Nursing Voices

Friday, June 22, 2007

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I swear, I’m not doing this on purpose. Really! I overheard another conversation that was quite amusing. The guy in the picture looks like he’s having fun. Maybe I’ll take up eavesdropping as my new hobby because I’m hearing some pretty amazing things.

I was reading a magazine while sitting in my local community library when I overheard three young women chatting about their upcoming college classes, and what they wanted to do when they graduated from school. One young woman told the other two that she use to be a school teacher, but now she wanted to be a nurse. She explained her interest in nursing was based on its job security, and that she plans to use her nursing degree in conjunction with her background in teaching to springboard her career to new heights. She said that nursing school is going to be “a snap,” and that anyone who can read a textbook can become a nurse. I could hardly contain my laughter when I heard this woman make such a naive statement, and I ducked my head behind the magazine so they could not see the expression on my face.

I talked to one of my girlfriends later that night who use to be a clinical nursing instructor at the college. She and I had a good chuckle. My friend doubts that the woman will make it through her nursing classes. I think our new fledgling is in for a rude shock.

Here’s some advice. Don’t enter nursing unless you want to help people. Job security isn’t all its cracked up to be if you hate your job.

11 Comments:

Blogger may said...

sometimes, security means a job you can stay on for decades. and for the record, it really is not nursing, if we're all in it just for the money.

2:57 PM  
Blogger Jean-Luc Picard said...

Those women have got a strange view of nursing. It must be a very tough job.

2:59 PM  
Blogger kario said...

Apparently her career counselor wasn't exactly honest with her...

3:19 PM  
Blogger ~AprilD said...

I definitely agree!

I went decided to become a nurse based on one job. Little did I know the kind of diversity is out there for nurses, and now I'm thinking of doing something completely different. Getting to help people is the bonus!

3:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I get so sick of people thinking nursing and nursing school are easy! I've half-seriously even been thinking of writing a letter to the editor about it. I've been asked too many times lately, "Why are you wasting your time on nursing when you could get into medical school?" Grrr. There are many variations on this comment, eg, "You want to wipe people's butts for a living?" and "You have to go to SCHOOL to be a nurse?" Gah.

8:01 AM  
Blogger Bo... said...

Good God.....did she really say a "snap"?.....

1:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Amen to that last paragraph!

It takes more than brains to be a nurse, you need to have heart too!

4:00 AM  
Blogger FetchingGal said...

heart and stamina... Nursing school is not easy. Which is good so that when one does finally graduate and get out there, one can be elated to get paid for dealing with this sh*t much like I am happy to be getting paid :p

2:37 PM  
Blogger Amrita said...

nursing education is tough.That woman will learn that in no time

10:52 PM  
Blogger Jenn Siva said...

I dont think any of realize what we are in for when we start nursing school. It becomes very clear once you get your first set of syllibi though.

And I hate the people who get into nursing because it is a good "job."

It is a life changing career for which you will be richly rewarded in a nonfiscal way, should you choose to accept such rewards.

3:11 PM  
Blogger poody said...

Job security ha ha I have been fired from a jopb before so there is no security in any job!

4:13 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home