assignment
1. My first child(son) was born with a diasability. I was a cna and wanted to help people and get more knowledge.
2.I was in nursing as an R.N for about 10 yrs and then took a break from it for a time to pursue another interest. I have been back in nursing for about 2.5 yrs. I guess it is just a passion that won't go away.I feel I can do something for people if I'm in the right area to make change.
3.The greatest rewards are when you can help someone on an individual basis. A smile, reassurance, the right med at the right time,listening, and knowing you're making it a little better for the person in need.The challenges are the "system", government, corporate, etc. It's hard to make changes in this area, but it is possible.
4. I would like to see healthcare become what it should be; taking care of those in need, not a profitable "business" as if tires or cars are being sold. I think the ratios for caregiver to patient should improve. Education/orientation absolutely needs to improve when one takes a new position.We scare off the new nurses.
5.Be optimistic, realize this is a difficult but rewarding profession, take it seriously,offer new ideas, educate, educate, educate, yourself. Always, put the patient first. Remember, they are someone's mom, dad, brother, sister, etc, and are coming to us for care.

survey
Hi. I'm an ER RN of 12 years (about 9 of them in the ER). Was a secretary for 10 years before that. Just so you can put my answers into some kind of context.

1.) What brought you into the field of nursing?
I personally have problems in interviews, and don't often get the job if I have to interview for it. Therefore, I went into nursing so that I could get a job no matter what. "JOB SECURITY"

2.) What keeps you in the field of nursing?
The money and freedom. I lost my empathy for 80% of patients years ago. But what else can I do for $40/hour where my mouthiness could cost me my job if I was in the private sector? Nothing. I want to take time off, move, go into another type of nursing...? I just do. Travel to a different state and start over. Work in a different field (ie ER, ICU, dialysis, whatever). Go Pool (ie work 6 days/month and do your own thing the rest of the time). etc.

3.) What do you recognize as the greatest rewards/challenges in the profession of nursing?
There really are no rewards - reasonable pay but poor morale, poor staffing, no rewards by management for jobs well done, no supplies, Bitchy and demanding patients and families who DON'T EVER APPRECIATE YOU, etc.
The challenge? Continuing to like your chosen profession enough not to get the hell out!!! Why do you think there's a nursing shortage? Everyone, from schools to employers, LIE OUT THEIR BUTTS to nursing students to get them into the profession - tell them about the GREAT PAY and GREAT OPPORTUNITIES, blah blah blah. You get your licence and find out that the only job you can get as a new grad is midnight shift, med surg, no tech, wiping butts when the teachers all told you you'd "always have a tech to do that"... The valedictorian of my class got out of nursing after 4 months because her first employer on a med-surg floor gave her 9 patients! On a day shift when there was help (ie techs and staff). At the time I was in a nursing home with 50 patients... and she's complaining about 9? But she got out and never looked back. Plus nurses eat their young. Bad. It's become a profession of who can be the biggest bitch?! Who can sit on their butt the most? How can we stab each other in the back?! Only when it stops and we organize and have a NATIONAL STRIKE, CLOSING EVERY HOSPITAL IN THE NATION AT THE SAME TIME, WILL THINGS CHANGE.

4.) What changes would you like to see in the profession of nursing?
Ummmm, I think I just answered that one. LOL
We need national staffing ratios that are legal and require adequate staffing. I have worked in ERs where it was NORMAL for 1 RN to handle 20 patients ALONE. The worst staffing I ever saw? One RN with 2 orientees in a busy Level I ER had 40 patients. You read that right. FORTY PATIENTS TO ONE NURSE.

5.) What advice can you offer a student entering nursing school and the profession of nursing?
GET OUT NOW unless you like stress. Because as an RN, stress is your #1 companion at work. You never get breaks. You never get lunch. You call in sick because you don't want to give your coworkers or patients the flu? They write you up for absenteeism. And on and on and on.

Sorry if this post seems very negative, but it's the truth!
The truth is out there!

questions
Did you get enough replies? If you didn't I will check tomarrow and answer some for you.

WOW I hope not all of us have that same attitude!!
OK I can't tell you why I became an RN except that I have always been the one to help when someone was sick or just needed to be heard. When my aunt (a lifetime ICU RN) tried to talk me out of becoming a nurse my reply, "But Aunt M. I have to be a nurse because it's what I'm supposed to do".

I am acutally looking for something other than nursing right now. I am working on my BSM and will soon enter the MSM program. I wouldn't mind being a manager that made a difference. What is keeping me at present is that I have no other skills than nursing (nursing school doesn't leave much room for anything else) and could not make the money that I need to support myself doing anything else.

I hurt my back on a patient years ago and the injury keeps reoccuring. I have received little to no support from my supervisors and since I was in a massive car accident years ago I have nothing to support saying that pulling on the patient is what ultimately hurt my back). The week and 1/2 that I spent on the floor in my living room encouraged me to go back to school.

I understand what AG1KULRN is saying about sympathy for patients. We have so many people come in that take advantage when we have so many patients that need us. And let's not even talk about the family members!!!! But, we have to remember that our attitude rubs off on others and we can't allow this negativity to creep in or we'll all be poisoned.

We need more nurses and the budget that would allow them to be hired! I have read the articles arguing this, but that is the only way to fix the problem. If we could get the nurses back that have moved on it would help...but good luck. Once I find a way out I probably won't look back either! Trying to hire more ancillary staff to help doesn't do the trick. We end up as licensed nurses spending our time keeping track of them and whether or not they have done a good job. Now, don't get me wrong a good CNA is my right hand, but it is so hard to find a good CNA that has the instincts that nurses need (I have to call in instinct since they have only had basic training).

My advice: before you go to school for nursing make sure that is what you really want. Work as a CNA on the type of unit you would like for a length of time (at least 6 months--full time) and find out what the job really is. Yes, student RNs you will have to help clean patients and get dirty yourself! There is nothing I hate more than a new nurse that comes out with 'RN-itis' (thinking they are better than everyone else).

I have been an RN for 15 years (working on 16) working on medical surgical (adult) floors. I was a CNA before I got my license, worked in a health dept drawing labs and cleaning up before I finished school.
Hope this helps