Nursing

I recently graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Nursing and now studying to take my board exams. I definitely have a much better idea of nursing now that I've graduated. Thoughts:

1. When they tell you not be a nurse unless you love it, they were NOT kidding. I suppose I had somewhat of an idea coming in that nursing was stressful -- 12 hours of work, waking up at 7am, working until 7am, undergoing blood, guts, poop and urine... that I can actually handle no problem. Except no one really warned me how stressful nursing actually is. The reason it is the most stressful thing I have probably ever done is because I can literally kill a human being if I make a mistake or miss something. And if not, you can lose the license you worked so hard to get and never work as a nurse again. There is no step-by-step protocol to follow. You are on your own.

2. Nurse's make a good steady income. But when people say we make a lot, we actually don't. Which is why you may as well not be a nurse unless you love it. And by A LOT, I'm thinking anything greater than $100k. We only make a lot for a starting job, but after that, there's no where to go (unless you do something else -- management, teaching, other business -- in which case you're not a nurse). Nurses on the floor relatively make the same period for all the years to come.

3. When you think it's easy for new nursing graduates to get a job, it's not. Hospitals may need nurses, but in this economy, they don't have the money to hire us -- especially new graduates who they need to train.

4. Nursing is one of the most fulfilling careers I can think of. When I do other things -- dancing, partying, traveling, studying, working, business -- it's really just all about me. Helping people and giving to others gives life true meaning, that's definitely the number one reason I love nursing.

5. Another reason I love nursing is it is absolutely flexible. I can work in a bunch of different departments, areas, places, cities, countries, times, days.... And we get 4 days off to do whatever else we want. Amazing.

6. I was so lucky to be in a nursing cohort with people very similar to me -- a little older, transfers, open-minded. And we were much smaller than the usual cohort, which made us a lot closer. I love them to death. We will definitely be friends FOR LIFE. I can't wait to see us a decade from now, all successful, specializing in different departments.