Registered Nurse RN

Registered Nurse, Free Care Plans, Free NCLEX Review, Nurse Salary, and much more. Join the nursing revolution.

  • RN
    • Nursing Clinical Skills
  • Nursing Videos
  • Blog
  • Nursing School
  • Nursing Care Plans
  • Nursing Quizzes
  • Nursing
  • Nursing Jobs
  • NCLEX Review
  • Store

What Nursing is Like | I Want to Be a Nurse, But What’s It Like? | Registered Nurse RN

Hey Everyone,

I received another “ask me a question” and this one comes from Maddie and here is what was asked:

“Hi,

My name is maddie i really want to enter the career of nursing to become a Nurse, but i have no way of knowing what its truely like. i have been to a hospital before but thats not enought and iv researched like crazy but i really want to know more to see if its right for me do you have any ideas of what i can do??? thank you

Maddie”

What’s It Like Being a Nurse or RN?

Maddie, thank you very much for your question. It is really good that you are wanting to explore and find out what a nurse does before you actually try to attain the degree. I have seen many people (who I have gone to school with) who thought nursing was for them but ended up not liking it because they had a different idea of what nursing was.

Here are a few suggestions: Even though you have been to a hospital before, did you participate in giving care to the patients and spend a whole working day with a nurse? If you haven’t I suggest very strongly that you do what is called “shadowing”. Almost every hospital has a thing where you spend the whole day with a nurse and work with him/her to get a feel of what the job offers.

I suggest you think of a field you might be interested in nursing(such as Pediatrics, Labor & Delivery, Health Clinic work, Intensive Care Unit, Emergency Room, Medical Surgical (you see a variety of patients from gun shot wounds to pneumonia), Operating Room….etc and “shadow” in one of these areas. So get on your local hospital’s website or call the hospital and ask how you go about signing up to shadow a nurse. I think that is where you will get the answer to your question and it will help you decide if nursing is for you.

Also, to give you an idea of what a nurse does I can explain to you how my day goes when I work in clinicals with my preceptor. I work on a Cardiac ICU (intensive care unit) step-down Unit.

I arrive at 645am and look on the board to see what patients I have for the day. Then I find the nurse who had the patients last night and get what is called “report” from them. It consists of history of the patient, diagnosis, current condition, labs, test, procedures schedules, IV access…etc. Then after that I find that patients chart (we still don’t have computerized charting yet…getting there) and look at it to see if we missed any thing in report.

Then I do my morning assessment  (consists of listening to lungs, heart, bowel sounds,  checking pulse, blood pressure, edema (swelling), Range of Motion, Level of Consciousness, IV site…etc). Then I document everything in the patients chart I found. I usually have 3-5 patients for the day. So I do this with each patient. Then by the time I’m done with everything it is time to pass 1000 am medications. After that I review charts to see if there are any new doctor’s orders and put them into the computer. Then I Draw blood (if needed) for new lab work (and this can take time if the patients has bad veins), change wound dressing, rotate IV sites (if needed IV sites expire in 4 days), flush IV lines, flush PICCs, change dressings & caps on PICCs, ambulate (walk) patients, pass more medications…etc.

Then you have to chart everything you do. You will notice there is a lot of paper to work to do on patients. Then before you know it is 645pm and it is time to get “report” ready to give to the night shift. That was a down and dirty day of how my day goes…of course it is not everything but it sort of gives you an idea of a floor nurse.

I wish you much luck with your decision regarding nursing and I hope you decide to shadow a nurse because it will really help you. lso, keep in mind that nursing salaries are pretty good too. Thank you again for your question and good luck! If you have any other question don’t hesitate to hit me up.

Thinking about going to Nursing School?

Are you contemplating going to nursing school, or are you actually in nursing school right now? Nursing school can be challenging, especially if you do not know what to expect. Here is a great guide by S. L. Page BSN, RN called “How to Pass Nursing School“. This book gives you detailed information about how to pass nursing school from beginning to end. S.L. Page, the creator of this website, complied all the information students what to know about nursing school into one easy to read guide. She gives in depth information on how to succeed in nursing school.

S.L. Page graduated from nursing school with honors and passed the NCLEX-RN on her first try. In this eBook, she reveals the strategies she used to help her succeed.

Here is what the book looks like:

how-to-pass-nursing-school-guide

Please Share:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
Nursing Gear

RSS Latest YouTube Videos

  • Medication Abbreviations Frequencies/Orders | Medical Terminology | Nursing NCLEX Review
  • Baby's First Food Reaction at 6 Months Old | How to Start Solids | Pediatric Nursing
  • Inversion and Eversion of the Foot, Ankle | Body Movement Terms Anatomy
  • Medication Routes of Administration and Medical Abbreviations | Nursing NCLEX Review

Recent Posts

  • Medication Abbreviation Frequencies Time and Orders Quiz (Nursing)
  • Baby’s First Food
  • Medication Administration Routes and Abbreviations (Nursing)
  • Inversion and Eversion

Disclosure and Privacy Policy

This website provides entertainment value only, not medical advice or nursing protocols. We strive for 100% accuracy, but nursing procedures and state laws are constantly changing. By accessing any content on this site or its related media channels, you agree never to hold us liable for damages, harm, loss, or misinformation. See our full disclosure and privacy policy. Copyright Notice: Do not copy this site, articles, images, or its contents without permission.

Important Links

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Follow Us on Social Media

  • Facebook Nursing
  • Instagram Nursing
  • Twitter Nursing
  • YouTube Nursing

Get Free Email Updates:

Enter your email address below and hit "Submit" to receive free email updates and nursing tips.

Copyright © 2021 RegisteredNurseRN.com. All Rights Reserved.