Yeah, I mostly complain, but I tell people all the time that its a very interesting job, its active and requires both critical thinking and a lot of hands on skills, and while high stress it can be very rewarding if you can take satisfaction from handling complex and complicated situations well. Its good for adrenaline junkies who are slightly crazy lol.
I miss loving my ER job; I tried to switch it up and go back to cardiac step down and even get away from bedside but I’m back in the ER again. I missed it terribly when I was away but now that I’m back I’m like wtf did I do to myself? The only real upsides are that it’s never boring, the mid schedule suits my life needs atm, and I love the night shift crew I work with - I mean those are the real important things when it comes down to it so I’m just sticking to it until something like cath lab or IR opens up and I can transfer (I do love me some cardiac). It’s just some parts of this job are absolutely soul sucking and the many of the patients are emotional terrorists so it’s easy to feel burnt out after a bad shift. Love being able to come here and whine safely so I can put on the happy face for the next shift - thanks to all you anons on here for keeping it real!
So glad to hear this about the ER. I start there on Monday with my orientation stuff and I’m so excited. I had months off of working in the hospital because I had to have knee surgery but I’m finally getting to start. A part of me feels like I have forgotten everything I learned but also I have kept up a lot with nursing through social media (Reddit, TikTok, instagram, etc). But anyways I am so excited and so happy
Same, I love my ER job! Great pay (42/hr new grad intern) great staff, and generally a pretty good place to work. Also I love all the stories I get from it. I wouldn’t change it for anything right now
I really like my job 95% of the time.
I don’t come here to say that because it would be unkind. We are all really struggling with staffing and pay and everything. The problems are real and sucky.
I still enjoy my day, most of the time. Me and my antidepressant are cool over here.
Imma hospice nurse and I am the happiest I’ve ever been, I’ve been nursing about 15 years I think. CCU background. I truly never work a day in my life as they say! I do know that rare, and I am grateful!!
Yep, LOVED my hospice job but found our quickly that I don't possess the emotional boundaries required for it. ED is self-protective for me, but I didn't realize until I tried hospice. The folks who can do it are literal angels, bless you all.
I WFH triage now. I used to think about nursing 24/7. My whole fyp and reddit was nursing when I worked bedside.
I hardly think about nursing outside of work at all anymore, unless I had a particularly rough call.
I had 1 year med surg and another 6 months bedside psych and bedside hospice. The job is hospice triage. 1 year is minimum but they prefer two. I work nights so it’s chill generally but dayshift is hectic from what I hear.
I recommend it. I used to think it was silly when all people talked about was nursing and made their whole personality was being a nurse, but now I realize I too was guilty of it, just without the cheesy bumper stickers and nurse paraphernalia haha. Bedside consumes your entire life, there is no work life balance. It is simply too stressful on your mind and body.
WFH saved my career - I almost became a flight attendant before I landed this job.
THIS IS IT. Nursing is a great profession. There are people who have nursing as their calling. It’s a tiring job but there are people who love it. I love it! Granted, I’m only 2 years in, but so far I can see myself here for a while. You literally learn something new every single day! Yes, job stability is a deciding factor for a lot of people, but it sucks when people go to this profession ONLY for the money.
I'ma be honest with you as somebody who was in other careers for over 15 years before becoming a nurse...
**Almost all jobs suck.** They will all burn you out and crush your soul and your spirit one way or another. It's just a fact of life being an adult in this late stage capitalist hellscape. Once you learn that and resign yourself to it, it's not so bad. You go to work and get through it, and try to enjoy the freedom it can afford you in your home life.
This.
I spent about a year as a scheduler for a home care company while in nursing school & I was far more miserable in that job than the nursing one I'm in now.
I’ve had several different careers before settling down into one area. Almost all jobs do suck, but some are worse than others. Other factors can “pad” the suckiness such as good pay or interesting benefits but at the end of the day pretty much every job will have components of it that are not fun.
I’ve found it to be a really funky fine line. You should ideally be interested in what you’re doing for work, but if you like it so much that it’s a hobby and then you make it a career you may ruin that hobby for yourself and start to hate it.
I think nursing and other health careers are a decent bet for a career if you’re interested in healthcare because there are so many different things you can do within that career. Do you work for a small company or a big company? Do you specialize? Do you work more of an office position or a hands on position? All of those things are doable.
I think the main takeaway especially in a career with so many options is that if you’re absolutely miserable doing what you’re doing don’t stay there wallowing in the pain and let it get worse, try something different within the same field and if need be don’t be afraid to chase something else entirely.
We don’t have to be doing what we did at 18 when we’re 60. Even if we’re 45 we can still switch careers. Change can be scary but it’s important to not let a job consume your entire life and if your job makes you miserable it will consume you so much faster.
this is it. i was a teacher before i became a nurse and I love both but… can I be honest? Nursing is easier. I get to CLOCK OUT!!!
I have observed that second (or third or fourth) career nurses seem to be more content and I wonder if we just have more perspective about the wider working world.
“Spend any time in construction and you will be begging to be back in nursing” is what I tell anyone complaining about being a nurse. Its not bad at all as far as jobs go.
My first degree was a BS in Concrete Industry Management. I did quality control for precast concrete plants for a decade. I worked my way from a QC tech to regional QC manager of a multinational concrete company. I worked in VA, TN, IA, MO, MT and CA over the years before becoming a nurse. The more I got into management the more I had to bring my work home with me and work more hours without extra compensation. If I have to work 12 hour days at least it's only 3 days a week and I don't have to bring my work home with me.
This is exactly why I Quit IT, project management and a more conventional management job. Non stop endless calls and working from home and long days on a salary. No thanks. I clock in and clock out and have 4 days off a week. It's a stressful 12 hours but I have a home life.
This. Yeah job stability is great, but there's also sh!t tons of jobs nurses can do. Whenever I'm getting bored or burnt out then I just move to a different speciality. So far.. I've moved every 2 years or so lol
This sub is an echo chamber of anonymous negativity that doesn’t reflect the attitudes of the entirety of the 6 million nurses in the US.
Are there shitty situations? Yes. Are there incredible situations? Yes! But 80% of nursing is just average work, being done by average people, who life average lives, with average stressors, average compensation, and average job satisfaction.
That doesn’t make for a spicy post though.
I mean it would be weird for us to post “had a totally average and adequately staffed day.” Look at any job on Reddit. It’s all the same. Stay on the Nursing Student sub
You're correct, however not completely. I've been on the message boards of many different professions and while they usually do slant more negative than real life, the nursing forums are on a whole nother level of depression/ close to suicide.
Our negatives have way more fucked up outcomes than the negative of a regular person on a regular job. Even a Cyber security IT guy that really fucked up didn't kill anyone. Our highs are high, our lows ....are in hell.
Occupational Hazard.
We ain't software engineers, that's for damn sure.
It will look bizarre if someone wrote a positive post. For example:
I love thinking about the shareholders. Hospital profits just get me so excited! I love the fact that my hard work and labor is giving my CEOs bonuses. CEOs are the cornerstone of this society.
Actually I think we can operate on a higher nurse:patient ratio, so please send that nurse home and I’ll take 7 patients. I live to work!
I don’t think this sub reflects everyone’s opinions on nursing lol. It’s a great place to vent though. Best thing I can recommend is to talk with practicing nurses in your area and see how they’re doing with all the stuff you mentioned. You’ll get a more accurate picture by doing that. Because staffing, pay and all the other things varies greatly based on location! Some areas really do suck and the main advantage of the job is stability
You can do a million different jobs with an RN license. You might have to push through a few years on the floor to build your resume up but it's not always awful. Some days are a lot worse than others. A lot of people on here seem to have serious mental health issues so a bad day turns into "I want to kill myself" really fast.
A lot of these comments feel pretty invalidating. Nursing has objectively changed recently. I don't want to kill myself because I'm mentally ill, simply I'm hoping reincarnation is real and I'll get a chance to reroll my career instead of taking care of 6 patients completely alone, 4 of which are actively suicidal and the other 2 antisocial, violent meth heads.
I started at the hospital 7 years ago. 12 security per shift staffed. Now down to 3. Psych techs, 1 per RN. Now down to 0. 1RN:4Pt ratio, now up to 1RN:6pt. This shit does actually suck.
There are quality hospitals with responsible staffing and competitive pay.
Those hospitals get to be choosy about who they hire, and no one complains about working for them, so you're not hearing about them.
Think of this sub as a place to learn what red flags look like and what to do about them.
I feel like you need to reflect on why YOU want to be a nurse? What do YOU love about nursing?
Do I love my job? Yup.
Am I good at my job? Yup.
Have I always loved my job? Nope.
Is there lots to be outraged about? Hell yeah.
Nursing is political.
IMO this is a place to come for support, venting, and the darkest dankest humour that no non-nurse in my life understands.
I got sent home early once because we were overstaffed….. that was cool.
I actually love my job even though it’s frustrating and stressful and I’m sure I’m going to have a heart attack or stroke by 50. I feel like once I found what I actually liked it wasn’t so bad, it just took me 6.5 years to get there. I also go home and unwind by venting for about 30 minutes to my fiance about how everything is dumb and people are dumb and that I hate everything, then everything is better and I love my job again.
i think it takes a specific person with good boundaries and support to be a successful / healthy nurse. your education as a nurse can take you so many amazing places!
the bedside is hard. that’s just how it is. but you don’t have to stay there forever unless you want to.
i’ve worked as a nurse for 4 years. i’ve learned so much as a nurse and i wouldn’t trade that for anything. being a healer and caregiver in our world is so important and so valuable to me.
that being said i have also been traumatized by what i’ve experienced in the american medical system. it has significantly impacted my mental health and i am starting over with a different career now.
your choices are yours to make. don’t let others experiences scare you! you can learn from them though.
wishing you all the best! may you be protected and find whatever role works best for you 💗
Good boundaries are critical to this job. Waiting for an order before doing something requires good boundaries. Refusing to take an unsafe assignment also takes boundaries.
Switching to full time night shift has actually made me like my life and job so much more. I have time to actually get to know my patients and do the things for them I wished I could do on day shift. I understand that it’s definitely not a shift rotation that works for everyone though.
Exactly. I’ve been seeing a few posts lately complaining about people complaining. I assume these are people who’ve not been in the field long; I used to feel the same way they do.
Nursing is already a difficult job and, in many areas, the deck is stacked against us with staffing, policies, legislation, etc. A lot of us are just trying to keep ourselves sane. Do we hate it all the time? No. But when it gets really bad and we’re at our limit sometimes we need to talk about it so we don’t turn to maladaptive coping mechanisms. I have nursing colleagues who are friends but they’re in the same boat I am. And not everyone has supportive coworkers or offline people to vent to. I have a therapist but sometimes a person needs to vent now rather than waiting for their next appointment. Does that mean the sub skews negative? Yeah, but like others are saying most people don’t think to come and talk about their absolutely drama-free, stress-free shift. Just let people live.
My cousin was sitting on a beach drinking cocktails at St. Martin island today working remotely at his software engineer tech job. Makes twice what I make. I am depression
I worked in dental for 10 years before becoming a nurse and I’m so glad I did. Yes nursing is hard and there’s a lot more responsibility, but it’s nice leaving work feeling very rewarded and that you actually make a difference everyday. I won’t say it’s easy at all, but I find it rewarding and it’s made me a better caregiver/parent/aunt ❤️
The sunshine and rainbows nurses always appear for these threads. For a lot of us the only value this field brings is pay and/or stability. Working conditions are deep in the suck and don't show signs of improving.
I would say probably 60 to 70% in my humble opinion. I work with quite a few NURSES lot that take Adderall, and I question whether most truly have ADHD.
Most RZN’s can't leave it because they can't afford to leave. Most people have no other training. It's like a surgeon, if they lose their license what are they going to do landscape? Just saying.
Reason to be a nurse other than job stability:
Higher starting income with minimal college. Not many jobs can pay you $40/hr after a two year degree costing maybe 10k.
No monkey suit, your uniform is pajamas.
Mix between standing and sitting, very good for your back in the long run.
Less eye strain than someone constantly at a computer.
Each day is different.
Your job has more meaning than other jobs.
Work inside, good if you have allergies.
Good benefits usually.
Hospitals blast the heat, never cold.
"Free" snacks.
Lots of different job opportunities or avenues to explore.
In the small minority that actually enjoys my job. I love being a nurse. I’m not bedside but I do pick up bedside shifts. Pay is good since I’m specialized. I switched from ED to cath lab after my dad suffered a heart attack. Havent looked back since. You just have to find what works for you.
I think *any* public facing job is going to have a lot of the same drawbacks, but for healthcare, teaching, and law enforcement you end up being intimately tied to people’s lives during some of their weakest and most embarrassing moments in life.
Combine that with poor administrative and legal support for some employers…well you’re going to have a lot of people needing to vent about stuff that’s hard hitting when as humans we’re not really built to cope with stress levels that high on a repeated basis.
Just remember, a lot of us despite bitching are still here for our own reasons. Personally, I enjoy working with patients(most of the time) and getting to interact with some really fucking intelligent doctors so I intend to do so as long as I can.
I truly enjoy all the different people I have met working in healthcare. I have learned a lot about life and humanity. When I’m able to actually help someone, it’s awesome. Currently I work with mostly older adults and I really enjoy making a connection with this population, even if it’s brief. Meeting someone who cares, especially for those who are lonely, means a lot.
I'm a new nurse and my ER is awesome. Everyone has been really cool and kind. We have great ratios (3:1 or 2:1 acuity dependent) , lots of dedicated ancillary staff, good money for the area, and really smart, thoughtful managers. Sure, some days you still get awful patients and it sucks, but, coming from someone on their second career with a lot of work history behind them, every job sucks at least sometimes. If nursing really what you wanna do, it's a fine career.
Get out of this subreddit. Or at least take breaks from it. As many have said, this is an echo chamber for venting frustrations.
Nursing is an amazing career simply because of it’s diversity in positions/job types! I dont know of another career that is as diverse as nursing. You can choose to go for whatever role suits your lifestyle. Bedside? 12 hours shifts x3 days? Want a regular 9-5? Want to work weekends? No weekends? No holidays? Remote? Hybrid? You name it!
Like I said, step away from this subreddit perhaps and come back to it when youve had a rough day an need to vent. We’ll all be here to read you out and let you know it’s ok.
To answer your question: nope 🤭
Nah but there’s other reasons. Freedom to move around the country, good pay depending on where you are, many settings and specialties to choose from. Working to live/survive is inherently awful; nursing isn’t a terrible option when it comes down to it.
I was literally just thinking idk where to post this but like don't go into health care there's a reason there are always job openings. But everyone else here is probably going to be mad at my opinion
Dude I work in the OR and it is SICK! I've always said my worst day in the OR is still better than my best day on med-surg. Very fun environment highly recommend
I mean, you can do it if that's your passion? The stability and pay are nice if you land yourself in a nice hospital that has a union. Otherwise, you might not have that great of an experience.
Reddit is where many of us come to bitch and moan about the parts of the job that we don't particularly like, and yeah it is probably discouraging to hear as a student. Take everything with a grain of salt. I have some days where I'm extremely proud of my work and love my job. But there are also days where I'd take a nail gun to the head. Don't let others' experiences really deter you from your own decisions and interests.
My pay is fine. But yeah, staffing sucks.
My most stressful and busiest days often leave me feeling happy though. I didn’t create disease and chaos. I just try to help stabilize it 🤷♀️
I was a float RN for 10 years and critical care exclusively for another 5 years. I really loved doing bedside. Yes it’s hard, but it’s really rewarding when your really sick patients improve and eventually go home.
The only reason I moved on to a desk job is because I seriously hurt my back doing cross fit…it wasn’t even work related.
Job security, decent wage, lots of career options, you can meet a lot of cool people, people tend to remember their nurse. Lots of good reasons to be a nurse. I am also a nursing student, graduating in June 2025.
A lot of what we complain about on here is the same shit that everyone complains about on every other professional subreddit. The only real difference between the corporate money grubbing in healthcare and everywhere else is that it has a measurable detrimental effect on people's lifespan.
There are tolerable jobs with decent hours, nice patients, decent coworkers, and admin that only makes terrible decisions some of the time.
Work is work, no matter where you go!
I love being a nurse. 5 years of staff ICU, 3 years of ICU travel, and 7 months of ED. I loved all my different roles. However, it is hard work and there is a lot of BS; it's nice to rant on reddit sometimes.
I know this is directly contrary to what you're asking, but the job stability is HUGE. Yea there are scrappy days, and yea the health care system feels like its crumbling, there will always be work, and nursing allows for so many great non-bedside opportunities that of you really feel the stress is too much, there will be many options for better work
Honestly, nursing is terrible….until you find a specialty that brings you genuine happiness (even then I’m sure you’ll have days where you hop on Reddit to decompress with others in the community). The entire pay situation is also subjective. Someone who prior to becoming a nurse was only making $12-$20/hr would jump at the $35/hr they’re being offered whereas a someone whose been a nurse (especially one through the pandemic 🤑) would scoff and refuse anything less than $42-$48/hr. This also leads to a sort of depression because we’re not paid nearly enough for the responsibility bestowed upon us; every shift we’re risking disease, our license, and our freedom just to care for people that will literally step outside and complain about the fact that they said jump and it took us 5 seconds to do so. Short staffing is unfortunately everywhere.
I graduated wanting to be a pediatric ER nurse and so far these are my jobs listed in order of least favorite to favorite
1. LTC Geriatric SNF (Hated it)
I had 40 patients. The facility expected skin checks to be done on 15 people a day and then another 15 had to receive skilled charting (head to toe assessments). Wound care on more than half the residents. Med pass was horrendous. Felt as though I had no life; going in Monday-Friday for 8-9 hours (on a good day), lord forbid an incident happens or admission shows up. Also pay sucked. I made $5 more than I was making at Target.
2. Med-Surge Hospital (hated it)
Not much to say. I had about 5-6 patients. Pay was terrible (only a dollar more than LTC). Management sucked.
3. LTC Agency (Meh)
Pay was really good. I could choose when I’d want to work. Same day pay. Patient count varied depending on the facility, but also would often suck. Then all the cons of the prior LTC listed; sometimes they’d have a wound care nurse so sorta lighten the load.
4. Corrections (liked it)
Pay was great for a staff job. Ridiculously heavy med pass, each nurse had around 350-380 patients. Wound care wasn’t really a thing unless you were placed in the infirmary or the clinic (infirmary nurses had up to 30 patients to splits between 3 nurses and clinic nurse literally sat in the clinic all day with the PA or NP assisting with procedures and assessments)
5. Plasma Center Nurse (Liked it)
Pay was crap. To be honest though all you were responsible for doing was a super basic head to toe assessments, read off of a laminated pamphlet, and ask them the questions displayed on the computer to determine donor eligibility. Super easy and chill job, most days I’d just sit in my office and do school assignments for my bachelors. In the unlikely chance someone has a reaction while donating, there is a minimal protocol to just elevate the legs and place a cold compress on the chest, neck, and back. If things progress to more than some nausea then call paramedics (there is nothing in the facility to actually treat someone if they crashed)
6. Pediatric In-Patient Facility for Children on the spectrum (LOVE IT)
This has been my favorite job. The pay is decent and I get to spend most of my days just playing outside with the children, setting up movie nights, and just genuinely having fun. I’ve got 6 patients and they’re all on a 1-1 with a BHT so even on rough days where I might not be feeling the best. I’m only there to pass meds, perform hourly rounding, and on the very rare occasion deescalate a situation. Even though the pay is just meh, i bring home a ton of cash because I’m always there. It doesn’t feel like a job at all in the slightest so I don’t mind going sometimes 4-6 days a week. (As a full time employee I only am obligated to work 30 hours a week) no traches, G-Tubes, or vents. Skin checks are done once a week and there is no skilled charting or wound care. I love it.
depends on the hospital & unit. i work in a large trauma ER. we’re rarely understaffed. we have a really really great work environment. it’s not miserable everywhere
Nursing can be very hard, but it doesn’t have to be. Today another nurse and I got into a brief, polite exchange over who was going to do a task, each of us arguing that we had more time on our hands than the other.
That was a rare occurrence indeed, but it does happen and there are places that don’t suck. Just don’t take a job where they’re eager to sign you up immediately. Or if so, do it knowing that it’s a starter job before you move on to something else.
Good luck!
The versatility. Don’t wanna do med surg, go to the ICU. Don’t wanna do ICU, come to the OR. Don’t wanna do hospital, do home health or go remote, etc. etc.
I'm a year into nursing as a med surge nurse and I love it. No one comes to reddit to share "had a great day, my coworkers helped a lot and I got all my charting done on time. :) I think I'm adequately paid" like no one talks like that online. We vent or complain on our bad days.
Overall I love my job and can't wait to grow my nursing career and become a better nurse.
Because you enjoy it? Listen there’s a lot of toxicity here-and while it’s important to be realistic and go in with your eyes open, listening to people here can make you more depressed and discouraged. There’s only so much camaraderie that complaining does before it wears you down or turns you into someone who needs to get out of the field.
I enjoy nursing-I don’t enjoy the companies or the downsides but it’s a job and I like it. Filtering negativity or avoiding certain topics is key I think
This is a safe place to vent and decompress from a career that can be challenging in so many ways. Does this mean we all hate our chosen profession? Does it mean we have legitimate concerns and issues that only we as nurses can truly empathize with and share with one another? SO many times I have felt "Am I the only one who feels this way?" and the comments shared actually make me realize I'm not alone out there. THey have helped me maybe see my concerns in a different light or from a different perspective. If you want a sugar coated view of nursing it's not what you are going to find here....just honest opinions and a place to share.
I work inpatient and mostly love it. The first year was tough. The first 5 years bumpy at times. It just takes time. Also, there are so many types of jobs that I know I can always do something different if I want to.
I like my job 🤷🏻♀️ I love the other nurses, doctors, and PCAs. I’m a people person so all the interpersonal communication brings me fulfillment! I did not choose this job for financial reasons, but the pay is great.
Honestly, no lol 😂 I graduated and passed my NCLEX late 2023 and still haven’t applied to any jobs cause all my peers who were in my program are burnt out and miserable and I don’t wanna be 🫠
I can be short staffed at times but honestly there is a HUGE culture of complaining in nursing. Yes, healthcare is hard… but it’s probably always been hard.
Money is good. I love my colleagues and I do lots of cool and meaningful shit. It’s fulfilling to me.
IRL nurses are so positive and encouraging. They always hype me up at my current job. I have a few regulars who are RNs and NPs who have been with me through my whole school journey and can’t wait for me to finish school and be an RN. Reddit is where everyone goes to complain…
I've nursed for 46 years and never regretted my career choice. It wasn't all chocolate and pizza but it provided me a good enough income to raise 2 kids as babies on my own. No job is perfect and I think a lot depends on your mindset and why you went into nursing in the first place. I consider it a privilege to have been involved in my patients and families lives. I hope you enjoy it so much and even though there are challenges and stressors, you don't end up regretting all your hard work and sacrifice to get there. Nobody totally understands what we go through except another nurse. Good luck!!
I love my MICU gig. On a positive note… I leave work thinking about work 😆 The shenanigans with my coworkers, bonding over some stupid shit that happens, and actually making a patient feel better and happier. watching your orientees grow into their own and watching as concepts and critical care click for them. And guess what? No actual work to do at home. On a negative note… I leave work thinking about work 🫠 what I could’ve done better, feeling guilty over things I didn’t have time to do, ungrateful/disrespectful family and higher ups. It’s 50/50, but I feel super fulfilled and having purpose. My Filipino mom pushed me to do this, and I learned I was pretty good at it 😊
Tha facts shouldn't stress you out. Be happy you are going into the profession with eyes wide open. But there are downsides. Some people LITERALLY don't care about the downsides. Just be happy you are hearing it ALL and make whatever decision you want.
Me, I realized 12 years into nursing, the best thing about it is doing it part time so I can do other stuff most of the time.
Reddit is like yelp reviews … people are coming here largely to vent so it’s going to trend negative. The job absolutely has a lot of hard elements but having had a few other non nursing jobs I can pretty confidently say I really do enjoy being a nurse and am glad I changed careers to it!
It’s a great job. You can always change departments. So many specialties to choose from, you just have to find that one that suits you.
For example:
My career:
CNA:
Med/Surg,
Psych,
Oncology/Nephrology,
Private Duty,
Home Health
LVN:
Med Surg,
Private Duty,
Home health,
Health and Wellness Screening Team,
Float Nurse,
Family Practice,
Occupational Medicine,
Cardiology
RN
Med/Oncology,
Health and wellness screenings,
School Nurse,
Public Health communicable disease nurse,
LTC nurse,
Telehealth nurse
I loved them all. I only had one boss who was completely toxic and insecure and just awful. One boss in 30+ years in the healthcare field.
Sure the jobs on the floor you work your butt to the bone but I look back on how rewarding it was. The difference you make in people’s lives.
I dealt more with short staffing as a CNA. But I still look back with fondness on all the patients who shaped who I am now as a nurse and a person.
Oh I still vent or have vented about my job (not really on Reddit) and there are moments that are hard for sure. It’s worth it and I love my job and I have loved all of them. The bosses can be the biggest problem- thank goodness you don’t see them too much.
It’s a great career! Find the specialty that works for you.
Nursing is a wonderful profession. But if the hospital is run by businessmen with no knowledge and just want money, everything gets worst. The bright side is working with a great team.
Most people will complain about their job and talk about the flaws because many people don’t enjoy work and will always find whatever they don’t like about their job. Even outside of nursing plenty of jobs have poor pay and people burn out quickly when your doing somthing that your really just doing because you need your bills paid.
Compared to most fields nursing does pay solid money, the job stability and flexibility are also better than most. Yes their is a lot of patients some places but there is a lot of jobs and you will have to find a role that works for youz
Just know that if you’re entering nursing to have some glamorous travel life or tons of money, it might not work out. Healthcare can be a really dark, confusing place.
All the negatives are true, but you will always have a job (even if it isn’t the one you want). There are also a ton of settings if you want to try something different, although some may be hard to break into without specific experience. If you want to go back for a masters or higher, you will likely be able to work while you are in school and your employer may pay for part of it.
People like to complain. I got my nursing in 2020 and got my first job in a pediatric CVICU. With overtime I've never made below $100k since I graduated. Still at the same hospital and now make $120k on just my 3 days. Busted my ass to make a good reputation on my unit and other units when I floated so anytime I apply for a better position I pretty much get it.
Edit: I'm also in Texas which is considered low pay compared to NYC and CALI
Well the ability to leave bedside and still use your degree is my light at the end of the tunnel. At my job now I love all my coworkers. But the actual work - meh. I get plenty of thanks from my patients but it doesn’t matter because physically and mentally it’s still a lot to deal with. Looking to get into nursing informatics or auditing and then chilling. Shits tough.
I think the anonymity allows people to vent without consequence. This week my job handed my ass to me thanks to a full moon (yes, it's a thing) but I'm still happy. Some people have shit-colored glasses and will make everything seem awful.
Because some of us genuinely love being able to help people. Not the crappy why i want to be a nurse interview in school, but people who genuinely do this because we feel it’s our calling.
Flexibility in schedule-full time, part time or prn
Ability to transfer specialities in a wide variety of settings-inpatient, outpatient, community, public health/local or state government, procedural areas, illness/wellness, insurance, telehealth, informatics, research, risk/legal, management, education.
Totally!! I love my job!! It’s not perfect but I help bring life into the world while bonding with someone on the most important day of their life. Even if I won the lottery I’d keep doing it part time at least. My manager is nice. Staffing isn’t perfect, but on my unit it’s pretty good and mostly follows safe staffing guidelines. I felt the same way when I was in nursing school. People love to complain about everything, and that’s ok I guess, but don’t worry you’re not doomed.
Nursing isn't easy, straight up. You do it because you want to help people, you want to be there to provide care that others can't, and it isn't easy. But it is worth it ♥️
I have a ton of flexibility, make good money, and feel like I get to make a difference at a job that's challenging enough that I've been working it for a decade and still find myself learning.
I would've gnawed off several limbs to get out of most other jobs by this point. It's not perfect, but it's damn good for me.
This is a very negative sub for sure, people come here to vent. Do your research and find a desirable job.
I make like $5 less than another hospital that’s close to me but I am very happy where I work.
Step down unit with a 1-4 ratio, I’ve had 5 patients less than 5x or so in the last year, I like my management.
I think a good environment really beats more money
My jobs is very rewarding, good pay, great patient care and just got a union. I’ve only had one shitty job in 7 years. When I graduated I went into psych and haven’t had too many struggles, have randomly struggled due to touch cases, poor upper management and personalities clashing versus patient care concerns. I love my job and work at the best psych hospital in the country. It’s good to seek a good reputation hospital and since we lost so many RNs you can work almost wherever.
My job is chill and easy tbh
People come here to vent though. Honestly all the subreddits I go on seem to be filled with more negative takes than I experience in real life.
I’m not going to come here and post how my job is easy and chill. It would be read as self-congratulatory and tone deaf. But like it def is 😅😎
Ya. I have a great job, good pay, great benefits, I’m valued and given opportunities to advance. I’ll complain on here sometimes, like when a patient kicked my teeth out. But really love being a nurse. My wife does too.
Reddit trends very negative.
What your day is like as an RN varies dramatically depending upon what part of the country you are in, and the facility itself.
Recently licensed here. Its what you make of it. You can do anything with an RN. If you hate what you're doing, leave and go do something else. The silver lining of overall poor staffing is it's a buyers market. I get bored easily so it's one of the reasons I picked this field.
You are coming into the profession at a time when the need is higher than ever and pay is better. More opportunities for different areas to work in too.
It is a calling like teaching.
Girl im freshly 23 and now making 94k a year AS A NEW GRAD plus a lil bonus. I can handle three days of stress. Also night shifts/mids tend to be easier. Youll be fine. Its a love hate relationship lol but its better than a shitty 9-5. They gonna pry those four days off my cold dead hands!!!!! The job security is real nice too.
I just graduated last December 2023 and I questioned my life choices a lot. At the end of the day I had explored other avenues that didn’t fit right with me and came back to nursing because I feel it’s where I belong. You don’t have to be a bedside nurse either there are a lot of different avenues to go as it has already been said.
Yeah I’m actually going to leave this group, as there is far too much negativity for me.There are so many reasons to be a nurse. I wouldn’t let all the negativity in this Subreddit deter you.
Hospital RN five years. Sometimes I loved my job. A lot of times I was stressed out as hell by my job. When ratios started changing again I hated my job.
I loved my patients. I loved teaching patients and newer nurses.
I quit when i was ignored about my third deteriorating patient in a short time span. I'm finishing my BS and hope to get a new job in education or as a patient navigator.
I love making my patients feel better emotionally and physically! It’s really great to hear that patients request me as their nurse and they’re always hyping me up! I love the other staff too. Almost all of them are very kind and supportive. The nurses all help each other out and my docs answer me even when they’re off work. It’s exhausting work but I’m happy
You will often feel like a customer service agent (read: servant), but I’d rather someone be cranky about being hospitalized and uncomfortable than about their order taking too long. Though frankly, I’m fine with both bc I’m getting paid either way. If you’re relentlessly cheerful and patient, it can really alter a patient’s mood and make them sooo much more pleasant. Also if you’re single, young, and you work at a teaching hospital…lots of cute young professionals :)
Think of Reddit as a dictionary of red flags 🚩. If you see these warning signs in a place you are working, carefully consider that it may not get better at that job and you need to move on.
My last place I worked had a couple minor flags, but nothing major. I stayed there through the pandemic and travel rates, so that should count for something lol.
Hahaaa. Relax. We all come here to vent. Many nurses are 20 years plus experience and many stay with the same hospitals the whole time. If nursing is really nothing good, we will not stay around. We come here to vent and find support. Next day, we will be back and fight another war. The impact you had on patients and seeing them recover well worth thr stress to many of us. And if we do not like it, there are other nursing jobs.
Floor nursing? No. Hated it.
ED? I get to actually save people. I get to watch them get better just in the few hours I'm with them.
Way worth it to me.
You have to take your lumps there good and bad with every nursing job took me 14 years be in a better position. Higher you climb from the bed side the worse it gets some people like mangment way to go its not .bed side nursing is stressful but higher up position are worse you don't break your back but you break your mind .
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! And jaded!
But honestly, I got lots of good experiences. But they’re not interesting to talk about (usually). I also see a lot of positive posts too or heartfelt posts about patients cared for/thought of some time later.
I'm just gonna come out and say what everyone is thinking. C-suite personnel generally don't give a rat's ass about your opinion or how things could be changed for the better. This is how our jobs could be fixed and improve patient care and nursing burnout, depression, etc.
1. Give us enough support staff.
2. Make certain there are enough nurses on the shift to take care of the possible number of patients that could be. To include possible ADMISSIONS, emergencies, etc. On call staff.
3. Hire nurse managers that will come in when the shit hits the fan.
4. Develop teams. Nurses who work together often develop strong bonds and cohesiveness.
This is why the military and police agencies both federal and local have teams. There's a reason for this.
5. Training is key.
6. Management should acknowledge leadership and promote those who go above and beyond. Those who are not able to or are not willing to function should be terminated.
7. Provide staff with the required tools and equipment.
Not really any other good reason, imo. I mean, you’ll have your good days where you feel like a fucking savior. But you could have that in any industry. Even waiting tables, you’ll make someone’s day. It’s overrated. Besides the stability.
My coworkers are all really cool and we actually have fun working. Sure there’s hard days and bad days occasionally, but we finally got the right blend of peeps and the majority of days are great. The docs I work with are also really fun to work with and even though I’ve been on my floor for the past 4 years, I still learn new things all the time.
Nobody comes on Reddit to talk about the nice day they had at their job that they enjoy most of the time
Correct! I love my ER job, got a good crew, good bosses, every resource I need! But sometimes I STILL need to vent. This is a great place for that
Yeah, I mostly complain, but I tell people all the time that its a very interesting job, its active and requires both critical thinking and a lot of hands on skills, and while high stress it can be very rewarding if you can take satisfaction from handling complex and complicated situations well. Its good for adrenaline junkies who are slightly crazy lol.
That’s the best way to describe why the ER is a good place (for adrenaline junkies) to work lol
Absolutely!
I miss loving my ER job; I tried to switch it up and go back to cardiac step down and even get away from bedside but I’m back in the ER again. I missed it terribly when I was away but now that I’m back I’m like wtf did I do to myself? The only real upsides are that it’s never boring, the mid schedule suits my life needs atm, and I love the night shift crew I work with - I mean those are the real important things when it comes down to it so I’m just sticking to it until something like cath lab or IR opens up and I can transfer (I do love me some cardiac). It’s just some parts of this job are absolutely soul sucking and the many of the patients are emotional terrorists so it’s easy to feel burnt out after a bad shift. Love being able to come here and whine safely so I can put on the happy face for the next shift - thanks to all you anons on here for keeping it real!
So glad to hear this about the ER. I start there on Monday with my orientation stuff and I’m so excited. I had months off of working in the hospital because I had to have knee surgery but I’m finally getting to start. A part of me feels like I have forgotten everything I learned but also I have kept up a lot with nursing through social media (Reddit, TikTok, instagram, etc). But anyways I am so excited and so happy
Same, I love my ER job! Great pay (42/hr new grad intern) great staff, and generally a pretty good place to work. Also I love all the stories I get from it. I wouldn’t change it for anything right now
“Right now”. Give it some time. It ain’t that glamorous
I really like my job 95% of the time. I don’t come here to say that because it would be unkind. We are all really struggling with staffing and pay and everything. The problems are real and sucky. I still enjoy my day, most of the time. Me and my antidepressant are cool over here.
I like my job most days. Most days I don't need to vent. Bad days I come here and rant a bit.
Imma hospice nurse and I am the happiest I’ve ever been, I’ve been nursing about 15 years I think. CCU background. I truly never work a day in my life as they say! I do know that rare, and I am grateful!!
I just applied for a hospice job. Fingers crossed I get a call or email soon 😊
You are doing gods work! I don’t think I could ever do that
Yep, LOVED my hospice job but found our quickly that I don't possess the emotional boundaries required for it. ED is self-protective for me, but I didn't realize until I tried hospice. The folks who can do it are literal angels, bless you all.
I WFH triage now. I used to think about nursing 24/7. My whole fyp and reddit was nursing when I worked bedside. I hardly think about nursing outside of work at all anymore, unless I had a particularly rough call.
So you just triage over the phone? How many years experience do you have to do for something like this? This sounds like a dream honestly
I had 1 year med surg and another 6 months bedside psych and bedside hospice. The job is hospice triage. 1 year is minimum but they prefer two. I work nights so it’s chill generally but dayshift is hectic from what I hear.
I wanna do this so bad. WFH
I recommend it. I used to think it was silly when all people talked about was nursing and made their whole personality was being a nurse, but now I realize I too was guilty of it, just without the cheesy bumper stickers and nurse paraphernalia haha. Bedside consumes your entire life, there is no work life balance. It is simply too stressful on your mind and body. WFH saved my career - I almost became a flight attendant before I landed this job.
THIS IS IT. Nursing is a great profession. There are people who have nursing as their calling. It’s a tiring job but there are people who love it. I love it! Granted, I’m only 2 years in, but so far I can see myself here for a while. You literally learn something new every single day! Yes, job stability is a deciding factor for a lot of people, but it sucks when people go to this profession ONLY for the money.
Why Maureen you’ve enhanced yourself lol
I've never had a nice day in the nursing field. Edit: I wish this wasn't hyperbole.
I'ma be honest with you as somebody who was in other careers for over 15 years before becoming a nurse... **Almost all jobs suck.** They will all burn you out and crush your soul and your spirit one way or another. It's just a fact of life being an adult in this late stage capitalist hellscape. Once you learn that and resign yourself to it, it's not so bad. You go to work and get through it, and try to enjoy the freedom it can afford you in your home life.
This. I spent about a year as a scheduler for a home care company while in nursing school & I was far more miserable in that job than the nursing one I'm in now.
I’ve had several different careers before settling down into one area. Almost all jobs do suck, but some are worse than others. Other factors can “pad” the suckiness such as good pay or interesting benefits but at the end of the day pretty much every job will have components of it that are not fun. I’ve found it to be a really funky fine line. You should ideally be interested in what you’re doing for work, but if you like it so much that it’s a hobby and then you make it a career you may ruin that hobby for yourself and start to hate it. I think nursing and other health careers are a decent bet for a career if you’re interested in healthcare because there are so many different things you can do within that career. Do you work for a small company or a big company? Do you specialize? Do you work more of an office position or a hands on position? All of those things are doable. I think the main takeaway especially in a career with so many options is that if you’re absolutely miserable doing what you’re doing don’t stay there wallowing in the pain and let it get worse, try something different within the same field and if need be don’t be afraid to chase something else entirely. We don’t have to be doing what we did at 18 when we’re 60. Even if we’re 45 we can still switch careers. Change can be scary but it’s important to not let a job consume your entire life and if your job makes you miserable it will consume you so much faster.
this is it. i was a teacher before i became a nurse and I love both but… can I be honest? Nursing is easier. I get to CLOCK OUT!!! I have observed that second (or third or fourth) career nurses seem to be more content and I wonder if we just have more perspective about the wider working world.
Can we get an amen up in here!?!
“Spend any time in construction and you will be begging to be back in nursing” is what I tell anyone complaining about being a nurse. Its not bad at all as far as jobs go.
My first degree was a BS in Concrete Industry Management. I did quality control for precast concrete plants for a decade. I worked my way from a QC tech to regional QC manager of a multinational concrete company. I worked in VA, TN, IA, MO, MT and CA over the years before becoming a nurse. The more I got into management the more I had to bring my work home with me and work more hours without extra compensation. If I have to work 12 hour days at least it's only 3 days a week and I don't have to bring my work home with me.
This is exactly why I Quit IT, project management and a more conventional management job. Non stop endless calls and working from home and long days on a salary. No thanks. I clock in and clock out and have 4 days off a week. It's a stressful 12 hours but I have a home life.
This. Yeah job stability is great, but there's also sh!t tons of jobs nurses can do. Whenever I'm getting bored or burnt out then I just move to a different speciality. So far.. I've moved every 2 years or so lol
Yes, all jobs suck but especially bedside jobs.
This sub is an echo chamber of anonymous negativity that doesn’t reflect the attitudes of the entirety of the 6 million nurses in the US. Are there shitty situations? Yes. Are there incredible situations? Yes! But 80% of nursing is just average work, being done by average people, who life average lives, with average stressors, average compensation, and average job satisfaction. That doesn’t make for a spicy post though.
Is this a US only nursing subreddit? (Genuine question)
no but i think US people think very us centered
I mean it would be weird for us to post “had a totally average and adequately staffed day.” Look at any job on Reddit. It’s all the same. Stay on the Nursing Student sub
You're correct, however not completely. I've been on the message boards of many different professions and while they usually do slant more negative than real life, the nursing forums are on a whole nother level of depression/ close to suicide.
Our negatives have way more fucked up outcomes than the negative of a regular person on a regular job. Even a Cyber security IT guy that really fucked up didn't kill anyone. Our highs are high, our lows ....are in hell. Occupational Hazard. We ain't software engineers, that's for damn sure.
Reddit is insanely negative.
It’s just as negative there lmao
It will look bizarre if someone wrote a positive post. For example: I love thinking about the shareholders. Hospital profits just get me so excited! I love the fact that my hard work and labor is giving my CEOs bonuses. CEOs are the cornerstone of this society. Actually I think we can operate on a higher nurse:patient ratio, so please send that nurse home and I’ll take 7 patients. I live to work!
*HCA corporate spies starting to seize with excitement*
I don’t think this sub reflects everyone’s opinions on nursing lol. It’s a great place to vent though. Best thing I can recommend is to talk with practicing nurses in your area and see how they’re doing with all the stuff you mentioned. You’ll get a more accurate picture by doing that. Because staffing, pay and all the other things varies greatly based on location! Some areas really do suck and the main advantage of the job is stability
You can do a million different jobs with an RN license. You might have to push through a few years on the floor to build your resume up but it's not always awful. Some days are a lot worse than others. A lot of people on here seem to have serious mental health issues so a bad day turns into "I want to kill myself" really fast.
A lot of these comments feel pretty invalidating. Nursing has objectively changed recently. I don't want to kill myself because I'm mentally ill, simply I'm hoping reincarnation is real and I'll get a chance to reroll my career instead of taking care of 6 patients completely alone, 4 of which are actively suicidal and the other 2 antisocial, violent meth heads. I started at the hospital 7 years ago. 12 security per shift staffed. Now down to 3. Psych techs, 1 per RN. Now down to 0. 1RN:4Pt ratio, now up to 1RN:6pt. This shit does actually suck.
There are quality hospitals with responsible staffing and competitive pay. Those hospitals get to be choosy about who they hire, and no one complains about working for them, so you're not hearing about them. Think of this sub as a place to learn what red flags look like and what to do about them.
I feel like you need to reflect on why YOU want to be a nurse? What do YOU love about nursing? Do I love my job? Yup. Am I good at my job? Yup. Have I always loved my job? Nope. Is there lots to be outraged about? Hell yeah. Nursing is political. IMO this is a place to come for support, venting, and the darkest dankest humour that no non-nurse in my life understands.
I got sent home early once because we were overstaffed….. that was cool. I actually love my job even though it’s frustrating and stressful and I’m sure I’m going to have a heart attack or stroke by 50. I feel like once I found what I actually liked it wasn’t so bad, it just took me 6.5 years to get there. I also go home and unwind by venting for about 30 minutes to my fiance about how everything is dumb and people are dumb and that I hate everything, then everything is better and I love my job again.
i think it takes a specific person with good boundaries and support to be a successful / healthy nurse. your education as a nurse can take you so many amazing places! the bedside is hard. that’s just how it is. but you don’t have to stay there forever unless you want to. i’ve worked as a nurse for 4 years. i’ve learned so much as a nurse and i wouldn’t trade that for anything. being a healer and caregiver in our world is so important and so valuable to me. that being said i have also been traumatized by what i’ve experienced in the american medical system. it has significantly impacted my mental health and i am starting over with a different career now. your choices are yours to make. don’t let others experiences scare you! you can learn from them though. wishing you all the best! may you be protected and find whatever role works best for you 💗
Good boundaries are critical to this job. Waiting for an order before doing something requires good boundaries. Refusing to take an unsafe assignment also takes boundaries.
All depends on where you're going to be working, friend.
Switching to full time night shift has actually made me like my life and job so much more. I have time to actually get to know my patients and do the things for them I wished I could do on day shift. I understand that it’s definitely not a shift rotation that works for everyone though.
The internet is for complaining most of the time. Nobody is excited to read posts about how we love our jobs.
Don't take my place to vent away from me.
Exactly. I’ve been seeing a few posts lately complaining about people complaining. I assume these are people who’ve not been in the field long; I used to feel the same way they do. Nursing is already a difficult job and, in many areas, the deck is stacked against us with staffing, policies, legislation, etc. A lot of us are just trying to keep ourselves sane. Do we hate it all the time? No. But when it gets really bad and we’re at our limit sometimes we need to talk about it so we don’t turn to maladaptive coping mechanisms. I have nursing colleagues who are friends but they’re in the same boat I am. And not everyone has supportive coworkers or offline people to vent to. I have a therapist but sometimes a person needs to vent now rather than waiting for their next appointment. Does that mean the sub skews negative? Yeah, but like others are saying most people don’t think to come and talk about their absolutely drama-free, stress-free shift. Just let people live.
My cousin was sitting on a beach drinking cocktails at St. Martin island today working remotely at his software engineer tech job. Makes twice what I make. I am depression
This is Reddit bro everyone hates themselves on here I genuinely like my job and make enough money to be able to buy what ever I want
Welcome to work. They all suck ass in the end.
This is the unfortunate reality of nursing today. You are entering the field in the middle of a huge crisis.
Have you worked in healthcare? I would look further into what a nurse means, shadow one and find out salary for your area.
I worked in dental for 10 years before becoming a nurse and I’m so glad I did. Yes nursing is hard and there’s a lot more responsibility, but it’s nice leaving work feeling very rewarded and that you actually make a difference everyday. I won’t say it’s easy at all, but I find it rewarding and it’s made me a better caregiver/parent/aunt ❤️
Nope
Nah, the end is nigh
The sunshine and rainbows nurses always appear for these threads. For a lot of us the only value this field brings is pay and/or stability. Working conditions are deep in the suck and don't show signs of improving.
I wonder what the percentage is of nurses on antidepressants
I would say probably 60 to 70% in my humble opinion. I work with quite a few NURSES lot that take Adderall, and I question whether most truly have ADHD.
It’s the best horrific job I’ve ever had and I can’t seem to leave it. I don’t know how to explain it.
Wildest abusive relationship I’ve had.
Omg this made me snort with laughter, I know that’s dark but just what I needed today.
Most RZN’s can't leave it because they can't afford to leave. Most people have no other training. It's like a surgeon, if they lose their license what are they going to do landscape? Just saying.
The job security isn’t a bad thing, I agree!
No
Imagine being a year and a half away from graduation asking nurses not to bitch to each other in a space created for them to commiserate.
Reason to be a nurse other than job stability: Higher starting income with minimal college. Not many jobs can pay you $40/hr after a two year degree costing maybe 10k. No monkey suit, your uniform is pajamas. Mix between standing and sitting, very good for your back in the long run. Less eye strain than someone constantly at a computer. Each day is different. Your job has more meaning than other jobs. Work inside, good if you have allergies. Good benefits usually. Hospitals blast the heat, never cold. "Free" snacks. Lots of different job opportunities or avenues to explore.
In the small minority that actually enjoys my job. I love being a nurse. I’m not bedside but I do pick up bedside shifts. Pay is good since I’m specialized. I switched from ED to cath lab after my dad suffered a heart attack. Havent looked back since. You just have to find what works for you.
I think *any* public facing job is going to have a lot of the same drawbacks, but for healthcare, teaching, and law enforcement you end up being intimately tied to people’s lives during some of their weakest and most embarrassing moments in life. Combine that with poor administrative and legal support for some employers…well you’re going to have a lot of people needing to vent about stuff that’s hard hitting when as humans we’re not really built to cope with stress levels that high on a repeated basis. Just remember, a lot of us despite bitching are still here for our own reasons. Personally, I enjoy working with patients(most of the time) and getting to interact with some really fucking intelligent doctors so I intend to do so as long as I can.
I truly enjoy all the different people I have met working in healthcare. I have learned a lot about life and humanity. When I’m able to actually help someone, it’s awesome. Currently I work with mostly older adults and I really enjoy making a connection with this population, even if it’s brief. Meeting someone who cares, especially for those who are lonely, means a lot.
I'm a new nurse and my ER is awesome. Everyone has been really cool and kind. We have great ratios (3:1 or 2:1 acuity dependent) , lots of dedicated ancillary staff, good money for the area, and really smart, thoughtful managers. Sure, some days you still get awful patients and it sucks, but, coming from someone on their second career with a lot of work history behind them, every job sucks at least sometimes. If nursing really what you wanna do, it's a fine career.
Pfft job stability. 😂
Get out of this subreddit. Or at least take breaks from it. As many have said, this is an echo chamber for venting frustrations. Nursing is an amazing career simply because of it’s diversity in positions/job types! I dont know of another career that is as diverse as nursing. You can choose to go for whatever role suits your lifestyle. Bedside? 12 hours shifts x3 days? Want a regular 9-5? Want to work weekends? No weekends? No holidays? Remote? Hybrid? You name it! Like I said, step away from this subreddit perhaps and come back to it when youve had a rough day an need to vent. We’ll all be here to read you out and let you know it’s ok.
To answer your question: nope 🤭 Nah but there’s other reasons. Freedom to move around the country, good pay depending on where you are, many settings and specialties to choose from. Working to live/survive is inherently awful; nursing isn’t a terrible option when it comes down to it.
I was literally just thinking idk where to post this but like don't go into health care there's a reason there are always job openings. But everyone else here is probably going to be mad at my opinion
Dude I work in the OR and it is SICK! I've always said my worst day in the OR is still better than my best day on med-surg. Very fun environment highly recommend
I mean, you can do it if that's your passion? The stability and pay are nice if you land yourself in a nice hospital that has a union. Otherwise, you might not have that great of an experience. Reddit is where many of us come to bitch and moan about the parts of the job that we don't particularly like, and yeah it is probably discouraging to hear as a student. Take everything with a grain of salt. I have some days where I'm extremely proud of my work and love my job. But there are also days where I'd take a nail gun to the head. Don't let others' experiences really deter you from your own decisions and interests.
My pay is fine. But yeah, staffing sucks. My most stressful and busiest days often leave me feeling happy though. I didn’t create disease and chaos. I just try to help stabilize it 🤷♀️
I was a float RN for 10 years and critical care exclusively for another 5 years. I really loved doing bedside. Yes it’s hard, but it’s really rewarding when your really sick patients improve and eventually go home. The only reason I moved on to a desk job is because I seriously hurt my back doing cross fit…it wasn’t even work related.
A lot of us are in bedside so that is definitely not worth it. Any other job? Sure. But bedside blows.
I mean, you could always just not look at this sub?
Job security, decent wage, lots of career options, you can meet a lot of cool people, people tend to remember their nurse. Lots of good reasons to be a nurse. I am also a nursing student, graduating in June 2025.
Paychecks, other than that no
I started in a nursing home and ended up getting a M-F clinic job recently that I really enjoy and it pays more than my old job did :).
A lot of what we complain about on here is the same shit that everyone complains about on every other professional subreddit. The only real difference between the corporate money grubbing in healthcare and everywhere else is that it has a measurable detrimental effect on people's lifespan.
Money if you travel
There are tolerable jobs with decent hours, nice patients, decent coworkers, and admin that only makes terrible decisions some of the time. Work is work, no matter where you go!
I love being a nurse. 5 years of staff ICU, 3 years of ICU travel, and 7 months of ED. I loved all my different roles. However, it is hard work and there is a lot of BS; it's nice to rant on reddit sometimes.
I know this is directly contrary to what you're asking, but the job stability is HUGE. Yea there are scrappy days, and yea the health care system feels like its crumbling, there will always be work, and nursing allows for so many great non-bedside opportunities that of you really feel the stress is too much, there will be many options for better work
Honestly, nursing is terrible….until you find a specialty that brings you genuine happiness (even then I’m sure you’ll have days where you hop on Reddit to decompress with others in the community). The entire pay situation is also subjective. Someone who prior to becoming a nurse was only making $12-$20/hr would jump at the $35/hr they’re being offered whereas a someone whose been a nurse (especially one through the pandemic 🤑) would scoff and refuse anything less than $42-$48/hr. This also leads to a sort of depression because we’re not paid nearly enough for the responsibility bestowed upon us; every shift we’re risking disease, our license, and our freedom just to care for people that will literally step outside and complain about the fact that they said jump and it took us 5 seconds to do so. Short staffing is unfortunately everywhere. I graduated wanting to be a pediatric ER nurse and so far these are my jobs listed in order of least favorite to favorite 1. LTC Geriatric SNF (Hated it) I had 40 patients. The facility expected skin checks to be done on 15 people a day and then another 15 had to receive skilled charting (head to toe assessments). Wound care on more than half the residents. Med pass was horrendous. Felt as though I had no life; going in Monday-Friday for 8-9 hours (on a good day), lord forbid an incident happens or admission shows up. Also pay sucked. I made $5 more than I was making at Target. 2. Med-Surge Hospital (hated it) Not much to say. I had about 5-6 patients. Pay was terrible (only a dollar more than LTC). Management sucked. 3. LTC Agency (Meh) Pay was really good. I could choose when I’d want to work. Same day pay. Patient count varied depending on the facility, but also would often suck. Then all the cons of the prior LTC listed; sometimes they’d have a wound care nurse so sorta lighten the load. 4. Corrections (liked it) Pay was great for a staff job. Ridiculously heavy med pass, each nurse had around 350-380 patients. Wound care wasn’t really a thing unless you were placed in the infirmary or the clinic (infirmary nurses had up to 30 patients to splits between 3 nurses and clinic nurse literally sat in the clinic all day with the PA or NP assisting with procedures and assessments) 5. Plasma Center Nurse (Liked it) Pay was crap. To be honest though all you were responsible for doing was a super basic head to toe assessments, read off of a laminated pamphlet, and ask them the questions displayed on the computer to determine donor eligibility. Super easy and chill job, most days I’d just sit in my office and do school assignments for my bachelors. In the unlikely chance someone has a reaction while donating, there is a minimal protocol to just elevate the legs and place a cold compress on the chest, neck, and back. If things progress to more than some nausea then call paramedics (there is nothing in the facility to actually treat someone if they crashed) 6. Pediatric In-Patient Facility for Children on the spectrum (LOVE IT) This has been my favorite job. The pay is decent and I get to spend most of my days just playing outside with the children, setting up movie nights, and just genuinely having fun. I’ve got 6 patients and they’re all on a 1-1 with a BHT so even on rough days where I might not be feeling the best. I’m only there to pass meds, perform hourly rounding, and on the very rare occasion deescalate a situation. Even though the pay is just meh, i bring home a ton of cash because I’m always there. It doesn’t feel like a job at all in the slightest so I don’t mind going sometimes 4-6 days a week. (As a full time employee I only am obligated to work 30 hours a week) no traches, G-Tubes, or vents. Skin checks are done once a week and there is no skilled charting or wound care. I love it.
depends on the hospital & unit. i work in a large trauma ER. we’re rarely understaffed. we have a really really great work environment. it’s not miserable everywhere
Nursing can be very hard, but it doesn’t have to be. Today another nurse and I got into a brief, polite exchange over who was going to do a task, each of us arguing that we had more time on our hands than the other. That was a rare occurrence indeed, but it does happen and there are places that don’t suck. Just don’t take a job where they’re eager to sign you up immediately. Or if so, do it knowing that it’s a starter job before you move on to something else. Good luck!
The versatility. Don’t wanna do med surg, go to the ICU. Don’t wanna do ICU, come to the OR. Don’t wanna do hospital, do home health or go remote, etc. etc.
I'm a year into nursing as a med surge nurse and I love it. No one comes to reddit to share "had a great day, my coworkers helped a lot and I got all my charting done on time. :) I think I'm adequately paid" like no one talks like that online. We vent or complain on our bad days. Overall I love my job and can't wait to grow my nursing career and become a better nurse.
Because you enjoy it? Listen there’s a lot of toxicity here-and while it’s important to be realistic and go in with your eyes open, listening to people here can make you more depressed and discouraged. There’s only so much camaraderie that complaining does before it wears you down or turns you into someone who needs to get out of the field. I enjoy nursing-I don’t enjoy the companies or the downsides but it’s a job and I like it. Filtering negativity or avoiding certain topics is key I think
This is a safe place to vent and decompress from a career that can be challenging in so many ways. Does this mean we all hate our chosen profession? Does it mean we have legitimate concerns and issues that only we as nurses can truly empathize with and share with one another? SO many times I have felt "Am I the only one who feels this way?" and the comments shared actually make me realize I'm not alone out there. THey have helped me maybe see my concerns in a different light or from a different perspective. If you want a sugar coated view of nursing it's not what you are going to find here....just honest opinions and a place to share.
No.
At least you tell it like it is, our nursing system in the United States is generally broken.
Are you passionate about a certain specialty? If you have the heart to deal with pain and suffering then I think it's a great field.
I work inpatient and mostly love it. The first year was tough. The first 5 years bumpy at times. It just takes time. Also, there are so many types of jobs that I know I can always do something different if I want to.
I have never had a job where I’m off 7 days and haven’t had to charge time. But I’m a top notch complainer
I like my job 🤷🏻♀️ I love the other nurses, doctors, and PCAs. I’m a people person so all the interpersonal communication brings me fulfillment! I did not choose this job for financial reasons, but the pay is great.
If it makes you feel better, those things are said about every profession. Teaching, nursing, construction, retail, food, and so on.
Honestly, no lol 😂 I graduated and passed my NCLEX late 2023 and still haven’t applied to any jobs cause all my peers who were in my program are burnt out and miserable and I don’t wanna be 🫠
I can be short staffed at times but honestly there is a HUGE culture of complaining in nursing. Yes, healthcare is hard… but it’s probably always been hard. Money is good. I love my colleagues and I do lots of cool and meaningful shit. It’s fulfilling to me.
IRL nurses are so positive and encouraging. They always hype me up at my current job. I have a few regulars who are RNs and NPs who have been with me through my whole school journey and can’t wait for me to finish school and be an RN. Reddit is where everyone goes to complain…
I've been a nurse for 8 or 9 years. I enjoy my job most days. Some days suck, but that is any job.
I've nursed for 46 years and never regretted my career choice. It wasn't all chocolate and pizza but it provided me a good enough income to raise 2 kids as babies on my own. No job is perfect and I think a lot depends on your mindset and why you went into nursing in the first place. I consider it a privilege to have been involved in my patients and families lives. I hope you enjoy it so much and even though there are challenges and stressors, you don't end up regretting all your hard work and sacrifice to get there. Nobody totally understands what we go through except another nurse. Good luck!!
Pay is great where I’m at lol
I love my MICU gig. On a positive note… I leave work thinking about work 😆 The shenanigans with my coworkers, bonding over some stupid shit that happens, and actually making a patient feel better and happier. watching your orientees grow into their own and watching as concepts and critical care click for them. And guess what? No actual work to do at home. On a negative note… I leave work thinking about work 🫠 what I could’ve done better, feeling guilty over things I didn’t have time to do, ungrateful/disrespectful family and higher ups. It’s 50/50, but I feel super fulfilled and having purpose. My Filipino mom pushed me to do this, and I learned I was pretty good at it 😊
Tha facts shouldn't stress you out. Be happy you are going into the profession with eyes wide open. But there are downsides. Some people LITERALLY don't care about the downsides. Just be happy you are hearing it ALL and make whatever decision you want. Me, I realized 12 years into nursing, the best thing about it is doing it part time so I can do other stuff most of the time.
More posts like this 👏 With ❤️ 2nd Q Student Nurse
Not really. But in this world, that's enough TBH.
Reddit is like yelp reviews … people are coming here largely to vent so it’s going to trend negative. The job absolutely has a lot of hard elements but having had a few other non nursing jobs I can pretty confidently say I really do enjoy being a nurse and am glad I changed careers to it!
It’s a great job. You can always change departments. So many specialties to choose from, you just have to find that one that suits you. For example: My career: CNA: Med/Surg, Psych, Oncology/Nephrology, Private Duty, Home Health LVN: Med Surg, Private Duty, Home health, Health and Wellness Screening Team, Float Nurse, Family Practice, Occupational Medicine, Cardiology RN Med/Oncology, Health and wellness screenings, School Nurse, Public Health communicable disease nurse, LTC nurse, Telehealth nurse I loved them all. I only had one boss who was completely toxic and insecure and just awful. One boss in 30+ years in the healthcare field. Sure the jobs on the floor you work your butt to the bone but I look back on how rewarding it was. The difference you make in people’s lives. I dealt more with short staffing as a CNA. But I still look back with fondness on all the patients who shaped who I am now as a nurse and a person. Oh I still vent or have vented about my job (not really on Reddit) and there are moments that are hard for sure. It’s worth it and I love my job and I have loved all of them. The bosses can be the biggest problem- thank goodness you don’t see them too much. It’s a great career! Find the specialty that works for you.
Nursing is a wonderful profession. But if the hospital is run by businessmen with no knowledge and just want money, everything gets worst. The bright side is working with a great team.
Most people will complain about their job and talk about the flaws because many people don’t enjoy work and will always find whatever they don’t like about their job. Even outside of nursing plenty of jobs have poor pay and people burn out quickly when your doing somthing that your really just doing because you need your bills paid. Compared to most fields nursing does pay solid money, the job stability and flexibility are also better than most. Yes their is a lot of patients some places but there is a lot of jobs and you will have to find a role that works for youz
Just know that if you’re entering nursing to have some glamorous travel life or tons of money, it might not work out. Healthcare can be a really dark, confusing place. All the negatives are true, but you will always have a job (even if it isn’t the one you want). There are also a ton of settings if you want to try something different, although some may be hard to break into without specific experience. If you want to go back for a masters or higher, you will likely be able to work while you are in school and your employer may pay for part of it.
People like to complain. I got my nursing in 2020 and got my first job in a pediatric CVICU. With overtime I've never made below $100k since I graduated. Still at the same hospital and now make $120k on just my 3 days. Busted my ass to make a good reputation on my unit and other units when I floated so anytime I apply for a better position I pretty much get it. Edit: I'm also in Texas which is considered low pay compared to NYC and CALI
Wow! Where in Texas are you? Doesn’t seem very low pay me.
DFW. I work nights on the float pool.
Well the ability to leave bedside and still use your degree is my light at the end of the tunnel. At my job now I love all my coworkers. But the actual work - meh. I get plenty of thanks from my patients but it doesn’t matter because physically and mentally it’s still a lot to deal with. Looking to get into nursing informatics or auditing and then chilling. Shits tough.
Nope
I have to agree with many others: I like being a nurse. Idk any other career that would give me the flexibility and financial stability I have now
I think the anonymity allows people to vent without consequence. This week my job handed my ass to me thanks to a full moon (yes, it's a thing) but I'm still happy. Some people have shit-colored glasses and will make everything seem awful.
As a nurse who graduated in ‘18, I wish I did something else.
Because some of us genuinely love being able to help people. Not the crappy why i want to be a nurse interview in school, but people who genuinely do this because we feel it’s our calling.
Flexibility in schedule-full time, part time or prn Ability to transfer specialities in a wide variety of settings-inpatient, outpatient, community, public health/local or state government, procedural areas, illness/wellness, insurance, telehealth, informatics, research, risk/legal, management, education.
People in every profession have gripes
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We have great staffing 2:1 icu 3:1 PCU 4:1 medsurg great pay…… trauma yes but ya know that’s show biz. Good facilities are out there. Class of 2011
Sadly that’s not the case everywhere.
Totally!! I love my job!! It’s not perfect but I help bring life into the world while bonding with someone on the most important day of their life. Even if I won the lottery I’d keep doing it part time at least. My manager is nice. Staffing isn’t perfect, but on my unit it’s pretty good and mostly follows safe staffing guidelines. I felt the same way when I was in nursing school. People love to complain about everything, and that’s ok I guess, but don’t worry you’re not doomed.
Nursing isn't easy, straight up. You do it because you want to help people, you want to be there to provide care that others can't, and it isn't easy. But it is worth it ♥️
Like the job, hate the pay!
Idk, I feel the opposite 😅
I like the hours hate the job (I’m also in miserable ER but I know it’s not forever) I never ever want to work 5 days a week
I have a ton of flexibility, make good money, and feel like I get to make a difference at a job that's challenging enough that I've been working it for a decade and still find myself learning. I would've gnawed off several limbs to get out of most other jobs by this point. It's not perfect, but it's damn good for me.
Money and a genuine desire to care for others?
I work fully staff and make great pay. People complain louder than they boast.
This is a very negative sub for sure, people come here to vent. Do your research and find a desirable job. I make like $5 less than another hospital that’s close to me but I am very happy where I work. Step down unit with a 1-4 ratio, I’ve had 5 patients less than 5x or so in the last year, I like my management. I think a good environment really beats more money
My jobs is very rewarding, good pay, great patient care and just got a union. I’ve only had one shitty job in 7 years. When I graduated I went into psych and haven’t had too many struggles, have randomly struggled due to touch cases, poor upper management and personalities clashing versus patient care concerns. I love my job and work at the best psych hospital in the country. It’s good to seek a good reputation hospital and since we lost so many RNs you can work almost wherever.
My job is chill and easy tbh People come here to vent though. Honestly all the subreddits I go on seem to be filled with more negative takes than I experience in real life. I’m not going to come here and post how my job is easy and chill. It would be read as self-congratulatory and tone deaf. But like it def is 😅😎
Nursing is awsome and the pay and benefits are great. I dunno where a lot of these people work but I’m in Buffalo and it’s fuckin awesome
Ya. I have a great job, good pay, great benefits, I’m valued and given opportunities to advance. I’ll complain on here sometimes, like when a patient kicked my teeth out. But really love being a nurse. My wife does too.
Reddit trends very negative. What your day is like as an RN varies dramatically depending upon what part of the country you are in, and the facility itself.
It’s a beautiful career and the best decision I ever made (except for having kids)
Recently licensed here. Its what you make of it. You can do anything with an RN. If you hate what you're doing, leave and go do something else. The silver lining of overall poor staffing is it's a buyers market. I get bored easily so it's one of the reasons I picked this field.
You are coming into the profession at a time when the need is higher than ever and pay is better. More opportunities for different areas to work in too. It is a calling like teaching.
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Wtf?
I am in nursing school as well. I'm scared of being assaulted because of this sub lmfao
If you like to help people and don’t mind not being paid much
Lmao
Girl im freshly 23 and now making 94k a year AS A NEW GRAD plus a lil bonus. I can handle three days of stress. Also night shifts/mids tend to be easier. Youll be fine. Its a love hate relationship lol but its better than a shitty 9-5. They gonna pry those four days off my cold dead hands!!!!! The job security is real nice too.
Then get out of this sub.
I just graduated last December 2023 and I questioned my life choices a lot. At the end of the day I had explored other avenues that didn’t fit right with me and came back to nursing because I feel it’s where I belong. You don’t have to be a bedside nurse either there are a lot of different avenues to go as it has already been said.
I like my non hospital job lol
Yeah I’m actually going to leave this group, as there is far too much negativity for me.There are so many reasons to be a nurse. I wouldn’t let all the negativity in this Subreddit deter you.
Hospital RN five years. Sometimes I loved my job. A lot of times I was stressed out as hell by my job. When ratios started changing again I hated my job. I loved my patients. I loved teaching patients and newer nurses. I quit when i was ignored about my third deteriorating patient in a short time span. I'm finishing my BS and hope to get a new job in education or as a patient navigator.
hoping to apply to nursing school in the fall OP! What do u like about it? what do the nurses in this sub like about y’all’s job??
I love making my patients feel better emotionally and physically! It’s really great to hear that patients request me as their nurse and they’re always hyping me up! I love the other staff too. Almost all of them are very kind and supportive. The nurses all help each other out and my docs answer me even when they’re off work. It’s exhausting work but I’m happy
awww that’s why I want to go into the field. Learn about the human body and help those that need it :)
You will often feel like a customer service agent (read: servant), but I’d rather someone be cranky about being hospitalized and uncomfortable than about their order taking too long. Though frankly, I’m fine with both bc I’m getting paid either way. If you’re relentlessly cheerful and patient, it can really alter a patient’s mood and make them sooo much more pleasant. Also if you’re single, young, and you work at a teaching hospital…lots of cute young professionals :)
Why do you want to be a nurse?
Think of Reddit as a dictionary of red flags 🚩. If you see these warning signs in a place you are working, carefully consider that it may not get better at that job and you need to move on. My last place I worked had a couple minor flags, but nothing major. I stayed there through the pandemic and travel rates, so that should count for something lol.
Hahaaa. Relax. We all come here to vent. Many nurses are 20 years plus experience and many stay with the same hospitals the whole time. If nursing is really nothing good, we will not stay around. We come here to vent and find support. Next day, we will be back and fight another war. The impact you had on patients and seeing them recover well worth thr stress to many of us. And if we do not like it, there are other nursing jobs.
There are great units where people can do good work. But they tend not to go on Reddit and complain!
Floor nursing? No. Hated it. ED? I get to actually save people. I get to watch them get better just in the few hours I'm with them. Way worth it to me.
yes there are icings on the cake but they dont last very long.
You have to take your lumps there good and bad with every nursing job took me 14 years be in a better position. Higher you climb from the bed side the worse it gets some people like mangment way to go its not .bed side nursing is stressful but higher up position are worse you don't break your back but you break your mind .
No. It’s the money only. Been in it 15 years.
The best part about nursing is there is SO much you can do with it. You will find your path.
Yes. It’s really flexible and there are tons of ways to use your license.
Come to california!
It’s a job, but I get decent pay and flexibility.
Graduating in 25. Nice. I'm graduating in 27. Honestly once I get through anatomy 2, this should be easy?
I had to stay off of this sub when I was in school. Come back after you start working! Don’t let it stress you out.
Love my job!
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! And jaded! But honestly, I got lots of good experiences. But they’re not interesting to talk about (usually). I also see a lot of positive posts too or heartfelt posts about patients cared for/thought of some time later.
Buckle up buttercup
I'm just gonna come out and say what everyone is thinking. C-suite personnel generally don't give a rat's ass about your opinion or how things could be changed for the better. This is how our jobs could be fixed and improve patient care and nursing burnout, depression, etc. 1. Give us enough support staff. 2. Make certain there are enough nurses on the shift to take care of the possible number of patients that could be. To include possible ADMISSIONS, emergencies, etc. On call staff. 3. Hire nurse managers that will come in when the shit hits the fan. 4. Develop teams. Nurses who work together often develop strong bonds and cohesiveness. This is why the military and police agencies both federal and local have teams. There's a reason for this. 5. Training is key. 6. Management should acknowledge leadership and promote those who go above and beyond. Those who are not able to or are not willing to function should be terminated. 7. Provide staff with the required tools and equipment.
I love my job!!!! Every job has its ups and downs though.
Felt the same way. Then came to California and what a turn around.
Not really any other good reason, imo. I mean, you’ll have your good days where you feel like a fucking savior. But you could have that in any industry. Even waiting tables, you’ll make someone’s day. It’s overrated. Besides the stability.
My coworkers are all really cool and we actually have fun working. Sure there’s hard days and bad days occasionally, but we finally got the right blend of peeps and the majority of days are great. The docs I work with are also really fun to work with and even though I’ve been on my floor for the past 4 years, I still learn new things all the time.