Starting to find some aspects degrading

[QuarterLife88]

I've been a nurse for almost a year, and I think burnout has hit me hard. I'm also finding certain aspects of the job degrading. I don't mean wiping up poop or vomit or blood, or turning a little old lady who can't move herself. I mean the extreme doormat part of the job. The fact that we have to let patients and their families/friends walk all over us lest they complain to management and our butt comes under fire. A lot of times it's complaints from the patient you did EVERYTHING under the sun for and spent the most time with who says your care is inadequate to their liking.

It doesn't matter that you are ONE person stretched five and six different ways and that everyone needs something RIGHT NOW; that we are constantly understaffed and no one gives a damn, you are a bad person for not teleporting yourself instantaneously.

The customer is always right.

I find it demoralizing.

I'm trying to get in two years at the bedside and then do something else that does not involve the general public. They are awful and I've had it. I'm practically a hermit on my days off because I cannot stand people any longer.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I'm sure some of this behavior exists because of laypeople's perception of nursing. They want us to make them comfortable like the angels of mercy they expect, and then they get ticked off if we won't bring them a cheeseburger while NPO, get ticked off if there's just not the time to do great fluffing'n'buffing.

I also think a lot of it has to do with our proximity though. They maybe see the doctor only a couple of minutes a day if they're stable. The phlebotomist might have had to stick them five times. They're frustrated and scared. Who are the ones who are physically there, for them to take their frustrations out on? We are.

I believe that patients often feel frustrated that their contact with MD's is dramatically limited (often to just a few minutes in a day or a week) and knowing that nursing education is often less extensive than that of MD's, they can sometimes use the nurses as a scapegoat. It may not be appropriate, but it's an unfortunate reality.

[QuarterLife88, MSN, RN, NP]

Thanks everyone for your posts. The interaction that actually prompted my original post, I was able to resolve in a satisfying manner and I ended up having a really excellent rapport and time with said patient once we understood each other better. She was actually very scared and anxious and just wanted to be reassured that her needs were being met and once we established that, I quite enjoyed taking care of her for the days I had her and watching her progression. :)

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

That's great!!