Would you go into Nursing if you had your time again?

[indiepins]

I can't decide if it's what I really want. For me being a carer, nursing would take a lot more juggling to get into so I'm just wondering why you love the job?

Or if you hate it? I know most of you are incredibly short staffed and stressed - what worries me is a mistake out of my control, and my pin being put at risk

Good question!
40 years in and there have been many times when I’ve hated it and wondered what the fuck I’m doing continuing. I’ve even briefly left and retrained in another profession.
Theres loads of crap that we have to do and we’re desperately short staffed in a way that is dangerous for our patients, I’m old and find long days killer and I don’t get breaks and the NHS is in a terrible state I never thought it could get this bad.
But on a good day I leave work knowing I’ve made a difference to someone’s life. A couple of years ago a patient came up to me and asked me if I remembered him (frankly I didn’t) he went on to say: “you saved my life. I was dying and only you recognised it and advocated for me and forced the doctors to transfer me to a regional centre. The doctors there said if you hadn’t done this and done it so quickly I would not be alive now”. Of course then I remembered him and in fact had always wondered what had happened to him and yes I was the only one to recognise what was going on and I did advocate for him against doctors who couldn’t see it and got him transferred.
I could tell a whole raft of stories where I have made a difference (not all as dramatic as that). Then I think it’s worth it I couldn’t do anything else what the NHS at it’s best stands for is the person I am.
Its so tough and it’s going to get worse but we are the most important person in a patients life, literally from cradle to grave, we are the people the patients will see the most of, we reach out a hand at the worst times and the best times we celebrate with them their successes and often cry when it’s going wrong, we advocate for our patients, talk about them in our lunch breaks (when we get one) and think about them in the early hours when we cannot sleep.
I remember so many patients and their families and friends hundreds over the 40 years and even thought I can’t remember their exact names and faces names I still wonder what happened to them.
As I come to the end of my career I guess if I had my time again I would probably train to be a nurse.

Are you still a nurse?

Nurse/midwife, NO NO NO !

What politics do you mean? sorry I'm genuinely curious

There's a lot of scope to be happier as a nurse

Every midwife I've ever met is miserable about their job and hates it (constantly feeling like they're going to lose their pin, not enough staff, can't care for women like they wanted to when going into the profession)

NO. 30 years and just hanging on for my pension. I want to shake the students and tell them to leave now.

Absolutely, I love my job, but I've only been qualified 6 years so May still be in honeymoon period. Obviously some days are awful but for the most part I love it.

Sadly indiepins, all my nursing friends feel the same. The reason I left nursing was because of burnout but ended up jumping from the frying pan into the fire !

Gosh, that's awful. I understand there are frustrations, I have them myself, but after 20 years I still have an enthusiasm for the job. Sad that you feel that way. .

Nope. Like @LionsandLambs I'm 32 years in and holding out for 3.5yrs time when I can take my pension aged 55. There are plenty of jobs where I could earn much more money for much less work both physically and emotionally.

No.

I think it’s important work. I admire people who remain enthusiastic. However, nurses are treated and remunerated appallingly and I wouldn’t support my own child going into this profession.

I worked in gynae, now retired. If I could go back to how nursing was when I trained in the 80s I would go back tomorrow. There were beds for all patients, no one was discharged home too early, the hospital felt like a big family. I loved it. Having been a patient recently I know that I would hate it now.

Do you mean band 5?

Absolutely no. I nursed for 45 years and it’s a thankless, back-breaking, soul destroying job now.

Bit patronising OP considering you’re not actually a nurse.

No, I absolutely wouldn't. The money is poor and the workload and stress are unreal.

In your case, maybe look at the allied health professionals who do the same length of training but climb the pay scales much quicker - SALTs, OTs, radiographers etc.

I got half way through ODP training. qualified staff eat their young. I got shouted out for not doing blood gas on my own.. but I was not allowed to anyway.
Fuck that.
Never again, and the sad thing is was I really wanted to do the job. It was the staff that put me off.

I want to say no, I'm a mental health nurse and have been for 12 years... the job is unrecognisable, tied to a desk, no time or resource to deliver the patient care that you want. However, I can't imagine ever not being being a nurse / doing anything else?! 🤷🏼‍♀️
Sadly, I think training as an OT would give more scope for career paths. I personally feel quite stuck as an RMN for other options outside of NHS / other roles in general with my qualifications.

I've been a nurse for over 20 years, totally wish I could go back & do something else.

Absolutely not. I did it for 30 years and I wish I'd done something else - anything else ! The workloads are always heavy, you are constantly dealing with "the great general public" , and no thanks for what you do.

I stuck to it because once I had my family, the hours were good for fitting in with children's activities. And I could always find a job when my husband's work required him to move. So I got stuck and could never get away from it.

Don't do it.

Don't do it. Never worth screwing up your health. It will suck you dry.