I'm an ex nursing sister of 24 years' overall experience in NHS, Community Nursing and Private care. I gave up 6 years ago as my son, who is disabled, was ill. I was a single parent then and could not commit to the unsocial hours. It is a total myth, in my experience, that working as a nurse can be family friendly and flexible.
When I trained, in the 80's I was shocked by the attitude of some qualified staff who I personally found to be bone idle and happier in the office, shuffling paper and poring over targets. This worsened in the 90's and I became a community sister, so hacked off was I with staff shortages, the attitude of management toward members of staff who insisted on taking their days off or even holiday leave 
. By the time I left I had so much "time owing" (overtime, unpaid) that I could have taken a months' leave. Would you expect a solicitor to work overtime, unpaid? No, but then nursing is "the caring profession" made up, in the majority of women and we were always expected to go the extra mile for nothing. there were ridiculously low staffing levels. Nurses from abroad whose English was practically non-existent. Low pay for the auxiliary nurses (as they were then) meant huge turnover and lack of continuity). Agency staff were often placed in impossible situations, at a moment's notice. The wards were filthy. I remember cleaning (with a bucket of antiseptic and soapy water) the toilet doors and handles, in the cubicles, in the patient's toilet because they were worse than a public loo. The same with bedside commodes.... Often human faces on the seats/handles. Bloody awful. No wonder our hospitals are full of C Diff, MRSA and E Coli epidemics. In short, I wouldn't have wanted my CAT in there, never mind a relative.
I remember, as a junior staff nurse just feeling constantly that I was doing half a job ALL THE TIME because staffing levels were crap and so, patients ended up with the absolute basics being done. I'm not proud of this and in fact, when I "whistle blew" relating to care standards just a few years before I left, I went through 18 months of purgatory and witch hunt attitudes toward ME for having the audacity to complain. In the end, the nursing union (RCN) upheld my case. Apologies were made and they were going to "learn from their mistakes". That was ten years ago. Nothing's changed.
Nothing.... And I do mean nothing, would induce me to return to nursing.