I would not encourage anyone to be a nurse!

Nurses General Nursing

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If i had a child I would not encourage him or her to take up nursing.

I am a UK nurse born and bred and if I had the opportunity to get something better I would!

I am for what its worth a glorious team leader, in charge of a number of nurses, and there is no support from my clinical nurse manager. Is it any wonder that nurses are stressed and the sickness rate is out of control in the NHS.

They have recently put up our salary a little under Agenda for Change, but it does not compensate for the stress I am going through with this job.

It doesn't matter how much Tony Blair puts into the NHS - if nothing is done about senior management.

Improving Working Lives means nothing - if you show indifference about your staff.

No wonder you cannot get enough nurses in the UK - the way they treat nurses!

:rotfl:

I understand completely your rancor. I am a thirty+ year experienced R.N. in the U.S. and I have to literally fight for every pennie I make. Part of the Nursing salary inequities, are indeed caused by our Nursing representative organizations which have done very little in this area to boost the Nursing Profession. They have always, as far as I'm concerned, helped to divide us into catagories Diploma Nurse, ADN Nurse, BSN Nurse, etc. etc. of course the leaders of these organizations are mostly BSN and beyond. So they have a vested interest in promoting their agendas to have these many lettered nurses salaries be higher, and promoting the differences between our training experiences. I have always thought how Bogus an idealization this was and is. I took the same State Board Exams as any other nurse, had to pass with the exact same score as any other nurse, and do the same job as any other nurse. As a matter of fact, I do not believe that Grad Nurses taking boards today could not pass the board exams we took thirty years ago. Where staffing shortages are concerned, Hospital Administrators continue to bury their heads in the sand and deny there is any such thing as a nursing shortage :angryfire while putting out memo's (oral not written) that staff is not allowed to say, "We are very short staffed today." as a reason for not answering call lights in a timely fashion. I also feel I would not encourage my son to be a nurse. That is the REAL SHAME :o of our profession, that we cannot allow pride in what we have accomplished, to sway us into recommending to others, this noble profession. Another aspect of our professions demise seems to be the media's love affair with nurse bashing. If you are informed about Mr. Schwarzeneger's comments alone, you may see how we are being portrayed to the public by him as well as other public figures. I find this interesting in light of how corrupt most politicians are in this country. These are just a few of the factors known to me, it would take to long for me to post the other inequities here as I do not type well enough. :rolleyes:

I must say that I fully agree with your views on nursing representation organizations. I only wish more nurses saw this but until they deceide to take a stand I fear not much will change. I would like to know the other areas on inequities you see.

Hi Larry

I used to feel like that until I changed my direction and moved from Accident & emergency to Intensive Care. It was a culture shock at first and I had to get the books out and study hard because it was so different from what I knew (10 years of crap and verbal/physical abuse in a Glasgow hospital)

On a one to one with a really sick patient is great and really rewarding. When I go out to the wards to help out if we are quiet (we get used ALL THE TIME as XX'#/.bank nurses !!!!) but thats another moan....... I hate it the staffing levels are awful, no time to do what should be done, no job satisfaction, the staff are stressed out....etc etc. Agenda for Change what's happening with your area....we are going to be a Band 5 but think it should be more. Our skill levels are different from the ward nurses. We can go and do their job but they can't come into ITU and use our equipment etc. Did you gain much compared to the old scale of unsocial hours etc.

Dear Highland lass,

I am a third year nursing student who wants to be an intensive care nurse. I completely agree with your point all ICU nurses should be rated higher than band 5. I thought that the role you all do is what the knowledge and skill famework is about. What else on earth do they want you to know. ICU nurses already perform most of the duties that the point system (knowleadge and skill famework) is suppose to encouage other nurses to achieve.other staff will get career progression points for the next pay band what will you all get? What do you mean ICU nurses are used as bank staff?

Specializes in Utilization Management.
I hate nursing--everyone hates nursing

Please do not put words in my mouth.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I love my career. I have hated some of the places I've worked, however.

Good management makes all the difference in the world, all over the world.

'The trick is finding the place that really values you. I wouldn't stay in a place that didn't"------Begali

Sadly I have never found a place that really values nurses. Just lip service. Not real.I didn't really 'get' this about nursing until a few years into it.

I don't hate nursing either, but management DOES make all the difference!! I have a great manager now, but I have had some real wackjob managers in the past!! Everything from micro-management to blowing up before getting all the facts to one manager who left early every Friday & called in almost every Monday-- hungover we all thought. In one hospital they had 6 managers in my dept. in the 10 yrs I was there- each more horrifying than the next! I hear things are much better now, but the staff had to stick together & document incidents for admin. b/f things changed!! :rolleyes:

Please do not put words in my mouth.

Nothing could be further from the truth. I love my career. I have hated some of the places I've worked, however.

Good management makes all the difference in the world, all over the world.

It's great to hear from UK nurses! I lived in Swindon, Wiltshire for 8 years. I'd love to return to England. I love England. But I suppose I'm an American, and I belong here now.

I don't have anything to add re: your plight as NHS nurses, but I wonder if the grass is ever greener on the other side in our field? Nursing is such a hard job and few can handle it.

Of course the same could be said for hanging on a cross, and yet that's where the glory is. The hardest shift is offset by the fact that very few human beings could ever function on such a shift. Imagine what the average person would do if they were suddenly thrust into your role.

I hate nursing--everyone hates nursing--but the glory is addictive.

The Veridican

Veridican, I think you need to speak for yourself. There are a LOT of us out here who do not agree with you at all!

Larry, where did you go?

Sounds like you have more of a problem with the politics and representation associated with nursing than the actual nursing. Or am I reading wrong. Several other nurses have posted that the job is great and that as long as you can handle the stress, it is very rewarding. Any follow-up since your last post?

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.
Larry, where did you go?

Sounds like you have more of a problem with the politics and representation associated with nursing than the actual nursing. Or am I reading wrong. Several other nurses have posted that the job is great and that as long as you can handle the stress, it is very rewarding. Any follow-up since your last post?

I was going to ask Larry the same thing. Larry where are you

Dear Highland lass,

I am a third year nursing student who wants to be an intensive care nurse. I completely agree with your point all ICU nurses should be rated higher than band 5. I thought that the role you all do is what the knowledge and skill famework is about. What else on earth do they want you to know. ICU nurses already perform most of the duties that the point system (knowleadge and skill famework) is suppose to encouage other nurses to achieve.other staff will get career progression points for the next pay band what will you all get? What do you mean ICU nurses are used as bank staff?

With regard to the bank staff .....we are a ten bed unit which is a combination of ITU and HDU beds depending on whats happening the ratio can change from hour to hour and we chuck out the HDU patients sometimes only extubated that day to admit another ITU or HDU patient. Our ration of staff is ITU 1:1 HDU 2:1 and we try for the nurse in chanrge not to have a patient. If there is staff shortages in the wards (usually on a daily basis) one of our staff gets moved to a ward to "help" out sometimes even to take charge of a ward where you don't know the patient, the routine or anything else......theres no longer any point in complaining because it falls on deaf ears. The more junior staff in the unit get moved constantly as a pair of hands for the wards and don't get the teaching and experience they should get. When we are going like the proverbial fair and runnning about mad with no breaks etc....do we get a hand from the wards....NO, NEVER not even an untrained member of staff to help with bed baths, turns etc. I love my job and get a real buzz from caring ofr a really sick ventilated patient but hate all the political crap that goes with it......MOAN MOAN MOAN

With regard to the bank staff .....we are a ten bed unit which is a combination of ITU and HDU beds depending on whats happening the ratio can change from hour to hour and we chuck out the HDU patients sometimes only extubated that day to admit another ITU or HDU patient. Our ration of staff is ITU 1:1 HDU 2:1 and we try for the nurse in chanrge not to have a patient. If there is staff shortages in the wards (usually on a daily basis) one of our staff gets moved to a ward to "help" out sometimes even to take charge of a ward where you don't know the patient, the routine or anything else......theres no longer any point in complaining because it falls on deaf ears. The more junior staff in the unit get moved constantly as a pair of hands for the wards and don't get the teaching and experience they should get. When we are going like the proverbial fair and runnning about mad with no breaks etc....do we get a hand from the wards....NO, NEVER not even an untrained member of staff to help with bed baths, turns etc. I love my job and get a real buzz from caring ofr a really sick ventilated patient but hate all the political crap that goes with it......MOAN MOAN MOAN

Thank you for explaining the use of bank staff. I am a student in London. Is this clause of working on the wards a common theme with contracts for ICU staff? Has the place you work at explained how ICU staff will progress up the band ladder and the point systems that will be used? I am now at a point I am starting to look for jobs do you advise I ask about the possiblity of me being used as bank staff? Is there any way to get out of this. How long do you think is an acceptable timeframe to have to wait to get on short courses example cannulation skills. Thank you for your feed back. Wish me luck on the late shift later today I will be in charge ..:(

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.
Dear Highland lass,

I am a third year nursing student who wants to be an intensive care nurse. I completely agree with your point all ICU nurses should be rated higher than band 5. I thought that the role you all do is what the knowledge and skill famework is about. What else on earth do they want you to know. ICU nurses already perform most of the duties that the point system (knowleadge and skill famework) is suppose to encouage other nurses to achieve.other staff will get career progression points for the next pay band what will you all get? What do you mean ICU nurses are used as bank staff?

I completely disagree. Every nursing service is a specialty. Unless your job requires extra schooling or credentials, your worth as a an employee is the same. Would you work in an ICU that required you to take care of the same patient load as you assume on the med-surg unit? Of course not and that's the payoff for working in the ICU - less patients - not less stress or less decision making or even less money.

Thank you for explaining the use of bank staff. I am a student in London. Is this clause of working on the wards a common theme with contracts for ICU staff? Has the place you work at explained how ICU staff will progress up the band ladder and the point systems that will be used? I am now at a point I am starting to look for jobs do you advise I ask about the possiblity of me being used as bank staff? Is there any way to get out of this. How long do you think is an acceptable timeframe to have to wait to get on short courses example cannulation skills. Thank you for your feed back. Wish me luck on the late shift later today I will be in charge ..:(

GOOD LUCK WITH THE BACK SHIFT !!!!! : I don't think its normal practise everywhere to do this bank business...some other Glasgow hospitals where I have friends working don't do it. When we go out to the wards they get cross charged for having us, so they pay for it. Obviously the more experienced nurses stay in the unit and the D grades get sent out, depending on the skill mix of course. How long is it until you qualify and is it ICU you are looking to work in. With regard to the new courses, find you feet first and learn about the area you will be in.....the know the old adage "walk before you learn to run". Get your people skills happening, learn about the ward routine, the conditions of the patients that you will be dealing with. Get to understand blood results and investigations, dealing the labs, porters and the other disciplines that you will be dealing with. These things are the most important aspects of your job initially not forgetting the staff in the ward who will be your allies and mentors. Show that you are keen to learn, remember to always ask questions again and again. Once you feel competent with these things then think about the next advancement, ie, cannulation, I.V. drug course, male catheterisation etc.

I've fairly babbled on here haven't I . Keep in touch and good luck !!

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