Burnout so soon

[dmjones42]

I am feeling very, incredibly frustrated and I am wondering if anyone can give me some guidance. I came home from work today and cried. Not because it was a particularly sad or depressing day (it wasn't) but because I feel so frustrated by my job and as though my hands are tied in every aspect of everything I do. I work for a very large hospital that does not have magnet status and does not seem to care about getting it. They keep bringing in these big wig doctors who think they can make these sweeping changes, paying them buttloads of money. The ideas for change rarely work because, guess why-they aren't applicable to a particular unit.

What particularly frustrates me is that I am only a year and a half into nursing. I'll be honest-I never went into nursing with a huge passion for it, but I am driven by kindness and I like people so it seemed like a good fit. I like helping people and being around patients, but I am so incredibly frustrated by my job that I'm ready to quit tomorrow even though I have no new job (I realize that is stupid and the very rational part of me will not let me do that), but nonetheless I have considered it. I feel as though upper management cares nothing about the nurses, doesn't care that we're getting burned out and getting replaced at an insane rate. I was training new nurses to work on my floor when I was only 8 months in. I feel as though that alone says so much about an organization. I consider myself to be a fairly decent nurse and I have good assessment skills and a keen eye for issues that others might not catch, but I am still essentially fresh out of school. It feels to me as though the hospital cares more than anything else, about it's own pockets, and does not give a damn about its patients. But, like I said before, they continue to hire these (very expensive) doctors for new ideas for improvement, yet can't afford to keep the more experienced nurses. I mostly feel frustrated because I and my coworkers have excellent ideas for improvement that no one wants to listen to. My manager is great but her hands are tied too, and I think she feels more trapped than I do.

I'm just wondering if there is anyone who can help talk me off the ledge. I feel so burned out and as though I am ready to give up on nursing completely. There are office positions I could go into, but I know I would be very bored. I feel as though I cannot win and wish there were a way to really stick it to this hospital and make them realize what a huge mistake they're making by creating this culture. It is not cheaper to continually hire new nurses who need extensive training (albeit from inexperienced nurses) than to actually work to retain nurses who are familiar with a patient population.

One other point to add to this post (which I apologize has just turned into a rant) is that they continually short staff us to ridiculous degrees. I live in Virginia. Does anyone know of an avenue I can take to help fight this? It's dangerous to the patients and really really makes me hate my job so much more.

If anyone made it all the way through this post, I thank you. Your guidance is very much appreciated.

-A very frustrated and burnt out new nurse

[Sour Lemon]

I am feeling very, incredibly frustrated and I am wondering if anyone can give me some guidance. I came home from work today and cried. Not because it was a particularly sad or depressing day (it wasn't) but because I feel so frustrated by my job and as though my hands are tied in every aspect of everything I do. I work for a very large hospital that does not have magnet status and does not seem to care about getting it. They keep bringing in these big wig doctors who think they can make these sweeping changes, paying them buttloads of money. The ideas for change rarely work because, guess why-they aren't applicable to a particular unit.

What particularly frustrates me is that I am only a year and a half into nursing. I'll be honest-I never went into nursing with a huge passion for it, but I am driven by kindness and I like people so it seemed like a good fit. I like helping people and being around patients, but I am so incredibly frustrated by my job that I'm ready to quit tomorrow even though I have no new job (I realize that is stupid and the very rational part of me will not let me do that), but nonetheless I have considered it. I feel as though upper management cares nothing about the nurses, doesn't care that we're getting burned out and getting replaced at an insane rate. I was training new nurses to work on my floor when I was only 8 months in. I feel as though that alone says so much about an organization. I consider myself to be a fairly decent nurse and I have good assessment skills and a keen eye for issues that others might not catch, but I am still essentially fresh out of school. It feels to me as though the hospital cares more than anything else, about it's own pockets, and does not give a damn about its patients. But, like I said before, they continue to hire these (very expensive) doctors for new ideas for improvement, yet can't afford to keep the more experienced nurses. I mostly feel frustrated because I and my coworkers have excellent ideas for improvement that no one wants to listen to. My manager is great but her hands are tied too, and I think she feels more trapped than I do.

I'm just wondering if there is anyone who can help talk me off the ledge. I feel so burned out and as though I am ready to give up on nursing completely. There are office positions I could go into, but I know I would be very bored. I feel as though I cannot win and wish there were a way to really stick it to this hospital and make them realize what a huge mistake they're making by creating this culture. It is not cheaper to continually hire new nurses who need extensive training (albeit from inexperienced nurses) than to actually work to retain nurses who are familiar with a patient population.

One other point to add to this post (which I apologize has just turned into a rant) is that they continually short staff us to ridiculous degrees. I live in Virginia. Does anyone know of an avenue I can take to help fight this? It's dangerous to the patients and really really makes me hate my job so much more.

If anyone made it all the way through this post, I thank you. Your guidance is very much appreciated.

-A very frustrated and burnt out new nurse

Try reading up on "reality shock" if you're not already familiar with it. Healthcare is big business- not the idealistic, kind world that new graduates often mistake it to be. That being said, some environments are much worse than others. You might be ready to move on and might be lucky enough to find a slightly greener pasture.