What is the hardest thing to do for a nurse?

The hardest thing for a nurse often involves the intense emotional toll of patient suffering and death, managing overwhelming workloads, dealing with physical and emotional exhaustion, navigating difficult hospital politics, and facing lack of respect or abuse, all while trying to maintain compassion and provide excellent care. The inability to help a patient as much as desired, coupled with high-stakes decisions and moral distress, creates significant challenges beyond just medical tasks, notes Norwich University - Online and Becker's Hospital Review.

What is the hardest thing a nurse has to do?

The hardest part of nursing involves profound emotional strain from losing patients and witnessing suffering, managing overwhelming workloads, and dealing with the physical and psychological toll of long shifts, compassion fatigue, and ethical dilemmas, all while maintaining professionalism and self-care. Nurses frequently face life-and-death situations, high patient acuity, understaffing, and workplace stress, making it challenging to compartmentalize intense experiences and avoid burnout, say Becker's Hospital Review. 

What are common struggles for nurses?

ANA Nursing Resources Hub

• Nursing Issue #1: Inadequate Staff.
• Nursing Issue #2: Mental Health Concerns.
• Nursing Issue #3: Lack of Advancement Opportunities.
• Nursing Issue #4: Fear of Workplace Violence.

What is the hardest in nursing?

Pharmacology, the study of medications and their effects on patients is often considered one of the hardest classes in nursing.

What is the toughest nursing job?

Most stressful nursing specialties

• Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses. The ICU is an extremely high-pressure environment. ...
• Emergency room nurses. ER nurses face stress levels that are similar to what first responders experience. ...
• Neonatal ICU nurses. ...
• Operating room nurses. ...
• Oncology nurses. ...
• Psychiatric nurses.

DON'T Become a NURSE If You Hate These Things...

Can an RN make $200,000?

While the median registered nurse salary sits at $93,600 per year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest-paid nurses are earning well over $200,000 annually, proving that nursing can be both personally fulfilling and financially rewarding. The nursing salary landscape has evolved dramatically.

What is the happiest nurse job?

Top 10 Happiest Nursing Jobs

• Labor and delivery nurse.
• Radiology nurse.
• Gastrointestinal nurse.
• Cardiac nurse.
• Gynecology nurse.
• Pulmonary/respiratory nurse.
• Critical care nurse.
• Psychiatric nurse.

What is the hardest skill in nursing?

Pharmacology

Some students believe pharmacology takes the cake for being the hardest class in nursing school. In this course, you'll dive into drug classifications, mechanisms of action, side effects, and interactions.

Which type of nurse is most prone to burnout?

Critical care nurses tend to suffer the highest rates of burnout. Critical care specialties include the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU). Emergency department nurses tend to experience the highest rates of burnout.

What class do most people fail in nursing school?

Pharmacology. It shouldn't be a shock that many nursing students consider pharmacology the most difficult class within their curriculum. The name of the most failed class in nursing school indeed implies it's going to be challenging, and it will be.

What are the 5 P's in nursing?

The 5 Ps in nursing refer to key checks during patient rounding: Pain, Position, Potty (or Personal Needs/Hygiene), Periphery (possessions), and Pump (equipment), ensuring patient comfort, safety, and satisfaction by proactively addressing basic needs and environmental factors every hour. There's also a different set of 5 Ps for neurovascular assessments: Pain, Pallor, Paresthesia, Paralysis, and Pulse, checking circulation. 

What do new nurses struggle with the most?

New nurses struggle most with initial uncertainty, leading to low confidence, poor critical thinking/decision-making, and high stress from heavy workloads, time management, and complex tasks (like delegation, physician communication, managing emergencies) in high-pressure settings, often feeling overwhelmed by the transition from student to professional, facing "imposter syndrome," and seeking support while navigating unsupportive environments. 

What is the greatest weakness as a nurse?

Here are some possible nursing weaknesses examples:

• Difficulty delegating tasks.
• Emotionally impacted by patients' pain.
• Wanting to accomplish everything at once.
• Excessive attention to detail.
• Balancing compassion and objectivity.
• Taking too long to document.
• Not having a lot of clinical experience (for new grads)

Who do nurses mostly marry?

Female registered nurses are most likely to marry male managers or female registered nurses. Male registered nurses are most likely to marry female or male registered nurses. Nurse practitioners and midwives are most likely to marry miscellaneous managers, physicians and surgeons.

What is the biggest problem in nursing?

According to a 2025 survey of 3,128 nursing leaders, the top challenge facing the nursing profession is staff recruitment and retention. The current shortage began in 2012 and is expected to continue to at least 2030.

What is the easiest RN job?

The "easiest" Registered Nurse (RN) job is subjective but generally points to roles with predictable schedules, less physical demand, and lower patient acuity, like School Nurse, Clinic Nurse, Nurse Educator, Telehealth Nurse, or Occupational Health Nurse, offering M-F, day shifts and avoiding emergency/night shifts of hospital bedside care, though all RN roles require skill and compassion.
 

What is the 42% rule for burnout?

42% – that's the percentage of time your body and brain need you to spend resting. It's about 10 hours out of every 24. By prioritising rest, we can improve our ability to cope with stress, reduce the risk of burnout, and enhance our overall well-being.

What percent of nurses quit nursing?

Nurse turnover rates vary but are significant, with recent data showing national hospital turnover around 18-19% and registered nurse (RN) turnover around 16-18%, though rates differ by specialty, location, and experience level, costing hospitals significantly and impacting patient care. High-turnover areas include behavioral health, step-down, and emergency services, while pediatrics and women's health often see lower rates. Key drivers include burnout, staffing ratios, workload, and career opportunities, with high rates potentially leading to increased healthcare-associated infections.
 

What is the least stressful job as an RN?

List of Lower-Stress Nursing Jobs

• School Nurse. One of the best-known low-stress roles is that of a school nurse. ...
• Public Health Nurse. ...
• Nurse Educator. ...
• Clinic Nurse. ...
• Nurse Informaticist. ...
• Telehealth Nurse. ...
• Research Nurse. ...
• Occupational Health Nurse.

What are the 5 C's of nursing?

The "5 Cs of Nursing" usually refers to core values for patient care: Compassion, Competence, Confidence, Conscience, and Commitment, a model by Sister Simone Roach; however, the popular NHS "6 Cs" (Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage, Commitment) are widely adopted, adding communication and courage to the foundation. These Cs guide nurses to provide high-quality, empathetic, and effective care, focusing on both clinical skill and the human element of healing.
 

What is the hardest kind of nurse to be?

Trauma nursing is one of the most demanding and stressful roles a nurse can assume. RNs and APRNs on trauma units work under overwhelming pressure with patients in critical conditions.

What is the strongest skill in nursing?

Empathy. Empathy is one of the most important traits of a good nurse. Empathy means showing compassion and understanding to others. It is such a vital skill for working with patients.

Which nurse is most in demand?

The most in-demand nursing types are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) like Nurse Practitioners, Anesthetists, and Midwives due to rapid growth, alongside Critical Care/ICU Nurses, Emergency Room (ER) Nurses, and Medical-Surgical Nurses, driven by an aging population, complex health needs, and consistent acute care demands. Also crucial are Nurse Educators and Home Health Nurses, addressing systemic shortages and community care needs, respectively. 

What is the #1 most trusted profession?

Nurses are consistently ranked as the most trusted profession in the U.S. for honesty and ethics, a position they've held for over two decades, according to annual Gallup polls, with high marks also going to grade-school teachers, military officers, and pharmacists, while globally, doctors and scientists often rank high alongside nurses and teachers. 

Do nurses make $100,000 a year?

In short, the nurses most likely to make $100,000 or more per year are advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), nurse leaders, and experienced travel nurses—especially those working in major metropolitan areas or high-demand specialties.