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I am almost caught up on questions, but I had another great question regarding working as a registered nurse:

Hey Sarah,

What is your biggest fear working as a Registered Nurse RN? Is there anything you constantly worry about while working? Just curious.

Deb

Thanks so much for your question Deb. I think all people working in the medical profession have fears on a variety of topics. I find that many nursing students wonder what it will be like working as a registered nurse. I will cover my greatest fear below, and also some popular fears people in the medical field face.

My Biggest Fear Working as a Registered Nurse (RN) in the Medical Field

My biggest fear by far is this: Making a mistake that could cause a patient pain (or even their life). When you work as a nurse, you are very involved with the patients (much more so than the doctors), and you are usually directly responsible for their well-being. I think it would be very difficult if a patient ever died or had a major problem as a result of a medical mistake. So I am always constantly double-checking myself and try my best to ensure I do everything right.

So making a mistake that could harm a patient is definitely the thing I worry most about working in the medical field.

Some other popular fears that people experience working in the medical field are below:

1. Dealing With Codes. I do have to deal with this from time to time, and I always have a little fear about dealing with it. Because when someone is going into a code, it is often life or death. That can put an enormous amount of pressure on you, so I tend to have some fear in those situations. Fear can sometimes be a good thing, though. As the fear makes me really focus in those situations.
2. Getting Sued. People file a lawsuit if you sneeze these days. And the medical field is constantly having to deal with legal issues. So that is another thing people fear and worry about.
3. Losing Your License. After working so hard to get a nursing degree, I certainly would NEVER want to lose my nursing license. You can lose your license for things as small as forgetting to renew it, to making  a major mistake. But in any event, any medical person would have losing their license.
4. Getting Involved in Family Drama–Needless to say, sometimes family members can be very emotional. Sometimes they can take out their emotions on the medical staff. So this is something I always fear (probably dread is a better word…). =)
5. Forgetting a Medical Procedure. There are constantly new medical procedures that we must learn and perfect. I always have a fear that “Oh no, what if I forget how to do something.” So I always try to continue my studies and take educational classes (provided by my job) as soon as possible to make sure I know my job as best as I can.

 All of those things can cause fear in the minds of a medical worker or registered nurse. For me, my very biggest fear is simply making a mistake that could harm a patient. It is a risk we all face, but hopefully we will never have to experience it.

Thanks again for the question!

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Here is a great question about becoming a nurse:

Hi!

Firstly I would like to thank you for making such a great website!!! I’ve had so much trouble finding a place where I can ask about nursing from a real nurse!

I am currently in the last year of high school, and I am thinking about taking a Registered Nurse RN course in university once I leave school.

The thing is, I really don’t know if nursing is for me because I know so little about it.

and another thing is that I am scared of blood or looking at wounds, so do you think its possible to overcome that fear with time, or do you think I should search for another career.

Thanks =)

—Amber

Thank you so very much for your nice words and for the great question Amber. This is a great question, and I will do the best I can to answer your questions!

How Can I Know if Nursing is For Me?

I have written a page a long time ago about how to know if Nursing is a Good Career for You. A lot of people often are attracted to the nursing field, and yet don’t know a lot about it. So they do have an interest, but aren’t sure what nursing is like. Some turn out to like it very well, others may decide they hate it.

To know whether you will love it or hate it, the best thing to do is to think about your own personal talents and skills. Are you good with people? Can you work under pressure? What interests you about nursing? Asking those questions can help you realize if it is right for you or not.

The thing to keep in mind is that every single job on the planet has its good moments and its bad moments. Take being a famous actress for example. You have good parts of that: Money, fame, so forth. You also have bad parts: paparazzi, busy schedule, working with pushy actors/directors, etc.

So you see, any job will have good and bad things involved, and nursing is certainly no different. Some of the good things about nursing is: the pay is good, I like schedule, good benefits, the satisfaction of helping others. Some bad things include: fussy patients, coworkers who are bossy, excessive regulations/rules, and so forth.

The important thing is that the good things outweigh the bad things, and therefore, I really like nursing. If the bad outweigh the good, then nursing may not be the ideal job.

In any event, it is important to find a job that does satisfy you enough to want to be passionate and stick with it. If you can do that, then you can be a great nurse. If not, perhaps a different career may be better.

How to Find Out More About Nursing

There are SO MANY nursing jobs out there. You can work for the government, a non-profit organization, a business, a school, or a private doctor’s office, etc. There are so many different things you could do.

The best thing to do is to try and learn more about each potential nursing job, and then see if you have talents, interests, and a desire to work in that position.

You can also try applying for a part-time job in a hospital to see what nursing is like, what the people are like, and so forth. This is also a great way to build experience.

Can You Be a Nurse If You Are Scared of Blood, Wounds, and So Forth?

Yes, you can absolutely be a nurse even if you are afraid of blood. There are many paths in the nursing profession you can take, and sometimes you may not even have to deal with blood often (or ever). There are many “desk jobs” in nursing as well, and some nurses go on to teach school after they get their degrees.

Also, whether or not you can overcome your fear of blood depends on how badly you want to be a nurse. If you really want to be a nurse, you can overcome your fears by practicing and getting used to it. Anyone can overcome their fears if they want something badly enough.

For example, did you know that there was once a boy so shy in school, that when a teacher called on him, he would just sit there and not even answer? He was so afraid of talking in public, even in front of his own classmates. The teacher said, “I would ask him a question, and he would just sit there and not reply. He was so shy and timid.”

Later, this boy that was so shy eventually went on to be a famous preacher (Billy Graham), and he preached to millions of people live over the course of his life.

So that just goes to show you that you should never let a fear of something hold you back from fulfilling a career you are interested in. We all have fears, so don’t think you are the only one.

When I was in nursing school, I was terribly shy about having to insert a catheter, inserting IV’s, and the thought of seeing people naked was a little odd for me. However, once I got in there, I realized these people are sick, weak, and really need the care. There was nothing to fear, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It was far worse in my mind than in reality.

In fact, you eventually get so used to it, it doesn’t even bother you anymore. And you realize that you are helping someone to hopefully get better.

Conclusion: Is Nursing For Everyone?

In conclusion, nursing certainly isn’t for everyone. However, I think you should definitely explore your interests and see if nursing is something you may want to do for a career.

As with all careers, nursing does have its good things and bad things. However, I really enjoy it, and I am glad I stuck with it.

I wish you the best of luck, and thanks again!

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