Hi my name is Jane, I'll be your glorified waitress today!

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.

Hi all,

Anyone else hate nursing and feel that your a glorified waitress wherever you work?

I have been a nurse for all of 2.5 years in an ER and I have discovered that I hate being a nurse!

1) I get verbally abused by both medical and psych patients every shift... no matter how nice I try to be.

2) I feel like I spend more time getting patient's pillows, blankets, sandwiches, and drinks more than I actually need to use my brain to critically think.

3) I just love having to hunt down an ER doc to ASK if the patient can get some releif from their pain, nausea, or whatever else ails them.. they've only been waiting 5+ hours!

4) Cooworkers are not happy for you when you get employee of the month, nope, instead they tell the new grad or new ER nurse you are about to precept that you stink, but management loves you and thats how you got on the wall of nursing, oh and thats why you were made a preceptor.

5) I have no weapon or any way to protect myself and no training in self defence, but guess who gets sued when the psych patient runs out of the ER and I refuse to go after them.

6) I get to inflict more pain on dying patients when their families cannot come to terms that they are dying and feel that they shoudl be given antibiotics, feeding tubes, folys etc along with their multiple IV/blood sticks, becuase thats gonna make them all better or more comfortable, as comfortable as dragging them out of their bed and into the cold so they can sit in an ER hallway bed for hours waiting to be seen.

7) I get to triage 21 year olds that have viral gastroenteritis symptoms for a whole 2 hours and then when they realize that diarrhea and vomiting are even less fun in an ER waiting room I get to re-triage them when they demmand they be taken ahead of other patients who have been waiting 4+ hours, oh and they came in by ambulance so that must mean they get seen faster than everyone else because its an emergency!

8) I get to see psych patients taking up 5 or more of our beds, and who get taken back right away because they play the "I am suicial" game every other week so they can continue to receive their disability benefits while legitament medical patients wait in the waiting room for hours waiting for a bed.

9) I get to see parents bring their kids in for a whopping fever of 102.0 and they are trying tell you what an emergency it is while there trying to catch the kid in the waiting room, becuase the kid is so deathly ill they are running around playing.

10) I get to see patients with toe pain come in by ambulance only to be sent to triage and patients with heart attacks come in by private vehicle through the waiting room only to be rushed back to a bed.

11) I get to see nurses run away from the patients they are afraid to take care of, instead of embrasing the new challenge ahead. The ER is not the place to run away, if you run away, you should continue right back to the floor where you were comfortable working on.

12) I listen to doctors that feel the need to degrate you or be nasty to you in front of your colleagues or worse, patients because they think they are god and I should bow down to them.

13) I go up to codes only to find a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off running around with chaos and no direction which as you all no is equal to nothing being done for the patient.

14) Applying for 1.5 years for a new nursing job and not getting anywhere... sending resumes, preparing for interviews, investing 6+ hours between interviews and shadowing.. only to get no where!

14) Getting turned down for jobs because oh you don't have BSN after your name, you must be a stupid nurse despite the 6 years of experience as an EMT, the 5 years of experience as a paramedic, and the almost three years of experience as an ER nurse. Nope sorry, we would rather hire the new grad who has BSN afte their name, you know that will help us with our Magnet Status.

15) Hearing "oh Dr. so and so sent told me to come RIGHT in after I talked to him on the phone about the abdominal pain I have been having for two weeks now" "he said I should be seen right away and that he would arrange that, he talked to the ER physicians". Uh yeah, sorry mam/sir you will have to wait just like every other patient here. Heres your urine cup and have a nice wait. "Oh but Dr. So and So said they would get me right in a direct admit me"...

16) Trying to call report to a floor and getting "I am going to lunch/dinner, do you mind if I call you right back when I am done eating". Meanwhile my CBS is 50 because its 5 pm and I haven't eaten since breakfast.... Oh wait you work in the ER you can't pick and choose when new patients come to you. Oh and wait, you only work 8-12 hours you don't need a break, do you?

17) Getting bashed when you share with other nurses how much and why you hate being a nurse!

Sweetooth

Soooooooooooo looooooooooooooooooon nursing, its been real, but I truly hate you!

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Would you like juice with that today?

;-)

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Do you like anything about nursing?

I understand it si very frustrating but maybe look at the positives and see why you are there. If you were an EMT I would think that you were not just attracted to the gloy of nursing and that you knew what you were getting into.

What would change your attitude? Anything? or is it tainted now?

I am sorry you feel this way and I understand how you do, when things go wrong it is easy to focus on the negative.

I hope you can figure out why you are in nursing.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I get the waitress part, but I don't get the glorified part ;)

J/K, I am right there with you some days!

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Do you like anything about nursing?

I understand it si very frustrating but maybe look at the positives and see why you are there. If you were an EMT I would think that you were not just attracted to the gloy of nursing and that you knew what you were getting into.

What would change your attitude? Anything? or is it tainted now?

I am sorry you feel this way and I understand how you do, when things go wrong it is easy to focus on the negative.

I hope you can figure out why you are in nursing.

I'm not a nurse yet, but I can kind of see where the OP is coming from. Eventually, in some jobs, the negatives outweigh the positives and you just want to GTF away from wherever you are. Sometimes you just get burnt-out from being "beat-down" so much. I've seen in happen in so many careers.

Sides, nurses come here to vent, right? :heartbeat We're here to listen and offer support. OP, I hope you end up where you want to be. Have you looked at changing jobs? Leaving nursing? Getting another degree? I think a change of scenery (or long vacation) might help. :) Best of luck!

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

I know that this nurse loves the work but hates the things that detract her from doing her work! I feel her pain!

#17...Pay attention people!

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Specializes in CT ,ICU,CCU,Tele,ED,Hospice.

i work ed .i soo understand.she came here to vent and get understanding from other nurses.you need to work ed to understand her points.

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Specializes in Acute Care Cardiac, Education, Prof Practice.

I am sorry your experience with the nursing profession has been so unhappy. I am unsure, due to the vehemency of the post, if there is really any support I personally can offer.

So I simply say, I hope this vent relieved a bit of stress for you.

Tait

PS. I was reading some of your older posts, and forgive me if you answered this question somewhere in one of them, but have you considered flight nursing? You mentioned something about loving a fast pace, and with your EMS experience, combined with your RN I wonder if this might be a good fit?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Acute Rehab.

deleted

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Were are you that they are turning away people with your expirience for new grad BSN's? In Florida or Washington state I can't even get in the door with my BSN and no acute care history.

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OP, you are not alone, and it's not just the ER that can affect nurses that way. I am well and truly burnt out, and I thought going back to school would help things, but really, no. I have my BSN now, and I couldn't care less. I felt no joy in obtaining it. I'm well and truly looking at leaving the profession. It's been an interesting 20+ years, but now I'm ready for something different.

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The BSN situation is something you can correct. You might feel better if you took the steps to make yourself more competitive in the job market by pursuing it. Look for an online program that doesn't require clinical placement. With the BSN, looking for a new job might be a successful endeavor. Other than that, sorry, can't really say anything except you can always come here to vent.

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