I hate nursing..

[flygirls2]

I graduated in December, and have been working on an inpatient oncology unit since. I DREAD going to work each week. The days I do have off, I'm too tired to enjoy. I'm not overwhelmed or any of the typical things you'd assume. I just don't like it!

Is this normal for new nurses? Does it pass? Were most of you in love with nursing from the get-go? Maybe I need a new are of nursing?

I just don't know what to do, I'm already pondering starting up a new degree program.

[ahintonRN]

As a new nurse I feel very overwhelmed as well. I can relate to most of your comments. I too stay up all night, mind running a million miles an hour, wondering if I forgot something.. I too stay 2 hours late some nights, work most holidays, and feel like I'm working my life away. I too think, "Is this what I went to school for?" But in the grand scheme of things, I know in my heart that it is my calling to be a nurse. I am determined to hang in there and make it. It seems like nurses in general are under-appreciated, when we are the backbone of healthcare. I wonder if a pat on the back once in a while would make it all better?

[freemirini]

What I find shocking about nursing is the inadequate nurse-to-patient ratios, inadequate support staff, inadequate/broken equipment/supplies, and run-down environment. I am in my first nursing job --which is in the inner city. It's eye-opening.

I like nursing work, but I don't like doing it in such a stressed environment. It can be unsafe.

[ahintonRN]

AMEN freemirini! I think if my computer would actually work an entire shift, I might not have such a stressful day! It's stressul enough without the vital sign machines dying, printer freezing, computer kicking me out... !

[TristleRN]

There is one good thing about nursing....there are so many different options, options that people in other fields do not have. You must try different things until you find one that is a good fit. It really does make a difference in the environment and the people you work with. Hard work is so much nicer in an area where you've got good support and team players. There probably won't be a perfect job, no such thing, right?...but I hope you don't give up on nursing without making a concerted effort to find a better fit. If you aren't happy and are dreading going in every day, it's time to move on.

Good luck.

[Blackmomba]

I So Understand....... I Use To Be A Prekindergarten Teacher This Is My First Year As A LVN, And I Absolutely Hate It! I Work In A Convalescent Home (A 100 Bed Facility) Well 3 Out Of 4 Times A Week They Will Only Work 2 Charge Nurses. I'm Very Fed Up With The Entire Place. I'm Writing My Resignation Letter This Week. I Don't care If I Only Have 4-months Of Experience I'm So Burnt Out It's Not Funny....I Regret Ever Changing Careers

[frogandcrown]

Wow. I have just read this entire thread with great interest from the very first post...I am a new LPN. I looked this subject up to see what other nurses, new and seasoned, had to say about the profession.

When I first considered going into nursing, my best friend, who is an experienced nurse, said to me "Please dont. Nurses eat their young. It's the worst part of the whole business and you will hate it."

Well, I havent encountered that, as I havent begun work yet as a nurse...and these posts have me concerned...to an extent. I can tell you that I have met people in other non-nursing jobs I have had who could be described as "eaters of their young" too. It isnt just reserved for nurses, in the real world.

The difference is that in my previous line of work, if someone undermined me or distracted me or caused me issues that diminished the quality of my work, it might just result in scheduling the wrong appointment time for a truck to unload it's goods. No big deal. As a matter of fact when someone made a mistake, there was someone in our office who would say "It's not like we're delivering human organs or anything."

However, in nursing EVERYTHING is a big deal. Lives are at stake. Why nurses would want to make life and such important work more difficult for each other is way beyond my understanding.

I just want to emphasize to us all (and especially my future working-nurse SELF) that there are jerks everywhere. We have to remember what is important...and it isn't them. It's the patient...and knowing we have done the best for them and that we can go home and (FINALLY) get some sleep with a clear conscience. :)

I work in a lab in a hospital and the nurses I work with are amazing. If I can get on here as an LPN (trying) I will feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

I'm scared to begin my nursing career...but I'm also excited. And I thank you all for your advice and comments so I know what to expect. :)

[misplaced1]

This is the problem. You are mistaken, your life should not be all about "the patient" Doctors are not taught this. Paramedics are not taught this. Xray techs are not taught this. You get the picture.

The patient should be first in an emergency but unfortunatly nurses are taught that the patient comes first ALWAYS- before themselves. This is an extremely codependent attitude which must be swallowed whole and lived in order to be a "good nurse". Life is short. I decided not long after school that while I wanted to help people I am important too, to myself, to my family, to my friends.

I come back here periodically just to see if there is a way I could work as a nurse, I like taking care of people. But, sadly every time I start reading I discover that nursing has still not grown up an become a profession but, is still a place where those with sad life circumstances and dysfunctional family upbringings, can gain self esteem by proving their worth through self sacrifice.

This not a put down. Its just not who I am anymore. I am codependent no more. I have no need to play the "I can sacrifice more than you" game with another human being. I found the hospital environment to be very much a dysfunctional family environment where divided and conquer was the primary managment scheme and people will encouraged to write each other up and tell on each other before even trying to talk face to face about an issue no matte how small.

I have had many jobs in a wide variety of professional and nonprofessional environments. I have never seen anything like it in my life and it was EVERYWHERE save one place I rotated through. I kept thinking it cant be like this everywhere, but for the most part it was. When I am having a bad day I just think back to one of the nursing settings I worked in and thank God above I am not going to be pulled in twenty directions and work with the nastiest rudest people I have ever meant in my life.

There are very nice nurses out there but bless them they are typcially people that are comfortable being abused.

[misplaced1]

Thanks to Porridge for reminding me that I was lucky enough to get injured while in the last semester of school. I say lucky because that really helped to open my eyes! I could work but was slow. I came in and worked a bit but was told to go and that in the real world I should have called out and would be out for the next several weeks until I could get back up to speed.

I do understand this but in what other professional job are you out due to a minor physical injury? If I had been a doctor , sonographer, lab tech etc with my injury I would have been able to work.

It made me realize that in addition to the stress, any little sports injury could put me out for weeks. From there I started talking to people that were already in the field around here and found out that if they developed any kind of health problem they tried not to let anyone find out because THEIR COWORKERS would make their life miserable if they found out they had IBS or chronic fatigue or something.

[victory92]

nursing is just getting more and more demanding the pay isirrelevant. more demands for the patients forget that how about the crazydemand for nutty family members. someone said get a mba and go into management.take my advice i did that and administration is more frustrating than on thefloor. nursing think what kind of crazy policies are they doing like we justsit and think of how we are trying to make things more difficult. well due toreform and state/federal regulations we have to. in management you have no andi mean no friends. i don't know what to say to someone that needs advice but ido agree i do not recommend to any to go to college for anything in healthcare.i have been doing this for 20 years in multiple position i have 4 differentmedical degrees and it is to the point where they all suck. nursing is theworst other than maybe management. we work short because burn out happens sofast we hire 1 and 2 quit. something has to change in the healthcare system andwhat that is i don't know. for all those who like it god bless you because weneed you.

many say i want to take care of people and make their livesbetter. if you find time under the mountain of paperwork you now need tocomplete great for you. i understand many of the frustration voiced here. i doagree with a post of moving around and trying to find a "niche" thatmay be to your liking but it none of them work it's time to look for adifferent profession. i feel a little stuck because health care is all i know.i am doing a lot of self-reflection and praying to god to bring me to what hefeels i can best serve others. he has not moved me you so i stay in the"system." god bless all and again for all that like it specialblessings for you because we need you.

[Nacki, MSN, NP]

Victory 92, it's so sad that many nurses feel this way. It breaks my heart because I know it takes a special person to be a nurse. We entered this profession to serve others. I too have thought of getting another degree besides nursing, and you know what? I was called in to my manager's office because of it! My so called co-worker told my manager I didn't want to be a nurse. It's no one elses' business what I want to do with my life. I don't need to get another nursing degree, and because I don't it doesn't mean I don't want to be a nurse. I just don't want to work in the capacity I work in now.

I've been a nurse for almost 11 years, and you are right, it doesn't change. Just about all jobs I have had I've disliked. I too have moved around a lot because burnout happens so fast when you are short-staffed and have never-ending paperwork to complete. I've prayed and spoken to God to lead me to my true calling in life and I believe I have found it. I soon will be starting my own company helping other nurses. I know patients are important, but nurses get the short end of the stick in virtually all situations. If hospitals took better care of their nurses and actually appreciated them, then they wouldn't have trouble with short staffing.

Good luck in finding your true calling. I will be praying for you.

[SoundofMusic]

It IS sad what goes on in nursing. I am out of it now, and my gut feels 10 times better. (IBS symptoms totally resolved, weight down, mental status intact). Studying to be an NP, and so far, I really like what I'm doing. So much better.

I DID feel like I was part of a dysfunctional family when on a nursing unit, every job I had. Always all these power struggles, mostly between women -- and just basically some of the nastiest people you'd ever come across. I did come from a dysfunctional family myself, and yes, I CAN take a heap of abuse, but I had to draw the line. They were not so bad to me, as I was pretty competent, but the things I saw done to some of my colleagues just made my skin crawl. I had to get out -- if I stayed and was unfortunately enough to rub one of those managers wrong one day, they would have had it out for me, too. They just have the power to totally tank a person's career -- and that's not right.

To be a success, you have to just keep your head down, your mouth shut, and just TAKE the abuse ...seriously. That is the key to success as a nurse. You have to take it from patients, from co-workers, never rock the boat, never speak up ...and you do fine -- problem is, you DIE inside.

I'm SO thankful, 1,000 times over, that I've received the opportunity to go back to school and get my education. I got the advice from SEVERAL RN's I worked with who were doing the same thing ...they'd whisper into my ear on bad days .."Get out ..go get your masters ...get your education." Boy, were they right. Boy, do I have them to thank.

Nursing, you need to get WITH the 20th century. Women who complete nursing school are SMART. Probably smarter than the average woman out there working in the corporate world who is receiving 3x the respect for doing much less. Quit treating them like DOPES. The more you do it, the more you're going to continue to struggle. And stop letting the docs treat them bad, also. There is NO excuse for that. You treat nurses like they are cattle, like numbers. Stop treating them like warm bodies you "need" to plug in your "holes" for the day. They are people. They are competent. They are VALUABLE -- just STOP!!!

[KarenDeeRNBSN]

Wow, I guess misery loves company. I've been an ICU nurse for over 19 years...this post and entire thread actually made me feel better. Just to know I'm not the only one dealing with demoralizing and insulting managers and co workers. I can return to my **** job and managers tomorrow and know I'm not alone. I love love love ICU nursing but dealing with lazy and ruthless ancillary staff is a waste...along with the managers that stand behind that crap instead of supporting nurses. Be well and carry on my fellow RNs. Stand your ground and be tough!