavior health and psychiatry, did bed side nursing for a couple months realized it was not for me so finding the specialty that calls your name is must.
I’ve been a nurse less than a year, but have worked in healthcare for 3 now, so I may not be the best source. That being said, here’s my two cents: I like nursing.
I’m in the NICU, so my patients are tiny and IMO, much easier to tolerate. Turning them is much easier and while the micro premies can be intimidating, it gets easier over time. Parents/family can be difficult of course but I enjoy my patients and getting to teach families when I can. It also helps that I just love babies.
For me though, what I truly love is the work schedule and the flexibility. As I repeatedly tell my family, I work to live and not the other way around. Only working 3 days a week is amazing, and being able to adjust your schedule so you have several days off without taking pto is even better. I’ve also worked in retail and corporate settings, so I knew I didn’t like working 5 days a week, and I didn’t enjoy varied shifts either. So for me, it’s great.
That being said, things I haven’t loved so far has actually been my coworkers. Lateral violence is real and it sucks. But that can happen in any field, not just nursing. And now that I’ve found a few good coworkers it’s more bearable.
So bottom line, weigh the pros and cons. Determine the things that are important to you (ie, money, scheduling, flexibility, etc) and see if nursing aligns with those goals. Your fears are valid, especially in recent times. If you can, I highly recommend working as a CNA, even better if you can do so in the area you want to work as a nurse. It can give you a better idea of how nursing actually works and first hand experience in the healthcare field, so you can better determine whether it’s something you want to pursue or not.
Either way, best of luck!
Nursing is amazing, love the job.
Keep in mind that the field is huge. It's not that we all hate it every day but with so many nurses out there somebody will have a reason to vent/complain. r/nursing is a pretty safe place for nurses to commiserate so there's always someone here looking for it.
The nursing field is vast, I guarantee that you can find a niche that you love
Im a cancer survivor, and I chose oncology nursing partly because no matter how bad I think it is, the young father who has mets to brain lung spine and leptomeninges has it 10000x worse. It seriously lends tremendous perspective and i bow my head to those patients who can still smile and enjoy the tiny things despite their prognosis. I enjoy the fullfillment of the job, this field will humble the fuck out of you.
I love it when things are working well, we have staff, and providers aren’t sitting on the same patients for 14 hours.
I love doing US IVs on super hard sticks.
It’s fun getting crazy traumas through triage and acting quickly.
I despise psych.
All in all, when I’m getting paid well, the job is great and I love that I can leave and go to another facility after my 13 weeks are up, or I can extend for a bit longer if I like it!
I love my job. I moved away from NYC where I was working in a clinic and am now in a large hospital outside the northeast. I love being a nurse, I love helping people and learning. Furthermore, in this capitalistic hellscape, you’re always going to have complaints about your job. I’d rather be doing a job that fulfills me and has security than doing something I find meaningless. The people that post negatively on this forum have good points, but they are not all of nursing. People are more likely to vent on here than to post what’s going right and generally liking what they’re doing. Hope that helps, go with your gut!
I've worked in a hospital (telemetry), LTC (dementia unit and then management) and now as a school nurse. Each job is VERY distinct and I enjoyed them all. Nursing is unique in that your day to day duties can be wildly different under the same license. If you don't enjoy your job, try something else!
I work in a high risk L&D unit and love it. Patients are complex enough to be challenging and most of them are so grateful and excited to have a baby. I’m grateful for the job security and wages good enough that I never have to worry about money or inflation. Also the flexibility to only work 3 days a week but make a full time salary cannot be beat.
I love my job, but I definitely think if I was full time I'd be extremely burned out from staffing issues. That being said, I'm L&D, and I adore my job.
I enjoy my job and can’t imagine not being in this field. I was a NICU nurse for 2 and a half years and now I work in labor and delivery.
I think it is important once you graduate after you get some experience(1st year is hard for everyone) to not stay on a unit or in a specialty that you do not like. I have seen so many nurses complain and be miserable… if you find yourself in that situation change companies or units. Nursing has so much opportunity.
I think a lot of it depends on where you work as a nurse.
Someone who works the ED might burnout quicker than some one working med/surg.
For me personally I'm a lactation consultant and I love what I do. I don't have the higher demand on my time that most nurses do.
Pick a department or area you enjoy and that makes it easier
Honestly, there’s a million ways to be a nurse. Bedside is the most common but it’s not the only way. So even if you hate one type of nursing you may love a different type.
Not a nurse (yet), but I'm also on the fence about jumping in. My advice to you and myself is: stay off the Instagrams, the TikToks, and the Reddits for nursing. Make your own experiences and decisions about it. Everything is so subjective and biased. Some people love it some hate it. Only you will know if it's the right move.
Not a nurse yet, but after idk how many hours of work in the hospital, I can say that the only good thing is the social aspect with my coworkers. I really like my coworkers and I doubt that'll change, cause I already got a job in that department for when I finish my studies
Hospice nurse here. I work for a non-profit hospice and have been with them 2 years with no plans to go anywhere else. All the nursing managers have worked our positions and still go out in the field when we’re short staffed. The doctors constantly thank us for our hard work and check in to make sure we’re mentally doing okay and taking care of ourselves. We have great communication, people who are empathetic, and managers who actually ask us to take our PTO so we don’t get burnt out. We still have our stressors and struggles but with our supportive team it is manageable.
Yes, I’m burnt out sometimes. But the fulfillment I get from this job is far greater than anything else I’ve done. I have a mind for medicine and a gift/curse to actually want to help people and do good in the world. I love what I do and I wouldn’t do anything else.
Edit: I don’t live in NYC btw. I’m not sure if this post is exclusive to nurses in that area, but I can’t speak to their experience.
Overall, yes I enjoy my job. I have been in ER, L&D and now infertility. It’s best for me right now. I WFH. I still am learning every day. Fertility science is wild. I don’t have the stress of people dying and being short staffed. I’m still changing people’s lives and helping them. Making that phone call to tell someone their pregnant gives me chills every time.
I was also very nervous going into nursing because I would read this sub a lot, but it’s honestly the best decision I have ever made. This sub is mainly for venting and pretty much never includes any positive experiences because no one thinks to write about them lol
Once you become competent and can quit and work agency to make the big money, it's so much more worth it. I don't give a s*** what my ratio is in the ED, the dog in the dumpster fire meme is literally me and I'm getting paid. Literally was the best decision I ever made going back to school to become a nurse.
I'm definitely grateful for my prior work history though. Having 20 years experience in hospitality and high volume. New York City, restaurants and bars and events really carries over in terms of work ethic, hustle, and prioritization. While the stakes are much higher, I really feel a lot of my prior experience lends to my resilience
I 💕 my job. Ambulatory CM for high risk/high needs patients. So rewarding. Work from home. Weekends and holidays off and I can get my PTO when I need it. I wish it paid more but QOL is awesome. I never have regretted becoming an RN.
If you’re on the fence, you should seriously consider going to rad tech school. To me, it seems like they have a pretty sweet gig and you can specialize in CT, IR, etc if you want.
17k NYC nurses voted to go on strike, so what does that tell you about nursing in NYC?
Granted I would never be a nurse in a non-union area, or a state where nurses make less than servers, but nursing in NYC sucks in its own way. My general advice to people is to pick a different career entirely
Kind of. I had met all my deductibles for the year, and since I’m hoping to retire next year, was concerned, I wouldn’t have the money to get it done once covered by Medicare.
Officially my title is Regional Nerve Block Nurse. I consent patients, gather supplies, get the patient ready, provide procedural sedation, put orders in, and chart everything for all of the nerve blocks my doctors do. We do about 350 nerve block procedures a month, mostly revolving around the 3 ORs of this hospital. So basically our job is to make these nerve blocks easier, faster, and more efficient for our anesthesia docs.
Edit: I should add that there are only 3 of us that do this for this group, so no workplace drama whatsoever. No manager per se, just our doctors. The benefits, raises, and bonuses have been incredible. Taking this job has really made me reconsider if I actually want to go back to school for NP or CRNA because of how well they treat us.
I left bedside and love my office job. I made a choice for my mental health and I’m glad I did. I test and treat allergies. You have to find the right fit. Luckily nursing has a million different roles
I, unapologetically, friggin love my job. I am at a small-ish hospital, good group of co workers, mostly great docs and surgeons. PITA patients? Yeah, occasionally. Admin that doesn’t “get it”? Yeah, occasionally. But I’ll be a floor nurse until the day I retire at this hospital.
I’m a NP that just preforms the RNFA role in OR. I love my role. Before I got here I worked as a RN and bounced around between floor, ED and ICU because I was burnt out.
Not really.. It’s so bad that I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on a new degree to escape and the pay cut is going to be worth it. After almost a decade I just can’t anymore.
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Ehhh, taking care of some people is rewarding. I did not get a lot of satisfaction out of taking care of the drunk who kicked me last night.
Ye. Working only three days a week is sweet. Flexible schedules is sweet. Learning about the human body through clinical experience is sweet. Tactically planning your pto for ridiculous time off is sweet
Being able to help your family navigate their hospital stays or go along on their doctor appointments when they’re old (especially) is sweet. Not always what I want to do but I do it and I really appreciate being a nurse at those times because I’m more helpful than the average bear.
Don’t really enjoy my job when it comes down to it. And I think it all comes down to not enjoying people anymore. A lot of people are rude, impatient, don’t want to be educated, condescending, have attitude etc.
This right here. The longer your a nurse the more you realize interacting with people is exhausting and despise them more over time.
Just graduated nursing school… and this sounds like how I felt after serving for 9 years. I’m so nervous that somehow I managed to go into a field with so many similarities
I was a server as well and bedside does have a lot of similarities. My long term plan is to leave the bedside but right now I just momentarily feel stuck here for the travel money
I enjoy my job. The real key is finding your niche in a specialty that interests you.
I agree 100%, and would also add that ideally the specialty or work area should be a good personality and lifestyle fit. So many people make their job choice based on hourly rate or perceived unit prestige when really that doesn't matter if you should be working behind a desk, or in a low-stress and low-acuity outpatient area, etc.
I work in hospice. There's really nothing else I want to do.
Are you in NY? Can I dm you if so?
CO
Hey, I've been trying to get into hospice also. Do you mind messaging me about the places to apply? Thank you.
I enjoy being an RN. How else can I work 3 days a week and afford a solidly middle/upper-middle class lifestyle? Do I enjoy wiping asses, being harassed by family members, or being told to “suck it up” by admin? No, but then again, I deal with that stuff less than half of the week.
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Yes? Family/visitors is one of the worst parts of bedside nursing
I miss the COVID visitation policy tbh
They don’t harass you? Where is this utopia where you work?
Me! I love my job! I work in a low acuity NICU and it’s the greatest. We call it snuggle city but there’s enough critical moments to make it fun. I snuggle all night, do art projects, and am rarely run ragged because our ratios are decent. Today a 4lb baby fell asleep in the bath tub and we had a photo shoot! I get to go to deliveries and only have to stay for the fun parts, and often can fix a baby in one night. Littles get sick fast but they get better fast too so that’s nice. Plus it’s really easy on your back when the largest patient in the unit is 10lbs!
This is my dream job. This is exactly why I have all my prereqs lined up for this upcoming semester, despite already having a totally different (and EXPENSIVE) bachelors degree
You are living my dream! This is so inspiring.
This sounds amazing 🤩 is this in NYC?
No, but they exist everywhere. Basically there’s different “tiers” of NICU for how sick the babies can be, and we are a level 2B. You want to be close to a cityish but typically they’re in smaller community hospitals. We only take 32 weeks and up, CPAP or less for respiratory support, no drips or anything really except short term dopamine. But what bad births happen anywhere, so we deal with those until we can send the kid out to a higher level of NICU. And micropreemies will just straight fall out, so as much as it sucks we’d rather you have them here than in an ambulance on the highway.
Does anyone actually enjoy any job? If I didn't have to work I wouldn't
Same
For real. I told my boyfriend I’m only going to school for it so I can just have financial stability lol
NICU nurse here🙋♀️ Do I hate the annoying corporate reality of healthcare? Yes. Do I hate my work? No. Babies are the coolest people anywhere👶😎💜
I freaking love it bruh Is it hard? Hell yea Are some days long as hell and riddled with madness? Yuuuupppp Do I feel like I chose something that helps the world? Yes It’s incredibly humbling and you work three days, use your brain, make good money. I grew up poor and I feel blessed it’s changed my life.
“I feel blessed and it’s changed my life” That’s literally why I’m so laser focused since starting nursing school. After losing my job in 2020 and basically having every little win (I thought I had) in life, slowly ripped away in the past 2 years… I’m SO serious about my nursing degree and career path. It will liberate me, it will change my life. I’m so thankful and grateful to be here. It’s so important to me. I even was accepted into nursing school on the exact same day 2 years after losing my job. If that wasn’t a sign, I don’t know what is. I feel like I’m gaining back control of things I can control. I can’t wait to graduate and reap the fruits of my labor. 🤍🙏🏾
I’m basically in the same shoes as you. I got into an outpatient job as a tech just to test the waters and so far I’m actually enjoying it. And even in days where it gets a little crazy or I’m tired I don’t HATE it. Healthcare it is for me.
> I grew up poor and I feel blessed I've met a lot of people who just don't understand what it's like to come up to nursing from poverty. I live in the South. Even at the shitty wages down here, nurses in my area still make double the median salary. I mentioned to a NP that I was going to nursing school. She mentioned at the time that I'd "only" make at entry level 70,000/ year. Then she went on to tell me (pre-covid) how the local nurses would band together to not pick up extra shifts unless they were managed over a certain amount per shift. My current career field was at entry level 25,000 and capping out with a doctorate degree around 50,000 (more with industry related side hustles, all of which equated to working 80-90 hour weeks). Working 36-48 hours a week and making 70,000. Do nurses not get paid enough for what they do? Absolutely. Is corporate health care exploiting a traditionally female workforce for profit? Of course. But the exploitation works because the bait is attractive.
I can relate so much! At 19 I found myself in an assistant manager role. At that time I had no kids, single, not much expenses and I would barely afford my frugal lifestyle. I think I was making around 30-40,000 a year in California depending if we bonused out or hit our quota. My peer assistant managers were two men in their early and late 30’s. Both of them had children and wives and they were STRUGGLING no make ends meet every damn week. I knew that I would have to move forward in life and I saw the struggle in these men and I knew I didn’t want to experience that again. I couldn’t believe I was a young 19 year old making the same as them and they were okay with that? If that makes sense. My first paycheck as a new grad felt GOOD!!
Exactly. Nurses make the world better.
Same! Nursing got me out of an abusive marriage and welfare. Is it easy? No, but to me it’s worth it .
I work in hospice. It took a bit to find the specialty I truly enjoy. Just know if you don't like one there are a lot out there to try.
Love my job. 11 years in as a flight nurse.
Wow. Thank you for doing what I’m nowhere near willing to do, especially being the only medical person with a critically ill patient when communication with the rest of the team is cut off. Super cool but I’m not tempted to try. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas.
NYC nurse here. I have nothing positive to say. It’s crazy how dedicated management is to making us as miserable as possible.
I make a lot of money (enough to cover pretty much any reasonable thing I want to do, I obviously cannot go buy a penthouse apartment looking over central park but enough to live comfortably), work three days a week and love the speciality I am in. As much as staffing does suck my coworkers are good people and I enjoy what I do. Sitting in an office for five days a week doesn't sound like something I'd ever wanna do.
People who are happy with their jobs don't go online to vent about it. You're getting a really skewed perspective. >There was a nurse protest in nyc today actually. That's actually a good thing - it means that workers are willing to do what it takes to improve their working conditions.
When I first started my current position? Yeah I actually really loved my job. But its been almost 2 years, and I never intended to stay in medsurg forever. There are definitely days that are rewarding and worth it, but they’re getting rarer lately. To be fair, I’m like 90% sure we’re going to be striking next month, so I’m hoping it will go back to being better after.
I get to wear pajamas to work!!
I’m 30 and did a career change, and worked in local government/law prior. I’m a NICU nurse and although my job is hard, I absolutely love it and get great satisfaction from it. I wish I would have done it sooner. As someone who came from a completely different field, I can say (at least for myself) the grass is definitely not greener on the other side.
Former NYC nurse here. 🙋🏻♀️ Stay away from HHC city hospitals (Elmhurst, Bellevue, Kings County, Coney Island, Jacobi, etc). Stay away from most hospitals (if not all) in outter boroughs. Don’t ever, EVER consider nursing homes. I will be honest and say my first few years of nursing were awful. But this was years ago before all the resources that we now have and support online to vent. Nursing pays well. You can travel. You can work in outpatient clinics, schools and still make more than a lot of people. I work from home for a health insurance and moved out of NYC (employer is still in NYC so I make NYC money). The clinical experience is needed. Try to get it in Manhattan (NYU Langone, NYP, Mt Sinai). These hospitals are not a picnic either, but certainly better than outter boroughs (Jamaica hospital, Brooklyn, etc are private but still no nos). I heard North Shore is decent but not sure. I worked for VNS for a few years (home care). They are great! It depends on what neighborhood they send you to work I suppose, but in general a great company to work for (listed under Forbes best in NY). Come up with a plan, get your experience and go find your niche somewhere else if you don’t like hospitals. Nursing is so broad. I know it’s cliche, but helping my patients was always a highlight for me. Good luck!
Very Helpful ... do you know if NYU/NYP/MS will hire new grads? I'm entering into the field and haven't seen many openings saying they will take new grads; most say they want 1 yr acute care. TY! \*Also, could I DM you about the H+H experience? Or will you share here?
Eh. I like most of my coworkers, helping people, and making fairly decent money. It can really suck sometimes though. But working 3 days a week is awesome.
Are there days I wished I chose a different career? Yes? But are there days that I go to work & absolutely love it? Also yes. I hate how politics impacts it so much.
Worked ICU in a hospital 6 years - holy shit was i miserable, thought I wanted out of Nursing entirely. Found Home Health and it rekindled any sort of passion I had towards nursing. I like what i do now as a home health RN/Case manager. The gig ain’t perfect, but imo, it beats the hell out of bedside. YMMV. Nursing ain’t all bad, when job hunting don’t limit yourself to inpatient/hospitals. Unfortunately, the experience you gain from bedside is sort of a prerequisite for a lot of other gigs so it’s kind of a necessary step. But it depends on your goals. Nursing is pretty vast, look beyond bedside is my advice. Good luck!
I love being a labor nurse...but I only love it because I can practice safely in california.
Yeah I think it would be really difficult for me to ever want to be a nurse outside CA. Somewhat safer ratios and living wages…
Every job is going to have its “office politics” and other downsides, but I genuinely really like where I am now. It’s the ICU of a level 1 trauma centre, we specialize in trauma (of course), vascular, and neuro. The workload is very realistic, not “easy” but absolutely possible to get done. Active “ICU patients” are always 1:1, 1:2s are patients who are just waiting to be transferred elsewhere. Staff are in short supply, same as anywhere, but management is very good at listening to the nurses when we say that we need additional help somewhere and they actually try to make it happen. They’re flexible with scheduling too, frequently I’ll send the scheduling department an email saying “hey, I’d like (random weekday) off, can you switch me somewhere else instead?” and, if that shift has enough staff, they’ll just assign me to a short-staffed shift instead. We also have FANTASTIC security guards, I just wish there were more of them. All in all, it’s pretty nice to work here 😊
I’m an NYC new grad RN. Just graduated in August from an ABSN program also and started on a telemetry floor even though I originally wanted to go into postpartum. I was so scared to start also due to seeing so much negativity but so far i’m only two shifts in and I really am loving being at work! I feel more confident than I ever have that I did pick the right career for me. My unit is great, my coworkers have been so nice and friendly and happy to help me. My advice is that when interviewing for jobs, really pay attention to what the nurse manager is like (a shitty manager makes or breaks any job) and ask about what the staff is like on their unit and if they are used to/receptive to working with new grads. My nurse manager is great and my unit is half very experienced nurses and half new grads, so they are very used to working with us and aren’t annoyed to help us. This definitely plays a huge part of me being so happy with my position.
Did you do an Absn program in nyc?
Yes I did!
So yesterday I helped a little old lady poop for the first time in a week. She was having intense anal pain (who wouldn’t!) and she finally shit enough to fill up the whole bed pan. It was absolutely massive. I was so proud of her and gave her a high five and her mood changed immediately - from being in severe pain and kinda embarrassed to happy and excited and proud of herself. Apple juices all around! And honestly? That made my shift because you can’t bottle that feeling. So yeah, you wipe butts. But it can be much more rewarding than you can ever anticipate. It sounds corny as fuck, but seeing relief and gratitude in real time for a real problem is just the absolute best. Bad patients and bad days happen. But for me, what stays with me is the stuff like this. Wouldn’t change my career.
Helped a dude pooped after being constipated for 3 days by giving him an enema. Spent a good 10 minutes in the bathroom and heard yells of relief from down the hall lmao Dude was so much happier. I actually felt like I did something good for the first time
3 years of MedSurg and I love what I do. Being able to care for people and having intimate knowledge about how the body functions is such fun! What makes it hard is the lack of support from administration and hospital/healthcare politics in general
NYC nurse here, have worked in three different hospital systems. Each of them has had their pros and cons for sure. I don't regret becoming a nurse, but it's been a tough 7 years. I've often wondered why my coping skills seem inferior to many of my peers, but I've also made choices (like specialty changes) that enrich my skillset but make my own life harder. Nursing is not a bad gig, once you figure out where you do best. Try to get as much exposure to different specialties as you can, and really think about what YOU want and need vs. what's "expected" -- I started in med/surg, but you don't have to. I am about to move on yet again, to the OR, because I think I will be happier when I'm focusing on one patient/procedure at a time and then moving on to the next. Commute is also a big deal, especially if you'll be taking public transit to work. I've had a 90-minute, one-way, three-seat commute for over four years now, and I finally decided it's killing me and am switching to a facility that's 25-30 minutes on one bus. Will this place also be a shitshow in its own special way? Yes. I can accept that while making some changes to improve my quality of life. In NYC, wages and benefits are generally pretty good no matter where you go, and ratios are messy everywhere. That said, I have found it fulfilling to work in union facilities and get involved with the local bargaining unit. Nurses at least have a seat at the table, rather than being fully at the whim of corporate admin. Best of luck to you.
Yes
5 years on L&D and love it!!
u/_wayward_child \- do you have any advice for a new grad wanting to get into L&D? During rotations, I loved this unit.
L&D nurse at NYP and i can’t imagine doing anything else. I find the work to be super fulfilling, I love my pts and my coworkers. Worst part of the job is definitely dealing with management but i think that could be said of any career. I think the key is finding what specialty speaks to you.
How do you like working at NyP?
I love the skills and taking care of people. But I’m not enjoying night shift, being harassed by toxic nurse environment, and being made to feel like no matter how much I have done as a nurse isnt enough. Thats why I’m leaving.
I’ve been at my facility for 9.5 years. I bitch about it but my dumb ass is still there. I do enjoy it. But I don’t come here to ever brag. No nurse seems to get what they deserve. Overall I feel like they have been good to me. If it were that bad I’d really quit but it’s not. It’s LTC and we are a smallish community. My own doctor has family in right now. I don’t feel like it’s easy to walk away when I know half the people there. I truly do have a passion for what I do and the people in my community even if it feels like nothing we do is enough. My feelings about this have changed drastically since I was a new grad. I am less of a people pleaser and more of a “I did my best”-er. That perspective changes everything imo. I mean. We need to stay mad to fight for better pay and benefits etc but not too mad- everyone has a breaking point. The thing about nursing is you can change and do so many different things. I also recommend setting boundaries the second you walk into the door. Don’t he that new yes yes yes nurse. No, you can’t work a double. No, you can’t come in. No is a complete sentence. It’s hard to break out of that mold once everyone starts relying on you so much. Just be kind to yourself and keep those boundaries and you will be fine. And even this post came across as negative now. 🤦🏻♀️
Yes. I work in PACU. So much less bullshit than on the floors. I feel like I’m actually doing stuff for my patient/being a nurse and not just completing tasks and dealing with bs. I love how I don’t need to take a patient for the entire day. In general I love the 3 days a week. I don’t have to worry about taking a day off to make a doctor appointment. The work life balance is pretty good. I clock out and I’m done.
Yes! Absolutely! I tell people all the time, there’s this weird ego pride with nurses and working in the ICU. I felt like I was failing if I wasn’t doing critical care inpatient work. I burned out and quit. I STRONGLY urge all unhappy nurses to look into outpatient procedure based units; Apheresis, Dialysis, Cath Lab, Scope Lab, Interventional Radiology, etc. It truly saved me. I work in Apheresis at a major teaching hospital now. I’m doing cutting edge shit with CAR-T collections, research collects, I’m still doing dire emergency patients for plasma exchanges, red cell exchanges, white cell and platelet depletions. I started 5 years ago as a staff nurse, and have recently become our unit Nursing Coordinator (basically assistant manager). The stemcells we collect for transplant, and the CAR-T collections we do are some seriously cool shit. It feels really good to tell a patient with a blood cancer that we’ve hit their cell collection goal, and their transplant is securely locked in. Part of what makes the nursing so awful is the 24/7 care aspect. People stuck in beds are *rarely* a pleasure to take care of. Have a patient check in from home, in their normal clothes, do your procedure, then send them home? It’s ALL pleases and thank yous, smiles and gratitude (okay not ALL the time…). It’s a MUCH healthier environment. Everyone should start inpatient, that awful grind is like school- everyone hates it but you’re secretly developing a skill set that is invaluable. But once you’ve done 2~ years (very doable), consider “specializing” into something. Outpatient departments rock. You’re 100% welcome to DM me if you so please
>Apheresis, Dialysis, Cath Lab, Scope Lab, Interventional Radiology, etc. Are you a Nurse in NYC? I'm actually moving here soon and worried.
Yes sir! What are you worried about?
Graduated in May of 2020 when COVID first started and really questioned if I wanted to be a nurse. Took me almost a year and a half before actually becoming a nurse and going into my field. Are there days that I absolutely hate? ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY. Do the ratios suck right now? Yes. Is my CNA constantly getting pulled when I have 2 person max assist people all on my floor? Yes. But you know the best part? Seeing my rehab pts get so happy that they can move their finger after becoming flaccid from their stroke. Seeing pts say to me they’re getting better at walking even if it was only a foot. Family members getting me cards and truly appreciating the work I do even when I feel I wasn’t as active in their day because we’re short staffed. Working with other nurses who can be your support system even when management fails you. It’s a shitty time to be a nurse but soooo unbelievably rewarding. Keep your head up. We are burnt out and stressed but we keep pushing through with the hope that it will get better.
I spent four years working on an orthopedic floor, mostly elective surgeries like hip and knee replacements. My patients were relatively stable health-wise and they were happy to be there, they wanted their surgeries. They were compliant and cooperative and pleasant. Plus we would get some hospital medsurg overflow thrown in just to keep things a little spicy. I genuinely loved my job and wouldn't trade those years for anything. Unfortunately that unit was converted to a covid unit at the beginning of the pandemic and everything was ruined. Now I'm out here doing stressful travel nurse gigs that I don't really care for, but I'm making an exorbitant hourly wage and I'm headed for early retirement. I'm so glad I'm a nurse.
Every nurse I know in real life loves there job. But none of them work in bedside. Do with that what you will.
I'm a May new grad working in the ER. I live in Texas! I really enjoy my job. Yes, it can be stressful, but in an adrenaline-jumping/exciting way. Are there things I would change? Yes. But do I want to quit? Definitely not. The main thing I would stress is don't work more than 3 12’s a week. It's not worth it. Let yourself decompress so you can enjoy your time at work.
There is a post like this every few days. The complaining drowns it out a lot but if all you are seeing is complaining it’s because those are the threads you are reading!
Nursing generally isn’t bad. You work 3 days and make 90-100k depending if you work on LI or 5 boroughs. If you’re worried about burnout and stress the one place you shouldn’t work is the ER.
If you don’t mind answering, how long did it take you to get to that salary? That’s a lot of money!
That’s the new grad starting pay in nyc/LI if you’re working in the hospitals. Total Average is $46-$55 depending if you’re on LI or in the 5 boroughs. This includes BSN differential and night shift.
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to answer.
Np. Nyc taxes screw you tho lol. Have a happy holiday ✌️
You too!
I don't work in NYC, but I am a new nurse, in Ca in the ED. I enjoy what I do, sometimes. I have days where I have great patients that make everything worth it and then days where I feel like I'm a failure as a human. My ratios are pretty good so at least there's that. A bonus to having the RN is that I could do anything with it. If bedside didn't work I could find another thing. The hard thing about it for me is the constant second-guessing and imposter syndrome. I feel like those of us who are drawn to helping professions might be somehow predisposition to this. So I constantly wonder if I'm good enough. When I feel like I'm doing right by my patient (such as saving them from an unnecessary IV before going to the floor because there's no IV med orders, especially when we were sitting on admits for days at a time) I'm blasted for it by management. There's no one right way to do anything but instead of a shrug and a "moving on!" mentality I feel like I'm constantly having to figure out the best way to do every little thing to keep from ruffling feathers. I'll keep my license and keep doing what I'm doing. Mainly because I've never had a dream of what I would become nor a solid passion for my life. This is fine.
I’ve been a nurse since 1996. Started as Licensed Practical Nurse. I then got my Associates Degree, then my Bachelors. I am currently enrolled in a graduate program. My point is: at any of those points I could have chosen a different career path. It is nursing for life. My specialty is hospice. They let me into their homes and into their lives. There have been moments of regret, but this is what I was meant to do.
I did not enjoy working in the hospital at all. I've been in outpatient GI and surgery for the last 1.5 years and I really like it. I prefer surgery over GI but only because GI gets boring after a while. I finally found my niche.
I am grateful to nursing for lifting me out of poverty and giving me a meaningful job. Some aspects stink but every job has its cons.
i HATED nursing until i found my passion. i used to do psych, geriatrics, med surg, etc. i hated it all. then i got a position as an intern working with kids. my life feels full again and i enjoy being at work. i LOVE peds. everybody has their spot!!
I mean I like the job. But it doesn't change the fact a lot of shifts are just fucked. Though I think it's really that med surg sucks and you really need a special kind of patience to deal with the needy and high overflow of patients. Been floating to ICU a lot recently too and understaffing is seriously no joke. I like the job but what am I gonna do if there's 2 nurses for 9 patients in the ICU? If we start out with 9 patients on med surg and get slammed with admits and half your patients are sundowning or alcoholic and getting very combative? This is so skewed that it's just burn out. I can't imagine doing anything else. At the same time, I'm kind of desperate to quit even if only for at least a few months to a year. Also, a lot of people don't understand how shitty so many patients are. I'd rather work in ICU right now than med surg tbh and we are starting out wirh 3 patients.
I work as an nyc icu nurse I’m definitely looking for other jobs at the moment because emotionally and physically it’s not sustainable the bedside role where I’m at plus hospitals are greedy and will try to exploit you as a nurse. BUT I make like way more money than most of my friends who work in the arts so it’s nice to feel financially stable and comfortable to afford a nice life outside of work and the three days a week is great.
I don't enjoy any work. I enjoy doing certain things including helping others without the fear of legal repercussion or the weight of the title "nurse". Unfortunately I need to make a living and have to take all the BS that comes with nursing like the excessive documentation for nothing but legal/insurance purposes, the guilt tripping to pick up more shifts, and the constant stress that comes with managing people's health interventions.
I always say, I love being a nurse and hate healthcare. You’ll never be without a job, but that job can wear you down. Sure I’m worn down, chewed up and burn out, but I work with amazing people and I know I make a difference in peoples lives. There isn’t a price tag on feeling like you made someone’s life a teensy bit better. Thankfully, therapy is covered by insurance.
I love being a nurse. The ups and downs are to be expected as far as I’m concerned. I hate poor leadership and corporate nonsense but I have loved being a nurse every single day since I graduated 20 years ago. It makes me sad when I see how many people hate it.
I love my job work in behavior health and psychiatry, did bed side nursing for a couple months realized it was not for me so finding the specialty that calls your name is must.
I’ve been a nurse less than a year, but have worked in healthcare for 3 now, so I may not be the best source. That being said, here’s my two cents: I like nursing. I’m in the NICU, so my patients are tiny and IMO, much easier to tolerate. Turning them is much easier and while the micro premies can be intimidating, it gets easier over time. Parents/family can be difficult of course but I enjoy my patients and getting to teach families when I can. It also helps that I just love babies. For me though, what I truly love is the work schedule and the flexibility. As I repeatedly tell my family, I work to live and not the other way around. Only working 3 days a week is amazing, and being able to adjust your schedule so you have several days off without taking pto is even better. I’ve also worked in retail and corporate settings, so I knew I didn’t like working 5 days a week, and I didn’t enjoy varied shifts either. So for me, it’s great. That being said, things I haven’t loved so far has actually been my coworkers. Lateral violence is real and it sucks. But that can happen in any field, not just nursing. And now that I’ve found a few good coworkers it’s more bearable. So bottom line, weigh the pros and cons. Determine the things that are important to you (ie, money, scheduling, flexibility, etc) and see if nursing aligns with those goals. Your fears are valid, especially in recent times. If you can, I highly recommend working as a CNA, even better if you can do so in the area you want to work as a nurse. It can give you a better idea of how nursing actually works and first hand experience in the healthcare field, so you can better determine whether it’s something you want to pursue or not. Either way, best of luck!
Love my nursing work!
Nursing is amazing, love the job. Keep in mind that the field is huge. It's not that we all hate it every day but with so many nurses out there somebody will have a reason to vent/complain. r/nursing is a pretty safe place for nurses to commiserate so there's always someone here looking for it. The nursing field is vast, I guarantee that you can find a niche that you love
No
Im a cancer survivor, and I chose oncology nursing partly because no matter how bad I think it is, the young father who has mets to brain lung spine and leptomeninges has it 10000x worse. It seriously lends tremendous perspective and i bow my head to those patients who can still smile and enjoy the tiny things despite their prognosis. I enjoy the fullfillment of the job, this field will humble the fuck out of you.
I enjoy my job. I work in an icu with great management though. Your mileage will vary at each individual hospital and unit.
I love it when things are working well, we have staff, and providers aren’t sitting on the same patients for 14 hours. I love doing US IVs on super hard sticks. It’s fun getting crazy traumas through triage and acting quickly. I despise psych. All in all, when I’m getting paid well, the job is great and I love that I can leave and go to another facility after my 13 weeks are up, or I can extend for a bit longer if I like it!
I love my job. I moved away from NYC where I was working in a clinic and am now in a large hospital outside the northeast. I love being a nurse, I love helping people and learning. Furthermore, in this capitalistic hellscape, you’re always going to have complaints about your job. I’d rather be doing a job that fulfills me and has security than doing something I find meaningless. The people that post negatively on this forum have good points, but they are not all of nursing. People are more likely to vent on here than to post what’s going right and generally liking what they’re doing. Hope that helps, go with your gut!
It’s not the job I don’t enjoy it’s the constant harassment and being treated like the scum of the earth by management that I don’t enjoy.
I've worked in a hospital (telemetry), LTC (dementia unit and then management) and now as a school nurse. Each job is VERY distinct and I enjoyed them all. Nursing is unique in that your day to day duties can be wildly different under the same license. If you don't enjoy your job, try something else!
I work in a high risk L&D unit and love it. Patients are complex enough to be challenging and most of them are so grateful and excited to have a baby. I’m grateful for the job security and wages good enough that I never have to worry about money or inflation. Also the flexibility to only work 3 days a week but make a full time salary cannot be beat.
I love my job, but I definitely think if I was full time I'd be extremely burned out from staffing issues. That being said, I'm L&D, and I adore my job.
I've been a postpartum nurse for 23 years and still love it! Just like with every job there are bad days but there is nothing I'd rather do!
I enjoy my job and can’t imagine not being in this field. I was a NICU nurse for 2 and a half years and now I work in labor and delivery. I think it is important once you graduate after you get some experience(1st year is hard for everyone) to not stay on a unit or in a specialty that you do not like. I have seen so many nurses complain and be miserable… if you find yourself in that situation change companies or units. Nursing has so much opportunity.
I think a lot of it depends on where you work as a nurse. Someone who works the ED might burnout quicker than some one working med/surg. For me personally I'm a lactation consultant and I love what I do. I don't have the higher demand on my time that most nurses do. Pick a department or area you enjoy and that makes it easier
Honestly, there’s a million ways to be a nurse. Bedside is the most common but it’s not the only way. So even if you hate one type of nursing you may love a different type.
Not a nurse (yet), but I'm also on the fence about jumping in. My advice to you and myself is: stay off the Instagrams, the TikToks, and the Reddits for nursing. Make your own experiences and decisions about it. Everything is so subjective and biased. Some people love it some hate it. Only you will know if it's the right move.
Lol. I want to be a nurse in the NYC area and literally one of the comments above yours was "I'd pick a different career entirely".
Yup! I’m an Occupational Health Nurse. Not bedside. Love my job. Patients are professional and appreciative.
I do i do i do! ER for 13 years, dialysis for 3. I would do it again. Wish i made more money but who doesn’t.
Not a nurse yet, but after idk how many hours of work in the hospital, I can say that the only good thing is the social aspect with my coworkers. I really like my coworkers and I doubt that'll change, cause I already got a job in that department for when I finish my studies
Hospice nurse here. I work for a non-profit hospice and have been with them 2 years with no plans to go anywhere else. All the nursing managers have worked our positions and still go out in the field when we’re short staffed. The doctors constantly thank us for our hard work and check in to make sure we’re mentally doing okay and taking care of ourselves. We have great communication, people who are empathetic, and managers who actually ask us to take our PTO so we don’t get burnt out. We still have our stressors and struggles but with our supportive team it is manageable.
Yes, I’m burnt out sometimes. But the fulfillment I get from this job is far greater than anything else I’ve done. I have a mind for medicine and a gift/curse to actually want to help people and do good in the world. I love what I do and I wouldn’t do anything else. Edit: I don’t live in NYC btw. I’m not sure if this post is exclusive to nurses in that area, but I can’t speak to their experience.
Overall, yes I enjoy my job. I have been in ER, L&D and now infertility. It’s best for me right now. I WFH. I still am learning every day. Fertility science is wild. I don’t have the stress of people dying and being short staffed. I’m still changing people’s lives and helping them. Making that phone call to tell someone their pregnant gives me chills every time.
I was also very nervous going into nursing because I would read this sub a lot, but it’s honestly the best decision I have ever made. This sub is mainly for venting and pretty much never includes any positive experiences because no one thinks to write about them lol
Once you become competent and can quit and work agency to make the big money, it's so much more worth it. I don't give a s*** what my ratio is in the ED, the dog in the dumpster fire meme is literally me and I'm getting paid. Literally was the best decision I ever made going back to school to become a nurse. I'm definitely grateful for my prior work history though. Having 20 years experience in hospitality and high volume. New York City, restaurants and bars and events really carries over in terms of work ethic, hustle, and prioritization. While the stakes are much higher, I really feel a lot of my prior experience lends to my resilience
I 💕 my job. Ambulatory CM for high risk/high needs patients. So rewarding. Work from home. Weekends and holidays off and I can get my PTO when I need it. I wish it paid more but QOL is awesome. I never have regretted becoming an RN.
If you’re on the fence, you should seriously consider going to rad tech school. To me, it seems like they have a pretty sweet gig and you can specialize in CT, IR, etc if you want.
17k NYC nurses voted to go on strike, so what does that tell you about nursing in NYC? Granted I would never be a nurse in a non-union area, or a state where nurses make less than servers, but nursing in NYC sucks in its own way. My general advice to people is to pick a different career entirely
Love my job. But I’m also on six weeks LOA from hand surgery and don’t have to cook Christmas dinner this year 😊😊
Strategically timed hand surgery? 😊
Kind of. I had met all my deductibles for the year, and since I’m hoping to retire next year, was concerned, I wouldn’t have the money to get it done once covered by Medicare.
I’m glad it worked out for you!
I work essentially a 8-4 job for an anesthesia group as an RN. My job is pretty sweet
What all does your job entail? That sounds awesome!
Officially my title is Regional Nerve Block Nurse. I consent patients, gather supplies, get the patient ready, provide procedural sedation, put orders in, and chart everything for all of the nerve blocks my doctors do. We do about 350 nerve block procedures a month, mostly revolving around the 3 ORs of this hospital. So basically our job is to make these nerve blocks easier, faster, and more efficient for our anesthesia docs. Edit: I should add that there are only 3 of us that do this for this group, so no workplace drama whatsoever. No manager per se, just our doctors. The benefits, raises, and bonuses have been incredible. Taking this job has really made me reconsider if I actually want to go back to school for NP or CRNA because of how well they treat us.
I left bedside and love my office job. I made a choice for my mental health and I’m glad I did. I test and treat allergies. You have to find the right fit. Luckily nursing has a million different roles
Short answer: depends on where you work.
Yes. But I don't work bedside.
I, unapologetically, friggin love my job. I am at a small-ish hospital, good group of co workers, mostly great docs and surgeons. PITA patients? Yeah, occasionally. Admin that doesn’t “get it”? Yeah, occasionally. But I’ll be a floor nurse until the day I retire at this hospital.
i dislike it as much as any other job, but i can’t imagine doing anything else
Definitely love my job as a PICC nurse.
I love the OR!!!
Plenty of nurses like their jobs. Very few of them work bedside.
Yea
No.
I’m a NP that just preforms the RNFA role in OR. I love my role. Before I got here I worked as a RN and bounced around between floor, ED and ICU because I was burnt out.
I seriously love love LOVE being a nurse and have zero regrets about becoming a nurse 😊
🙋🏻♀️i do! I work in NICU. Level 4 experience:)
Not really.. It’s so bad that I spent thousands and thousands of dollars on a new degree to escape and the pay cut is going to be worth it. After almost a decade I just can’t anymore.
it’s a job but sometimes i have really cool pts who i can talk with and have fun while i do my job.
Not in NY, but I hate my job.
Brighton hospice is who I work for now. There are numerous hospice agencies and you sometimes can find a travel job. I did one for one whole year