Anyone not regret nursing

Hiya

So I just had a question really, i’ve seen so much bad press on the internet and around social media about nursing recently. I was just wondering does anyone not regret their career choice or doing nursing at university, just looking for some reassurance really. I’ve seen so many people on here saying they hate their placements and want to drop out…

What do you enjoy about nursing and how is university?

Reply 1

Coco.C.X

Hi,
let me just put a disclaimer; my goal in writing this is to give you my honest experience. I in no way want to force your view,
I have worked in mental health care for 5 years now and have always loved my role so when I finally decided mental health nursing was the career I wanted to pursue I was so happy and excited to finally feel like I had found the job for me.
I am currently in my second year of mental health nursing and honestly starting the course has become my biggest regret. There is never enough staff on ward to complete reequipments, which of course is not the nurses fault but it means you spend sometimes MONTHS trying to follow up with them to no prevail and so many nurses leave their roll adding further difficulty to tracking them down. Then there's the nurses who make it seem like its a burden for you to even have to complete ePADS, like your more of an inconveniences and just want you on the ward as an extra body.
On top of that you have the challenging task of contacting uni tutors. I don't know about other universities but at USW I'm pretty sure I can count on both hands how many times I have been able to get a response from tutors within the same week of sending the email. I had issues with one placement in my first year and a year later it still hasn't been dealt with and I'm still to hear from my personal tutor and the nurse in question. I don't know if maybe my year just got unlucky but a huge amount of our tutors, especially personal tutors are on or have been on leave for most of my time at the university anyway.
Origination of lectures is usually poor due to not having enough rooms for all the classes so they end up changing it to online last minute, sometimes leaving minutes to get home (not the most practical if you live 20 odd minutes away or take public transport)
All in all, as much as I hate to say it, I would never advise anyone, especially single parents to pursue nursing. Unless you have endless friends and family to help with childcare, but either way be prepared to lose a lot of time with your children and forever feel guilty about it, even when you're not on placement or writing essays and actively spending time with them, you still feel the guilt of "wasted" time, a hefty savings or a part time job that pays very well is needed (yes even with loans and grants) and most importantly this course will 1000% take a toll on your mental health and self-esteem. I have spent the last two years questioning my intelligence, ability and whether I have made the biggest mistake of my life (that coming from someone who had a child as a teen).
So please please please think it all through before even applying.