Nurse of 24 Years….. I used to be a vivacious, happy, loving life perso

Old Comments:

1. I am really surprised that there are not these namby pamby types already telling you that you are wrong for feeling the way that you do. I have been a nurse for 15 years and I have posted here before. Some people just don't GET IT. I live for the day that I can give my heart and soul again to PATIENTS and not "clients." Where the nightmare of repetetive charting and adversarial family members and oblivious golfing management do not exist. Back to the days where I "Have the time" to talk to a patient about their recent diagnosis of cancer and walk them down the hall to prevent blood clots. I grief the loss of nursing being "caring" and becoming "service oriented." Like the person said in her essay "Nursing is beyond hell." No one would ever guess from my actions and words what I am feeling towards them. So I pray a bit on my drive to work, knowing that some of the responsibiity rests with me. There is no miracle cure for the problems that plague our beloved field. We can only fix ourselves. Amen. My fellow nurses and patients are forever in my thoughts everyday.      by kahaleekomo
   
2. All in all I can tell you are still that vivacious, wonderful, loving life person you used to be. I pray that you find her. No career is worth all of this pain and grief we suffer in the medical field. You can find yourself again. Is there any way you can take medical leave? Maybe you have the time built up. You could seek medical treatment for your obvious depression, not a doctor, just saying. Even if you don't take the meds. take the time. When they ask what the medical treatment is for, make it come out as having thyroid problems (as associated w/depression) but more accepted. I lost my job due to severe post-partum depression, that I refused to receive treatment for. I missed pathology in my scans 2 times, and there's no one to blame but me. However, losing my job was the best thing (except financially) that could have happened to me. I am currently drawing unemployement and have found myself again. Zero depression and ready to return to work. I, however, will have to go back to school for more training. But not sure if I want to work in the medical field. I had 6 months experience when I got my last job. My supervisor did nothing to help when I needed a more experienced eye. And she threw me into scanning for breat cancer with no training or experience at all. She told me to look at a book. Anyway, I totally feel for you and pray for you now.      by smiley
   
3. Dear Jane
   
   Nursing is a horror. There are too many vile and vicious people in the profession for me to ever wish to continue working with them. High school twits who like to play lets isolate our coworkers and hassle them.
   
   There are too many disgusting fools that come to the hospital victims of their own folly and then act like a-holes while we're trying to stabilize and treat them. Administration comes and gets all preachy about customer service and that's a laugh. Oh it's a farce.
   
   I'd like to see them spout that crap while some drunk lunatic is trying to beat the holy hell out of you and 2 - 3 of your colleagues. Customer service there is 10 - 20 of geodon, a spit mask and four leather restraints. I love the jerks that start screaming NURSE!!!!!! and when you go to see what the H is wrong they demand a.) food b.) a glass of icewater c.) that you tell them why the effing TV doesn't work right. All on a night where you've got someone having an MI another patient bleeding etc etc. I'd dearly love to tell someone, "You hit that call bell again and i'll pour a glass of icewater right up your stupid a$$ and then i'll beat you with the call bell."
   
   I don't mind at all helping people who are sick. They're usually grateful and sick enough to not be worrying about stupid crap. The families are USUALLY pretty reasonable and it is easy to meet the needs they have. They want relief of symptoms, some support with their anxiety and fear and to start getting better. That's what we can do and do it well. Unfortunately there are just too many obstacles in the way of being able to do THAT job.
   
   Thank god for school and a chance to move away from it. I start soon and I am in a positively good frame of mind about that.
   
   And for all you a$$clowns who are going to jump on this reply and defend the noble caring profession.........go right the hell ahead. Come and talk to me in a decade about how great this garbage is.
   
   SW      by septicwad
   
4. Jane, I've been a nurse for 16 years. I was a dialysis nurse for several years, worked in home health, worked in a local long term care facility, worked for an endocrinologist, and currently I've been on an inpatient rehab unit (strokes and ortho) for nearly 10 years. I have yet to find an area of nursing that I actually like. The rehab unit comes as close as anything which is why I've stayed so long. Every single area I've worked has been short staffed. We rarely have a workable staff to patient ratio. You are always trying to spread yourself over too many patients and everyone suffers for it. The patients don't get the care they deserve and you come away physically and emotionally exhausted. I live in fear some days that I will forget to do something! You are constantly rushing and running and doing everyone else's work. We have been told by management that if housekeeping doesn't get trash emptied, we are to do it (nurses and PCAs) They recently bought some small Bissell sweepers and WE the nursing/PCA staff are supposed to sweep the floors at the nurse's station! If dietary messes up a tray and you don't catch it, nursing is to blame. If they PCAs who do filing for us put a lab result in the wrong patient's chart, nursing is to blame. We've been told that we are are responsible to oversee EVERYTHING. That includes making sure the doctors do what they're suppposed to be doing too. Like flagging their verbal orders to be sure they remember to sign them when they come in. Of course you check all the orders after the unit clerk enters them and if the order is entered wrong, nursing is to blame. If your patient has a lab draw due at 9 pm and the lab forgets to come up and get it and nursing doesn't call and make sure it's done, nursing is to blame. If respiratory doesn't come up and do a breathing treatment and you didn't call and remind them they need to come up, nursing is to blame. Is this really a job anybody wants? Being responsible and held accountable for every other discipline in the hospital? I barely have time to do my own job and now I have to be sure every other area in the hospital does theirs too? I was a person who wanted to be a nurse for years! But, the reality of nursing is so far from what I really end up doing that it's a thankless job. I've had patients swing at me, kick, call me everything but my real name, and who don't say thank you no matter how much you've done for them. I've had patients treat me like the maid or worse. Patients who will be furious if they wake up at 2 am and can't get a bagel and a cup of coffee, like this is a Holiday Inn. I've had family members spend the night with the patient (supposedly to help) and then you end up taking care of the family member too! Don't get me started on charting. We do computer charting and honestly I think we spend more time charting then we do taking care of the patient! That's not why I got into nursing. They add more and more duties to us everyday and more and more charting. If a patient falls you'll have 100 people to call and notifiy and another 100 pieces of paperwork to fill out AND computer charting as well. I'm tired people! Sick and tired! We also get patients and families who come in reeking of booze, smart off, act entitled and talk down to us. Anymore, I expect to be abused. If the patient and family is kind and decent, I'm extremely grateful! Managment does not care what you're going thru. Don't tell me to stand up and try to change things, WE'VE DONE THAT! They do not listen! We've called for meetings, talked to administration, talked to supervisors, managers and anybody else who'd hear us out. They talk out their butt, tell you what you want to hear and then......nothing. It's not like we haven't tried. Eventually your frustration level climbs to levels you wouldn't believe. I have a mortgage, and bills. If I could find another profession that pays as well I'd leave the profession. Most nurses I know feel the exact same way.      by sulynn1425
   
5. Thank you for your honesty! All very well said!      by Becky
   
6. I have been a RN for over nine years and HATE IT!! I chose the wrong career. I feel worn out and done. I used to be a happy go lucky person and now I am a mega bitch. I hate caring for people anymore. I feel like people are more willing to take advantage of you. The more you give, the more they take. I am going to a therapist now because of the crying.      by krista21
   
7. My theory: There is a nursing shortage for a reason. Yes, hospitals deliberately don't hire enough nurses. But the biggest reason, I think, is that nurses don't stay at the bedside for long because the job is increasingly a terrible one.
   
   Nursing working conditions have got to be improved for nurses to either stay at or return to the bedside, for patients to receive better care, and also for us not to have to rely on a constant supply of imported nurses to fill the gap of homegrown nurses no longer willing (for good reason) do the job:
   
   I turned my back on bedside nursing since I saw that nurses continually face:
   
   Too much stress
   
   Growing & excessive expectations
   
   Too many patients for one nurse
   
   Too much documentation (b/c of fear of potential lawsuits down the road)
   
   Too much threat of litigation
   
   Too much sense of entitlement on the part of the general public
   
   Too little sleep
   
   Too little respect
   
   Too little bio-break time (everyone else can pee & eat except the nurses)
   
   Treatments that are getting more and more complex as technology advances while, again, the number of patients per nurse who are receiving those treatments is getting higher
   
   Patients who are sicker and sicker because of that technology advancement (HOW many meds & special procedures can keep a 90-something going indefinitely, even when they feel like hell during those "golden years"?) as well as because of insurance that admits only the sickest of patients
   
   Rapid turn-arounds on admissions and discharges
   
   Ping-ponging of patients between nursing home and rehab and hospital
   
   Way way huge amount of responsibility (while, again, too little respect)
   
   Too-long shifts (12 hours are now the norm, and those 12 can easily turn into 14)
   
   Exhaustion, even on days off
   
   Nagging fear of doing something wrong or forgettting something or hurting someone accidentally because you are so pressed for time
   
   Catty workplaces
   
   The sheer physicality of the job (again, while you're exhausted because you woke up at 4:30 AM for your 12+ hour workday or night) combined with the mental agility and constant interpersonal interaction required (in a good nurse)
   
   Dreading the approaching workday so much you feel like throwing up      by Becky
   
8. In my opinion you are mistaken. I can prove it. Write to me in PM, we will communicate.      by makotonine
   
9. Quote:

   Originally Posted by Becky My theory: There is a nursing shortage for a reason. Yes, hospitals deliberately don't hire enough nurses. But the biggest reason, I think, is that nurses don't stay at the bedside for long because the job is increasingly a terrible one. Nursing working conditions have got to be improved for nurses to either stay at or return to the bedside, for patients to receive better care, and also for us not to have to rely on a constant supply of imported nurses to fill the gap of homegrown nurses no longer willing (for good reason) do the job: I turned my back on bedside nursing since I saw that nurses continually face: Too much stress Growing & excessive expectations Too many patients for one nurse Too much documentation (b/c of fear of potential lawsuits down the road) Too much threat of litigation Too much sense of entitlement on the part of the general public Too little sleep Too little respect Too little bio-break time (everyone else can pee & eat except the nurses) Treatments that are getting more and more complex as technology advances while, again, the number of patients per nurse who are receiving those treatments is getting higher Patients who are sicker and sicker because of that technology advancement (HOW many meds & special procedures can keep a 90-something going indefinitely, even when they feel like hell during those "golden years"?) as well as because of insurance that admits only the sickest of patients Rapid turn-arounds on admissions and discharges Ping-ponging of patients between nursing home and rehab and hospital Way way huge amount of responsibility (while, again, too little respect) Too-long shifts (12 hours are now the norm, and those 12 can easily turn into 14) Exhaustion, even on days off Nagging fear of doing something wrong or forgettting something or hurting someone accidentally because you are so pressed for time Catty workplaces The sheer physicality of the job (again, while you're exhausted because you woke up at 4:30 AM for your 12+ hour workday or night) combined with the mental agility and constant interpersonal interaction required (in a good nurse) Dreading the approaching workday so much you feel like throwing up

   One more reason:
   
   Non-nursing and non-medical people - i.e., business people and consultants on "customer service" - are running the hospital, not nurses and doctors
   
   Nurses are asked to recite silly customer-service scripts to patients (it's awful), as though they are Stepford Nurses.      by Becky
   
10. You are soooo right, Becky. I thought about taking up smoking b/c the nurses that smoke get twice as many "breaks" as those of us that don't. HA!      by fancymom
    
11. I'm sorry to hear about your 23 years as being a nurse. I WAS a student nurse and i got out of the program after two months. There is nothing, absolutely nothing about being a nurse that i like. There was couple time i wish that i got in an accident so i don't have to continue schooling, without feeling guilty of quitting. I just feel bad because i waited for 2 years to get into the program and found out that i don't like it. Thanks you and others for speaking out the truth about nursing.      by ferrari4sale
    
12. I have been a nurse for 5 years and I hate it to the point that I get pains in my chest and I tear up when I think about going to work. Really, the main reason is that everyone wants to believe you know everything and can do anything and often you are pressured to do things beyond your scope of practice.
    I just know that I need to get out and I want to know if anyone can tell me how I can transition out the fastest. I have a B.S> in biology and my nursing degree. I have worked in case managemnt and mental health previous to nursing and I just want something where I don't have to take quite so much abuse, I can make as much or more money, and I don't have people constatly guilting me for taking shit form people and not loving it.
    
    I have tried several types of nursing and although honestly, I have liked most of my patients, It's just not worth my sanity and happiness to stay and I am burnt out. The part that upsets me the most is that I feel like I am trapped.      by Nikki
    
13. I don't do anything I don't have time for if it cannot be proven I didn't do it. I fudge nursing notes, vital's, neuro checks. Of course I am thorough with my documentation. That is how I stay out of trouble. As long as I document then it was done. Been doing this for 16yrs.      by josie12
    
14. You also have to be:
    
    Punctual. Punctual. Punctual.
    Quick on your feet
    Orderly- you dont want to show up anywhere appropriate missing gear
    Able to handle going wherever youre sent, doing whatever your told, and doing things that make no sense whatsoever.
    
    Just sayin.      by Psydaybus
    
15. I completely feel for you. I hate nursing. Everything you said is so true. Managers only care about numbers & they will always side with others over you, even when patients AND DOCTORS abuse you. There is no respect for nurses. I am getting out as soon as I can.      by McKenzie
    
16. To those of you who feel trapped in floor nursing - don't feel trapped. Try to pave a way out of your misery, and be flexible about it. I could not imagine persisting in floor nursing; I would be miserable in it, so would have to find a way out - there must be other ways of making money. Believe me, I feel for you, too.      by Becky
    
17. I'd like to add another reason why nursing is awful. Our hospital was recently sued by the wife of a patient. The patient came into our unit with a stage II on his coccyx. The patient was uncooperative with practically everything. He was advised over and over for the need to turn frequently because of the coccyx wound, but he refused. He refused dressing changes, turns, diet education, therapy, the list goes on and on. The problem is, our charting was not as good as it should have been. (Surprise, surprise with short staffing etc). Many people charting his refusals, but because it wasn't done consistently by everyone, we are now being held accountable for the progression of his coccyx wound from Stage II to Stage III. The patient left our unit, went to the general hospital where he was for weeks. Then to a nursing home where he ultimately passed away of multi-system organ failure. I and my fellow nurses have now been called to give depositions on our care, and to defend our charting, or lack there of. Their lawyer said we should have charted his refusals every 2 hours around the clock, that we should have called a meeting with everyone involved with his care to try to get him to cooperate (implying we were neglegent because we didn't, although we did refer him to psych and got him counseled and on antidepressents). The deposition was terrible. Being grilled about your charting from over a year ago, is not fun. We were (and still are) so short staffed all the time, I feel like I rush thru my charting and don't have time to chart as well as I might. I now live in fear of another law suit, and I've been charting practically everything, down to refusals of everything, including showers, snacks, meds, etc. I often feel we are required to chart every word, thought, urine, stool, belch, fart and itch that a patient experiences.
    Most jobs require you to do good work, but you don't have to write down everything you do. We have to chart every single thing we do, or it is considered that we didn't do it. God forbid you are human and forget to chart something that was done. I'm going to be in fear now of another lawsuit and maybe it won't be just the hospital, maybe it will be me personally. It's overwhelming!      by sulynn1425
    
18. Yes, thank your LITIGATION TORT LAWYERS for the wonderful things they have done to health care, and in particular to a nurse's workday. We fear litigation so much, it not only makes our stomachs churn with constant anxiety, but also has imposed SUCH a burden of charting - yes, every fart or behavioral nuance, at ridiculously frequent time intervals given the patient load/staffing - that we may as well just videotape everything we do.
    
    So, thank you, all you tort lawyers and trial lawyers, for casting such a huge, acrid, stinking pall over health care! Thanks for ruining or blighting many a hard-won career! (I do not think this way of all lawyers; but, trial and tort lawyers have done awful things to health care! Not to mention the extra costs they impose from the defensive-medicine measures taken out of fear of potential litigation, and the litigation itself.)
    
    The public has a growing sense of entitlement, while treatments are getting so complex and advanced - I almost felt as if I were in an adversarial relationship with the general public when I was at the bedside - I kept thinking, "well, you could sue me if I did the slightest thing accidentally wrong" - so, the too-easy litigation we have today really degrades the patient care aspect, too.      by Becky
    
19. Jane, I don't know quite what to say, except that you need to step back, take a break from hospital nursing. You've lost your desire to care. In Nursing school, I was taught the old adage to "Nurse Thyself". If you do not care for yourself, you cannot care for others as they need to be cared for.
    
    Each one of us, no matter what we have done to ourselves or others are still human and deserve respect for that spark of inherent humanity that resides in all of us. Inherent humanness is a attribute that cannot be stolen or given up whether voluntarily or forcibly. It is a God-given right of every human being.
    
    When I nurse the seemingly depraved, or those deemed worthless by society, I neither nurse their depravity nor their worthlessness. I nurse the spark of inherent humanity within them. You have to care enough to see past a person's faults and mistakes to see the human within.
    
    I have been an RN for 13 years and the day that I cannot nurse humanity is the day I will step down and do something else. I became an RN because I saw the need to look past the physical being and see the spiritual being within and to be able to care for them as God would have us to do.
    
    Get out of the situation you are in, work in a different area, or go to another field. It is not healthy for you to feel this way. You too, have that spark of inherent humanity and as such you deserve better treatment of yourself, by yourself! Did you have a passion for nursing at the outset? If you did, then you need to go back to where the passion began and renew your desire to care for others--AFTER you heal yourself.
    I will keep you and others that replied to you with similar difficulties in my thoughts and prayers.
    JJ      by jj2also
    
20. "Nurse Thyself?!" How? One doesn't make enough to take nice trips and have a cleaning lady, cook, and shrink. You don't even get time for a nice lunch w others at work. You've got to get someone to 'cover' for you, and then you scurry off to stuff your face, you don't take the whole lunch because you feel guilty about your co-worker doing extra work so you can eat. It's just a pink-collar sweat shop. "Nursing" does not even have a respectable name to be a profession. Nursing is breast-feeding. As a nurse, you are simply everyone's servant and scratchingpost/whipping girl. You have NO authority to direct care- just carry it out, whether it's even possible to draw that blood- or -at ALL ethical to place a thick rigid plastic tube in a dying old lady's nose (But you MUST if the family wants it) Your judgement will be questioned every minute. God forbid there is a "Bad Outcome"- it will be YOUR FAULT- it does not matter the PT spent decades ruining their health before you came along. It is YOUR JOB to make an 85 year old have the vitals signs, appetite, urine output, and exercise tolerance of an 18 year old. Every other nurse you work with will stab you in the back at every opportunity- so they can build themselves up- there is almost no other way to build oneself up in Nursing- it's either back-stabbing or kissing ass to MDs and administrators.
    The worst thing about it is you are responsible for [i]everything[i], and have authority for [i]nothing.[i]
    MDs overtreat and over-prescribe to cover their asses, and please the families. Medicine is overly expensive because people get FAT as they age. FAT = HTN= DM=MI=CVA=Aneurysm=ADDLED OLD BRAINS. HTN and DM are notoriously hard to control. THey ravage the body- causing EXPENSIVE hospital admits, $$$$$ long term care, nursing home, and rehab costs, and of course you need buckets of $$$$$$ Meds.
    You can never win in nursing. There has been in my 15 years at it exponential growth in charting, now going to computer charting- which is even more time-consuming and stressful. But as a nurse, you know you had better do that CYA charting- so that in 10 years when you get pulled into court you can prove that you checked grandpa's heart-rate before you gave him the digoxin. If he died of unoticed 3rd degree heart-block on the next shift- it is not your fault- cause when you gave him his pill he was NSR w a heart rate of 75.
    My advise for nurses- CYA and get out of nursing stat. It never gets better, actually only gets worse the longer you are at it.      by Lisa63
    
21. First of all, I keep reading about complaints regarding nurses not being "allowed" to "pee." This is against the law. I teach nursing on the units and I always give my staff not only a bathroom break, but a coffee break as well. Yes, I do receive odd looks from the "walk-arounders" who are either sitting at the nurses station or "watching" the unit so they can give us slaves more orders. I laugh at them because not only did I study nursing, I studied law as well and I have practiced Civil Rights as an activist. The more "staff" they put on the units, the more orders we get from them; "Mrs so and so needs to use the toilet, etc. It's a riot!! Ladies, do not fret, this is our fault in the first place. It is up to US, the nurses, to take back the profession and stand up instead of lying down or bending over!!!!
    
    
    Ladies, prostitutes demand better treatment, and get it!!!      by Anastasia
    
22. "Walk arounders" - good term. Yes, and some of those walk-arounders are non-clinical people who walk around in nice suits, including high heels if they are women; and some are so young, wielding a clipboard, ready to give orders from on high to the skilled people who are running around, harried, actually doing the work and understanding so much more about care issues on the unit. They look so out of place on a medical unit; yet they are the ones "with power" - they yield the "power" of metrics and "client satisfaction surveys".      by Becky
    
23. Typo correction: I meant, "they wield the 'power' of metrics..."      by Becky
    
24. I agree Jane...had anyone told me about nursing, I would have never selected this field! It's the most shitty, thankless job on the face of the earth! Thankless staff, thankless administration, thankless directors, thankless patients...then if you work in a hospital, there's all the red tape, hospital politics and Bureaucratic bull shit! I just transferred to a different hospital that used fraudulent bait and switch tactics to chouse me in to acceptance of employment with an expressed wage and level entry agreement. Mind you I left my previous employer of 6 years in order to in my dumb thinking, broaden my area of expertise and field of knowledge. I took a $5k/year deduction in pay to transfer from the one hospital to the other, but thought that the extra "family time" would be the trade off. 14 months later, I get a call from the Human Resource department asking me about an unfinished clinical ladder!!! I never applied for clinical ladder! Upon hire it was never discussed as a requirement for me to either obtain or maintain my agreed upon earnings or status level of entry. The Human Resource Director said "That doesn't matter." They demoted me in level, and decreased my pay rate to entry level, which also nullified my annual review pay raise! When I initially contemplated transferring to this hospital, I sat with their HR staff, and she negotiated with me for 2 hours trying to come up with a wages comparable with the hospital I was coming from. I explained to her that this was a big decision for me, and that I would have to be secured knowing that I would be able to "make it" financially at this new place. I have a mortgage to pay, as well as other financial responsibilities. She empathized, and agreed, then qualified my entry level at III, and my pay without any further requirements or conditions. She said that I was selected out of 35 applicants, and that my level of entry and pay was being based on my years experience, education, and skill level. For those not familiar with clinical ladder...it's a VOLUNTARY option to apply for this "program" in order to allow you to advance your practice and increase your salary. It is never suppose to be imposed by force. Bunch of f**king liars! This facility touts itself to be a Christian, but is far from it. It's all about turning a profit at the risk of nursing staff's license, and safety of the unit. It's all about documentation to cover their asses legally, and also to allow them to charge the patients and/or the patient's insurances accordingly. If a patient has insurance be sure they will be declined from being discharged even though they no longer meet criteria for being on the unit...until they are able to drain every last penny milking your insurance. It's not about patient care. I appealed to the President of this f**ktard facility who also touts an open door policy, stating that any staff at anytime can talk to him...because "It's how you treat people that matters." Oh really???? I hope your daughter gets f**cked in the ass dry like your facility did me!!!!!! Anyone thinking about getting in to nursing....don't do it!!! Go to law school!!!      by sockmonkey
    
25. Thanks for the tips about charting. However, at my facility they have a camera, and I swear, they must pay people in a third world country to watch them 24/7. Don't be afraid about being sued. Just keep great insurance. Don't worry about depositions. Be as vague as possible but avoid saying "um" or "well" because every word gets written down. It's okay to say "I don't know." If they say why didn't you chart, make something up that sounds "official" like "he was charted on that day" or we only chart "changes." I swear, this works because most juries are kinda stupid and you just have to be a real good actor and tell stories with a straight face. Lawyers know this and they will probably settle because if they go to a jury it will cost them a ton of money if they lose. Litigation is a liar's poker and the best liar wins.      by Rene J
    
26. This was my dream career. I thought I would be like Florence Nightingale and that everyone I worked with would be professional and love their jobs. Boy! did I have a wake up call. This is the worst abuse I have experienced in my life. There are some patients that can't be pleased no matter what you do. The older nurses are burnt out witches and the younger ones are cliquish and will stab you in the back for a bobby pin. The majority of the Docs think they can talk to you any kind of way and take out their frustrations on you. They don't really want you to call them even though their orders expressly says to call "If xyz happens". I have been falsely accused, held to a higher standard than members of the clique, pencil whipped and verbally told that I wasn't a good fit because of my age. Never mind the fact that my work is competent and that I protected their asses while serving my country as a medic. I also worked in banking for nine years and got more respect and courtesy from New York stock brokers.
    
    Hospital nursing has become a joke. You have to jump through so many hoops and practically crawl into the powers to be behinds just to work in peace and take care of your patients. I was frustrated. I resigned with no prospects because I couldn't take the anxiety, emotional abuse and unfair assignments. I was able to prove the unfair write ups and currently receive unemployment. I worked so hard, humbled myself and made sure that I treated everyone with courtesy and respect despite how they treated me. Nothing was ever good enough. Now when I go on interviews, they ask if I have ever been written up and I have to continually explain myself. For some reason, leaving without securing another position makes me look guilty. I have an excellent work history and other good people to vouch for me, but nothing seems to be working. I don't know what to do. I have thought about going back to school, but my spirit is discouraged. I know that I have a lot of good to offer. However, I have observed and found that the hospitals here would rather the incompetent rather than good nurses & cna's. It is more important for management and the cliques to "like" you rather than give you credit for your work. I don't know guys; my heart is broken and I am truly sadden and disappointed. Send up one for me please.      by fairlady
    
27. I must thank all of you for reminding me why I left hospital nursing seven years ago and have never returned. Every time I think of going back, I have only to think of the nightmares I still have about reaching the end of my shift and discovering that I haven't had time to check on one (or more) of the patients down the hall. When I walk into the room, the patient is either dead or unconscious on the floor. Luckily, this never actually happened, but for good reason, my psyche still lives in fear of it. I agree with all of your stated reasons for wanting to leave, but for me, the final straw that (literally) broke the camel's back was a severe disk injury from transfering (with good body mechanics) a 190 lb. stroke patient with diarrhea (who had to use the bathroom...now!) alone, with no help from my "team mate", a nurse's aide, who didn't hear or see the emergency light, and was in the nurse's station eating donuts!...the same nurse's aide who refused to take a patient's blood sugar, saying it wasn't her job, even though it was, but she wasn't about to back down for anything (or anyone, least not the patient)....I'm a little surprised that I still feel some residual bitterness about it, and that this forum triggered those old feelings...
    
    Yet, what I learned from the experience is that we are often expected to work with people who are in the profession for the wrong reasons, which I won't even speculate on, so I can only wonder what they're doing there...to make our jobs more difficult than they already are?....Anyway, working with management is even more challenging after an injury, because once you're injured, you're no longer of use to them. Shortly after my back injury at work, I herniated a disk getting up from the toilet at home. The medical examiner for Workman's Comp was the same doctor who worked on the Acute Rehab unit where I was injured. Conflict of interests, yes, and he declared that neither he nor I could prove that the work injury predisposed me to the disk rupture! So no WC, but I had to go on disability for several months. Now, even if I wanted to, I would never be able to lift patients again. Another nurse out of the work force. I tried being a nurse consultant...best job I ever had, but because of my back, I could not tolerate the long hours of driving and sitting. Just think of how many nurses you know with back injuries. No lift team in the Rehab unit, of all places. This is how the hospitals support us, the BACKbones of their operations.
    
    As sad as this sounds, I have actually, at times, felt grateful for my back injury, because it finally forced me to leave (and stay out of) a very thankless profession. Although hospital nursing had its moments, and the money was good, none of it was worth the toll it takes on your body, mind, and spirit. If you're lucky enough to have a nice alternative medical clinic position or an exciting Medical Wings type job that actually pays you something and values you as a person, please post....I would LOVE to hear about it!      by tori
    
28. Try nursing in another country. In Singapore this is what I observed:
    
    Nurses just sat at their desk doing 'entry of data' They follow doctors' rounds just once or twice a shift. (8 hour shift)
    
    The assistant nurses, (State Enrolled Nurses) come round to check your vital signs, 2 hourly, 4 hourly or 6 hourly depending on how ill you are.
    
    I bathe myself, except for the first post-op day when i needed assistance to go to the toilet.
    
    The very ill cases are in ICU, or intensive unit that are staffed with more nurses.
    
    The rest of the time, i am served by service personel, not trained nurses. Attendants made the bed, served me my meals etc.
    
    i am talking about a surgical ward.
    
    I guess medical wards, accident wards work the nurses really hard, to the extent that some of the nurses go quite 'mad' because they are unable to cope with the unreasonable amount of physical work, and charting of course.
    
    Solution
    
    1. Try to get to work in another department or ward
    2. Get transferred to another hospital
    3. Work in another country
    
    Most importantly do not harm your own health, quit if you need to. Even working as a maid is better.      by Adam Song
    
29. I graduated in 1995. I knew two hours into my first shift- Nursing Sucks. Completely. I should have quit then.
    I recently got lucky w a home care job- ONE patient, vent dependent 26-28 hours a week. And it is enough $ to live on and GO BACK TO SCHOOL- lots of lentil soup, but doable. And to all those single mothers out there--- If I had kids, I would still do it. Beans and thrift shops, no TV, and no gifts for a few years. Making your self happy as an adult is MORE IMPORTANT than some gift that will be forgotten. I do not remember all the gifts my parents gave me as a child- but I do remember the sour faces and bitter misery of people trying to do the "Right Thing". TRying to keep up w the Joneses- and we are all doing that- whether aware of it , or not.
    I hope my little patient stays alive long enough for me to get through my 3rd college degree- if he can do it without suffering too much. I feel for him so much, he has been on the ventilator since 1986!!! Seeing him get through his days, I have NO insurmountable problems. He is a real patient, and yes, a deserving patient.
    
    All I can say is in nursing you have to be strong and KNOW that (most of) the nurses you work with Do NOT have your back- rather they ARE stabbing it- it raises one's stature in the 'nursing world'. Know that you will have to face down snarling 700# vicious MD to protect your PTs because people w the most power are the stinkingest assholes of them all.
    Life is just a fight- start to finish. THINK what can you get out of nursing, and use those things to make your life better- TRIAGE YOUR LIFE. Make it better, go on, and GET OUT OF 'NURSING'. It IS possible to do something else- it is possible to live on less $$.
    PAY OFF YOU CAR, CREDIT CARDS, WALK AWAY FROM YOUR HOUSE if must do (and do first check to see if you live in a recourse or non-recourse state), 2011 will be a good year to do that- and GO ON W Your Life!!!! YOU ALL DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!!!!!!!!      by Lisa63
    
30. I feel I give more than 100 %, and have been for the last 34 yrs of my nursing career. There is always back stabbing, one-upmanship,the old style leadership...always finger pointing, and never any encouragement or recognition for a jobs well done, and with minimal resources. Even though Health care has turned into a business, Nursing has lagged behind in using more creative, healthy, and rewarding atmosphere for its workers. I am in Home Care, although this could apply to Hospitals as well......how about remote charting, so women can go pick up there kids, go home, and do their charting while relaxing at home. Most of my job could be done in the comfort of my home, leaving only a few days of working out in the field....this was not acceptable by upper administration! How about a calming work environment, with calming low music, waterfalls, plants, calming smells, fish tanks etc.,AND a meditation room/yoga for staff members......how much money would it cost to do this. some businesses have been doing this for years! LL Bean had a large gym, rental camping equipment, and cottages for it's employees for years!Flex schedules and remote work has become the norm!BUT NOT IN NURSING! WELL, when all of us as one person I work with "dinosaurs" retire,and the new nurses leaving in 1 yr, after they are exposed to the rigidity of Nursing administration, they will have what we call a NURSING CRISIS (.I wonder why!!!). Up until then, we will be treated like a cheap commodity. When this happens, it would behoove those left in Nursing to EXPECT AND REQUIRE CHANGES IN THE SYSTEM to make it less stressful, more of an open system, and allow nurses a more balanced life. WE SHOULD ALSO STOP TAKING ON MORE RESPONSIBILITY WITHIN THE SYSTEM.......I see that as MDs become busier, nurses become twice as busy!
    
    As for me personally, I have stopped spending alot of money (no new cars), saving it for change. I took an asst manager job, only AFTER I got them to remove a partial caseload of pts to my role, and told them I would only work 4 days a wk. After doing the job for approximately 6 months, they told me I would have to do 4-5 cases a wk. My return reaction was "No I won't", and stuck to my guns.(At this point you have to be ready to be fired...that is where your savings comes in). I was kept, hoever my agency, due to recent changes in reimbursement, is over budget, and I feel I have only gotten a reprieve of a few months. THIS IS NO WAY TO LIVE!
    
    There are always demands, demands, demands. From admin, MDs, other staff, family. I am tired! WHEN my current job ends, I will finally NOT listen to my husband, friends, and coworkers, and start doing something that is less stressful and more rewarding to me. I know I have helped many, although you rarely get verbal or written recognition, considering that I have probably helped thousands of people in my career. People will say you are not supposed to......ITS YOUR JOB. But nursing is MORE than a job.It takes a special person to be good at it....someone who is invested in helping and CARING for others.It is not a commodity, like stocks, cars, wedding dresses etc, and at times, and yet the very person who cares is not cared for! SHAME ON HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION!, shame on nursing administration!
    
    Caring to us is so simple, so right for all who need it. The duality is that it is also so right for us as well.Why must those at the top NOT appreciate and care for us as well? Why can't they come out of the mold and be proactive for nurses. It does not take that much money.      by elizabeth
    
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32. Dear Jane
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42. Thank you for the post. They were very informative. I am not a nurse but an ER Tech. & I hate it. I have been a nurse assistant, ekg tech, phlebotomist & care giver for the mental ill & hospice & EMT-IV on an ambulance. I have never disliked a job as much as I dislike working in that ER. My once compassionate, spirital, caring self is now discribed as a mega hateful bitch. It has drained life out of me & taken my energy. I have high bloodpressure, anxiety & now depression. I am not even 40 & just had a stent put in my left coronary because of a 70% blockage. I do not smoke & I am 10 lbs underweight. That is probaly from missing meals as I spend breakfast, lunch & dinner on the floor. I wanted to be an RN & took the job for the excitement, experience & to help pay for school. I have changed my mind about becoming a nurse. I do not want to be a nurse. I would rather install water pipes or ANYTHING else. I am completely burned out. I have stayed this long because I have health insurance through the company. I have felt a prisoner because of the insurance & my increasing medical problems. I am just gonna quit soon & enjoy doing it to keep my sanity. I am so sorry to hear the terrible stories but I know it is the truth. I thank you for what you do. I hope things change one day. I will have to hear about it because I will working in a complete different field in the near future. Much love to all you health care workers.      by booksingeneral
    
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49. I am sad to hear this. My niece didn't know what career to choose, and her mom decided that she should be a nurse. She wanted to be a beautician, but her mom was of the opinion that that is not a "stable" career. It is bad enough if we make the wrong decisions, and it is unforgivable for a parent does not respect the choice of her daughter. The last I heard from her is that the first thing she will do when she graduates will be to find something else to do, other than nursing. And I don't envy doctors as well because although they make a lot of money, that is from facing sick, coughing and diseased people all day, and the work the rounds without rest. With that much brain, they could have been successful in whatever they do, and it is the sterotyping of this so-called upper class medical profession that ties people down to a life of slavery toiling for some low life and scumbags. The question students should be asking themselves is not should I be a teacher or should I be a doctor etc. It should be how one could make a lot of money and enjoy life. I apply none of what I learned from school.      by ProossyRarf
    
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