I feel like they should change the title of this site to "reasons why my job sucks"

joanna73, BSN, RN · Jan 21, 2013

While AN does support its members, often what I notice is this: Someone asks a question. Various members respond. OP decides they don't like the response (s) and informs members that they are unsupportive or "eating their young", which is not the case usually. The OP received honest answers. OR, the OP has already decided on a course of action, but proceeds to argue with various members about their response. Don't ask if you truly do not want to know. Just because all members are not in agreement does not imply that we are unsupportive. Discussion is the purpose of this site. Furthermore, the attitude of some new grads ie: "No one likes me..." Is getting old and tired. I was a new grad also, and I've learned long ago that life is generally what YOU choose to make of it.

mariebailey, MSN, RN · Jan 21, 2013

I think you are baiting. Did you post this to get a reaction out of people or out of genuine interest? I suspect the former. I love nursing, but I have has my share of bad days that have shown through on this site; I'm glad I have an anonymous forum to express my frustration b/c work is not the ideal setting.

allnurses Guide · Jan 21, 2013

Furthermore, the attitude of some new grads ie: "No one likes me..." Is getting old and tired. I was a new grad also, and I've learned long ago that life is generally what YOU choose to make of it.

Very true.

It's not about anyone liking or disliking anyone.

When I first worked pm's (which was an adjustment for me) many many eons ago, I started to nod off... well, I got told off and it wasn't pretty!

It had nothing to do with like or dislike. I frickin' almost committed the queen mother of work taboos.

Now, how would it seem if I came on here and cried it happened because "nobody likes me" or "I'm being bullied"?

It's absurd and it is seen on these boards all the time!

Then, one time I had my purse stolen, a (likely) feces tainted cake thrust in my face and straw wrappers blown at me as I had to pass my coworkers down the corridor while being verbally taunted.

Well, that was not being liked and that was being bullied, dammit, lol.

Do we see the difference here?

But if you want something, you keep at it and sometimes you have to work harder than others to get it.

Attitude is everything.

NotMyProblem MSN, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Jan 21, 2013

i have been a nurse 26 yrs .i have done mostly bedside nursing.i can't imagine being anything other than a nurse.but nursing is really hard .i don't mind working hard but the hospital has made doing my job day to day miserable.it doesn't matter how much i make .its not enough for what we nurses to everyday.i still want to take care of pts.i like what i do .for me being a nurse is more then a job.but i don't look forward to going into work anymore.matter of fact some days i dread it.

I almost want to accuse you of plagiarism! Those are my sentiments EXACTLY; 26 years in nursing and all!!!!! You should change your userID to 'mindreader'. But then most nurses would have that username because we KNOW and LIVE real-world nursing. I actually talked my son outta going to nursing school and was happy when my daughter failed. I want better for them than the opportunity to listen to listen to the drug-seeker happily complain about their pain remaining at a 10 not matter how many hoops you jump through, and families threaten lawsuit because you couldn't save their 100-year-old-full-code grandfather that you had the pleasure of being assigned to everyday you pulled into the parking lot.

Granted, it's not that way with every nurse. Because of me being dumped on, there are some nurses who do have great shifts. LOL!

And to the new grad or new nurse, take heed because just like I'm dumped on because someone feels I can handle it, you will be too because someone will feel you need the experience! And the more change jobs as your experience grows, the more you will get that sink-or-swim orientation.

Hey, maybe we will all get a shot at being on Oprah about our drug-enhancing performance. Except we have two elements of no interest for that: low pay for one, and mere caffeine running through our veins for two.

PMFB-RN, RN · Jan 21, 2013

How unbelievably, offensively rude. And you know what? I don't care what you think.

*** Over sensitive much?

When you became a nurse, you took on the role as teacher and role model for all nurses following you. THAT is the REALITY. Whether you like it or not, YOU are our teacher.

*** Feel entitled much? I am an expert nurse. I am happy to teach new nurses when I am being paid to teach them. Nobody is paying me to teach here. If I, or any of the other experts here, choose to give advice (as so many often do) here on AN it should be seen as a gift to be greatful for. If it bothers students and new grads that nurses come to AN to vent their frusterations I suggest they read something else. Yahoo always seems to have some fairy land BS about nursing, try there.

I had great preceptors and instructors when i was a student and new nurse, however all of them were getting paid to teach me. If you are any new nurses gains helpful insight or learns something here the appropiate response is to be greatful. If real nurses venting real frusterations on a nursing BB bothers you go to a less realistic site.

Guess what? You better care how you are teaching us.

*** YOU better hope some experienced nurses choose to teach you what you need to know and what they don't teach you in nursing school. Without that teaching you will remain imature (as a nurse) and incompetent.

I became a part if this website and saw how much we new grads are despised by so many of you.

*** What crock. Your perception isn't realiety.

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Jan 21, 2013

Funny thread!

DoingGodsWork · Jan 21, 2013

Maybe you should try to remember when you too were a New Grad and how you were so eager to learn about nursing in the beginning. And if nursing is so miserable and horrible why not leave the profession and allow fresh new people to take the jobs you seem to despise so much. Nursing is about caring for people and that in it's self will never be a negative for the person who truly does this job for that reason.

nekozuki, LPN · Jan 21, 2013

Thank you, fellow nurses, for never, ever sugar-coating.

Thank you for every complaint, every rant, every story about terrible administrators, patients, families and co-workers.

Thank you for allowing there to be some sort of counter-balance to "CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TOP 3 BEST-PAYING, COOLEST JOBS WHERE HOT GUYS WILL FEED YOU GRAPES AND RUB YOUR FEET" with nursing invariably being number 1 on every darn one of 'em.

Thank you for teaching me to shut the hell up, toughen my skin and never, ever victimize myself.

Thank you for helping me understand that if my instructor hates me, it isn't license to fail; it is simply preparation for the real world, where I will have to work under and alongside people I may not like.

Thank you for providing insight into a profession where the struggle isn't just with patient illness, but families, policies, liability, administrators, ignorance and ambivalence.

Thank you for telling me that I am not a special snowflake, and a preceptor is required to give me nothing but instruction and feedback, everything else is a bonus.

Thank you for changing my ideas on the nature and benefit of criticism. I am no longer hurt or intimidated by criticism, and welcome it as an opportunity to improve

Thank you VERY much for preparing me that my feet will hurt, that there are some smells I will never get used to (but can learn to deal with), that I will never be too good or too educated to wipe a butt, that growing complacent is dangerous, and that it is perfectly acceptable to cry.

Thank you for educating me on how as a student nurse and a new grad, my presence is not heralded as the second coming of Christ. I don't know where anything is, I don't know who the patients are, no one gets paid for helping me, workload often INCREASES for the people around me, I could very easily make a mistake, and find relief in the fact that people will be honest with me and keep me on my toes.

Thank you for being the kind of site and the kind of user base that you are, even if some people can't grasp why you are beneficial.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 21, 2013

Everyone needs a place to vent, and allnurses is a perfect site to do so. If that dissuades new grads from entering the profession, then maybe they weren't cut out for nursing in the first place.

PMFB-RN, RN · Jan 21, 2013

Maybe you should try to remember.

*** If you choose not to quote a post, and choose not to name the person you are responding to nobody knows who you are talking about. Since you chose not to do either of those it appears you are replying to the OP, who is I believe a new grad so your message don't make a lot of sence.

allnurses Guide · Jan 21, 2013

Best part of my area: Everything, actually. I love LTC. I love getting to know my residents. I

love the difference that I make in their lives. I love getting to use my nursing skills without being

in such a stressful environment like Med Surge or ICU.

Pet peeves: The stringent regulations, The paperwork. State and corporate surveyors coming

into the building every other day. Feeling like I have fifty bosses. Unit managers who think they

are God.

Jenni811, RN · Jan 21, 2013

\

People on here need to realize that when you complain on here (and for some that all those individuals do) it really dissuades us new grads from continuing into the profession. First and most obvious question, Does anyone actually like being a Nurse? I mean granted I don't think anyone loves all aspects of their job, but does it seem like a nightmare every day? Secondly, name the best part of your area and your biggest pet peeve.
Sorry had to rant.

hAHA! let me tel you this....if i had known what i was getting into, i would have NOT chosen nursing. Yes, i want to help people and blah blah blah. All that mushy stuff. that is NOT the worst part of the job, because i chose to do that. i knew i was going to do that...but its the politics in nursing that are beyond me and make me want to quit nursing. When you graduate and become a nurse you will learn what we are talking about. Do i actually like my job?? NO!!! I absolutley despise my job. You get treated like crap by doctors, administration, managment, coworkers, families, patients. Anytime something goes wrong it is blamed on nursing....let me give you an example.

Manager:"Why did this patient miss his bedside occupational therapy appointment?"

Nurse: "Because occupational therapy never showed up."

Manager: "Occupational therapy was busy downstairs, they said that you never called them to remind them. You as a nurse should have recognized that OT didn't show up."

....So add to the job description of the nurse "Call and remind OT about their bedside appointment times" (That was all actually TRUE).

example number 2 that actually happened on a new admission.

Lab calling me: "We were unable to run those labs the doctor ordered because the sample has too much blood in it."

Nurse: "Ok, what do you want me to do about it? Thats what is coming out of him."

Lab: "Im just letting you know." CLICK.

....So i KNOW they nEEEEED these labs very bad! So i page the MD who ordered them and told him the situation.

MD: "Yea, thats ok. Thanks for calling, im not attending im just admitting. I will let his attending know in the morning."

Nurse: "Ok. thanks"

...next day

Attending: Why didn't those lab go through? what is going on in lab that we can't get these labs

Nurse: "Lab was unable to run them since there was too much blood in the sample."

Attending: "Why didn't you call me and tell me this? This should have been delt with YESTERDAY. What is your managers number?"

....excuse me?????

yup...so that miscommunication between the doctors was my fault too. So lets add another job description to the nurses job title "Make sure the doctors are doing their handoffs correctly."

Example 3:

Patient on call light: "I think the water in my bathroom is running. Can you turn it off?"

Nurse: "Gladly."

go into bathroom to turn it off....but it won't shut off but a slow drip that is driving patient nuts.

Nurse:" im unable to turn the water off. I'll do my best to silence to noise until maintenance can get here in the morning."...so i shove the sink full of towels and silence the noise to best of my ability.

10 minutes later irrate family member staying the night comes SCREAMING in the middle of the night about this loud running faucet and that we need to fix it NOW!!! i offer to call in maintenance but its going to be about an hour before he will get here.

"NO I WANT IT FIXED RIGHT THIS SECOND. yOU GET YOUR A _ _ DOWN THERE AND FIX IT NOW" (no joke, those r her words).

....So lets add to the job description of the nurse "must be able to fix things that are broken when maintenance is at home sleeping soundly in their warm beds."

Get it?? i hate my job, the only thing i like is some of my coworkers. Im stuck in this field because i cannot afford to go back. My suggestion for people wanting to go into nursing? get a job in a hospital first as a CNA or a tech to see if you still like it. ok, im done with my rant.