Someone help my love for nursing! Because I am hating it at the moment!

LG123 · 2025-02-25T21:23:28+00:00

I'm a student nurse and right now I don't want to be a nurse, I can't think of anything worse. Anyone out there who actually loves it?

Miley1967 · 25/02/2025 21:29

I did it for 30 years but really wish someone had said to me when I was training that it was ok to leave. Once I was qualified I was kind of trapped and it fitted around the kids when they were young but now I am in a different career I do wish I had not wasted so many years in a career that made me miserable and anxious ! . My dd is now training and has had a bad first placement and been upset this week. I said to her it's ok to not carry on if that's what you want but she is very adamant she wants to and I will support her whatever.
What is it about it that you hate so much ? How far are you through the training? Once you are qualified and have a couple of years experience there are so many different option .

Flipflopclop · 25/02/2025 21:40

I had to give up.in my last year of uni ( 4th year) due to sciatica, agitated by 12 hour shifts.
I miss it, but I don't miss placements tbh

SlaveToAGoldenRetriever · 25/02/2025 21:49

What specifically do you dislike about it? Is it just your current placement or is it a case of feeling that no area of nursing would suit/interest you? It’s an increasingly diverse career and you don’t have to work on the wards if you don’t want to.

Wowzel · 25/02/2025 21:50

I still love emergency nursing, I cannot imagine doing anything else

AluckyEllie · 25/02/2025 21:58

Good annual leave. Lots of different specialities to work in. Hard to get fired/ made redundant. Reasonable pension. Child friendly shifts/good mat leave.

Hohofortherobbers · 25/02/2025 22:01

Love it, I make a difference to people's lives. Oncology

TeenLifeMum · 25/02/2025 22:05

There’s so many different types of nurses - emergency dept are a unique breed. But then you have specialist nurses, ward, gp, community, elderly, children, stroke, cancer.

Work out why you chose to start the degree then you can see where you would find a nursing role you love that matches your personality.

BuddhaAtSea · 25/02/2025 22:06

What happened @LG123 ?
It’s ok to give it up, if it makes you miserable, it’s really not a job for the faint hearted. Equally, some support might make all the difference. Tell us what happened.

Greenwallpinkwall · 25/02/2025 22:15

It’s the pits. I left clinical nursing and have never looked back are there any particular aspects you’re hating?

crabby · 25/02/2025 23:05

I absolutely hated every single second of my training, I had zero intention of getting an RN post when I qualified and couldn't wait to finish and put those 3 years behind me. But I did end up getting a nursing job...lots of them as that was 30 years ago. Being a student nurse is the worst. All of my jobs since qualifying have been demanding but fulfilling, loads of fun and I've met countless inspirational people and have had a very rewarding career. I've worked all over including overseas, never had to consider redundancy or not being able to get a job. The best decision of all was moving away from ward work into a 9-5 clinical special role. Definitely finish the course, the opportunities are endless!

crabby · 25/02/2025 23:07

But of course I accept it's not for everyone, and can be extremely hard. I could no longer cope with nights after my mid 30s, and shift work is very hard, but give it a go.

Quossisoandso · 25/02/2025 23:15

I had a massive wobble when I was a student nurse. I didn’t give up though and when I qualified I got a brilliant job. My first job was on the day case unit. I was taught to do pre-op assessments, work as a scrub nurse, work in theatre recovery and work on the ward. It was a great job and I loved it. Don’t give up @LG123 nursing is a fantastic career, with so many opportunities.

NorthernGirl1981 · 25/02/2025 23:17

It’s ok to feel like this. There’s this myth out there that nursing is a “calling” and we are all altruistic angels with an inbuilt desire to care for others, and it’s a dream that that we’ve had since birth etc but it’s certainly not the case for everyone.

I started my nurse training when I was 21, so that’s 20 years ago now. Even now I don’t really know why I did it. It was never a job I had thought about as I was growing up, it was never my dream career or anything like that, I just sort of fell in to it.

I ended up working as a nurse for 17 years and although I enjoyed it and I love being able to support families, I always knew it wasn’t the job I was supposed to be in. It always felt like it was a stop-gap, it’s really hard to explain. It just wasn’t ever something I felt destined for.

I left my job over 18 months ago now and I’m no longer on the NMC Register, and although I do miss some parts of nursing I do not feel regret about leaving the chapter behind me. I’ve moved on to a new chapter now and I see my nursing as just part of the life I used to have, but I always knew it was never going to be forever.

It would really help to know what stage of your training you are at? The advice I would give to a first year student who is struggling with her first placement. would be very different to the advice I’d give a third year student who is on the cusp of qualifying.

DeepFatFried · 25/02/2025 23:25

OP, sounds tough.

From a patients pov, one of my Dc has been through a lifetime of surgeries for an orthopaedic condition. There is a specialist nurse who works alongside the consultant who has been there all along. Her huge knowledge and experience has made all the difference to quality of life.

I am not saying nurses (or anyone else) should martyr or sacrifice themselves to a job they hate to make others lives better, but if you were worried that you couldn’t make a difference…. You could.

whatnooow · 25/02/2025 23:37

I'd love to be able to retrain as a nurse but I can't be out of the work force for 3 years.

I can imagine the training is very stressful but the variety of your day once qualified, the option to try different specialties, earn as much as you want on the bank etc. job security anywhere in the world.

Plus you're actually making a difference. Not riding the corporate dick, so to speak.

OneFineDay13 · 25/02/2025 23:45

Am not a nurse just reading the thread, but I wanted to say thank you to all the nurses who were great people to my partner when he was ill.

Orangelover · 26/02/2025 01:33

Right ok OP, nurse here.

How far through are you? Is it worth finishing and seeing how you feel?

Not going to lie, it's tough right now and I've been looking for a way out myself but now going to struggle for an entry level job doing earning the same money as I currently do (despite that being completely inadequate for the depth of the role). If I was pre-qualifying now I'd run for the hills....

Someone up the thread made the point that it is an incredibly rewarding job instead of "riding the corporate dick" which is completely valid. However, out of everyone I know those riding the corporate dick are working less hours and earning rather a lot more than I am. I know that's not everything but it doesn't help when you're tired and frustrated and picking up an extra shift a week because you want a holiday this year.

If it's not too late OP and you have a plan B it's ok not to carry on with this. It has few positives at the minute in today's NHS climate.

Original poster

LG123 · 26/02/2025 10:49

No I actually love my current placement, it's where I wanted. It's just looking round at the nurses working their asses off for such little pay. I see how grateful they are when a student is there and even though supernumerary we take some of their weight and seeing the genuine gratitude tells me they're workload is too much!

OP posts:

Original poster

LG123 · 26/02/2025 10:51

I will finish the degree regardless as I won't get funding for another UG degree. I am 2nd year.

I don't have a back up and ideally I'd like to finish as I'd not get funding for another degree.

OP posts:

Original poster

LG123 · 26/02/2025 10:56

Orangelover · 26/02/2025 01:33

Right ok OP, nurse here.

How far through are you? Is it worth finishing and seeing how you feel?

Not going to lie, it's tough right now and I've been looking for a way out myself but now going to struggle for an entry level job doing earning the same money as I currently do (despite that being completely inadequate for the depth of the role). If I was pre-qualifying now I'd run for the hills....

Someone up the thread made the point that it is an incredibly rewarding job instead of "riding the corporate dick" which is completely valid. However, out of everyone I know those riding the corporate dick are working less hours and earning rather a lot more than I am. I know that's not everything but it doesn't help when you're tired and frustrated and picking up an extra shift a week because you want a holiday this year.

If it's not too late OP and you have a plan B it's ok not to carry on with this. It has few positives at the minute in today's NHS climate.

Sorry the above post was a reply to you.

And yeah I've ridden the corporate dick before and yes its not rewarding at all BUT my life was easier, sociable hours earned more and I wasn't as tired. It's such a stressful job for low pay. I can't be arsed to stuff with the kids at weekend, I have to force it and it's a chore. I just can't get over how it's acceptable to be paid that for the job. I'm financially better off as a student!

OP posts:

Original poster

LG123 · 26/02/2025 10:57

whatnooow · 25/02/2025 23:37

I'd love to be able to retrain as a nurse but I can't be out of the work force for 3 years.

I can imagine the training is very stressful but the variety of your day once qualified, the option to try different specialties, earn as much as you want on the bank etc. job security anywhere in the world.

Plus you're actually making a difference. Not riding the corporate dick, so to speak.

Sometimes, I'd rather ride the corporate dick. Quiet life and all that.

OP posts:

Original poster

LG123 · 26/02/2025 11:00

TeenLifeMum · 25/02/2025 22:05

There’s so many different types of nurses - emergency dept are a unique breed. But then you have specialist nurses, ward, gp, community, elderly, children, stroke, cancer.

Work out why you chose to start the degree then you can see where you would find a nursing role you love that matches your personality.

I'm on placement in ED at the moment and it's my favourite so far.

I will finish, I'm probably just having a hissy fit at how hard it is.

OP posts:

Quossisoandso · 26/02/2025 11:08

LG123 · 26/02/2025 10:51

I will finish the degree regardless as I won't get funding for another UG degree. I am 2nd year.

I don't have a back up and ideally I'd like to finish as I'd not get funding for another degree.

Once you qualify, you’ll get a job easily. That’s better than a lot of degrees. One of the things I liked so much about nursing, was the range of jobs open to you. The possibilities are endless.

Just looking at my friends from my year, one is a midwife now, one works as a home dialysis support nurse, one is a health visitor/practice teacher, one lectures student nurses, one is a district nurse, one is a genetics counsellor, one is matron for gynaecology, one is a named nurse for child safeguarding and one is the head of nursing research nationally and locally. Two are quite happily working on the wards as staff nurses.