Abuse Culture in Nursing...How Far Does it Go?

[HoneyBeGood]

Time to open the can of worms...I am sure it has been opened several times...but maybe I am not seeing this topic addressed enough. Am I crazy or is the world of nursing crazy and I am just in the mix?

Why did no one tell me in nursing school? Why did I not listen to my mother who is a RN. But now my complaints are met with a common phrase "Welcome to nursing." W*T*H. This is it? The field of nursing nursing seems like a patchy grassland with some good here...nice and green...some barren dry areas...and many muddy waters (aka hospital nursing).

What are we going to do? Blame society, our polity, or the economy? Why am I so hallow on the floor?...when did I turn into a robot...who must finish her tasks and keep it moving. Little time for emotions or connections...even if a patient and family are tearful in the room because of a new life changing diagnosis. I see and hear their tears but my mind is focused on the meds I need to pass, my manager who is breathing down my neck, or whatever can of worms I must deal with in my other patient's rooms. The only reason I give a warm pat on the shoulder is because it seemed appropriate for the situation. The patient seemed to need it...and it works and the patient is reassured and more calm...but inside I feel nothing as I think of the other tasks at hand.

When I get home from work...I often reflect on my patients and how emotionally disconnected I was even when their lives were being turned upside down. I feel sympathy for them at home...disgust towards myself for my coldness on the floor...and loathing that I have to go back to that place. On the floor I have no time for sympathy. My goals are to keep my patients stable and safe and complete my tasks....so many tasks.

I knew nursing was going to be hard but I did not realize how much I would become cold. I give great customer service and give warm smiles to my patients and their families...but mostly inside I feel nothing for them. I just do my job and keep it moving. The fact I am this way brings self loathing. When did my smiles turn into a robotic tool to do my job rather than have genuine connection with an other being?

When the nursing school admissions council asked me 'why do you want to become a nurse?' My genuine answer was I want to help people and feel good about what I do. I do help people...but feeling good about helping my patients...that feeling has very much faded. I feel like a robot that must complete my tasks and keep it moving. I am even annoyed when they want to connect with me, in my mind "I have tasks to complete...I don't have time for this conversation, I don't want to get to know you better, I have tasks to complete.' And those are the nice ones. The unsavory patients, docs, and managers that leave a sour taste in my mouth, makes it all the more easier to be cold.

Weird...if I had known I would end up this way as a nurse inside...maybe I would have taken a different path.

The reason I say abuse culture...is because I have come to find in nursing that there is A LOT nurses will put up with at the expense of themselves. Stress, anxiety, depression, prescription medication, weight gain, insomnia, etc. Some realize it, some don't, and some just don't care. Any hospital nurse will lave a laundry list of the BS we have to put up with...but it is like there is a resolve that this is just nursing...it is what it is. Hospital nurses all know what's up.

This culture is so strong, that what is unreasonable in other professions...is not unreasonable in nursing. It is accepted. If a new nurse can't get with the program then she is told hospital nursing is not for you. Instead, maybe hospital nursing is not for nurses. How about that?

I hardly find people say this...nurses complain about how bad it is, how we are stretched so thin, how we don't get our breaks, how we never have a chance to eat or urinate, poor staffing, understaffing, the list goes on and on but people don't say...

Hey maybe it's not that this nurse is not fit to be a hospital nurse...forget about the 3-4 years she/he spent specifically training for nursing and proving herself/himself...but if she/he can't take crazy patient loads, poor staffing, etc...she is not a good fit? Why not the other way around?

I know it is not likely to change...these nursing conditions...but to accept it does not sit well with me. (by accept I mean: the vibe of hospital nursing is not for all nurses...no...it is...but not under the current conditions). I know there are unions and all that but very little is being done especially considering our numbers. Maybe it is not the new nurse who is struggling in the hospital...maybe it is the hospital that is dropping the ball. Maybe it is the culture of the hospital to abuse nurses and maybe it is nursing culture to accept it.

This abuse culture is so rampant you have nurses like me who are losing their souls at the expense of being good at my job. i can do my job and keep my patients safe but there is something so wrong. I am a med surg nurse. I am sure it may be waaaaaaaaaaaay better on other floors.

How far does it go that the abused don't even realize they are being abused? The ones who don't make it in the hospital are pushed to other fields of nursing. Fine...but I dare say it is not because the the nurse is not competent or can't manage patient care in the hospital conditions. Rather not every nurse can handle the hospital conditions that make it not condusive for success. Then people wonder 20% of nurses in their first year drop out of the profession completely. That is pretty high considering the time and money invested.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

You sure do come on like a ton of bricks for someone who's pretty new to the profession and this forum. Want to consider backing off a bit and reading around some of the other fora before resuming your ooooh-:::this-close:::-to-trolling rants? It's a free country and AN is all for entertainment value, but still. Just a thought. Have a nice evening.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Although I do agree that being a nurse is incredibly frustrating, and that making the transition from student to working RN can be disheartening, I don't agree with the idea of a nursing "abuse culture."

I think that a large part of the reason so many new grads feel they are being "bullied" is that this is their first experience in the real world, full of adults, and their first experience really being responsible for something other than themselves. What an experienced nurse views as pressure from management, a newbie might view as abuse, or bullying.

Yes, there are a million things that need to be changed, but I think that is more of a reflection on the state of our world, rather than the nursing profession.

What's funny to me is when all these VPs and managers and such are finding all kinds of ways to cut corners, but insist on special care for their family members when they're in the hospital. Nothing is ever going to get changed because the people in charge truly don't care...they can make people bend over backwards to give them what they want when they need it.

Anyway, I figure there's no point in being all sour about it all the time. If I have to be at work 3 or 4 nights a week, I'm going to be in a good mood. Having a bad attitude isn't going to do anything but ruin my day.

I really LOVED this post -- so much, that I quoted the whole thing.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I have always thought it would be a good idea for there to be some kind of nurse executive master's degree. I think it would put more nurses in high up leadership positions.

And when I say always, I mean starting about six months ago.

There are graduate programs in Nursing Administration. They have been around for decades. However ... back in the early 1990's, the federal funding eliminated most of the funding for those programs and put the money into Nurse Practitioner Programs instead (because that's what the schools of nursing wanted). That led to a lot of Nursing Administration MSN's to either shrink or close completely.

Some of those programs continued, however, and others have opened -- often under the title of "Nursing Leadership" tracks. Now with the advent of DNP programs, some are moving from the Master's level to the DNP level. But most young nurses still enter the NP programs instead of taking the Administration/Management/Leadership track. I know of few younger nurses with career aspirations in that direction.

[HoneyBeGood]

GrnTea

That is because I don't need years of this to figure out what is up. I worked in an out patient setting for a year and it was a great experience with low stress. It was a conducive environment. I left because my goal was to become a critical care nurse. So I started in med surg. I am 28, I have vast working experiences outside of healthcare. I know what is reasonable…even if I never worked in another setting…I know that the current working conditions for most hospital nurses is not conducive.

I don't get you…if I am trolling…why bother posting on my threads. You are more than welcome not to participate. Did you come on this thread to criticize me or join the discussion? If it is the former then I would kindly ask that you refrain from posting. As mentioned in my other thread about bees.

This is an open discussion for those who wish to put in their input. I feel through positive arguments one can learn more and expand their perspective. Just because I posted this thread does not mean I have all the answers. Maybe there is something I am missing.

Other posters on this thread who have brought their opinions on management and what needs to be done to rectify this situation. I would not have brought this up if I did not want solutions.

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

I decided to watch instead of post.

Might get interesting.

[mclennan, BSN, RN]

It was a conducive environment. I left because my goal was to become a critical care nurse. So I started in med surg. I am 28 I have vast working experiences outside of healthcare. I know what is reasonable…even if I never worked in another setting…I know that the current working conditions for most hospital nurses is not conducive.[/quote']

Conducive to WHAT?

[kungpoopanda]

You sure do come on like a ton of bricks for someone who's pretty new to the profession and this forum. Want to consider backing off a bit and reading around some of the other fora before resuming your ooooh-:::this-close:::-to-trolling rants? It's a free country and AN is all for entertainment value, but still. Just a thought. Have a nice evening.

The OP is not close to trolling. She is making some well considered points and has started an interesting discussion, which she argues articulately. Many of us consider a lot of problems in nursing could be better addressed through strong nursing leadership. Many of us consider that the image of nursing does not accord with the reality. Why should she back off? Hasn't "done her time/paid her dues" enough for the COB society?

Love the passive/aggressive "have a nice evening" at the end. Classy.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

. Many of us consider a lot of problems in nursing could be better addressed through strong nursing leadership.

And would of the "us" be willing to BRING that leadership?

Whose to say it's NOT happening.

One thing is for sure; people can look one event and each person can have a different perspective.

[sixela21]

Yes, on the wage thing. it is not uncommon for the nurse to be the breadwinner, we can tend to attract some dependent persons for mates. probably for the same reasons we put up with the, hmm, stuff.

Oh boy, I hope this isn't true. By the time I'm done with school, I'll need someone to put up with me and wait at my every beck and call--I feel like I've earned it. I will have no time for whiners. As far as being disconnected goes, I agree to a certain extent, and I guess it also depends on your job description and what specialty you work in. I work as a Tech in mental health, and it's part of my job description to be very friendly, patient, kind, and happy, all while listening to all of the depressing and unhappy tales that my patients want to tell me. It is a very transient unit--people don't stay long, but you're expected to connect with every patient on a certain level even though they'll most likely be replaced by a different person when you come in for your next shift. I put so much energy into my work and school that my social life suffers, and the rest of the world thinks I suck, including my immediate family (especially them). I could careless though. I know it will be worth it in the end. It's like nurses live in their own little bubbles...these commoners just don't understand!

[sixela21]

The OP is not close to trolling. She is making some well considered points and has started an interesting discussion, which she argues articulately. Many of us consider a lot of problems in nursing could be better addressed through strong nursing leadership. Many of us consider that the image of nursing does not accord with the reality. Why should she back off? Hasn't "done her time/paid her dues" enough for the COB society?

Love the passive/aggressive "have a nice evening" at the end. Classy.

Thank you so much for this...."Passive aggressive" doesn't even begin to describe the sarcastic tone of that little tirade. Just plain tacky and uncouth, GrnTea, you are obviously the only one trolling here.

[HoneyBeGood]

I think this is a bit of the problem…didn't Karl Marx say 'Religion is the opium of the masses." there is a lot to that statement and it can be seen in the world of health care.

Hospitals are big business and God has nothing to do with it….But if they took God and love out of the equation their profits would greatly drop.

The society is untrusting of most institutions in our society but hospitals in the past have been trusted. Not so much in today's market. To actually help people….in today's society there are NO FREE lunches and hospitals aim to get their money.

But who brings in the money? Who sells God, faith, love, hope, etc…to the masses?…NURSES people. I believe nurses are genuine and have these intentions.

We are the ones that keep the money flowing in…we are the ones that keep patients coming back. Because nurses make ALL the sacrifices because we care. And hospitals gladly take advantage of this. That is why our faces out plastered on billboards, because society trusts nurses…and we should be trusted…we care.

But hospitals should not be. At the end of the day it is all about the money.

The masses have been blinded by NURSES' kind loving faces. We have so much power but why is it that the few higher ups have so much control? We control the market and management controls us.

We nurses are kind and we do care…we give our selves but to whose benefit? Not ours. It is so hospitals can make their profits…without trust from the masses, people would look for alternative forms of health care.

In nursing school we are sold this kind altruistic ideal of nursing….and most that go into nursing have good motives. We are sold this is how we should think of our profession…spreading love…but no one questions all the effort we put in and at our own expense. This abuse culture is ingrained from jump street of nursing school. We should be focusing on bedside patient care not fighting with management for long term positive outcomes for our patients and for our own profession. We are not taught to look out for our selves…and in the long run look out for our patients.

[Madras]

Conducive to WHAT?

You know, the all important mental health that people can't seem to keep intact.

This started off as a thought provoking honest thread, but now the way it's going and the way the other thread by OP is going.....

I'm turned off and don't know how to say anything I'd like to say without being attacked by disgruntled noobs.

Maybe OP can look into management in the future....... Or nurse activism?

just a thought from my night shifting brain.