I digress, however, as I was saying, the staffing is awful; the patients are nasty, families are worse. Surgeons often think they are God’s gift to this planet and God forbid you go against their orders despite the patient’s status. Despite all of that, I can’t think of any other profession that I can think of doing. Is it glamorous? Nope. Is it always fun? Nope. Is it like any show on TV? NOT AT ALL. But for all the literal and figurative poo RNs must sift through, there are moments that are like diamonds in the rough that make all those other times worth pushing through.

First off, I must address administration and staffing. Guess what buttercups? Administration is working within a broken system. If it were just the “evil money makers,” complaints about bad staffing wouldn’t be as widespread. Health care in the US is broken. If you TRULY want better staffing, go to D.C., get politically active, fight for your patients. When you are overworked, that endangers your patients along with testing your last nerve. Yes, you might feel that this is futile, that your voice doesn’t matter. Well if your voice doesn’t matter, stop using it to complain. If it bothers you like it does me DO SOMETHING. As a student I attended a health care rally in D.C. Did I do anything to make everything better? No, but even becoming informed is a step in the right direction. It’s better than complaining, wasting air waiting for a change to happen, without attempting to make it happen.

It is true; RNs tend to receive the brunt of all the frustration in healthcare. Patients, their families, and other health professionals count on you to keep it all together. Guess what? That’s what you signed up for, to take care of the whole patient. Yes, it is frustrating when you have to sit on pharmacy for a med, or explain to dietary you really DO want a tray of clears for a post-op patient to prevent cleaning up half digested cheeseburger chunks later. However, you are the patient’s last line of defense. Take that position with dignity. Vent to your coworkers when things don’t go right, it’s understandable. But you’re in a powerful position. You have to know how everyone else does their job almost as well as they do. That’s some big shoes to fill, fill them with pride.

As for patients and families, they’re SCARED. They have no control over the situation that they’re in for the most part. By being abusive they are trying to regain that control. If you understand that, that screaming match won’t be as awful. Another piece of advice, DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY! There have been multiple times that one day a patient will be telling me how awful I am, and a day later apologize for their behavior. This isn’t the norm, but if you remember to take a moment to put yourself in your patient’s shoes, and take a moment to breathe, its amazing how you find that extra little bit of patience to get through your day.

The rest of the complaints seem to follow the theme of issues with co-workers. At this time one phrase comes to mind. Life is not fair. You aren’t going to love all of your co-workers. Some people are so unhappy that they need to eat their own young. But that’s life. It really is something that is common in all careers no matter what. One day, you will have that boss that treats you like garbage. You’ll work with people who sell you down the river. It may be finding a new place to work that will make it better. Or, maybe there is a lesson to be learned by handling that workplace bully. What’s more important is how you handle issues with coworkers in the workplace. There really is something to be said about handling it in a professional manner, and if it’s all sunshine and rainbows you can’t learn anything.

So I guess the moral of my story is, nursing isn’t for everyone. That being said, by taking out these frustrations on the career in general, it’s a red flag to me. It signals an immature view of the world that wouldn’t be changed by a different career path. It reminds me of a quote from George Carlin, “Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.” Work is just that. Work. It’s not always a place where you will be happy and stress free 95% of the time. But if you choose to be a nurse, know why. For me, I pride myself on fighting for my patients, teaching my patients in my own creative way, and trying to put a smile on a patient’s or family members face, despite the situation. There are days I don’t know how I will go back. But then I get a phone call from a grateful family member, or I make a patient smile who was having an awful day. That recharges my batteries for at least one more shift. If that doesn’t work, then a prescription for a night out with coworkers usually does the trick.

It was unbelievable the respect I was automatically given for the simple reason I could say I worked in real estate. Unlike the reaction I get from people when I say I work at McDonalds.

Can someone please tell me why it is so unacceptable to be employed at McDonalds?

Well, for those of you who want to look down on or judge McDonalds’ employees, let me tell you something. A day at work is not a walk in the park, its down right hard work. And I can guarantee that MOST of you who do look down on us wouldn’t know what a hard day at work is.

So when you come through our drive thru in the mornings to get your daily coffee, dressed in your suite and tie or those high heels, just remember that we are people and deserve just as much respect as anyone else. We work just as hard if not harder then you do, sometimes putting in 10-12 hour days.

I have done the whole 9 till 5 sitting in an office job, BORING !!!!!!

I would love to see just how long any of you would last running a shift at McDonalds.

Well, feel free to comment.

Today I kinda flipped out on two of my managers. I’ve been working for this company for about a year now and I think I’ve dealt with a lot of B.S. in that time period. First, a delayed opening, leaving me jobless for a couple of months. Then, massive layoffs. Which I survived but was suspicious of the secretive nature in which they made and executed the decision. Followed by numerous manager changes, uncomfortable working conditions (kitchen is TINY!! Plus, dishes were washed outside with a hose or in afore-mentioned tiny kitchen. Either way, rather uncomfy.) and, last but not least, promises of a raise or promotion with no follow-through.

Desperate for recognition, I asked to be relocated to another restaurant owned by the same people. This restaurant was more of a fine-dining atmosphere and much busier. Finally, I thought, I can really show off my skills, this is what I was made to do!! Right? Then why did I want to cry everytime I was in the middle of a rush and a dessert plate would come back with the complaint that the zig-zag decoration of raspberry sauce was “messy”? Shouldn’t I have been able to reply “Yes, Chef. I’ll re-make it right now.”? That’s what they wanted to hear. I just feel like if I were that customer waiting for my cheesecake, I wouldn’t care if my zig-zag under the cake was in perfect lines or if they were imperfect a little, like human beings.

I like to think I care more about the customers than the presentation. Maybe I’m just making excuses for my mistakes? Plus my co-workers didn’t speak much English, making it hard to make friends or even communicate during shifts. After just a couple months, I felt drained of all hapinesss. I didn’t want to go out, or talk to anyone, I just wanted to get through my next shift and sleep the rest of my life away.

Feeling defeated since I hadn’t impressed anyone and was realizing my new-found friend, depression, was over-staying its welcome, I asked to go back to the first restaurant. The one I had stuck with from the very beginning; I forgot to mention it was a brand new restaurant and I had been working there since it’s opening. As luck turns out one of the cooks quit and they needed someone to fill his spot. Maybe this was what I needed the whole time: to go work in a fine dining restaurant so I could appreciate my laid-back bar job.

I work a couple closing shifts with another guy, again doesn’t speak much English but enough, so I can learn all the sidework involved. A couple days later I close by myself. Now I know the kitchen manager there is a dick. One of those ” you’re Zig-Zag is messy, do it again!” kinda guys. I cook the drunks food until 12:30, cleaning as I go. The night was unexpectedly busy, giving me little time to do all the cleaning but somehow I made it out by 1:30 feeling proud but anxious of what the manager would think of my closing. I soon found out!

It started out constructive, stock up the line (though in my opinion, I did!), clean….. then, it started to piss me off. “This job is not hard for everyone. It’s easy. Some days you work for hours and sit around for hours, I mean not you but everyone. That’s why you must always be kepping busy.” His English isn’t the best either. So it took me a while to understand what he was saying. Was he assuming that I hadn’t been busy and maybe forgot some things out of laziness? I don’t know but I’m pissed! I squint my eyes at him, putting all the anger I can behind them. I was honestly slammed that night! Most guys there would’ve asked for help but I got all the food out properly and on time. So now I was starting to feel all “rage against the machine” and “don’t let the man keep you down!” I mean, why do people have to be condescending? I’m still your peer even though you are a manager.

Well, back to present day, me, flipping out on two managers. I go into work at 9 a.m. for prep. There’s quite a lot to so I get to it. Two and a half hours later, I go outside to find my two managers outside sorting crabs, laughing, and basically enjoying their day while working. I ask to smoke a cigarette and they look at each other. “What have you done?” they ask. “I don’t know… breaded chicken, cut up lettuce, tomato, and onion for sandwich setups….” This wasn’t looking good for me. “I don’t know, what do you think Fernando?” asks Matt, my normally easy going manager. “No, it’s too early. Go finish the sandwich setups then come back and ask. Anger behind my eyes that are so squinted at this point all I see is blurry faces staring back at me.

As I turn to walk back in, Matt says something about how I can’t smoke five cigarettes a day. This set me off so bad it was like he were my husband making some smart ass comment behind my back. I turned on a dime and yelled that I only wanted one and that I wasn’t one of those employees who take advantage of breaks. I stomped back inside and told my co-workers my problem, hoping to rally them on my side. I’m completely aware of how immature this sounds but i was beyond the point of maturity. In my mind, I’m a hard worker. I don’t disrespect anyone unless I feel disrespected. I care about my restaurant and the customers who support it. I just hate how my management have sort of an overkill attitude towards expectations of employees.

So now, when all is said and done, I’m left feeling angry, unappreciated, embarassed and hopeless. My hope that I can work while enjoying my time there is gone. Like a child who has just been told the Easter Bunny and Santa don’t exist, I’m left to contemplate whether or not hapiness in the workplace is a story my parents told me, so I would grow up ready to work for some asshole who is happy to buy hours of my precious life for the bargain price of 10$/hour! I love restaurants, but managers and owners lose touch of why we love restaurants: they’re one of the oldest professions, they’re always in need, and working there comes with a family of coworkers moving around each other in ways and speeds that make it look like some choreographed dance. The feeling you get when a person walks out happy because of the time they spent there and the food you made for them.

No, managers are puppets manipulated by the owners. They’ve made it to the point where little to no physical labor is needed so they spend their time piling the labor on those below them. ugh. Is my outlook on work just a lazy and self-deserving one, or am I right to request common courtesy from my management and a cigarette break every now and then. Honestly: Is that too much to ask?

It is the place where I have had been terminated from as a staff nurse because I wrote up a couple of lazy nurse’s aides who had made it a habit to sit in the lounge and eat and watch TV for hours at a time when the management left. It was plainly stated that I could issue written or verbal warnings to the CNAs without supervisor approval, which I did. So, this lazy CNA gets in my face and screams at me.

Now bear in mind, if the call bells were going off, they would pull the call buttons out of the patients hands and leave them out of the reach of the patient, no water available, the trays out of the patients reach, dirty patients, crying patients, and I was so stuck in the med cart I could do nothing but pass meds.  Well I go to the lounge and try to get these lazy CNAs to work and was screamed at and told by the one she would have my job. She did.

I filed with the labor board and am waiting to hear if i get unemployment. Now, no one will hire me because I will not cower to the CNAs. I want the patient properly cared for and let us see about what the labor board has to say. Will I get my money or not? For two months I have been waiting. I plan to get even with the facility but the wife tells me that they will jail me. I could use any advice about this issue from someone more in the know than me.

What do I dislike? Nurses garner no respect from their peers, managers, or administration. Families treat the hospital like it is supposed to be a 5 star hotel.

Administration feels to improve patient satisfaction nurses need to complete more paperwork to ensure you were in the room hourly, your patient was turned, you crossed all your T’s and dotted all your I’s.

Instead of decreasing the patient load to increase moral and patient satisfaction, patient load has increased to 7 patients on some floors. How on earth does a nurse take care of 7 patients without forgetting something, not documenting something, or giving wrong medications because they are so busy.

I left the floor after 3 years. It scared me to be so busy and unable to critically think through my actions.

I work with home health now and also teach clinicals for our local college. I tell the students the truth when they ask me about nursing. If I had it to do all over again, knowing what I know now, I would have chosen another profession. I did work in the corporate world for many years but wanted to help people. Like many I thought I could bring some change to nursing.

We need nurses unions to step in so we can have set limits on patient load. We also, need to stop the lateral violence in the workplace. Many nurses are mean, nasty and verbally violent towards their co-workers. To stop this, managers need to have a no tolerance policy towards the above. What I do find is the managers are the ones who are allowing the lateral violence. So, how do we change our profession? Decreased patient loads, no tolerance for lateral violence, and fire the managers/nurses on the spot if they are abusive.

Will this happen? Nope. It is only going to get worse in the hospitals. What future holds for healthcare is dire…

With all the above said, I am glad I am nurse, but not in a hospital.

I have been a nurse (and no I won’t reveal my level of education as I don’t believe that it designates my level of intelligence or commitment to our profession) for over 25 years. THERE IS ROOM FOR ALL OF US.

To my new sisters and brothers in the profession: WELCOME! Our patients need you! We need you! My only advice to you is to MENTOR, MENTOR, MENTOR!

Regardless, of the horrific treatment that you may have experienced from those who “eat the young” – do not become this. The nurses who participate in this dysfunctional practice care only about hiding their own deficiencies and they are becoming dinosaurs. It is just a smoke screen to intimate those who are smarter, more dedicated and ambitious.

Demand respect in a calm, professional manner – if not on your shift then demand it from your manager. If the manager feeds into this dysfunction then it is time to go.

Be courageous. YOU ARE NOT JUST A WARM BODY!! Risk other areas of nursing! Homecare and hospice are very fullfilling. Working nights to get on the day shift is worth the effort.

Being salaried and working prime hours looks attractive at first glance-but you may soon find that your staff make much more money than you do in overtime.

Try new things. If management works for you- GO FOR IT! If not, don’t hesitate to reinvent yourself. You will need to reinvent yourself multiple times in your career whether you want to or not.

You will utlimately need to decide if you are in the right job (which will change depending of the typical revolving door of management) regardless of the financial compensation verses the sense of accomplishment and ethics.

Your career will change from month to month depending on the changes in management and the resulting self fufillment.

THERE IS NO ABSOLUTE WRONG OR RIGHT. Only what is right for you, your patients, and your purpose for being a nurse.

Please know that you have not wasted your years of education, and or service. You are just not in the right niche.

If you limit yourself to a certain area, shift, level of self designated elevation in the profession, or are feeling abuse, underappreciated, and or desolate for having chosen this profession and having committed to an astrominical student loan – please know that you are not alone nor are you helpless.

Investigate your options. Can you get governmental loan forgiveness by working in an underserved area? Perfection does not exist in nursing. Can you consider working in this arena for the time that it takes to forgive your loans?

If you live in an area that has multiple schools of nursing, with new graduates competing for jobs-can you consider getting your feet wet else where when the ultimate payoff is a year or two of forgiven loans that result in a career near home?

Sacrifices like these are worth considering. Nursing continues to evolve. Evolve with it! Be smart, professional and assertive without agression. Think out of the medcart! Experiment, take chances, and don’t settle for a job just to make ends meet.

The opportuites to have a fulfiling career and at the same time meet your financial obligations are out there.

Do what is best for you, and mentor, mentor, mentor.

Old fart yet new nurse everyday,

Melody

The beginning of the end came about as so. Just let me say I loved the RNs I worked with… well, most of them. There was a traveling RN that asked me why the hell i was so happy all the time. I just nodded and drooled like a moron till she left the room. Then, I turned to a co worker and said, “I’m happy cuz I’m not HER.”

That stuff started happenening to all of us. We’d get in trouble for making a noise, for being too “hyper” for “smiling too much” for talking too “loudly”; all the time being told to interact and be friendly. I know the difference between being professionally friendly and acting like we were at a bar – and I’m not saying I didn’t screw up once in a while. But I was good at my job – my bosses, coworkers, and patients were happy with me… most of them. Turns out someone can complain about you and say you did…WHATEVER… and like a witch hunt – you’re burnt at the stake on a whisper.

A really funny thing happened to me over a weekend and knowing that it wasn’t appropriate I only told a few coworkers (behind closed doors) what happened and we all shared a laugh. FIVE days later my supervisor calls me in and says that I was heard “retelling my story in front of patients and their families, which by my understanding of geographic locations, would have put me smack dab in the hallway… with the bedpans and wheelchairs. Of course, I didn’t even ask who would have stretched the truth in that direction to begin with – I wouldn’t have gotten an answer – but all I know is that for the first time EVER in my 20 plus time out on the workforce I got written up on a lie.

When another company headhunted me, I applied. When they gave me what I asked for salary wise, I left. But that experience revealed to me at last how the the world works.

A lot of the views on the other articles are partially correct. You will work long hours, and work for people you may not love, and occasionally produce designs that you might not be happy with. These aren’t the things you should focus on. Remember when you first discovered that art is something you’re passionate about? Stick with that.

Many people get into graphic design, and plenty fail. Graphic design is a self-driven business. If you aren’t great at making yourself do homework and things like that, you will fail in this field. Your success is up to you. A lot of people that enter this field only enter it because they couldn’t find anything else to be interested in. Don’t worry about these people, because they too will fail. To be a successful designer, you have to be willing to work long hours, and drive yourself to do great. There is no half-assing in this business.

In the beginning, you have to be willing to accept any job that comes your way, or better yet, that you seek out. One of my first design jobs was creating images and ads for a boardshop site, which I hardly got paid for, and I worked with some real jerks, but that’s not why I did it. Moderating this website, and marketing with materials I made myself not only marketed the business, but it also put my name out there. So not only did I get to create posters and flyers, internet marketing campaigns, and website devices- I got a real portfolio going, that I was happy with. I did this for a year, and already people I didn’t know would recognize me in public (sometimes) or email me with freelance jobs. In fact, the job that I hold now (which I love) came from doing that.

I left that job and started working in a book printing company doing pre-flight file setup and color printing. Sure, not the most design oriented. But I continued to work as a freelancer on the side, so I would work the night shift until 10pm, and I would go home and work on designs. Then I would wake up, get some designs done, and concepts sent out and go to my printing. I still do this, working long hours, but I do it because I enjoy it and want to be successful, instead of a victim in a cubicle. In my mind, it’s perfect — I go from technical printing to designing pieces of art. The perfect balance.

The point is, in graphic design, you can’t half-ass anything, nor be a victim, nor can you be a pessimist. If you are these things, consider something else. If you have a passion for art, stay up late sketching and painting, this may be your calling.

I then became an EMT & went to work with a private ambulance company. I loved the freedom of moving around & truely felt like I was doing something. It seems every new EMT wants a job in the ER. Especially if you work for a private ambulance company. I have always been compassionate, caring & spirital. I have always thought I was good at all those jobs. Confident & sure made me likeable & taken seriously. I loved to be an example. I too worked in the corporate world before all of this in upper management, overseeing a large group of employees & traveling. I thought I found my calling when I decided to care for people medically. The work was hard but rewarding.

I was so excited when I got a job in the ER as a tech. I hate it! I am so burned out, unappreciated, broken, stressed & tired. I dread going in to work. I enjoy using my skills & working codes, it’s not that I can’t handle it. It’s the workload & being underpayed to put up with a whole bunch of crap.

I feel like a puppet on a string. I work hard & through lunch most days. I eat in the ER because there is no other tech & YOU MUST HAVE A TECH cause they do everything & it is never good enough or fast enough. You are expected to have a massive memory & keep up with each nurse & their patients. Nurses work hard too but forget that while they are assigned to a few patients, a tech has all of them. While you are running tests, performing procedures, taking patients to the floor, etc., you are expected to magically have the rooms cleaned as soon as they discharge a patient so you can call another one back.

I am sorry but this is one job that needs to be revised. The hours are long & the rewards are less in that setting. You can have a gift to work in the medical field. Patient care could be your calling but working in an emergency room may not be your thing. I am going to get out as soon as I am able & leave it for someone else before I quit the whole business & become a mechanic or something.

I know, my attitude sux. It never did before. I never hated the other jobs as much as this one. I am sorry I have nothing better to say. My hats off to the ones that love it. I appreciate you & only wish I had an opportunity to work a day with you to gain a new perpective but I hear the same story as mine from all other techs I know personally. My best wishes to you all. Health care is hard work…

A job is what you, as an individual, puts in it. I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to work for Lowes and I hope I can work at least 6 more years. If I had put my full time in Lowes I could be a millionaire now. Please never judge a work place by all the negatives you hear because for every one negative you hear there will always be several positives.

I audit all the stores in Florida and some in Alabama and I have never been mistreated by any one. All the Management and the team members are always pleasant and I appreciate their kindness and hard work when an audit is being done. I was taught when I was growing up to always treat people the way you want to be treated. Everyone needs to smile more an quit trying to get something for nothing. Lowes only wants a days work for a days pay. What is wrong with this. Be honest. Stealing time is same as stealing money.
May God Bless, and I hope everyone, not only Lowes, prospers.