NURSING PROS AND CONS

What are the Pros and Cons of bedside nursing? Join me as we talk about my 10 favorite aspects of being a bedside nurse, and my least favorite aspects of being a bedside nurse. This last weekend I had my very last shift at the bedside, and its lead to a ton of reflection on my nursing career. There have been so many aspects of being a med sure and pediatric nurse that I have absolutely loved! But I also want to be real with you guys and talk about the aspects of bedside nursing that are really hard so that you can begin to develop coping strategies to manage them, or to just vent a little! I hope that this video shows you what an awesome career nursing is, and lets you know that you are not alone if you struggle with some of these other areas!
If you are new here, Hello! I’m Liz. A pediatric nurse, new(ish) mom, and recent graduate from a Family Nurse Practitioner Program. I’m currently searching for a Job and studying for my boards exam!
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[@NurseLiz]

Alright! You heard mine, now its your turn! What are your two favorite, and one least favorite aspects of your current job??

[@ShannonSoSweeet]

Nurse Liz heyyy, where did you get your glasses? I love them

[@chads3852]

You’re such a doll ! Congrats on NP. :) thanks for the info.

[@ggblog7563]

Congratulations on your NP my sister just graduated as a NP also

[@liveeasyandbreathe]

I just got accepted to a nursing program and I was having my doubts at first but this has given me hope and has helped me realized the pros outweigh the cons.

[@NurseLiz]

I’m so glad! Congrats on your acceptance!

[@katie4335]

I work at OfficeMax and I was hired the same day as I was going through orientation. I will be there 4 years in March

[@milotxh]

@@katie4335 what u do if u don't mind asking

[@serenacross7615]

Hey Liz, Im a registered veterinary technician (Veterinary nurse). I work in a busy ER and referral hospital running the incoming/ triage line. I assess every pet that comes through the door doing a quick assessment and evaluating my sickest patients first. I've become very confident in ER and emergency medicine and i love it when those sick pets come in and Im able to use critical thinking to figure out whats going on with them, and what they need right away. It always makes me happy when we can make them come around from almost dead to doing well. We tend to get CPR causes frequently and it is very rare when we do bring them back and it can be very touch and go but ive had a couple that we did actually bring back and survived so that always warms my heart. The negative in this profession is we are very trained professionals. We place IV catheters, pull blood, run diagnostics (so we actually run the blood and urine samples ourselves as well as look at them microscopically), we do x rays, we do IV, IM, PO, SQ medication administration, we do all the drug calculations and fluid therapy. We can intubate, monitor under anesthesia and surgically prep the patient for surgery. We are in the room during surgical procedures yet our pay is so little many of us have 2-3 jobs and cannot afford to live. I love medicine so much and I am supposed to be starting practical nursing school in January in hopes to bridge into RN afterwards.

[@NurseLiz]

Holy crap you can do a lot! That is wild. I'm so sorry the pay doesn't reflect your skillset. You will be so far ahead of the game in nursing school!

[@kathleenpovey333]

I hear ya. I worked as an LVT for 30 years and everything you say is true. One more thing.....age discrimination. Eventually they will want to get rid of you and hire a younger person who will work for less pay. Also, many places just hire people off the street, train them on the job, and call them techs. The general public has no idea.

[@kaylarogers2977]

Thank you for all of the pros!!! I have been feeling a bit burned out lately, but you are so RIGHT with all the positives to bedside. So much opportunity for learning and making a difference! Sometimes it is so hard to remember this.

[@NurseLiz]

I totally hear you on that. I went through many phases like that of feeling totally drained and burnt out. Fortunately with time I usually came around again. Fingers crossed this is the same for you

[@aleksap5459]

9:30 - Advocating for my patient is by far one of my most favourite parts of nursing. That's where I know I'm making a difference for sure. And even if senior nurses or doctors don't action on my suggestions for escalation I know I saw it, and I documented it, and I've done my part. I'm happy when, amidst the chaos and fast pace of the shift, I've done my best and thoroughly documented and fully handed over - unfortunately it doesn't happen all the time when shit hits the fan, but when it does I'm satisfied. I like being able to utilise my clinical knowledge to help a patient get better.

[@NurseLiz]

Your patients are lucky to have you!

[@courtneykong5703]

I'm in Canada, but I am applying for an accelerated nursing program for next year once I finish my undergrad! I've been watching all your videos and I really want to be a nurse and am working hard to get there! You're so inspiring, thank you for these videos!

[@coltonbeeson9427]

This video is awesome! Some great points I’m going back for nursing very soon this video helped me realize some key factors. Thank you for the information!

[@NurseLiz]

Good luck in school! It’s a great career!

[@lilmusclemommy]

Absolutely enjoyed this video as I’ll be graduating from nursing school in a year. Definitely gave me insight on what to look forward to :)

[@NurseLiz]

BrittneyVlogs such an exciting time! I’m glad you enjoyed it! It made me have all the feels when I was making it 😊😩😭😄

[@anne3838]

The best thing about my job is not having a job, but still wishing i have a job.

[@NurseLiz]

Ugh that is so frustrating. Fingers crossed you get something soon

[@adannaonyia7549]

I absolutely enjoy your personality. Thanks for the videos!

[@NurseLiz]

Thanks for watching!

[@aliciabrito1308]

Thank you for posting this video! It was very informational and very helpful. I'm currently working as a social worker and I'm interested in nursing; I've been watching a lot of your videos and they are all amazing! Thank you, hope you have a great day!

[@NurseLiz]

So glad it was helpful! Thanks for all you do in social work! I have no idea how you guys do it. I feel like I was constantly saying "i'll have social work get in touch with you about that" ALL day at the hospital. YOu guys are awesome!

[@wanderfulescape773]

My personal Pros: I work in a high demand job so I won't worry about unemployment, Lots of options/specialties, I can always go for a higher degree if I choose to, I get to know my patients and help them. I learn as I go. Everyday is something different. My personal Cons: DON and administrator can be toxic. Long med passes. Being on my feet all day. Seeing someone die.

[@brittanyrmc96]

This was so helpful!! I’m so excited to start nursing school. Can you do a video on how you balance life with your husband and baby while working nights and weekends? Right now I work at a Veterinary Teaching hospital just doing admissions and scheduling and I love getting to watch the animals get better and hearing the good news, especially from our oncology patients!

[@NurseLiz]

Brittany McDonald I’m so glad it was helpful! I loved making this one! I can definitely do a video on that! But I’m not sure it will be super helpful 🤦🏻‍♀️. I definitely struggled with balancing all of those things! That job sounds so interesting!! Love the fur babies ❤️. I’m sure a TON of those skills will transfer over into human nursing!

[@paige6094]

I work as a cna in long term care and I’m in school but I can definitely say our nurse/cna:patient ratios are unsafe. On the other hand, I can mentally and physically handle so much more because of this. Very little shocks me and I don’t get that stressed at work. It’s rare for me to feel frazzled.

[@NurseLiz]

Patient ratios are absolutely awful a lot of times I agree. There’s definitely something to be said about never being shocked anymore!

[@xLovelyThorns]

Yeah, I don’t get shocked too. Hearing that I’m the only nurse to the whole building doesn’t even stress me out because I’m used to it. I’m only one person, and no matter what anyone says I’m just going to do my best.

[@christines1924]

I love teaching chemistry, physics, engineering to my students. I hate when a young one is disrespectful, but I call'em on it! and get them on track of what I expect (I work with advanced students)

[@NurseLiz]

That would be so hard! The whole behavior struggle is actually a huge reason I couldn’t do teaching, so I have crazy respect for you!

[@ggblog7563]

It’s amazing to hear you talk about management. At one point I was a Director of Assisted Living home and omg that’s my only commitment. It was very hard because I try to be understanding and walked in everyone shoes bad idea. Long story short best paying job I had negative most stressful job I had. Now am looking forward to doing nursing and not being in charge. Because my Masters is in Healthcare Management. Am sure it’s a different world being on the floor but looking forward to it once I complete pre nursing requirements . Also maybe because I graduated high school at 13 and was only 23 in Management is why everyone was looking at me as this little girl. Anyway almost 30 and looking forward to a new chapter. You’re amazing. And I can tell you truly love what you do and will be great as you have move on to your next level.

[@NurseLiz]

What awesome experiences that will prepare you for your post school job! Hope that floor job is less stressful!

[@ggblog7563]

Nurse Liz thanks beautiful

[@makaylahollywood3677]

You seem all around a wonderful person. You are making me want to become a nurse. I am a teacher, but feel I can do so much more;-)

[@davidrogers5817]

Recently subscribed, love the energy nurse Liz! Nursing student graduating in May 21 :)

[@NurseLiz]

Welcome to the channel!

[@elevatenursing]

Hi Nurse Liz, I like your videos. I find the conversational and real. Keep up :)

[@NurseLiz]

Thank you!!

[@tarapark5375]

Hi Nurse Liz! Thanks for the great video. I've just applied to nursing school after being a pet groomer for almost 10 years. Some positives about my job is first and foremost making pets look adorable, I go all out, homemade bows, bandanas, and bling collars. The second thing I love is the tips! Lol, it's a great reward when someone loves the look enough to give me an extra cash tip. But a con is that I just don't feel the pride in my job like I used to. I want to do something that makes a difference besides a pet looking good, that's nice and all, but not really necessary. I want to help and feel needed. I've wanted to go into a medical career since middle school but was put off but the many many years of school. I think nursing will be hard work but just the right fit for me at this point in my life. Thanks again for your videos, I've really enjoyed them!

[@NurseLiz]

I love that you are going for it! And those pet parents were lucky to have you!

[@sharonsmith4659]

I’m a chronic/acute hemodialysis nurse in a hospital. I love getting to know my patients in the outpatient clinic. They see the nurse more than their family in most cases so being able to help them deal with a chronic disease is so so awesome. I like the flexibility. One day I’m in outpatient. One day I do inpatient dialysis and one day I may go do a one on one in the icu. My least favorite is that dialysis is it’s own specialty and staffing is always an issue. I am on call three times a month and it’s a 24 hour shift. Oh boy! It can be tough doing dialysis on hour 18. But if you are doing a call dialysis treatment, it’s life and death. So me being tired is better than what my patient is going through. Xoxo

[@NurseLiz]

Sharon Smith thank you for what you do!! That is such a specialty indeed! And I’m so glad to hear you like to connect with your patients. I used to hear over and over with my ckd patients how their hemodialysis nurses made ALL the difference, because your right. You do see them more than they probably see their family! Thanks for being awesome, especially at hour 18!! Can’t imagine 😳

[@mckenziekeskes]

Hi Sharon! I’m about to graduate nursing school in a few months and I was wondering how you got into hemodialysis? Did you have to work as a nurse for a certain amount of time before you can apply for that?

[@sharonsmith4659]

Mckenzie Keskes Actually, I did a nurse externship the summer before I graduated in hemodialysis at our local hospital. I kept in tough with the manager and he hired me right out of nursing school. I eventually left to do med surg and oncology nursing then recently came back. It’s a specialty for sure but I love it!!!!

[@sharonsmith4659]

Does any of your local hospitals do externships?

[@mckenziekeskes]

Sharon Smith I know of one that does an externship but I was worried about how I’d juggle that and school so I never applied. Do you know how I’d apply for that specific job? Thanks for writing back!:)

[@marydailey4642]

You are so cute! I enjoyed all of your pros and cons. I didn't hear you say anything about charting, but ugh, that's a con in my book. I'm currently trying to make a decision about nursing school, as I was just accepted to start this fall! Thanks for all of your videos!

[@NurseLiz]

omg such a huge con. ugh. Congratulations on your acceptance!

[@phillewis3180]

Did you decide to go?

[@wrenmorningstar5246]

2 favourites of vet nursing would be the constant learning I do everyday and the fact that not one single day is the same! My least favourite would be how much of a social gap there is between vets and vet nurses sometimes, the mentality that vets are above nurses can really make a clinic toxic to work in. Vets and nurses are a team!

[@alexisnikitopoulos5140]

I’m currently a CNA working for a home care agency (start nursing program 1/14/18!!) and the best thing about my job is the flexibility of hours. I have 27hr/wk with my ongoing patients from Friday-Sunday and the rest of the week I can have off to focus on school OR I can pick up hours to pad my paycheck...as many or as little as I want. The only bad thing, which I’ve pretty much learned to avoid by only picking up shifts that are 5 or more hours, is that some of these people don’t actually need any personal care-they just need someone to clean their houses. Every once in a while I splurge and pay someone to come clean for me, and the going rate is DOUBLE what I make hourly. Ew-no thanks!!

[@NurseLiz]

I'm so glad its been good and flexible for you! Thats no fun about the house cleaning, that would be a turn off for me as well for sure. They can actually get assistance with housecleaning through their insurance, its a bummer their primary care provider hasn't tried to organize that a bit more. oof.

[@GittaSprouse1]

I'm deciding what I want to study and one of my options is nursing (or communication sciences) but I'd like to know how you, in the end, decided on nursing school instead of any other career path. I love your video's they're so inspiring and real!!

[@NurseLiz]

Thanks! I just kinda had a gut feeling that that was what I wanted to do. I liked how many career options there were with it, and how it was flexible. I knew I'd never be bored, and always wanted a job with people and no sitting behind a desk!

[@rb7454]

GittaSprouse1 communication sciences does not lead to a paycheck. But nursing degree does!

[@BigTroubleD]

@@NurseLiz I can relate to not liking simply sitting behind a desk. I feel like it’s such a stable and broad industry. Perks are that it’s nearly always in demand and it generally pays alright.

[@mod8179]

I was an emergency dispatcher for several years... Being held over sucks my longest shift was 20 hours. They were gracious enough to let me have a whole 6 hours off before I had to come back. 😒

[@NurseLiz]

omg that is awful

[@nursebek9428]

thankyou for the insight!! I have no idea what direction i want to take when i graduate in 4 months!!

[@NurseLiz]

It’s ok to not know right away!

[@sharonsmith4659]

Oh the white board lol! We had white board audits. It was hard core about the white board.

[@NurseLiz]

Sharon Smith 😂 so glad we aren’t the only ones! That must a really prominent lesson in management 101 for nursing

[@mercedescrawford7430]

Thank you for this video ! Been looking for videos that were specific to yours

[@NurseLiz]

Aww thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed :)

[@joemcwalters6248]

Hi Nurse Liz. My bride to be has a MS in nursing and medicine from a Turkish University. Also is an RN and a Certified School Nurse. She will be moving in with me shortly. Her goal is to be a Midwife and have her own practice. My question is what will she need to do to practice here in the US. I just found your KZbin site and enjoy listening to you. Keep up the good work

[@bananajo1234]

Were you ever grossed out by the bodily fluids/smells of patients? Or having to wipe people if they were unable?

[@NurseLiz]

It's never pleasant, but comes with the job and something you get used to!

[@yusufabdullahi2241]

I’m a high school graduate going for my adn degree to become a rn and then do the rn to bsn. Any tip? Btw I love your videos they really help!!🙏

[@NurseLiz]

I have a video on ADN vs BSN. If you search my name and that title it should show up!

[@christines1924]

Another good video!

[@NurseLiz]

Thank you so much! It was fun to make 🙂

[@itzelmontalvo6645]

One con for me was that I will never get to be my own boss :(. I always liked leading others and I think I am good at it however as a nurse I will always been given orders not give orders.

[@elizatutyan1564]

Same i literally can’t handle someone telling me what to do

[@meganclark5710]

it so is the best feeling in the world.

[@frenchie4882]

Were you on the GI liver floor at UM? I just started as an aide on 5B while in school :)

[@NurseLiz]

🤫🤫🤫

[@phoebe7441]

Hello I just wanted to ask you am looking forward to become a nurse can i manage to be a chief nurse Immediately after completing my master degree in nursing? Or have i to be a nurse for a while ( please explain to me how to be a chief nurse) can you do a video about being a chief nusre? ☺️ Second question is how many hours and how many days you work a week? Can you take days offf?

[@NurseLiz]

Hi! I'm not sure what a chief nurse is, sorry!

[@splash0114]

I graduated as a Biomedical Scientist but realized that I didn't want to just sit in a lab and do medical research.. I'm planning on studying to become a registered nurse but all I see are bad stuff about becoming one :'( thoughts and comments on this matter would be greatly appeciated

[@NurseLiz]

I think it totally depends on where you work and finding the right fit for you! There are absolutely challenges to it, but it has so much awesome potential as well.

[@jasminecooper540]

Hi new sub!! Ran across your 12 hour shift video and now I’m here lol just wondering if they mandate you is it for another 12 hours?? Starting nursing school soon and i too want to work with babies and kids so your videos are very informative and i love your personality! (:

[@NurseLiz]

Jasmine Cooper aww thanks! When they mandate you after a 12 it’s for 4 hours. Legally you can’t work 20 (at least in most places, as a nurse). If you only worked 8 hours you can get mandated for another 8, depending on your units policy. My unit only ever did 4 hour mandating thank goodness

[@jasminecooper540]

Nurse Liz omg thanks for responding! And okay not to bad another 4 hours I guess I wouldn’t die lol. I’m so binge watching all your videos as we speak so you’ll hear from me again soon.. sorry in advance (:

[@NurseLiz]

Jasmine Cooper don’t apologize 😂. See you soon lol

[@monikamehra1010]

I am really confused if I should go for Nursing or Healthcare Administration. I did not do well in my pre-reqs for nursing that kind of puts me down to think about Nursing since, nursing school look at higher GPA and A or B in pre-reqs. Could you please share your thoughts on Healthcare Administration.

[@NurseLiz]

Those are TOTALLY different. I personally hate healthcare administration because of all the nonsense they made me do as a nurse hahaha. So i'm a terrible person to ask. I'm sure its a great career if you like more of a management type of thing!

[@carolcohen1790]

Did 34 years as hospital nurse. Seeing the best and worst in people on this magical mystery tour.

[@jihanejihane4364]

Can you tell how many hours a RN work per week ? and do you always have to work at night or just in some hospitals ?

[@NurseLiz]

it will depend on the job! Full time is typically 36 hours a week. And there are definitely jobs out there that aren't nights!

[@jihanejihane4364]

@@NurseLiz They tell that nursing is very tiring ..even if you love helping people but you will not be able to spend time withyour real people imean your family because of night shifts and afternoon shifts and the full schedule ? how do you all deal with this ? is there any nursing field that doesnt require working at night ? and thank you.

[@meganclark5710]

well, it is not a job, but I do volunteer hours at a nursing home and the people there CRACK ME UP about 97% have some kind of memory care needs, so it is hilarious talking to them ( when neither of us know what we are talking about)

[@catherinesbookisland4159]

I have work for 16 hours. Is my longest.

[@NurseLiz]

That shift always made my brain melt

[@Stefenie423]

Can NP’s work in a hospital seeing patients?

[@NurseLiz]

Stefenie Fuentes acute care NP’s are trained to work in hospitals on the inpatient units! I’ve definitely seen primary care NP’s working in hospitals as well, but their training is geared toward outpatient clinics.

[@Stefenie423]

Nurse Liz oh okay. Thank you. Do you know any nurses that have become RN’s after completing an accelerated BSN? I’m trying to decide if that would be a better option or if I should look into ASN to BSN concurrent programs.

[@NurseLiz]

Stefenie Fuentes I did an accelerated nursing program!

[@michellewoocoad9511]

Also did an absn; I decided on this route because I’m older and where I’m at; associates degree nurses have a more difficult time getting jobs due to hospitals switching to hiring bsns. Absn programs are incredibly quick. For instance, classes like Med surg or peds is only 5 weeks long. It’s crazy fast, but do-able. I happen to go to a school where we as students supported each other always helping those who were struggling. I went to a 1 yr program. Hope that helps!! 😉

[@Stefenie423]

Michelle Woo thank you. :)

[@chasepotter2376]

Can you choose not to work night shifts? Really don’t want my girlfriend who’s trying to become a nurse, working nights. I will always work days and we would never see each other.

[@NurseLiz]

If you want a job in the hospital, MOST people (but not all) start on nights or evenings. Non hospital jobs will be more dayshift oriented.

[@isabellacostello5058]

No offense or anything but you kinda repeated a lot of the points.

[@NurseLiz]

Not much to do about that now

[@hoangnamnguyen150]

Con of being an Vietnamese international student male nurse: no one wants to be your friend. I just don’t know why local nursing students don’t want to be friend with an International male student. Is it because I’m an Asian male who is not blessed with being born in a western country? Even a Vietnamese student nurse born in Australia doesn’t even bother talking to me but her other Aussie friends. They just don’t like Asian international student, do they?

[@NurseLiz]

I'm sorry this has been your experience :(

[@phillewis3180]

It may be a cultural thing. People in Western Colleges are very school oriented and take time to open up to others. It is not you. Give your fellow colleagues time to warm up to you and you will have friends in no time 😃👍

[@nashvlogtv8908]

🤣🤣🤣nurses are great anyway🤗👏🏻👏🏻

[@christinagurrola5335]

Well considering she quit.....

[@NurseLiz]

I switched jobs. It’s ok to switch jobs