People keep asking me why I don't continue my career in becoming a nurse... so maybe next time someone asks, I'll give him/her my blog link instead of answering. xD

Anyway, I decided to make a list of reasons why I decided not to be a nurse in a hospital.


> There are so many requirements to get a job. Just think, we (or our parents) spend almost half a million pesos to take four years of physical, mental, and emotional torture... then we take the board exam (with costs approximately 10-15 thousand pesos if we add the review center fee)... then we need to have trainings (which we already did in college and which we cannot enroll in if we don't pass the Nursing Licensure Examination).

Alright then. I passed the board exam with a rating of 83.6. I trained for BLS (Basic Life Support), ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), and ECG Interpretation - where I spent approximately 10 thousand pesos including training fee and food. I also trained for IVT (Intravenous Therapy), which was also taught to us in college, and paid three thousand pesos for it.

I was ready to be a nurse. I honestly was... but the hospitals wouldn't let me volunteer without the actual certificates. So, guess what? I gave it up. I was frustrated. Siriusly, we nurses VOLUNTEER to give our service and care to hospital patients. But what do hospitals do? They constantly REJECT or LIMIT those who could offer their services because of freaking requirements?

"God says no," I just think to myself. That it's not the right job for me.


> I was taught in college with ideal settings and ideal standards... and we had to work our butts off just to meet those standards which were set by SLU. Up to now, I still remember those standards and principles and I apply them to family and friends and even at work.

However, as I observe the nurses in different hospitals (I try to accompany family and friends whenever they get themselves checked up), I noticed that the standards in the actual setting aren't that high as they were when we were studying.

We were taught to do BEDSIDE care, while staff nurses only visit patients once for every shift. One staff nurse actually laughed at me when I had my IVT Training at R1MC. He asked me why I was closely monitoring my patient while he was receiving his first bag of whole blood (it was a blood transfusion and we had to get 2 cases to get a certificate). I just looked at him and smiled. As I thought of it right now, my reaction is different. It goes more like, "Are you a nurse or are you just stupid?"

Ugh. It's not worth it. I choose to keep my standards.

> Despite the beliefs of many, nurses aren't exactly paid with very high salary. If you have no work experience, then you get NO SALARY. As simple as that.

> I can't handle the emotional burden... whenever someone dies or is close to dying that I feel helpless.

> I get sick whenever I have graveyard shifts (11pm-7am).

> It was never my choice in the first place.

So there... Don't get me wrong though. I'm a nurse by heart. I can take care of people and attend to patients who need me. But I'm not a nurse by profession. I don't take care of people to get money... and I'm happier this way. :)