Best & Worst Things About This Career
As reported by people currently doing the job
"The best part of my job is the rewarding feeling that I get by giving to someone who can't do for himself, or helping the patients achieve their goal of going home. Some don't go home, and it is a good feeling to bring a smile to their faces and do something to brighten their days. The worst part of my job is telling someone that their loved one has died. No matter what or how you say it, they will remember that moment for the rest of their lives. I try to tell them in the most compassionate way possible. Besides that it would have to be the hectic nature of the job. You are on your feet the entire shift, busy, everyone wants you at the same time, and that's why organization is so important."
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"The best part of my job is when a patient or a family member expresses their thanks and appreciation for my care of the patient. The worst part of my job is watching someone die when I can't help them or prevent it in any way. When working in a nursing home, your patients become your family because you are with them everyday. I have discovered over the years that I have been a nurse that you become numb to death, even with your own family, because you see it so much."
+/-Tips for Succeeding in This Career
Helpful info from insiders
"Be organized! It will save you in the long run. Go for your R.N. As an RN, you have so many more opportunities than an LPN does. Buy the most comfortable shoes you can possibly afford, and the best stethoscope also. Buy a clipboard; you'll never lose your report sheet in someone's room with a big neon clipboard. Remember, a smile and kindness go a long way with your co-workers and patients. That patient could be you someday, so treat them as you would want to be treated. Always be honest and if you make a mistake, own up to it."
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"The first tip I would give a person pursuing a career in nursing would be to consider all aspects of nursing first. There is a dark side of nursing no one knows about until they experience it. These things include watching death (usually on a daily basis) and the fact that some patients abuse nurses (I personally have been stabbed with a fork in my thigh by a patient). The most important thing to realize is that a nurse takes care of all kinds of people, people with diseases such as AIDS, Hepatitis A, B, and C, MRSA, and TB. These are just a few. You must also know quite a bit about legal issues. Many people are looking for any excuse to sue these days."
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