What is the hardest job as a nurse?
Asked by: Maxie Leffler | Last update: December 23, 2025Score: 4.3/5 (41 votes)
The most stressful nursing jobs include ICU nurse, ER nurse, and NICU nurse. In these roles, nurses work in an intense environment with high stakes. They manage emergency situations and care for critically ill patients. Other stressful nursing jobs include OR nursing, oncology nursing, and psychiatric nursing.
What is the hardest thing to do as a nurse?
- Long shifts. Nurses often work 8- or 12-hour shifts. ...
- Changing schedules. ...
- Emotional involvement. ...
- Physical demands. ...
- Exposure to illness and chemicals. ...
- Lack of nurses. ...
- Changing technology. ...
- Poor treatment from patients.
What area of nursing has the highest burnout?
According to the data, the percentages of nurses suffering from burnout in the presented research ranged from 14.3% to 84.7%, with the highest value of burnout among nurses who worked in the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is the most challenging nursing specialty?
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 level in nursing is the hardest?
While “the hardest nursing class” varies for everyone, Medical-Surgical Nursing, Pharmacology, and Pathophysiology are often at the top of the list. Nurse Aide courses can also feel tough for beginners, as they require learning practical skills quickly.
What's the most difficult part about being a nurse?
What is the no. 1 toughest degree in the world?
Experts have put medicine, engineering, design, mathematics, law, physics, chemistry, music, biology, and computer science at the top of the list of the hardest degrees in the world. Each of these fields needs a high level of academic and practical skills, as well as a strong work ethic and a commitment to the field.
What is the lowest ranked nurse?
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
Certified nursing assistants are the first level in the hierarchy of nursing. The role involves helping patients with the type of tasks associated with daily life, including eating, dressing and bathing.
What is the most stressful RN job?
What nursing jobs are the most stressful? The most stressful nursing jobs include ICU nurse, ER nurse, and NICU nurse. In these roles, nurses work in an intense environment with high stakes. They manage emergency situations and care for critically ill patients.
What is the lowest paid RN specialty?
Licensed vocational nurses (LVN) and licensed practical nurses (LPN) are some of the lowest-paid nursing roles, but that is due to the fact that the educational requirements are less than most other types of nurses.
Is ICU harder than med-surg?
In terms of work intensity, both have their challenges. ICU nursing can be intense due to the severity of patients' conditions and the need for swift responses to rapid changes. Med-Surg nursing, while less acute, can be demanding due to the high patient volume and broad range of conditions to be managed.
Why are nurses quitting in 2024?
In the wake of a global pandemic, the nursing shortage has reached crisis levels. High levels of burnout and excessive stress on the job have resulted in nurses quitting across many specialty areas, leaving a void in the healthcare field that is hard to fill without qualified candidates.
What is the hardest ICU to work in a nurse?
Some nurses consider CVICU nursing one of the most challenging types of ICU nursing due to the complex patients, technology, treatments, and procedures.
What nurses get paid the most?
Nurse anesthetists are the highest-paid nurses, with a median annual income of $195,610 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Projected Job Growth: The number of jobs available for CRNAs is expected to grow by 45% between 2020 and 2030, much faster than the average.
What type of person is best suited for nursing?
- Being even-tempered, hardworking, and flexible.
- Displaying a sense of humor.
- Practicing self-care.
- Demonstrating leadership skills.
What do new nurses struggle with the most?
- Difficulty Dealing with the Health System and Devices in a Work Environment. ...
- Fear of Dealing with New Patients. ...
- Difficulty Applying Policies and Procedures in the Workplace.
What do nurses dislike about their job?
Nurses are often overworked and underpaid with inadequate leave. Even though what we do is important and not without risk, the government fails to sufficiently recognise the challenges and importance of healthcare.
What is the happiest field of nursing?
The happiest nurse job is a nurse educator. Nurse educators reported the highest satisfaction ratings of any other type of nurse, with 33% reporting that they were happy in their current role.
What is the easiest RN job?
Several nursing roles such as school nursing, occupational health nursing, and nurse education are identified as low-stress yet fulfilling career paths within healthcare, offering regular schedules, competitive salaries, and less physically demanding environments.
What is the hardest nursing floor?
- 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.
Which nurses have the highest burnout?
- ED Nurses Experience High Stressors at Work. Emergency department nurses tend to experience the highest rates of burnout. ...
- ICU Nurses Show Symptoms of Burnout. ...
- Critical Care Nurses Experience High Levels of Stress.
What type of nurse is most respected?
Nurse anesthetists are in one of the most well-respected fields in nursing, and it requires years of education, training, and experience to become one. These nurses provide anesthesia to patients, typically in a surgical, dental, or ER/OR scenario.
Where do the smartest nurses work?
Case in point, within all general areas of nursing, the Medical ICU, Trauma ICU, Peds ICU, Neonatal ICU, are perceived to require the highest skill set of nurses.
Is a PA higher than a RN?
PA: As physician assistants perform many of the same duties as doctors, they are required to obtain more education and training than compared to most RNs. Additionally, most PA programs require many hours of healthcare experience to be admitted.
What is a 2 year nursing degree called?
Associate in Nursing (ASN)
You can become a registered nurse (RN) in just two years with your associate degree in nursing (ASN). RNs are the first line of care in many healthcare settings, and they are in increasingly high demand as healthcare organizations strive to accommodate a growing patient population.
What is the lowest GPA for nursing?
While most nursing schools require a GPA of at least 3.0, more competitive ones may expect GPAs of at least 3.8. If your GPA is well below these requirements, you may want to consider looking for schools with less competitive requirements.