Job satisfaction/disatisfaction Internal/external or both

Genista, BSN, RN · Jun 16, 2004

I can only speak for myself. As someone who is working in the field and dissatisfied with nursing, I feel #2 and #3 are the main reasons.I like the "ideal" of nursing. Nursing in and of itself is not what is driving me away. In fact, my nursing experience is something I greatly value and found rewarding on many levels.

Ah, number 2. The environment.I greatly dislike like the reality of the job environment.I only stayed in nursing for as long as I have, because I hoped it might get better. But I don't see it getting better anytime soon to my standard of liking it.

I have hope for nursing, and no matter how I earn my bread & butter, will ALWAYS support the hardworking nurses.I know how challenging it can be on many levels. As for #3, I feel I have changed since I first became a nurse. I no longer think it's okay for me to miss breaks and work overtime. I'm all for hard work, but I don't like the idea that nurses have to be the martyrs who can't be treated like human beings with human needs.I give so much, but I need to be able to replentish myself, too. The current nursing environment makes that impossible for me.They ask too much of nurses these days.There will be nothing left but a tired, bitter shell if I continue on.I give and give, and the healthcare machine chews you up and spits you out. There are always fresh, enthusiastic new nursing grads ready to replace you (until they burn out too).

I think my demeanor has changed since I graduated from the floor nurse school of hard knocks.I went into nursing thinking,"I can handle anything!"

Now I am (soon) leaving to the tune of,"I can handle anything, but maybe I don't want to." I'd like a lot more help, a little less stress, and a little more say in how I do my job.I could go on & on, but I'll stop there.

~kona

While reading posts here, there seems to be more job disatisfaction than not.
For those of you who out in the field do you think that it is:
1) inherent in the job of nursing?
2) The environment ?
3) The demeanor of the nurse?
Or, what do you feel is/are the major cause(s) of job satisfaction.

renerian, BSN, RN · Jun 16, 2004

Perspective pay is the root of all evil

renerian (big smile) :angryfire :rotfl:

LT Dave · Jun 16, 2004

while reading posts here, there seems to be more job disatisfaction than not.
for those of you who out in the field do you think that it is:
1) inherent in the job of nursing? no way
2) the environment ? possible
3) the demeanor of the nurse?always, we all make our own reality...life is how you look at it.
or, what do you feel is/are the major cause(s) of job satisfaction.

lack of support and appretiation

AcosmicRN · Jun 16, 2004

Nursing is the greatest profession in the world. It is the highest calling for building the kingdom of God.

I have a lot of energy; I'm a mover. I jog several times a week so that I can be fit to do my job as a nurse. I keep my weight down so I can be fit to do my job as a nurse. I study and subscribe to three different nursing journals so I can be fit to do my job as a nurse. I read the Gospels and work to decipher them so that I can be fit to do my job as a nurse. I have a happy marriage and a stable home, and that allows me to be a good nurse. I am a nurse to my patients, my coworkers, my collegues, and the MDs. I'm a nurse through and through. It's what I came into this world for, I know that now, so I give it my all. If it's a cross I'm nailed to, then it is my glory. I will not berate this calling.

The nurses who complain and are the most bitter are always the ones who do the least; they can never be found when their patient's call light goes off; they have the most screwed up personal lives, and they're terrible at bedside manor. In short, they hate nursing because they want the "R.N." and all the great connotations that come with it, but they really don't want to be nurses. They hate their management, but they won't look for another job. They feel underappreciated, but how can show appreciation to someone who complains day in and day out?

To the original poster: Nursing is great, but it requires a great person to do it. So, be great--even as God is great. That's my advice.

Acosmic

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Jun 16, 2004

I am willing and ready to make all the sacrifices that management has asked us to, and more in a time of crisis. I think any decent nurse should and would do the same. However, we are living in a never ending crisis that management exploits. They actively work to keep it going so they can keep us working too hard, with too many responsibilities. It's more profitable for them for us to sacrifice ourselves.

The self sacrifice strategy isn't working anymore for nurses, we've seen through that. So no they are telling us how the patients will suffer if we don't push ourselves. Some of us have seen through that too- some not. But even if you know what they are trying to pull it's awfully hard to leave a patient in the lurch, the innocent victims of this tug-of -war. We know that management won't back down, so we have only two moral choices; continue to care for the patients in poor conditions, or leave the profession.

I think that the way nursing will get respect is to be willing to call management's bluff, and let the patients suffer. But ...what kind of nurses would be willing to do that? Is that the type of situation I want to be associated with? I don't know...

The only other way is if patient rights groups demand better care...maybe we should all get on that bandwagon so we don't compromise our our own values by staying as nurses.

Salus · Jun 16, 2004

Thank you for your replies.

gizelda196 · Jun 16, 2004

ohhhhhhhhhh to be a new nurse again!

Any hoot.Nursing is a very challenging profession.What is put on our plate in a day can be frustrating when you have a lack of support from your coworkers,management and at times the patient. All the different personalities all the different life styles .We need to always adapt to our environment which changes on a minute to minute bases.Day in and Day out we are handed some very intense situations.With a lack of support and an expectation to" just keep moving" With no aides, no secretary,2 RNs when there should be 4. And a nursing supervisor who just wants you to go with it and family are complaining,and pt are on the call bell, and mds are being dumb it is overwhelming to safely deliver Nursing care! I do believe if management would just recognize our efforts it would be a better environment thru and thru

Nursing is the greatest profession in the world. It is the highest calling for building the kingdom of God.
I have a lot of energy; I'm a mover. I jog several times a week so that I can be fit to do my job as a nurse. I keep my weight down so I can be fit to do my job as a nurse. I study and subscribe to three different nursing journals so I can be fit to do my job as a nurse. I read the Gospels and work to decipher them so that I can be fit to do my job as a nurse. I have a happy marriage and a stable home, and that allows me to be a good nurse. I am a nurse to my patients, my coworkers, my collegues, and the MDs. I'm a nurse through and through. It's what I came into this world for, I know that now, so I give it my all. If it's a cross I'm nailed to, then it is my glory. I will not berate this calling.
The nurses who complain and are the most bitter are always the ones who do the least; they can never be found when their patient's call light goes off; they have the most screwed up personal lives, and they're terrible at bedside manor. In short, they hate nursing because they want the "R.N." and all the great connotations that come with it, but they really don't want to be nurses. They hate their management, but they won't look for another job. They feel underappreciated, but how can show appreciation to someone who complains day in and day out?
To the original poster: Nursing is great, but it requires a great person to do it. So, be great--even as God is great. That's my advice.
Acosmic

Sheri257 · Jun 16, 2004

While reading posts here, there seems to be more job disatisfaction than not.

There could be another possible reason. Maybe people who are unhappy tend to post more because they need to vent?

:smokin:

llg, PhD, RN · Jun 16, 2004

There could be another possible reason. Maybe people who are unhappy tend to post more because they need to vent?

Definitely true. Research has shown that a satisfied person tells about 5 people: an unsatisfied person tells about 30.

That's not to say that there aren't some serious problems within the nursing profession. And there are certainly some horrible places to work. But it would be wrong to assume that the posts on this list represent an undistorted representation of the profession.

llg

Salus · Jun 17, 2004

There could be another possible reason. Maybe people who are unhappy tend to post more because they need to vent?

That's why I qualified my question.

KarenAR · Jun 17, 2004

Nursing is the greatest profession in the world. It is the highest calling for building the kingdom of God.

Nursing is just ONE of the ways in which you can touch other people and "build the Kingdom of God." Hospital nursing saps me of the mental, physical, and spiritual energy needed to do that "building" - both inside the hospital and at home. Maybe another area of nursing would be a better way for me to do that, but not hospital nursing.

I'm a nurse through and through. It's what I came into this world for, I know that now, so I give it my all. If it's a cross I'm nailed to, then it is my glory. I will not berate this calling.

It is wonderful for you (and your patients) that you know it is your calling and are able to give it your all. Some of us don't have exactly the same calling. Or some of us do, but there are problems within the field of healthcare that keep us from being able to fulfill that calling well!

Being critical of those problems is not the same as berating.

The nurses who complain and are the most bitter are always the ones who do the least; they can never be found when their patient's call light goes off; they have the most screwed up personal lives, and they're terrible at bedside manor.

This is UNFAIR. Among us "complainers," there are plenty of us who work EXTREMELY HARD and are always there when our patients' call lights go off. We don't all have "screwed up personal lives," and we're not all terrible at bedside MANNER.

Sometimes complaining and bitterness stem from people WANTING and WORKING to do the right thing, to do a good job, to be there for patients - but not being able to because the hospital environment does not make it possible.

Kona's and Canoehead's posts were EXCELLENT on these points.

To the original poster: Nursing is great, but it requires a great person to do it. So, be great--even as God is great. That's my advice.

One of my complaints about nursing that a nurse needs to be virtually SUPERHUMAN in order to be considered a "good nurse." We are expected to be omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent - not to mention perfect, because mistakes are simply not allowed or tolerated, no matter how small and harmless.

None of us are THAT great, no matter how much we jog, study or pray, and no matter how stable our homes lives are.