Survey: Would you encourage your child to become a nurse?

Nurses General Nursing

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You are reading page 5 of Survey: Would you encourage your child to become a nurse?

nsmith_rn

50 Posts

SbRN2002

I was not attacking you personally

I was simply pointing out the problems that we have.

While you have worked on entry level nursing and that will be helpful to you it is a whole new ball game when you get out there

Today I saw 14 patients with a very good LVN. Fact of the matter is This was a Med/ surg floor and it was not safe. DO I refuse patients yes I refused two today that was to much and it was not safe

Where they pissed " hell yes" the other reality is that it is not the managers liscense it is mine.

As long as they keep milling nurses out of school that are willing to accpet high ratios then they do not care what the older nurses think.

I was once as I call it " enchanted" with nursing but the reality is they are going to work you into the ground

and if you intend on staying in nursing you had better develop a strong spine and a mouth

do not keep posting I think that it is important that everyone has their say

I want nurses to say what is on their minds..... we do not enough of that

having six years in nursing I am on my way out. I do not want to work like this for the rest of my life...... sad thing is I love what I do

nsmith_rn

50 Posts

SbRN2002

sorry about that typo

I meant to KEEP POSTING

IT will help you allot there are many mroe experienced nurses out there that can give you allot of good advice and are great sounding boards

:)

ninaldunn

25 Posts

My mother was a CNA for about 6 months when she first graduated high school. She always discouraged nursing. I never even considered nursing until I went to an open house at nursing school with a friend, because her car broke down - so I drove her. She did not sign up for nursing school. I did.

I work three 8 hour days per week. I work with a good group who trades weekends as needed. I work float team - we don't work any holidays unless we want to for the overtime. I've not missed any important family event for my immediate family. Though I'm never able to travel home from WI to NJ for the holidays.

My mom has worked in an office for the past 4 years where she couldn't take off Monday or Friday. She makes 1/2 the money I make. Her boss left, then one by one other office staff starting finding other jobs. Her new boss fired her because 3 mistakes were made under her name. Turns out those times were that very boss training his new assistant on my mom's computer. So nurses aren't the only people with job constraints and issues.

My 4 year old daughter tells me all the time she wants to become a nurse and go to work with me. If she picks something else when the time comes, that's fine. If she wants to be a nurse - I'll be tickled pink.

kids

1 Article; 2,334 Posts

Originally posted by SbRN2002

WHy work for a facility that would assign a nurse a 15 patient load? The max that I have seen the nurses I work with on the MED/SURG floor has been 8 patients. YOu guys must work in a very nurse shorted facility. THe hospital I work for would never assign a nurse to 15 patients or 10 for that matter. Even the ED nurses dont get over 8 patients. The nurses in the ER only have four rooms assigned to them.

Just to get my 2 cents in...

None of us would willingly work for a facility that assigns 1 Nurse to 15 patients...but all of us do or have. The unfortunate reality for many of us is that we live in communities where there is a lack of physical bodies to fill all of the shifts. We all have and do give every second we can safely spare to 'the cause. Closing down the facility or going on divert is not a viable option, some times even marginal care is better than no care.

When we don't walk off the floor and go home when told we have an insane case load it is because we do care what happens to our patients. We take a deep breath, say a little prayer that we don't accidently kill some one. And then we take report.

good luck, and I really don't think you offended anyone:)

-nancy

Li'l abner

6 Posts

Originally posted by nurs4kids

SBRN,

You have everything exactly correct, except for a few things your innocence protects you from. We all entered nursing for the reasons you described, with the same hopes of helping the sick. We are all willing to sacrifice to care for others. The part you've not encountered yet, though, is the part that destroys nursing, and it is NOT NURSES!!

You see, all those wonderful things you describe above about listening to your patient, talking to your patient, making sure everything was ok... WELLLLLLLLLLLLLL, LOL..you can do that when you're a student, because you DON'T have 15 patients. I'm one of the blessed ones, I have 5 max, BUT I KNOW what my fellow nurses go through on a REGULAR BASIS.

When you're caring for 15 patients, the humanity part quickly goes out the door, you become a robot doing as much as possible in the little time available. You pop that NG tube down, you give the enema then you RUN to the next patient's room to start an IV. While you're starting that IV, you're paged to go to another room where a 300lb patient has fallen on the floor. As you're returning that patient to the bed and assessing for injury, you hear the rush of panic outside the door. Another patient of yours has coded. An hour later, you've transferred that patient, hopefully, and you're still trying to see the other 11?? no, no 12?? oh well, you glance at your cheat sheet to see how many patients you still must see. And the rest of the shift continues just as it began.

Finally, the next shift has come, you sit down to chart with 15 minutes left in your shift (NOTE, your employer will NOT pay OT, yet you must finish your charting before leaving). On your drive home, you think about Mr NG tube/Enema. You hope he's not too upset that you didn't have time do what you would LIKE TO DO, do what you entered nursing for..care for the entire person, concern yourself with his emotions, give the back rub, take the time to SIT AND LISTEN. You pray you didn't forget anything critical. Before you go to bed at night, before you start the next shift, you ask a prayer..you pray that God will lead you safely through the shift, lead you safely so that you harm no one or overlook a fatal sign...You leave and you thank God for guiding you through another impossible shift w/o further damaging the ill.

So, you see, IF nursing school was realistic of nursing, then we'd be as pro-nursing as you, BUT nursing school is preparation for nursing. It is by NO means an indicator of what is to come!! :)

Welcome to nursing, it will be everything you've dreamed of...and alot more ;)

Li'l abner

6 Posts

Originally posted by Li'l abner

I have to agree with this letter. I started out 26 years ago with high ideals like sbrn. Nursing school was hard but I thought that it would get easier as I learned the shortcuts. What I got was harder work as the nursing cuts came. I am now working as a nursing practioner in the high arctic. I work by my self, so I am responcible for the health care of about 350 residence in the town, but I still find it easier and less stressful that having to putup with the nursing shortages in the hospitals. I agree that you should keep your rosey glasses on and I hope that nursing turns out to be all you hoped for. I wish you a long and happy career.

RAH

KARRN3

34 Posts

NOT ONLY WOULD I ENCOURAGE EITHER OF MY CHILDREN TO GO INTO NURSING, MY MOM IS TAKING EARLY RETIREMENT AND IS GOING TO GO TO NURSING SCHOOL.WE HAVE A MOST NOBLE PROFESSION WHERE OUR ACTIONS TRULY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.DESPITE ALL THE TROUBLE WITH ADMINISTRATION AND THE TRAGEDY WE SOMETIMES SEE, I WOULDN'T TRADE BEING A NURSE FOR ANYTHING AND WOULD ENCOURAGE ANYONE TO JOIN OUR RANKS.

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