The Student Room Group

Any nurses left on TSR? If so, tell me your experiences!

Sil vous plait - hehee.

Last year I completed a BSc majoring in biology, sociology and anthropology, but it hasn't quite given me as many options as I thought it would (I'm fussy though), so I'm going to go back to uni in Feb next year.

I'm thinking very seriously about doing nursing, as:
* I've been told by almost everyone I have the personality for it;
* It's a profession that runs in my family; and;
* I have completed subjects that would require me to only study 1.5 years more.

Woo! :biggrin:

So tell me, the wonderful nurses of TSR, your experiences in this field and about the variation of different types of jobs in nursing. E.g. I'd imagine working in ER (not sure I could handle that :o: ) would be heaps different to being a theatre nurse (ah, type of thing :cool: ).
My girlfriend's a nurse and I know a lot of nurses. The gist I get from them all is that most of them hate their jobs, hate the pay and hate the way they're treated. They all seriously hated their training too with loads of them ending up with depression etc. However, if you get into an area that you like then you can really enjoy it. My girlfriend is now a practice nurse with her own office, 9-5 working hours and a decent sized lunch break, funded extra training, time off for said training and study days etc etc. Before this she spent her first year post-qualified as a community nurse and while she liked it at first, she grew to hate the bickering {female dogs} that ran the team and there was far too much management telling them how to do their jobs with reducing patient contact time, efficiency target goals (that were totally unrealistic and detrimental to patients) and finally plans to change everything into a shift system (where aforementioned horrible people who ran the team gave themselves all the day shifts and all the holiday time over the summer because they have kids). She's a lot happier now but she's been lucky in managing to get a nice job in nursing at a young age.
Of course, all I tell you is second hand knowledge and having seen what courses and shifts have done to nurse friends over the past few years. I figured I might as well add in since no one else had done yet. :smile:
Reply 2
I've been in Nursing for 14 years and I can honestly say that I wouldn't want to do anything else. It is bloody hard work, but rewarding as hell, the pay is reasonable (not good) and the good thing is you can utilise your nursing qualification all over the world.
If you are militarily inclined you can also nurse in the Army, RAF or Navy, and that opens up a whole new world of possibilities to you.
My speciality is Theatre nursing, and its great.
I've been a bank aux. nurse for a couple of years - just given it up to go off to uni, but I'll be going back to it in all of my holidays as it's bank work, therefore it's flexible.

Just make sure you try a bit of everything during your training and post-qualification placement period... even the things you think you won't like. You'll probably have preconceptions about what A&E is "like", and what Geriatric wards are "like", but you'll probably be wrong with one or more of your assumptions. :wink: I thought I'd enjoy A&E/Assessment Unit type work before I started... but I actually hate it. On the flip side, rehab is probably my favourite area to work in, and yet I thought I wouldn't enjoy it at all. So yeah.. just keep your mind open. :smile:
Reply 4
Totally agree with above post, get as much clinical experience as you can before you decide to 'settle' into one area, good advice.
Reply 5
Spanky Deluxe
My girlfriend's a nurse and I know a lot of nurses. The gist I get from them all is that most of them hate their jobs, hate the pay and hate the way they're treated. They all seriously hated their training too with loads of them ending up with depression etc. However, if you get into an area that you like then you can really enjoy it. My girlfriend is now a practice nurse with her own office, 9-5 working hours and a decent sized lunch break, funded extra training, time off for said training and study days etc etc. Before this she spent her first year post-qualified as a community nurse and while she liked it at first, she grew to hate the bickering {female dogs} that ran the team and there was far too much management telling them how to do their jobs with reducing patient contact time, efficiency target goals (that were totally unrealistic and detrimental to patients) and finally plans to change everything into a shift system (where aforementioned horrible people who ran the team gave themselves all the day shifts and all the holiday time over the summer because they have kids). She's a lot happier now but she's been lucky in managing to get a nice job in nursing at a young age.
Of course, all I tell you is second hand knowledge and having seen what courses and shifts have done to nurse friends over the past few years. I figured I might as well add in since no one else had done yet. :smile:
Lol thanks for your honesty :wink: :biggrin:

It's needed, as you don't often hear about that.

I don't mind the bitching because I'm already used to that in my current job, and I (hopefully) have learnt how to handle it for the most part.

It IS very annoying though :mad: You just do your job, but for some people it's not enough :s-smilie:

I'm sorry to hear about some of your GF's friends getting depression!

But at least they have a job, I'm not sure what it's like in the UK but here in Oz, we're sorta going through a depression (or at least a recession) with a LOT of people losing their jobs. I'm barely holding onto mine, and I don't want to live like this for the rest of my life :frown:

At least nursing offers security, my mother has been one for about 30 years and has never been out of a job so there's that at least. That and half my first degree was medical so it wouldn't exactly be hard for me to get into it again.

I dunno, I'm a realist, so meh.

EDIT: On the side - love your Star Trek themed avatar! :biggrin: Yeh he's hilarious.
Reply 6
Also thank you Dark Sun (woah - 14 years! :smile: *Is impressed* ) and pitseleh for your awesome advice. I don't mind the money-side because I'm purchasing property next year.

Anway I found the theatre nurse info especially inspiring, cheers x x x
Reply 7
well spankydeluxe said his girlfriend hated it, but to be honest everyone has a different opinion on it, it's not for everyone. i've almost finished my training, and at the moment i have the worst possible plaecment i could ever have, the staff treat me as student equals slave. but it's the most rewarding thing i've ever done! and as i'm only young i'm hoping to work up to a band 6 and maybe one day a band 7 and be a ward manager. it's as good as you make it, once you're qualified there are so many different jobs within nursing that if one area's not for you then you can change!

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