Who'd be a nurse today?

I got really fed up a few days ago while reading the BBC Have Your Say comments. Nurses were getting such a bashing from so many people; apparently we are dirty, we don't care and we don't wash our hands. There were also complaints about not wanting to feed or wash people anymore because that is not part of our job. They are actually two tasks I really like to do. I like them because it gives me the chance to talk to people. Nurses do not spend as much time with their patients as they would like because there are so many other things to do, like all the jobs that doctors used to do. And when there are another 8+ patients to look after, all at different stages of their illness / hospital stay, and some who are really unwell, it leaves very little time to spend with each individual. I love my job, I have been a healthcare assistant for 9 years and a student nurse for 18 months. I know already that as a qualified nurse I will probably be demoralised by the lack of quality of care I can offer due to workload. I will often go home knowing I could have done a better job but for the paperwork I have had to complete and the work I have had to delegate to HCAs because I haven't had the time. It is often the work that I most enjoy as well. Why am I doing my training? Well, despite the relative low pay of nurses, it is a damn sight more than HCAs get, and as a single parent I cannot afford to live on the wages of an HCA indefinitely. Another reason is my desire to work abroad when my daughter is grown. Sad, but true.