Four Things They Don’t Prepare You For Becoming A Nurse

Are you thinking about becoming a nurse? It could be a great career option if you want to help people and love working in a highly social environment. However, those who only see the medical side of this career might be in for a shock. There is danger, hard work and challenges that you might not be prepared for. Here are some of the facts about being a nurse that they won’t teach you in college.

You’re In Danger Every Day
Being a nurse is one of the only jobs where you’re expected to treat everyone. You need to deal with violent patients, aggressive patients and rude families. You can’t simply show them the door because this is what you signed up for. You became a nurse to help people, and that’s what you’ll do. Unfortunately, you can’t pick and choose which people you help. A criminal could have been involved in a fight with police. If they are injured, it could be your job to look after them. That’s not the only issue either because there is also human error.

Simply put, human error could mean that someone else could put you in danger. You might accidentally get stabbed with an infected needle. The chances of infection or unlikely in this type of scenario, yet entirely possible. Again, there are very few other jobs where this type of danger is an issue.

You’ll Constantly Be Quizzed
Another issue that separates nursing from other careers is the evolution of the industry. The healthcare industry is constantly evolving. Nurses must be up to date with procedures and treatments. You might think that you’re studying is over once you become a qualified nurse. On the contrary, you will be studying for the rest of your career. Otherwise, you could fail an NMC revalidation assessment. Revalidation is a check to ensure that nurses know about the latest care for patients. It is your employer’s responsibility to provide you with the information and training. You just need to make sure you learn it.

Although this is covered on a nursing course, you won’t understand it until you feel it. It is likely that at one point or another you will grow attached to one or more of your patients. You will feel connected to them in a personal way. This can make it difficult if their condition deteriorates. Or, if they are terminal. It is important that a connection like this does not cripple you. If you can’t handle losing people you grow attached to, you may not be suited for nursing.

Changing Age Of Patients
It’s a fact that the majority of people in long-term health care are over the age of sixty. Therefore, the majority of your patients will be the elderly. You need to come to terms with this early on and make sure you understand the challenges. Dementia is quite common and can make it difficult to interact with patients. You are trained for these types of situations, but it doesn’t make your first time any easier.

We hope these facts haven’t put you off being a nurse. It’s still a wonderful career that will fill you with a great sense of achievement every working day.