Profession: Registered Nurse

Experience: 11 years

Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

My Personal Experience

I always knew I wanted to work with people in their most vulnerable moments. After finishing my Bachelor of Science in Nursing, I started on a medical-surgical floor in a busy downtown Vancouver hospital. Over the past 11 years, I’ve worked in emergency, intensive care, and now public health/community nursing. I’ve held the hands of people taking their last breath, celebrated with new parents at 3 a.m., and taught entire families how to manage chronic illnesses. Every shift is different, and every patient leaves a mark on me—some days heartbreaking, some days incredibly beautiful.

The Hard Part I Feel About This Profession

The emotional and physical toll is heavier than most people realize. 12-hour shifts (often turning into 14–16 when you’re short-staffed) wreck your body and your sleep cycle. Moral distress is real—when you know what the patient needs but bureaucracy, understaffing, or resources stand in the way. Violence from patients or families has become sadly common. And carrying the weight of life-and-death decisions home with you can quietly eat away at your mental health if you don’t have strong boundaries and support.

Things I Find Interesting or Feel “Happy” About This Profession

The moments of pure human connection are unmatched. When a terrified patient squeezes your hand and says “thank you for not leaving me,” or when someone you cared for in ICU walks back onto the unit months later to hug you—those moments refill the tank. I love the science-meets-art aspect: reading complex rhythms, catching subtle changes no monitor picks up, and advocating fiercely for patients who can’t speak for themselves. In community nursing now, seeing people thrive at home because of the care plan we built together feels like the ultimate reward.

Pros And Cons Which I Feel About This Profession

Pros:

1. Job security & flexibility: Nursing jobs are everywhere, and you can switch specialties or go casual/part-time relatively easily.
2. Meaningful impact: You literally save lives and ease suffering on a daily basis.
3. Continuous learning: New research, certifications, and skills keep the brain engaged for decades.
4. Strong camaraderie: Your team becomes family because you go through intense experiences together.

Cons:

1. Physical demands: Back injuries, varicose veins, and total exhaustion are extremely common.
2. Staffing shortages: Working understaffed has become the norm rather than the exception.
3. Emotional burnout & compassion fatigue: You give pieces of yourself every shift.
4. Pay doesn’t always match the responsibility: Especially when compared to the stress and education required.

My Suggestions for Newbies in This Profession

If you’re starting your nursing journey in Canada, here’s my advice:

1. Master time management and prioritization early—your ability to stay calm under chaos is everything.
2. Find your people: Build a support network of colleagues, mentors, friends, or a therapist who “gets it.”
3. Protect your body: Learn proper body mechanics, wear good shoes, and strength-train if you can.
4. Don’t lose your empathy, but do set emotional boundaries—you can care deeply without carrying every story home.
5. Consider starting in med-surg or emergency for two years; it’s like boot camp and makes every other specialty easier later.

Conclusion

Eleven years in, nursing has tested me, broken me, and rebuilt me more times than I can count. It’s exhausting, messy, and sometimes traumatic—but it’s also the greatest privilege of my life to walk with people through their hardest and most sacred moments. If you’re thinking about this path, know that it will demand everything you have… and if you let it, it will also give you more than you ever imagined possible.