Things noane told you about nursing

Hi everyone. This question is mainly for already licensed and working RN's but students are welcome to answer as well. I like hearing "inside" info from those with experience so my question is what are some things that you found out along the way that you didn't know and weren't told about working as an RN.


Thanks in advance for any insight.
I didn't know how long people would voluntarily go without bathing, and not show any embarrassment at all.

Quote from canoeheadI didn't know how long people would voluntarily go without bathing, and not show any embarrassment at all.

I had no idea how crazy some family members can be when faced with a medical emergency. One distraught parent ( I work pediatrics) grabbed our NP by her hair!

I didn't know how boring being a Public Health Nurse would be...ugh

I didn't know how hard nursing would be, especially in the first year or two. Maybe nursing schools do the best that they can, but nothing that they did truly prepared me for the reality of nursing.

Quote from irene0523THIS IS SOOOOO TRUE, I wish we could force them into the shower because they stink so bad. ugh.

I didn't realize how much I would stress about work after leaving work - what happened with that patient? Wonder if so-and-so is doing OK? I also didn't realize how out-of-touch admin. is. Wasn't I cute and naive?

No one told me that after 23 yrs of working as a RN, I would not be able to get a work even with excellent experience. No one told me if I ever would take time off to care for my parents who needed me so they could die at home in peace, that it would end my career. I knew there would be no retirement plan or beach house but I figured I'd work till I dropped over. Occasionally I have worked with a pt who was a "retired" nurse and was in awe of that.Maybe I will just say I am a retired nurse anyway!

As a brand new nurse, I remember thinking no one told me in nursing school how HARD being a nurse is. When I say HARD, I mean HARD. There are days when you get off work and feel as if you literally cannot walk. You are exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. My fiance refers to this state of mind as "zombied out." This is something you will ONLY understand after being an RN. Secondly, you will be shocked at how unappreciative the public is. Hearing a "thank you" is rare, even after you busted your a** off to make sure the patient will live to see tomorrow. Those are the days you browse online for change of career opportunities. However, those rare instances when you do hear "thank you" or know that you are part of the reason someone has a second chance at life is something you will never forget and that's what makes it all worth it! There will be days where you ask yourself is this really my life? But, as many times as I have asked myself that question, I could not imagine doing anything other than nursing. Enjoy your nursing adventure!

Quote from Aly529Hi everyone. This question is mainly for already licensed and working RN's but students are welcome to answer as well. I like hearing "inside" info from those with experience so my question is what are some things that you found out along the way that you didn't know and weren't told about working as an RN.Thanks in advance for any insight.

Well you are going to hear from an LPN whether you wanted my answer or not because I have a response to your question.Nobody told me that I would be leaving work crying some nights. That its ok to not know something, and its even better to ask for help. Also the first year on the job is one long unoffical "orientation". Theres no way you can possible jam in everything you need to know in your facilitys so called "orientation period". There are still things I'm learning and things I still need to learn or become more proficient in. And I totally agree on the bathing issue. This one resident refuses her shower. It goes something like this. Every Shower Night. Betty: Hi, my aide told me that I'm taking a shower a tonight. Well I'm not taking one. I wash up in my room every night. Thats good enough.Me: No, you are taking a shower tonight. You need to take a shower. Betty: But I'm going to get pneumonia. I'm not. taking. a shower.Me. You have to take a shower tonight. (Mind you, this woman reeks. So I'm not letting her refuse her shower.)Betty: Well, if I get pneumonia, you are going to foot the bill!"

Another LPN here...and I'm gonna answer too whether you want it or not! My program made it sound like nursing was all sunshine and roses. So not true! You get worked to the bone some shifts.Noone told me there were little goblins who go around stealing and hiding equipment. Sometimes it takes me an hour to find an IV pump just to hang an IVPB that infuses in 15 min. Crazy.Noone told me how a great group of co-workers can make even the worst shift imaginable run smoother. Or how important it is to treat your techs well...a great tech can make your shift go so much better.Noone told me how cool my kids would think my job is...I've had to miss phone calls from home b/c we were coding or RRing a pt, and my 12 year old thinks that "fixing a dead person" is uber epic. Of course, he got to be the cool kid at school one day b/c of all the stories he hears, so that helps. One of the teachers coded during lunch and the kids got to see her being taken care of until the ambulance got there...he was telling everyone about how the AED works and the principles of CPR. He ever so modestly told me that it helped keep other kids from getting scared b/c he could tell them what was happening.Noone told me how absolutely disgusting some of the things we deal with would be. Stage 4 decubes that look like week old cheese pizza, maggots in wounds, GI bleed or cdiff poop, getting spewed on while dropping a NG in an obstructed pt, the list goes on.Noone told me how much of a bonding experience it would be dealing with the above with co-workers. Or how morbid our sense of humor would get.Lastly, noone ever told me how rewarding it would be to be the person holding someone's hand and crying with them when they found out that they'd be dead in a few hours at most. I was dreading working oncology when I found out that our floor was going to be becoming that floor, but I have come to love our cancer pts.