Nursing is pathetic...

jmangel · Jan 25, 2001

I agree with you 100% nurse dude. What other profession are you required to work weekends, nights, holidays and mandatory overtime regardless if you have a family or a life of your own.

What other profession do you receive physicial, mental and verbal abuse and you have no legal ground to do anything.

What other profession pays proverty wages after requiring a college education, passing a national test and continous updating of your education.

What other profession requires you to work as a slave to other people whom have no regard for you expert knowledge or overload of work. No matter what you do or how much you do it is never enough. You are still treated like a stupid servent.

I am on medical leave from my job now and I have no intention of going back to nursing.

I would rather work in as a waitress, as least I would be compensated from the customers for my hard work.

laurier · Mar 15, 2001

Amen to nursedude!

Now-those of you who say he's angry, needs to get out of nursing, burned out, etc:

1) Seems to me the country is in a nursing shortage. Can we afford to tell someone to LEAVE?!

2) If you can work in this profession for a time and NOT get angry about what's happening-THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG.

3) What's wrong with being compensated for what we do? We are highly trained, very smart and work under some ungodly conditions; we work weird hours/holidays/weekends; we see some things that would make a billygoat puke....We are responsible for LIVES. Why should we do this for less than we are worth?????

4) I, too, went into nursing to make a difference in people's lives....but, if I don't take care of my own, nobody else will.

If I don't try to effect change-nobody will.

If I just sit back, argue, and backstab-nothing changes.

5) We NEED people to get angry! Nurses get physically/verbally abused by physicians, demeaned by administrators....it is NOT healthy to put up with things and just rationalize "oh, well, that's part of the job" ???????What's wrong with this picture?

6) Nursing NEEDS people who call it like it is-and not be afraid to call a spade a spade.

7) Ask yourself:"Would DOCTORS put up with this?"

------------------

laurier · Mar 15, 2001

"...you get out of it what you put into it." ?????????

I have been an RN for 13 years. I worked ER, ICU, Float, Nursing home. I always strived to know more, do more. I read everything I could get my hands on about medicine. I taught ACLS, certified in TNCC, PALS, you name it. I took Paramedic training.

What did I get for that? Short staffing. Seeing murder-suicides, gangs, verbal/emotional/physical abuse from doctors, no administrative support, lousy hours, lots of missed holidays with my family, AND the opprotunity of watching grateful family members say "Thank you" to DOCTORS when a life was saved.

Nevermind the fact that it was usually my observations, hunches, and experience that enabled ME to let the doc know in the first place.

So-DO NOT tell me that. It's insulting.

Can't we STOP berating each other and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT INSTEAD!!!!!

------------------

laurier · Mar 15, 2001

Sapphire-

Who are YOU to say whether someone deserves to be a nurse or not?

Nursedude has put in a lot of time, blood, sweat, and tears in this profession.

Have some respect.

Is arguing changing anything? NO.

Any questions?

Anybody ready for a solution?

We cannot afford to tell fellow nurses,"If you don't like it, leave."

Do doctors, lawyers, accountants tell each other this? NO.

Let's USE the people like Nursedude-not throw them away because they don't sound "right". Nurses aren't garbage-you don't just throw them away.

And for the person who said, "Become a garbage collector instead." WHO THE HECK are you? This is a fellow nurse!

HAVE SOME RESPECT.

123lisa · Mar 16, 2001

Originally posted by nursedude:
Hello,

That about sums it up for me... I am a 34 year old guy and live in Pittsburgh Pa. Have been an RN for 10years. I have done the following in nursing: Cardiotharacic ICU, ER,UR, Case Management...

THe problems with nursing I have found:
1) Poor compensation- I have friends that are Registered Plumbers and registered electricians, Certified computer specialists etc. All of them make twice as much $$$ as I do- none of them have a college degree. None of them are exposed to HIV, TB, Hepatitis on a daily basis.
2) You can't really practice nursing on your own even though you are licensed- See above- The plumber, the electrician and the computer guy all work full time jobs and also do business on the side from home and make money... Did you ever practice nursing on the side? its called illegal...
3) Nurses are on the bottom of the food chain...Doctors, PA's, CRNP's, Administrators all look down on nurses- at least here in Pittsburgh they do. Nurses here are just another load on the revenue generated by hospitals...

123lisa · Mar 16, 2001

Hey there, Your vision of nursing careers is right on the money. I just quit a nursing job making 32.00/hr. It was not worth the headache and life threatening stress that I was going through. I could have lost my license at any time or be put in jail. Tell me about a plumber who gets put in jail for sodering the wrong pipe? I was a director of nursing in a Subacute/long term care facility.

Originally posted by nursedude:
Hello,

That about sums it up for me... I am a 34 year old guy and live in Pittsburgh Pa. Have been an RN for 10years. I have done the following in nursing: Cardiotharacic ICU, ER,UR, Case Management...

THe problems with nursing I have found:
1) Poor compensation- I have friends that are Registered Plumbers and registered electricians, Certified computer specialists etc. All of them make twice as much $$$ as I do- none of them have a college degree. None of them are exposed to HIV, TB, Hepatitis on a daily basis.
2) You can't really practice nursing on your own even though you are licensed- See above- The plumber, the electrician and the computer guy all work full time jobs and also do business on the side from home and make money... Did you ever practice nursing on the side? its called illegal...
3) Nurses are on the bottom of the food chain...Doctors, PA's, CRNP's, Administrators all look down on nurses- at least here in Pittsburgh they do. Nurses here are just another load on the revenue generated by hospitals...

123lisa · Mar 16, 2001

I am sure he chose nursing because he wanted to provide care to others. But, I agree with him in that we work like slaves and risk losing our licenses etc....for very low pay in comparison to many other fields. My computer boyfriend loves his career too. But he makes 6 figures. I love nursing and can,t put enough food on the table. What's wrong with this picture??

Originally posted by [email protected]:
It's to bad you feel this way I work in the E.R.and am constantly exposed to hiv, hepatitis,and a host of other diseases you can protect yourself. Why did you really go into nursing ws it for the money? If it was for that then you missed the whole point of what a nurse is. It was never meant to be anything more than the giving care to those in needof your services if you allow yourself to feel all these negative feeling it's time for a vacation from nursing and try something else for a while or have you considered trying a new area that may have sparked some interest. It might be something to think about?

123lisa · Mar 16, 2001

/And what if you and your husband split up? He made more money and probably will have more in retirement years than you. I say you should make more than you do because you are helping humans in their lives. It would be nice to work so hard and be paid what your worth so you can also have a decent retirement. I admire your profession. But we all must fight and take a stand...then may we be compensated for our efforts and compassion.

Originally posted by Nurse Nola:
I do not think it is bad to be able to indentify the short-comings of being a nurse.
I agree that other professions that require less education have less risk involved and more income.
As a psych nurse, I have a potentially dangerous, albeit exciting vocation. My husband has a great job, so I can afford low pay in order to enjoy my chosen (low pay ) profession.
I am working with a special sub-set of our society: veterans. For the most part, they are homeless, drug addicted and poorly motivated. I get burned out too. Then I will encounter a patient that I can really help-make a long term difference in his life. That's why I became a Nurse. To make a difference.
It's okay to be burned out. We need the lows to appreciate the highs.

123lisa · Mar 16, 2001

If nursing is your dream, then maybe you should go for it. Have you ever worked in a medical environment? You could go and volunteer at many different facilities. Then you may get a clearer picture of what this nursing attitude is all about. You can even volunteer in the evenings if that fits your schedule better. It would not be good to go through you whole life without knowing if you did the right thing in your career.

Or, you may want to become a CNA first. You can do that in as little as 4 weeks in some places. That would really give you a taste of reality. And, CNA's make the best nurses. Good luck.

Originally posted by nursedude:
You all make me laugh...

The question was: would you recommend nursing as a career?

Not, are you burned out?

I meerly replied with my opinions and that is:Nursing is a pathetic career.

I did not say anything about: Would you recomend nursing as a vocation?

My best guess: Nursing as a profession/career will not exist much longer. Instead, RNs will be replaced (as they already are) by less skilled/cheaper EMT'S PARAMEDICS AND NURSE AIDES...

nursedude · Mar 16, 2001

My ears were burning....

I see that the debate is still on. HMMMM...

So tell me all of you who feel that nursing is such a wonderful career - How is your retirement plan looking? If you work for a hospital do you even have one? Maybe a 403B? Is that plan even transferrable?

And oh yeah, how is it that many of the patients you treat have a better medical plan than you? Sounds like something before President Lincoln's time....

ND

laurier · Mar 17, 2001

Hey nursedude-

Aint it great to have burning ears?

It shows that people are at least thinking about what's going on in nursing...

I'd rather see that than people walking around like zombies.

------------------

LisaPRN · Mar 18, 2001

The problem is that the question is a hard one to answer. If nursing was only about what you were taught in nursing school and not what the real world is like, I would definately recommend the field to anyone. But unfortunately politics have gotten involved and have made the profession less than desirable. I love the aspect of hands on patient care, but when you get no respect and not treated as the professionals that we all are.....it gets frustrating to say the least.

I'm definately not in it for the money, but what other profession makes such an impact on people's lives. And all you get in return is abuse from physicians, patients, visitors, and management. It wears on you after a while.