Nurses: How much job satisfaction do you have?

Question

I'm going to start studying nursing this year, with a view to becoming a midwife. I'd love to hear some info about how other nurses find their jobs in terms of what you love and loathe about it. Also, if anyone is a nurse in a homoeopathic hospital (eg Britain) I'd love to know how that is.... (I am currently a homoeopath).

Thanks for that valuable insight, ilse72. :)

Answer 1

As an R.N., I think the job satisfaction depends on the person and where they work. I am now retired but I loved nursing...particularly the ER which is where I have most of my experience.

I worked so many areas at one time or another: OB/GYN, dermatology, same day surgery, and ICU/CCU. While I enjoyed all areas, nothing topped the ER...which ended up being my niche. I loved not knowing what was coming in the door and knowing that I had to deal with it as if it were second nature. I also could do procedures in the ER that I couldn't do in many other areas...for example, we drew all our own blood, did our own EKGs, etc.

I found that I didn't really enjoy all the paperwork required in most areas of nursing to be sure you are protecting your butt. When doing floor care, you spend more time on paperwork than with the patient...which I didn't like. I got into nursing to help others, not to do paperwork (actually this is all on the computer but still referred to as paperwork)!

In the ER, it was far more patient care than paperwork...it was nursing at its best but it is not an area that everyone can stomach. You see a lot of blood, broken bodies and worse. Also, not everyone likes to face the unknown nor is everyone equipped to handle a crisis without panicking or freezing.

You will either love nursing or hate it. You may even discover that the area you have your heart set on is not the one with which you end up. Pediatrics had always been my area of choice...until I did my ER rotation. Then, I KNEW that was my true love.

Good luck with your future career!