Disadvantages Of Nursing Career

Nursing has been an excellent career choice for millions of people, but the disadvantages of nursing career has also prevented others from becoming a nurse. Nursing is a profession where extreme hard work is needed. You will have to be on your toes when you are working with a patient. An emergency can arise anytime and this can lead to severe a good career for many, but the disadvantage of nursing career prevents many from becoming a nurse. There are some strong reasons why some people do not want to become a nurse.

1. Stress in the job:

Nursing job can be highly stressful. There are several reasons for the high stress in the job. One of the reasons is the constant pressures of dealing with sick people. Also, it is a job where you will have to constantly monitor the vital signs of patients and their health progress. Any lack of concentration on the part of the nurse could mean the difference between life and death. This constant pressure during the duty hours add to the stress of a nurse.

2. Extreme hard work needed:

A nurse needs to be no her toes all the time. Though many people are cut out for this kind of job, there are others who will not want to be on their toes all the time. People need to rest between their work and take a breather. If you are not cut out for such extreme hard work, it is time you took a decision not to become a nurse.

3. Deal with life and death situations everyday:

If you are working with patients in the ward or in the emergency room, you will have to deal with life and death situations every day. In fact, in some critical areas, many patients could even die on a daily basis, like in the trauma ward or in the Intensive care unit. This could be a very serious emotional burden on you. So, if you think you would not be able to handle such situations, you should select an alternate career to nursing.

4. Shift duties:

With the number of Information Technology jobs on the rise, people are moving towards working from their home. Working from home has several advantages, including flexible duty hours. On the other end of the spectrum is the job of a nurse. The nurse has to work in the workplace only and has limited choice of working from home. Also, the shift duties make the job of a nurse much more challenging. This is probably the reason for fewer people selecting nursing as their career choice. This is also the reason for the high pay of nurses as the demand for them grows all the time. In spite of the good pay, the shift duties discourage many from choosing a career in nursing.

5. Lack of respect:

This is another common problem faced by nurses. Though healthcare is teamwork, the team is dominated by doctors. If you are not a doctor, you may not earn much respect. Especially in developing countries, the nursing profession is not given its due. People do not respect nurses as much as they respect doctors and even other health workers.

6. Risk of diseases:

A nurse has to spend a lot of time with patients. This exposes them to various pathogens and other health risks. Contagious diseases can be spread easily and even if a nurse is not careful for a minute, she can be exposed to deadly germs and other pathogens. There are several studies to show that health workers, especially nurses can be at risk of contracting these diseases. Any needle prick injuries and other such hazards can expose a nurse to deadly and life threatening diseases too. These risks in a nursing career also put off some people from becoming a nurse.

Patient handling training to reduce injury risk to nurses

To prevent such risks, the Center for Disease control and Prevention has put up some information on its website. This information through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) helps in providing patient handling training for nurses.

7. Lack of staffing:

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) data suggests that there are at least 3 million registered nurses in the US. In spite of this, the number of nurses required to do the existing work is much higher. Inadequate nurse staffing in many hospitals leads to increase of work pressure of nurses. This additional work pressure on the nurses could cause a poor quality of patient care.

Bill to prevent staff shortage

To prevent and overcome this staffing shortage, the National Nurses United is campaigning for improved nurse staffing in hospitals. A bill has been admitted in the Congress by Rep. Schakowsky Janice D on adequate nurse to patient ratio. This bill has been named as the Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2017. If this bill is made into law, it will help increase nursing staff in hospitals. It will also make the nurse job easier and enhance patient care.

Disadvantages Of Nursing Career