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What does a Hospital Nurse’s life look like outside of work? How much free time do they have? Do the cons of being a nurse take a huge toll on your life outside the hospital?

I am a Senior in high school and will soon be moving on to become a Registered Nurse, and hopefully even specializing further. I found a lot online about a day in the life of a nurse and what that is like, but i was wondering what affect that took on someone's life and how they live outside of the hospital. #nursing #nurse #registered-nurses #nurse-practitioner #hospital

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Michele’s Answer

My family member is a nurse practitioner with over 10 years experience in the medical field. She is very caring, committed, and goes the extra mile. She began her registered nursing career in her early 20s and currently works nights, (12-13 hour shifts, sometimes more due to COVID). She sleeps during the day (2-4 hours) when most people her age are working so a social life is very challenging. Her schedule has flexibility when there is not a pandemic or epidemic. She normally works 3-4 days and prefers working at night. She has worked at hospitals where she was required to work 70 - 80 hours a week and care for more patients than was possible to accommodate by one Nurse. The good thing about the medical profession is that good Nurses and Doctors are in high demand. Her medical skills are diverse so she is constantly being recruited. She loves being a Nurse Practitioner but has challenges with participating in social activities because her schedule is currently very demanding and consuming. She has worked as a critical nurse for heart patients, neonatal care, ob-gyns, and now pediatric care. Nursing takes a toll on your emotions especially if you are a genuinely caring and empathic person because you get emotionally connected to your patients therefore seeing them suffer, hurt, or sometimes terminal can be overwhelming and emotionally draining. Nevertheless, most patients would prefer to have this type of care giver looking after their health and well-being than someone who projects an attitude of "it's just a job", detachment or being aloof. She says her career is very rewarding and constantly changes because of the ever evolving changes and discoveries in science, medicine, and technology. Just look at how COVID--19 has affected the entire world and the race to find a valid vaccine and save thousands of lives.
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Teresa’s Answer

Hi Italia- I'm so glad to hear you are interested in becoming a nurse. I think it is a great profession. You pose an interesting question, because I think ANY career can interfere with home life if you allow it. The nice thing about nursing is that it is very flexible. Many nurses adjust their hours when they have small children at home so they can spend more time with them. Some nurses work excess overtime-- and it's a sacrafice they must make to earn the income they want. Some nurses I know have become school nurses because they wanted to have the same hours as their children in the school. Some nurses work in doctor's offices so they can be off on weekend and holidays. If you work in the hospital, you get a greater pay but you also must work a certain number of hours on the weekends and holidays so that can be a problem for some people-- others LOVE it because it leaves them free to be off more during the week so they can attend community and school functions.
Good luck!
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