Working as a Registered Nurse

Working as a registered nurse, RN, unlike most other professions, is more than working to earn a salary.

It is a personal decision and total commitment to take care of patients and help them to recover no matter the demands on you.

There is no point trying to sugarcoat the profession to make it look super attractive to people interested in nursing, the fact is that the work of a nurse is very physically demanding and also emotionally challenging.

You could be standing and running around all day to provide support and help to patients, so much that you could even forget to take lunch. There are heavy items you will need to lift or carry in the course of work.

It can be very painful to see your patient, whom you have become emotionally attached die in spite of your effort to keep them alive.

If you want to be a nurse you must decide if you can handle such situation as having a patient die in your hand.

You should decide if you can stand the sight of blood and diseased body parts, which is a common thing in working as a nurse.

The job is equally mentally demanding. You have to always be at your best thinking ability to be able to make the right decisions on the job. You will also need to give attention to details and be organized.

This is because a wrong decision and sloppiness on the job can be very costly, including leading to loss of lives.

The video below gives a excellent overview of the nursing profession. Without trying to unnecessarily make the profession look good, it lays bare what you should expect working as a nurse so that you can make an informed decision on whether to be a nurse or not.

A very important aspect of the nursing practice to always remember is to wash your hands as often as possible.

For being very close to patients, nurses can get infected with diseases, therefore, to avoid this, they must constantly wash their hands.

Nurses work together with doctors to give patients the best treatment possible for them to recover.

Even though the two professions perform different duties, they both need each other for the hospital or clinic to function optimally.

It is false to think that doctors are superior to nurses. A registered nurse is trained and qualified to render nursing services, which is different from what a doctor is trained for.

Both of them are different professionals who provide different services to the public, working closely with doctors doesn’t in any way make the nurse a junior or lower or less intelligent personnel than the doctor.

Though the work of registered nurses can be very difficult and challenging, it can still be fulfilling if you are cut out for it by the passion to help sick people get well.

You will find joy and inner satisfaction from knowing that you are contributing to making lives better.

Related: Registered Nurse, Duties and Responsibilities