Job Story: I have come to hate the nursing career I was so proud of once.....nurse

[Unregistered]

You are wasting your life and youth away. It will never get any better, only worse. I have been an RN for ten years and I hate nursing too, we have good reason to hate it. You need to do whatever needs to be done in order to change your career and soon. Aperson can take only so much abuse and suffering. It is better to admit that you have made a mistake now in your choice of career than to admit it twenty years from now when your youth is gone, your body old and your soul broken.

[Unregistered]

Because the corporation which owns your hospital wants to reap max. profits of efficiency on the backs of nurses....that's why. Why pay a nurse $25/hour to take care of six patients when you can make him/her take care of 12 (or more)? They know that nurses (being overwhelmingly female) will not take a stand and will vent their anger/resentment on other nurses instead.

And if a nurse dares to challange current "system," he/she will be considered to have a "attitude" problem. With a constant supply a new nurses from the USA and what they can recruit from abroad....there will always be a resolving door situation in nursing. There is always a replacement for nurses who finally "get it" and quit to get out of the system.

[Unregistered]

I hate my job as a nurse so much that it depresses me. Finally, there is someone out there who feels the way I feel. I tried to quit my job the other day on a hospital floor with a patient/staff ratio on the day shift of 8/1. The floor is a busy medicine floor, and it is extremely stressful. I wrote my bosses a letter and told them that I quit because the floor is too stressful and that I am tired of crying at work from being overwhelmed. Their response was to have everyone call me, including the vice president of the hospital, to try to work it out. I told them how I felt about being stressed out on that busy floor. Their suggesstion was for me to work on evenings versus days. I am not a new nurse. I have been a rn for 9 years, but it was my 1st week out of orientation. I have been a nurse long enough to know a stressful floor when I see one. It does not make any sense for a nurse to be overworked the way we are. I can't even take a break sometimes. I hate my job. I wish I would have picked another career. I get real depressed when I think about being a nurse. If people only knew how I really felt about the abuse I take. I don't have time to thoroughly assess the patients because I have to pass medication, give insulin, check orders, admit someone, discharge someone, do dressing changes, answer call lights, do some of my nursing assistant's work because she's somewhere hiding. NURSING = STRESS.

[lynnr_98]

I graduated with my BSN 3 years ago. I chose nursing, after changing my major many times, because I felt I should pick something and stick with it. I knew with nursing I could always get a job, could move anywhere, and make decent money. I never had the "calling" to be a nurse, I just thought it was a "smart" career to choose. I should have listened to my inner voice. I can't stand nursing! I worked in the hospital as a staff nurse, I've been a public health nurse, I've done laser hair removal, and am currently a worker's compensation field case manager. I've hated all of these jobs!!! I've finall come to the realization that I just hate nursing and should have never wasted my time and money getting my BSN. I can't believe I still owe $30,000 for student loans! What was I thinking?! I am tired of people telling what to do and I'm sick of accounting for all of my time. After becoming a nurse, I had my first back injury, have constant joint paint, and began having panic attacks. This sucks!

It's nice to know there are so many others out there who also hate nursing. My family and friends think I'm crazy for switching jobs so many times and think I just need to stick it out. I think it's crazy to stick with something you hate. I take my appraisal exam this Friday and hope that I pass so I can begin my new career as a real estate appraiser. Hopefully, that will be a career that I'll stick with! :) I know I can't cotinue to be a nurse without going crazy!!!

[Unregistered]

i quit after two months of a new grad program in a small hospital. everybody was very nice and i received lots of help, but i had one horrible night with five very demanding patients, no cna, no break, no time to pee, and that was it. i knew right there this is it. you either suffer a life of denial and stress or you start a new path. i started a new path in my mind that night. i knew i would never return. ( unless my children were starving) I finished my shift one hour late, went home to sleep, woke up 4 hours later ,called the d.o.n and resigned. i felt guilt at first, but now i feel freeeeeeeeeeee!!! i might have to start school all over again, i might have to rely on my husbands income forever, i might piss off my family, the d.o.n, the supervisor, but i know deep down inside it took great courage to admit nursing was not and is not for me. did i waste my time in school? maybe. but life is too short to be unhappy. with my family rapidly all dying of cancer, i know that life is short. live it well and live it honestly. nothing is worse than dying while you are still alive.

[Bee]

I am a student nurse. I can't believe the attitude of mentor who says that I have an 'attitude problem'! She called a meeting about me and when I asked her what it was about she told me to 'ssssh'!!!!!! She complained to the link lecturer that I had questioned her use of non sterile gloves on a surgically operated leg when it was clearly written in the care plan. I didn't raise the subject until we were out of the patient's house! Although I wanted to and possibly should have done so earlier.

This is just one of many unbelievable incidents that I am completly miffed about and very angry. I really don't know how anyone sticks the student nursing course with the way students are treated.

Few....I feel better now. Does anyone feel the same or have a similar experience? Please let me know!

[gojack10]

Nursing is having to always say you're sorry. That's because you are constantly being accused of some supposedly defective action or other.

Do the stupid thing first. That usually helps deflect potential attack.

The Drug Pusher

[Unregistered]

Originally posted by Unregistered
You are wasting your life and youth away. It will never get any better, only worse. I have been an RN for ten years and I hate nursing too, we have good reason to hate it. You need to do whatever needs to be done in order to change your career and soon. Aperson can take only so much abuse and suffering. It is better to admit that you have made a mistake now in your choice of career than to admit it twenty years from now when your youth is gone, your body old and your soul broken.

AMEN! RUN! Run while there's still TIME!

[gojack10]

I am 53, and have some health problems. I have 20 years plus in nursing now. I am unemployed trying to recuperate some, needing some basic surgery, and yet have no current medical benefits to get it with. The surgery I need is sinus surgery, and it effects my ability to sleep well and work well, so I feel exhausted when trying to cope with the speedup and sorry attitudes of the nursing environment. Instead of having a helpful to health environment, I have to face people who will go at me for my license for the slightest mishap, and even without just cause.

I don't think that this sort of discrimination towards the older nurse or the nurse working with a chronic medical condition is unique to me. It is a systemic problem caused by the corporate mindset. The US medical system is a destructive to health environment equal to that of many of the traditional blue collar facotry jobs. Beware. You can tolerate this stress short term, but it will tear you down over the stretch.

The Drug Pusher

[lasernurse]

I've been an RN for almost 6yrs., and although it has it's ups and downs, overall I really like my job. I went into Nursing to "help people" and that's still my favorite part of the job! I spent 2yrs. in a busy hospital- the NICU, which I liked, but the long hours wore me out, and the pay was so-so. I left, and went into Dermatology, doing laser/ IPL. I'm still overworked a lot of the time.... don't always get my lunch hour because a patient's treatment goes over. I don't get breaks most of the time, and I work with a couple backstabbers who are jealous that I make 4 times as much as they do. Unfortunately, the blame does usually fall on the nurses shoulders- just like an earlier post said- even when we've done nothing wrong. I think it's because people expect us to do everyone else's job. Right now I'm responsible for the receptionist's mistakes, the medical asst., etc.... it's ridiculous! I think we're too busy or tired to defend ourselves. In the end the hardworking, ethical people always get dumped on- but hey, at least we go home with a clean conscience. I'm very underappreciated by my boss, but at least my patients appreciate me! That's enough to keep me going!!! Soooooo.... if you're a nurse who hates her job, why not try a different unit or department? Or switch to admin. or home health. There are so many jobs out there for nurses- there's got to be one you like!!!!

[Tvicky]

Nursing is terrible. I hate it and I am close to getting out of it. Med/Surg is a waste.

Bet you'll be happier when you find something better for you! And you WILL! :)