Would you seriously consider quitting nursing

Tina CTICU RN · Jan 5, 2005

I too am trying to get out of bedside nursing only after 1 1/2 years of doing it. I was a legal assistant in my former profession. Nursing is not all it is cracked up to be! It is very hard to be the nurse you thought you were going to be when you get a lot of frustration out of working with the docs. I also feel the patients and families can be very disrespectful.

I am seriously quitting bedside nursing for many reasons but it boils down to one simple point:
I can't be the nurse I entered the profession to be.
Too many many constraints on my time at the bedside due to increasing paperwork (despite computerization of charting and med administration)----and too much verbal and passive-aggressive abuse from some physicians and certain coworkers----well, ya know what, it adds up to quite a bit of frustration and a block to my being the nurse I intended to. I am seriously considering my options nowadays. And very sad about this, as I truly love nursing..................
the way it should be, anyhow.

steve0123 · Jan 6, 2005

I've never been yelled at by a Doc before (I don't think they have the guts, what with the 6'4" build ), but I've been thinking a lot lately about getting out of nursing. Its a whole combination of factors. But I think what it all boils down to is that my expectations of nursing, as a profession, were too high.

Because I always had a great respect for nurses I never took people seriously when they talked about abuse from patients, back breaking work, being a number in the system, having next to zero autonomy (what with "systems" and "procedures" who NEEDS a brain?!) while having maximum accountability and responsibility, a crappy career structure where people are climbing over each other to get out of bedside nursing and into management, grossly inadequate education programs (who gives a damn about the socio-cultural context of nursing when you can't remember the name of that thing that converts that other thing into something that changes blood pressure), horrible shifts that ruin any chance of a normal life, crap pay/respect, and all those other things that we just take for granted.

OK. Well. I've had my little whinge and gotten it off my chest. Lets hope a potential employer isn't reading this...

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Jan 6, 2005

i've never been yelled at by a doc before (i don't think they have the guts, what with the 6'4" build

now that you mention it, what's up with that?!??!? i'm assuming you're male (6'4', named steve :rolleyes: ). while i'm sure maybe a couple of male nurses have been yelled at, it's usually just a 'hey buddy', with a slap on the back (not even the wrist). if women stand up for themselves, we're either pms-ing, psychotic, or just plain witches!! correct me if i'm wrong guys.

UM Review RN, ASN, RN · Jan 6, 2005

Yes, I did notice that. Irritating to say the least. :angryfire

steve0123 · Jan 7, 2005

now that you mention it, what's up with that?!??!?font]

lol! i know. its disgusting isn't it :smokin: ... but seriously my sisters, don't blame me for being so good looking. blame the spineless jerk with no respect for women/others. anyways, i don't really get along with the docs, i hardly know them from a bar of soap and i certainly wouldn't be invited to the x-mas bbq, i just don't fight with them.

BekkaLass · Jan 7, 2005

...I am definitely considering leaving nursing. I have been a nurse for over 28 years..I quit a job in August because of the office politics ands favoritism and other problems(Too much work, too little respect). I went to another hospital in our area, not alot of difference just fewer patients but with that fewer nurses to do the work so it wasnt that much of a change. Then something happened last week, I was assaulted by a patient. This patient was an "overdose" he had alcohol on board as well but his level was NOT high, plus we were unsure of the "drugs" he took, supposedly Valium(6 pills), however he had been very cooperative throughout the iv, ng charcoal, etc... then his girlfriend came in agitated him(i asked her to leave til he calmed down and told her i would then let her return)..as soon as she left he went beserk..hitting me several times in the head neck and shoulder..as I yelled for help...once the Male tech got there he continued to hit at me but did not offer to hit the tech :angryfire ...ofcourse he then calmed down and we restrained him, then he apologized to me(so he knew what he was doing).I have been spit on, hit,kicked ,scratched, threatened, bit, & cussed out through the years but this was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back ( am not an anxious person, Ive worked the ER over 16 years) and cant sleep since this happened and Ive had anxiety attacks. Unfortunately the "bad" behavior of patients and families have escalated over the years and I am tired of the physical and verbal abuse by patients, families and even doctors. I plan on moving to the UK this year, my husband is scottish and we are returning there, and i may work part time as a nurse but he says I dont have to if i dont want to. I plan on quitting this job in July and i think it is sad that it has come to this, but for my sanity and health i think it is for the best.

cannoli · Jan 7, 2005

...I am definitely considering leaving nursing. I have been a nurse for over 28 years..I quit a job in August because of the office politics ands favoritism and other problems(Too much work, too little respect). I went to another hospital in our area, not alot of difference just fewer patients but with that fewer nurses to do the work so it wasnt that much of a change. Then something happened last week, I was assaulted by a patient. This patient was an "overdose" he had alcohol on board as well but his level was NOT high, plus we were unsure of the "drugs" he took, supposedly Valium(6 pills), however he had been very cooperative throughout the iv, ng charcoal, etc... then his girlfriend came in agitated him(i asked her to leave til he calmed down and told her i would then let her return)..as soon as she left he went beserk..hitting me several times in the head neck and shoulder..as I yelled for help...once the Male tech got there he continued to hit at me but did not offer to hit the tech :angryfire ...ofcourse he then calmed down and we restrained him, then he apologized to me(so he knew what he was doing).I have been spit on, hit,kicked ,scratched, threatened, bit, & cussed out through the years but this was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back ( am not an anxious person, Ive worked the ER over 16 years) and cant sleep since this happened and Ive had anxiety attacks. Unfortunately the "bad" behavior of patients and families have escalated over the years and I am tired of the physical and verbal abuse by patients, families and even doctors. I plan on moving to the UK this year, my husband is scottish and we are returning there, and i may work part time as a nurse but he says I dont have to if i dont want to. I plan on quitting this job in July and i think it is sad that it has come to this, but for my sanity and health i think it is for the best.

I'm sorry that happened to you. You said he knew what he was doing, I hope you pressed charges, if not, I hope you do now.

live4today, RN · Jan 7, 2005

at the last hospital where i worked, physicians actually showed respect to the nurses. they knew my name, and called me by name. they were kind and respectful. i never heard one yell, or make demands of the nurses. their approach was always in a polite manner. i have no idea how they were to nurses on other units, but on my unit they were great!!! never in almost 18 years of nursing have i ever worked where physicians were so kind. :)

lifeisbeautiful · Jan 7, 2005

I am seriously considering leaving Nursing. I would like to open a coffee shop or return to school to obtain a skill like a plumber, surveyor or electrician.

I work on the PACU at the moment and there are a few Physicians that are verbally abuse, throw tantrums, etc., but I seem to have an even bigger problem with how Nurses treat other Nurses. I have had many different non-nursing jobs over the years and I have to say, the Nursing profession seems to be the worst as a far as not supporting each other. I even notice that on this board. Someone posts an opinion and idea and within a post or two, someone has to step in and shred it to pieces. Of course it is human to disagree with others, but I find that the way Nurses do it is in a class of it's own. Why is this? When I obtained my degree in Psychology I had many seminars and classes with people and we really supported one another. In Nursing school, there seemed to be a large group that competed with everything. Dog forbid you missed something in a lecture because if you asked to look at someone's notes, most people didn't want to share it. It was as though they wanted you to fail.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Jan 7, 2005

Oh heck yes I have considered leaving nursing, and when I can find a way to do it and still find a job that makes the same amount of money to support my family I will leave nursing and never regret the choice or time I was a nurse.

It isn't so much that I dislike the profession as much as I have found that my skills and characteristics could better serve people in a different form, and make me feel more satisfied with myself as a professional. I found that after doing this, that there was parts of me I didn't know existed that were liberated by becoming a nurse, parts of my family and friends that opened up as a result of me making my goals happen, and I feel the deep desire to pay more attention to those wonderful areas of my life.

I found that being a nurse leaves me with a feeling of always having my tasks incomplete...no real way to look back at and end an see the results of my labors. Sure, you can see someone recover and go home, or even watch someone have a healthier life because of your help...but nothing I can take home with me and show my family..or even technically talk about because of confidentiality. I can't come home from a day with a product of my labor..only exhaustion most times, and a feeling of 'what didn't I do' or "oh man I forgot to do this"...and it is less than satisfying for me. I always feel I have left something undone, no matter what I do to stop that!

I took up gardening for this reason...a way to see that I can actually touch a life form and have a end result I can see when I come home...and even when winter comes, a finality to my labors. Plants didn't yell at me when I did my best to jump through hoops to help them, I could always get a hold of another gardener or look up things I can do on the internet, I didn't have to stroke the ego of mother nature to have things go right, and I didn't have to explain myself or what I was doing every moment to my plants! And, lol..if I killed a plant I didn't get in trouble! LOL!

I found that as a nurse I quit hugging as much as I once did, ask my child who is complaining of a tummy ache his bowel patterns and if there is any seen blood in his stools, scan my loved ones for skin issues if I see bare skin, get impatient with my family if they don't say what they need to in short to the point sentences, don't feel free to answer my phone out of fear of being called in, always feeling rushed, and always feeling that if I don't do everything it won't get done or done right.

I had to joke the other day with some other nurses that when I was working as a hostess in a restuarant (back when I was 18) that I declined a waitstaff position because I didn't want to go running around all day tending to a bunch of folks needs at one time...Yeah okay, I guess I should have remembered that in nursing school huh! LOL!

But then I remember that I wasn't making much money, or even really respected..but I was happy just being helpful and friendly and myself! And there are more days that not I wish to be back to that peaceful bliss of NOT knowing all this medical information I have swirling in my brain..back in the days when I didn't know the difference between a kidney or liver...that ibuprophen is advil...or what a festering necrotic wound looks and smells like! I never saw a dead body, or a dying person...I never had to suction a throat, give a tap water enema, insert a catheter, save poop for a hemocult test, and never had to tell a family member to their face that their loved one had just hours left.

But I achieved a goal of becoming a nurse, which is a wonderful thing! I have helped so many people when they needed it most..and really proved to myself and all I know that if I set my mind to something..I will not only do it, but do it extremely well! That I was smarter than people in my past gave me credit for! And most importantly, because I am a nurse, I saved my husband from his heart attack by being calm and not taking his symptoms lightly (which I might have done if I didn't know...I would have believed him that his chest pain was gas!).

It has been an interesting trip, but I guess there is a part of me that feels..okay time to move on to other adventures that are more geared towards myself and my family! Now that I have been in the midst of all things that can happen to my loved ones, I think I want time to just BE with my loved ones and hold them tight and not forecast or see images in my head of patients or conditions I have seen that day! To just spend a day at work, and be truly able to leave it at work!!!!

Trick is now...what job will I pick....

BekkaLass · Jan 7, 2005

TriageRN hun you said a mouthful and I totally agree. Hope you find a wonderful alternative job that fits your lifestyle completely. God Bless!

dgregoire · Jan 7, 2005

if you were treated badly--yelled at, disrespected, verbally abused--by the doctors you work with?
How does this treatment affect you? Does it affect patient care?

Yes, I have been belittled by MD's...one in particular who thought she was GOD called the CEO in the middle of the night to complain about me.....reason.....I had 13 patients, 1 crashing and 2 terminal and this doc didn't feel like coming in to do her rounds so I basically told her I didn't have time to do her job and mine too....she was livid and boy did I get an earful, not just from her....who suddenly found the time to come to the unit and track down the "horrible" nurse, but then also by the CEO who arrived shortly after. I stood my ground, but after 5 years in the hospital felt I had enough experience under my belt and have done community nursing.....still stressful at times, but there is a lot more respect and abilitly to do the nursing I wanted to when I first started....hands on and LOTS of compassion. There are times though when I do admit that you feel burned out because you are constantly giving and caring and draining yourself emotionally. Especially with me being single and no family to bounce stuff off. Nurses are definitely special people.....but I know I have changed in my 13 years and have some what harden, which really makes me sad.