I hate my job and I can't get out.

Nurses General Nursing

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So I have been an RN since March 2011. In Sept. 2011, I moved 1,600 miles to get a new grad job in a clinic ( that is all they would offer) . I got a sign on bonus and had to sign a one year contract. After about 7 months I asked if I could transfer to the hospital and my manager agreed. I interviewed for a rotating position on the surgical floor. I was excited to get the experience and finally feel like a real nurse. Well, now I'm in a nightmare. When I first started the ratios were 1:4 on days and 1:7 on nights. This hospital has problems keeping staff but I figured the ratios were not too bad and I could get some overtime. Well now 5 weeks in they changed everything. No more over time pay at all. The ratios are now 1:6 on days and 1:8 on nights. They even cut back on what we chart IV's and PCA's once a shift now instead of Q4. They didn't want nurses staying past their shift to chart. They are tightening up and now saying they are fully staffed which is a lie. They employ over 30 travel nurses right now. My orientation is up soon and I'm really worried. I don't see how I can safely take care of that many patients. The last day I worked I had 5 patients : #1 MVA with chest tube and spinal fractures, #2 fresh post op appy, # 3 was a patient with a trach , spinal fractures, and feeding tube ,# 4 and# 5 were patients detoxing off alcohol after MVA's . This week I'm supposed to take 6 patients and I feel overwhelmed.

"If you are truly sick and need care and can't afford it, the government here does pick up the tab."

Seriously? If you are middle class and lose your insurance for any reason (like we did when my husbands company went on strike) you are screwed. If it is an emergency you will be treated and then you will be bankrupt. A co-workers wife had a heart attack and they now owe 100K. And yes, we tried to get a catastrophic policy and pay for that, but if you are 50 years old they want all your records going back 25 years and make it impossible to get at almost any cost. Oh Cobra you say? At over 2k per month that was not an option.

EXACTLY! You can get EMERGENCY care, but preventative, nope. Follow up care , nope. What about medications? If you have cancer and cannot afford the Chemo... Guess what you aren't getting it.

Specializes in FNP, ONP.
Who in America is ever denied health care because of money? If you are truly sick and need care and can't afford it, the government here does pick up the tab.

The government most certainly does not just "pick up the tab." Please become better informed. I have patients denied care for chronic conditions on a daily basis.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
I have learned the hard way, through experience, that it is a mistake to move between one job to the next related to common issues in nursing: unreasonable ratios, not enough clinical support, etc. The common problems found in all nursing jobs will not change from job to job.

Instead of leaving your current job, verbalize your concerns to your preceptor and, if need be, your nurse manager. They may have good advice, and support, to give you. I can pretty much tell you that the grass is not greener on the other side. There is no such thing as the perfect nursing job. Make the most out of the job that you currently have, doing the best you can with time management and patient care. In your daily tasks, always put safety first. Slow down when passing your meds, know why you are giving them and if they are still appropriate to the patient's condition. Do nursing procedures right the first time. Round on your patients the best that you can, checking in with your NAs to ensure that they have seen nothing out of the ordinary. Hospital nursing on the floor is really a team effort. No one really accomplishes anything on their own.

With the stress of your work environment, give praise to the nurses and nurse assistants around you who help make the day go a bit better, who really make a difference in patient care. Ultimately, take care of eachother. Of the jobs that I have had, the one thing that I value most is the camraderie and support of my nursing peers. Work becomes like a second home. Your fellow nurses are your family.

When you need to vent, do so with a nursing buddy (a close friend). Have a life outside of work.

I hope that this helps. Give your current job more time. There is alot of change going on for you at work. Make the best out of what you have to work with. That is all that you can do.

This is good advice. We often see posts from new grads who have jumped from one job to the next without finding a better (or even as good) situation as their first.

Specializes in Clinical Research, Outpt Women's Health.
EXACTLY! You can get EMERGENCY care, but preventative, nope. Follow up care , nope. What about medications? If you have cancer and cannot afford the Chemo... Guess what you aren't getting it.

And I would not bankrupt us either. I would most likely put off care even if I knew it was very serious. For me, but not for my husband.

The government most certainly does not just "pick up the tab." Please become better informed. I have patients denied care for chronic conditions on a daily basis.

Thank you. Shoot even those with insurance can be denied care as their policy may not cover a certain treatment, medication, surgery, etc.

Yes, that is the reality here in the Twin Cities. I would never go back to a hospital, or nursing home environment, and work with incompetent aids who speak 0 English, and with other employees who try to steal narcs and are very snazzy at trying to make the shortage my error, and trying to keep up such a huge workload for the greedy corporation that owns the place. As my nursing friend says "I would rather curl up in a ball, and die." This is why I work in private duty now...

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