What if nursing is not for me

There are so very many medical terms you must be familiar with to be a nurse. You have to smile, be endlessly patient, be empathetic, but take care not to get too attached. You might even have to eat breakfast while commuting—because it might just be the only meal you get all day.

A lot of hospitals are also now cutting back on hiring and instead having their nurses work extra overtime. It can be pretty thankless! Nursing is constantly devalued compared to more predominantly male professions. Emon says that this approach supports her view of the role nurses should play in health care, and that such a standard creates an environment where nurses have the ability to provide compassionate, personalized care for patients and their families.

Advocacy typically begins with a nurse providing individual patients with information that empowers and instills confidence so they better understand a diagnosis or treatment; and can more efficiently express their feelings regarding their medical care. Speaking on behalf of a patient is one of the duties expected of a nurse, and while some nurses possess a natural desire to advocate for his or her patients, others take more concentrated measures.

Helping to bridge the gap between patients and their health care providers, nurse advocates strive to improve or maintain the quality of care that a patient receives. In addition to addressing the medical aspect of the profession, those who concentrate on nurse advocacy also deal with social work, research, insurance, and patient education.

Nursing professionals who possess a strong sense of advocacy not only greatly benefit the patient, but can also make their own job easier. From the fast-paced environment of an emergency room to dealing with family members at a nursing home, nurses who are tolerant and patient are better able to treat and care for others. Kavalam says that patience allows nurses to better deal with the customer service aspects of nursing while at the same — trying to save lives, dealing with confused patients, and comforting grief-stricken, sleep-deprived families.

Additionally, in order to keep a nursing license current and valid, most states in the U. However, nurses must possess a willingness to learn — not only by pursuing certifications, furthering their education, or fulfilling state requirements — but also by learning from other clinicians and patients. Emon says that nurses are the first line of defense for patients. Therefore, she says all nurses must have an innate ability to anticipate through examination and observation.

In order to conduct a thorough observation and examination of a patient, fine-tuned listening skills are a must for a nurse. Not only is it important for a nurse to listen to orders given by a physician, but to also pay attention to the verbal cues of patients, as well as the remarks of their relatives.

As a caregiver, nurses cannot deliver adequate care if they lack proper communication, which goes beyond the act of simply speaking with a patient. For example, using a soft, polite voice makes patients feel at ease during appropriate times, whereas a firmer tone is necessary when explaining medication and discharge instructions.

Kavalam says that doctors have follow-up questions and orders that a nurse must anticipate which include possible pain triggers, pain ratings, vital signs, telemetry reading, EKG, and acknowledging other physical signs of the patient. This can take time away from a nurse managing patient care. Time management skills also help a nurse evade workplace burnout by increasing his or her ability to avoid creating stressful situations that can drain overall levels of energy and enthusiasm.

From rushing to the aid of an emergency to being able to help lift a patient from bed to wheelchair, nurses are expected to maintain a certain level of physical strength and endurance.

My name is Claire and I'm a second year nursing student from the University of Southampton. I know a lot of people who watch this channel are currently doing nursing, but I'm also aware that some of you might not be currently enrolled in a nursing degree in the UK or otherwise, so maybe this video will give you some inspiration if you think you're considering nursing but you're not too sure. Also, if you're currently enrolled in nursing but you're not too sure if it actually is the course for you and your um-ing and ah-ing about if you should drop out or stay in the course, maybe this video will help you decide if nursing is the career for you, so stay tuned to find out more.

The first thing I think is really important when you're considering if nursing is the career for you is to decide if you really enjoy helping people and if you can imagine yourself helping people day in, day out without feeling drained from it.

I also think it's important to be quite an extroverted, friendly person as well when you're doing nursing because your whole day will be spent around people and your whole career will involve helping people and making sure that you can make somebody's hospital stay the most comfortable it can be.

Jobs on Nurses. So, I think if that is your passion and you know it's your passion then that's amazing, but if you're not too sure if that actually is your passion then I would recommend trying to get some work experience to find out if that actually is your passion.

So, maybe going to a hospice for a week or two or and maybe being a healthcare assistant as a part-time job, and if helping people and being around people all day gives you joy and you know it's your passion then I definitely think Nursing is for you, and then if not maybe think about nursing a bit longer before getting into it.

Of course, there are going to be days where I don't like it or my friend doesn't like it or even the best nurse in the world doesn't like it because there's gonna be tough days, but overall as long as you know that you're passionate and really enjoy what you're doing then I think it's definitely all worth it!

Like I mentioned before, I would recommend trying to get some type of work experience and people often say to me that it's difficult to and not many places want to accept them and stuff, but I think if you're an aspiring nurse and the NHS is crying out for more nurses, then I think most people places would want to take you for some work experience. In Dublin, I had a 2-week work experience in my pre-nursing course and that was in a private hospital and I loved it, and they were more than happy to have me there.

Of course, because I was a pre-nursing student I hadn't even got into nursing school at this point and they were kind of hesitant to let me do things and obviously for insurance reasons I wasn't really allowed to do too much, but I still was allowed to observe and I think even observing and doing little tasks like running to get something for the nurse I think will make you realise that if it's what you want to do. You actually really enjoy running around and being the second pair of hands because you'll be so engrossed in what's going on and so interested, and even just sitting down and talking to patients you don't have to have insurance for that and you don't have to be an actual student nurse for that.

Just talking to actual patients while they're in the hospital setting or a nursing home or a hospice setting while they're unwell I think will give you an understanding of what nursing will be like, and if you enjoyed that then maybe you'll enjoy the whole process of becoming a nurse.