I would not encourage anyone to be a nurse!

madwife2002, BSN, RN · Mar 8, 2005

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 find you comments really sad but unfortunatly can offer little in the way of a solution, because you speak the truth.

I still have after 16 years in the NHS belief that things can and will improve, but whilst we have the bloody waiting lists and MRSA pushed down our throats they wont concentrate on what the real issues are.

I listened to an interview with the minister of health on TV this morning, he evaded and dodged really good relevent questions, and ended the interview promptly by saying hello to a young boy in nursery school.

The government rely on our good natures and our dedication to the patients.

How many times in the past month have I had to stay behind late because there are no staff to cover the ward and I cant walk away and leave 1 colleague to take the stick. I work on really good ward where there is lots of support, but I know it is a rare place to work

The Veridican · Mar 8, 2005

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

Jay Levan · Mar 8, 2005

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 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:

happy&healthy · Mar 8, 2005

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

Hello -

Our children observe our *compassionate loving service* to others too. They notice further, how often we are not appreciated. And understandably so given what we are "Told you MUST say, and do" - even if in so doing it is harming people. Therefore, please allow children to make their own career-decisions. My daughter chose non-medical work, and I am very glad for her.

And as well, especially true for any nurse finding it difficult to compromise standards of

*First, do no harm*, we have further options for benefically serving. You can choose to avail yourself of further learning opportunities (outside negative destructive boxed mainstream beliefs) - with which to help people.

The real question, more often than not, is *What do you want, to believe* ? - often, that kind of re-frame serves to pleasantly empower most everyone in their own Healing-processes. Choose to contribute these kinds of positive differences :)

highland lass · Mar 8, 2005

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:

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.

xmaxiex · Mar 8, 2005

I would encourage my kids to be nurses , if only for the reason I'd know if they could handle nursing as a profession they can handle anything !

tvccrn, ASN, RN · Mar 8, 2005

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

I have been a nurse for 10 years and I don't hate it. This is the only job I have ever had where I can honestly say I love to go to work.

nickola · Mar 8, 2005

My son graduates in May from high school & has decided to go on to college for his BSN, then onto become a CRNA. I tell him "yes, stick to your plan, don't just settle for the RN!" I love nursing, especially the variety- in 28 yrs I've done just about everything- however, you can still get that in advanced practice nursing, and I support that wholeheartedly! I don't see any "glory" in nursing- but there is much to be said for the satisfaction of helping people.

spidermonkey · Mar 8, 2005

begalli · Mar 9, 2005

I encouraged my daughter, who recently finished an interview with an nursing program in our area, to become an RN.

She already has a degree in psych and she's an active triathlete who's the leader of a triathlon group. She's also a personal trainer. She has taken many college level classes in exercise physiology and nutrition on her own. She's been the director of an afterschool childcare center for 3 years. She is smart and has an incredible way in dealing with people of all types and in really tough ethical situations when a couple of abused kids were in her charge.

She wanted to become a Child Life Specialist and work with cancer kids in a hospital setting, but jobs in that area are hard to come by. She's been very involved with the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society in the past.

Over the last couple of years an overwhelming desire for action and drama has taken her over. She listens sitting on the edge of her seat when I talk about some of the action packed shifts I have in the ICU. She's decided she wants to work ICU and then pursue flight nursing. I'm ALL about his idea!! I would NEVER encourage her to work in med/surg (no offense to those awesome med/surg nurses). And I will ALWAYS encourage her to be proactive for herself and make a change if she's not happy or treated well as an RN.

She could go straight for an MSN but decided that she would probably get a better understanding of nursing from an ADN program. Plus is less expensive. She could always bridge later if she wants. She's only 27. She also likes the idea of posssible travel nursing! We talked and she decided she could do ICU traveling as she gains her ICU experience for flight nursing.

The possibilities are endless for young people who want to enter nursing.

As soon as she reaches her goal of a full Ironman triathlon next year in either Hawaii or Canada (she has more than 40 olympic length under her belt), she'll start seriously getting ready for nursing. She's got a couple of classes to do first. Silly if you ask me, except micro and a&p, for someone who already has a Bachelor's degree in psych.

I am the first person in my family, that I know of, who has chosen the path of healthcare. Most of my relatives are engineers or in education. I have no problem enouraging young people into nursing. The trick is finding the place that values you. I would never stay at a place that didn't.

BETSRN · Mar 9, 2005

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:

What a sad statement. I am sorry you feel that way. Why don't you get out of nursingf altogether then? Nursing does not need those who hate it.