[BarbiGirl]

I am currently a CNA at the local hospital. I have been a CNA for 5 years, and have experience in long term care, assisted living, and home care as well. As August approaches, I am considering going back to school. Nursing would be the obvious next step.
In truth, I do want to be a nurse. I want the flexibility, the pay, the respect, the responsibility. I enjoy the material, I enjoy the skills.
But watching the nurses around me, and based on my own experience as a CNA, it seems like a thankless job. Everyone says that its worth it to be a nurse, that you're making a difference and your patients remember you. I don't think I believe that. Maybe a select few patients that you've worked with multitudes of times, but I can't say I've ever witnessed a nurse really making an impact on anyone's life. They come in, do their assessment, give pills, hang fluids, and the pt gets frustrated because they ask the same questions every 8-12 hours. Even the patients who do connect with the nurse on a slightly deeper level, it doesn't seem..."Memorable" to me.
I don't want to go into another thankless career. I'm currently there with the CNA and its kind of draining. I am insignificant in my role. No one remembers me.

[Yoda]

The great thing about being an RN is your have a multitude of opportunities for jobs. You can work as a school nurse, public health nurse, ED nurse, private nurse assisting an MD, teach other nurses or paramedics, work in ICU, surgery, do research, join the military as a nurse, administration, be a hospice nurse, the list is nearly endless.

I started as a paramedic but it was tough on my knees so I thought I would like to be an ED nurse. I ended up developing a passion for cardiac so worked in open heart recovery for nearly 15 years. I found my work very gratifying personally because over time I became an expert nurse clinician and I would always want the sickest patients because they were a challenge and when I could see them recover I knew I was making a difference in the world.

I love to teach and taught paramedic classes for a couple years and also taught Advanced Cardiac Life Support to RNs. respiratory therapists, paramedics, medical students and the occasional dentist. I also taught some other classes on the unit where I worked.

If you have the urge to travel you can see the world and make lots of money doing it after you have a couple years experience.

I am considering going to grad school for nurse anesthesia if I can ever get this kid out of the nest. That is one of the highest paying jobs you can get as a RN. The money isn't what is enticing me though because honestly I love being a critical care RN so much I would do it for free. shhhh don't tell the hospital that though.

There are quite a few nurses on this community with lots of different experiences. I think that is awesome that you are considering nursing.

[SilverNeurotic]

My mother has been a Pediatric nurse for something like 30+ years and she loves it, and it's clear that she is appreciated by her patients and their families. It really depends on what area of nursing you decide to go into.

[serafim_etal]

From a soon to be nursing student standpoint...there are so many different areas to go into in nursing, there will be several for you to choose from that will most likely feel personally rewarding to you.

From a patient standpoint...nurses absolutely make an impact on the patients' life and are remembered! After having abdominal surgery, I was inpatient for 4 days. The first couple days I got IV pain meds, and then oral pain meds on a schedule. On the third day, no one came and gave me meds in the morning. After several hours (I figured they were busy and running behind) I finally buzzed. The nurse that morning came and when I asked why I hadn't gotten my pain meds yet, she very snippily told me I had to ask for them. I had been taken off a schedule but had not been told, or had been told but didn't remember. This was 7 years ago and I remember it. Later that day. I had a different nurse. She was rather young, very friendly, her name was Nicole. Nicole came in and introduced herself, and said she had noticed there had been a mix-up with my meds that morning...did I want her to come ask me if I needed meds at the appropriate time...this woman clearly also made an impact on me, I could describe her in detail, including the color of her scrubs, and I will likely not forget her. Often it is the little things that nurses do that patients find important and that make an impact.

[Amazonmom]

I work in the Neonatal ICU, and have for 6 years. Every nurse has those days where they feel like nothing they do makes any difference. Then there are the shifts where a parent calls for an update and says "I feel safe sleeping at home for the first time in a month because I know YOU are there to watch over my baby".

Then there are the shifts where a parent insists on getting a picture of you holding the baby before they go home. A parent brings their baby in to visit on their birthday, and wants to see the nurse that first told them their baby was alive, not dead. (baby wasn't supposed to survive delivery, and now is okay)

Can you tell I love my job?

[buttrfli42481]

I am wanting to go into the nursing field. I want to get my BSN, I am currently working on my AA in business. My ultimate goal is to open a clinic for domestic violence victims who are either in a shelter or using shelter services. Knowing from experience that when you leave, you often don't have the money to afford or the means to obtain general medical care.
When you said that nurses don't make an impact on patients, I disagree. While I was 36 weeks pregnant, I went in to the ER then transfered to OB for horrendous pain that was causing me to have contractions. My nurse, Theresa, figured out that I was having gall bladder attacks, no one listened to her; the dr thought I was having false labor. Turns out it was both. Once my attack calmed down the contractions stopped. Fast forward 4 weeks. I was back at the hospital, only this time it was active labor. I was blessed to get the nurse who "dx" my gall bladder problem a month earlier. Theresa was the absolute best nurse I had during my stay. She would come in and help me with everything. My little girl had some minor problems coming into the world, and I had some minor problems after too. (I spiked a fever a few hours after delivery.) Theresa told me to ask for her specifically when I called the station. One time, she was doing her time in the nursery and came as soon as she could. She wanted to be the one who helped me. This was all almost 9 years ago, and I still remember her name and what she looked like. I had other nurses during my stay, but don't remember a thing about any of them.
I tell you this because nurses are remembered and do make a difference in patient's lives. Go for your RN! Go make a difference.

[shezbut]

I agree with all of the posters on this topic, but Yoda accurately touched upon some key points of nursing benefits.

Getting a Bachelor's or Master's degree in nursing opens so many doors. You can always choose to practice in different arenas, if one rubs you the wrong way. Nurses in hospitals often specialize in that type of unit (neurology, cardiac, pediatrics, etc.), but there are lots of different nursing jobs. You don't have to work at a hospital.

I was a CNA at a nursing home for 3 years. It was a big responsibility, but the rewards of caring for very ill &/or elderly people were huge for me. I loved it! I got to know the residents, as human beings. This made me more perceptive of changes ~ and I let nurses know about injuries and illnesses. A sad reality is that injuries often go undetected because of low levels of interaction and/or lack of communication between shift workers.

The residents often became very attached to the CNA's, because we had many interactions with them. That was perfect for me, because I cared a lot about each one of them. Some CNA's and RN's don't want any attachment developing & are therefore rather brisk with patients (or residents). In my experience, no patient (long or short-term) appreciates snippy and emotionally removed nurses. Compassion is a necessity! If you are very compassionate, go for nursing! Very best wishes to you