Burnout?

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2007

I like getting out in the country and birdwatching. Or staying home and cuddling with my cats. Or drinking.

Interestingly enough I was never much of a wine drinker until I became a nurse. Coincidence? I think not.

Although birdwatching would be cheaper.

Medic/Nurse, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2007

Ahhh...let me think about the last facility I worked in!

* a FOUNTAIN (3 stories high!) at work.

* NICE ART. Lots of MARBLE.

* Elegant sheer drapes that were nicer (and more expensive) than what I've ever had in my house. (Windows are so cold and impersonal)

* Music piped in the entry during the day that sounds like BIRDS (at night it's a FROG medley).

* Add VALET parking.

* Don't forget the BABY GRAND PIANO and the musician (haven't had lessons in a long time - I tried and disappointed patients - again!) to play it all weekend.

Nah - this is NOT my current work. But this one was at my LAST position (ED RN). I think that the niceties were a PART of my reason to FLEE. Actually, the BIRDS and FROGS are what pushed me over the top! (I did NOT know they were piped in for several weeks. I'd spend some time looking for all the birds - but, since I could NEVER find bird poo, I was SUSPICIOUS :eek )

Okay...maybe in wasn't the facilities as I sit here typing. Maybe it was the fact that 9 nurses had quit in 11 weeks. Both the Administrative and Clinical Managers had given notice. The MD's had declared "Jihad, on the nurses. You guys will do things our way or else." And the 30 minute guarantee (your treatment will be started and you will be seen by a doc in 30 or FREE MOVIE TICKETS). Add the fella that blew his head off at the WR doors and well, I was desperate to GO.

Anyway, GO I DID. And I have NEVER looked back.

I took almost 4 months off. I have been out of hospital nursing for almost 15 months and I will NEVER go back unless it is out of extreme financial necessity. Never say never! I do love my job now. I love my co-workers. Heck, for the most part I even love the patients. So, there is hope out there - just work to find something you love. I know that I could "make more" per hour in the hospital, but even now I'm making approx 60K and it is humane. (Your money or your life!) I do have to maintain high levels of educational offerings and competency verifications. Yes, some days it is difficult - multiple flights, take-offs/landings, in and out of the helicopter, heat/cold, working in small spaces, limited help, lots of heavy lifting - but, it is overall a great job. But, the main thing that makes it great is the RESPECT factor. When we show up, I am always a little astonished at how well we are treated. I am actually asked for my findings and my opinion by attendings - it is great. But, I am a bit bothered at times - I AM THE SAME NURSE I WAS LAST WEEK/YEAR. Hmmm...wonder what that means?

My main advice. Find something that you LOVE to do. If you are not "ready" now - work toward that end. My husband (although he did at one time threaten divorce if I got on a helicopter) is supportive - actually, he insists that I NEVER go back to the way I was when I worked in the ED. The person I was scares him - I think! He notes that he has no anxiety about my job. He is thrilled to have a happy, focused wife that sleeps well, eats well, is not tearful at all times, very rarely has a drink and is PLEASANT.

I believe there is something out there for everyone.

Good LUCK

Practice SAFE!

pie123 · Nov 6, 2007

]I've only been a nurse for 3 years, but I'm afraid I am completely burned out. I find myself wanting to do a public service announcement on how to be a good patient. I am sick to death of patients and patient's families complaining that daddy had to wait 20 minutes for a cup of coffee while I've been in the middle of a code. I'm sick of seeing family memebers out in the hall giving me the "stare down" like when am I going to come in their room (half the time it's not even my patient). Had a daughter of a patient the other day (an RN at that) and wanted to know why daddy didn't get shaved today. Well, lets see...we were working 3 nurses short, I had been there for 16 hours and I had 3 very critical patients that were very time consuming. You just don't always have time to do everything. I actually had one man blast me as soon as I hit the door about how he had been waiting 30 minutes for a cup of coffee. I explained to him that I had been in a code down the hall. He didn't care. I asked him if he were in a crisis situation would he want me stopping to get someone else a cup of coffee before coming to his aid? Family memebers want ot sit by the bedside and pester the crap out of the nurses and patients 24 hr a day, but God forbid they actually lift a finger to help their loved ones get a drink of water of get on to a bed pan. I often feel more like I'm working in a 5 star hotel rather than a hospital. Am I the only one who feels this way? :smackingf

I've been a nurse for 2 years, and I feel this way. I moved to another unit to see if that would help. I don't expect family members to help, but if they offer, it's nice. At the same time, if they're not going to help feed the patient, I don't need them sitting there micromanaging everything I do.

One time I was explaining to a husband and wife how Tridil worked, and why their son was on it. Right in the middle of my explanation, the dad RAISES HIS HAND and asks for a soda. Mind you, they had just come to see their son, so why they didn't stop by the cafeteria is beyond. Then at shift change, he asked again for a soda. The nerve.

I had another patient's wife say she was thirsty. Her husband (the patient) says, "Where's the nurse, I'll have her get you a drink." The wife (also a nurse) said, "No, she's busy, I'll get one on the way out." During this time, I had just gotten a very sick, septic patient, with no labs drawn, no IV antibiotics started, and desatting. Sure, I can get a soda for your wife, you idiot. I would like nothing more than to drop everything I'm doing and play step-and-fetch-it for you. Meanwhile, my bladder is begging for mercy, my feet feel like I've been walking on rocks all day, and my back feels like I just got the #$@! beat out of me.

bigsyis · Nov 6, 2007

I bought some really bright pink ones. I can find them after a nasty slice!!

That was working for me, too, until the leaves started falling. The little buggers hide quite well undre a pile of leaves!

rachaelm4 · Nov 7, 2007

I totally quit nursing!!! I became a nurse in 2004 and became completely burned out this spring. I had extremely high blood pressure, lost a ton of weight always on edge, and ever since I left the profession my blood pressure is back to normal I'm calm and I feel great. I changed jobs and units numerous times and nothing worked. I never suggest this as a career to anyone. It was the best move I ever made was leaving it!!!!!!

bluwavyhat · Nov 7, 2007

I like the advice and truth out there. If you left nursing, what did you change to?

Thank you for the reminder about things that I stopped doing like golf, bowling, and movies too. I believe that I stopped breathing some along the way. A vacation-- what is that?

SilverstarRN · Nov 7, 2007

I just wanted to say that if they don't change nursing soon there will be a big problem. I also think it is partially up to us to stand up for ourselves. No more b####ing about things constantly & still putting up with it. We need to join together as nurses and really try and change our environments. That means more lifting help (lift teams & more than ONE team for the entire hospital), more nursing assiting help with trays, baths, answering call lights, more respect from MD's, adminstration and families.

Part of the problem with the general public is that they have NO idea what we really do. So when they arrive at the hospital they expect that we are just hand maidens to MD's. Or that all we do is bring water and put a bedpan under someone. I don't know about you but I do a hell of a lot more than that & I would say 10% of my job is what I mentioned. I think all of us go into this profession because we have a general desire to help people and to hopefully make a difference. I unfortunately think many good skilled proficent nurses also leave because of the tremendous amount of BS we have to deal with on a daily basis. WE are the ones at the bedside ALL day long, be it 8 or 12 hours. WE are the ones doing ALL of the work, WE are the ones monitoring patients and quickly doing an intervention or calling the MD to alert them if we need further orders, WE are the ones constantly making sure medication orders are correct (MD didn't write correctly or forgot, or NOC/DAY RN didn't correctly fix the mar), WE are the one starting IV's, Placing NG's, Placing feeding tubes, giving meds, monitoring gtts (if ICU)and titrating gtts to patient's condition, pulling chest tubes (if allowed at your facility),changing CT cannisters, DC'ing central lines, pulling PA catheters, placing foley's or FMS systems, doing wound care, checking to see if patient's tube feeds can be advanced, drawing labs & reporting results, suctioning patient (be it NT, ETT or trach), talking with families, PT/OT, Nutrition, dietary, Social Work, Speech, etc and I could go ON and ON.

Does anyone not see the craziness of this? We do ALL of the above and more and I feel like we rarely get credit. The minute the white coat walks in the door you hear " Oh, hi Doctor, thank you so much for EVERYTHING". Meanwhile this might be a pt or family member who was rude to you or "hovering" (you of course know we need constant observation by someone who knows nothing about medicine or nursing to tell us how to do our jobs). I am not discrediting the MD but we need to take credit and demand respect for what we do everyday. This is not a "oh.. we do it because we care mentality". Of course we care or we wouldn't be doing it. MD's care too but you don't see them constanty pegged for "oh,, well you need to do this and that but without more pay or respect because you care". I mean seriously people. I mean for what I have noticed, MD's come by sometimes for a few minutes a day with a bunch of data on their clipboard (this does not apply to everyone & you know it but still...)say "Well this pt needs such and such" and move on & meanwhile the RN does everything for the patient. I guess my point is this needs to be recognized and respected.

Shows like Grays Anatomy etc (sorry fans) are not helping our profession either. It shows MD's doing everything while RN's have sex in closets or run at the site of a patient coding....yeah that really is what happens. Usually we are the first one's in a code and we get to work and KNOW what we are doing.

And for the families... I don't know what to say. That is the one thing that is making me head out the door and fast. And it is a tragedy because I know I am a very skilled proficient RN but soon I will be leaving the bedside totally. I know there are some amazing families out there but when you have such bad experiences sometimes that unfortunately sticks out in your head and you don't forget. I have had patients & families members yelling at me (for no appropriate reason) and I have to tell you I don't think I have ever been treating so disrespectfully ever as I have as a bedside RN. I even had a family member "tsk tsk tsk" at me to get my attention instead of saying "excuse me or whatever". I was like "EXcuse me!!!" Who do you think you are? Who in the world talks to someone like that. Another thing that erks me is having the demanding inappropriate family member at the bedside questioning you work or how you are doing such and such, OR they just sit there & stare down everything you do. The "hawks" are different then the people who are just casually sitting there and are bored. I think you know the difference.

A good book you should all read is "Nursing against the odds" by Suzanne Gordon. It is excellent. You can get in on Amazon. I think every RN, family member, patient, MD and adminstrater should read it.

If Nursing all joined together as a WHOLE we could accomplish so much. It is time to stand up for ourselves and get things changed or it will just get worse. We need to start being supportive of other RN's instead of backstabbing or b####ing. Imagine who will be taking care of us when we get old? It is a scary thought.

It is not so much about the pay (even though that is important) but the recognition and respect we deserve.

Nursing is not "nursing diagnosis" (what a load of crap), bedpans and fetching water. Sure that is some tasks we do. But a Nurse is someone who is very knowledgable about pathophysioloy, biology and pharmacology etc.. (and ALSO meanwhile turns patients, does pulm toliet and all the above I mentioned in the beginning) and we should not be reduced to what they consider "nursing" activites and that all we do is bedpans, deal with urine, change linens and document we turned someone to prevent a bed sore and deliever a tray. I dont' mean to sound like I am reducing the importance of those activities, but I feel like the public & adminstration puts us into "THAT" category.

Hopefully this all makes sense and someone understands what I am talking about. As you can tell I am just a little fed up. And I don't need a poster to tell me "oh...nursing is obviously not for you if you are not happy, get out then etc". Such a cop out line. I have changed my situtation and am only doing bedside parttime but if the environment were completely changed, I would be right back at the bedside. Unfortunately I don't see this happening soon. I just want it to be a better place for everyone including new grads and students because at this point I personally can't orient them because I feel bad for them knowing they are coming into such a crazy career and they will soon recognize it with time as I see some of the posters on this site have (2-3years only and burned out...)

Best regards.

(If there are typos I aplogize, I wrote this all fire up and don't see a spell check here).

RN1989 · Nov 7, 2007

You are preaching to the choir Silverstar! Amen to all you said. I'd love to write some newspaper articles for the public to read, but I doubt they would ever get printed. People don't want the truth - remember that Jack Nicholson line "You can't handle the truth!" ? That is the sum of what people are generally all about. They want their their butts kissed with no questions asked and no effort on their part. And they certainly don't want their little fantasies to be spoiled.

Katmanduuu · Nov 7, 2007

Burnout? Amen, brothers and sisters!! I've been a Med-Surg nurse for over 17 years and there are days when all I want is one of those old metal bedpans....filled with water and set in the freezer for a week! (I'll leave it to your wonderful imaginations to come up with it's possible uses.) :lol2:

Seriously, I was recently talking with our Nurse Manager (who was never a Med-Surg nurse but specialized in OB) and she looked at me and said, "I don't know how you guys do this....and I sure don't know why!" Wow....that sure made me think. I'm at a point where I'm counting down the years until I can retire (only 12 to go) but with my luck I'll wind up working until I'm 80. Yeesh! I still love what I do and I love the patients...for the most part...but I'm SO sick of the politics of it all that I just want to jump off a bridge!

LibertyBellPN · Nov 7, 2007

I hate people.

I barely got through the rest of this topic after that sentence. *Hysterical laughter*

I feel the same way.

We're not nurses. We are waitresses, maids, janitors and cooks!!

siggie13 · Nov 7, 2007

I quit nursing after 40 years on the front lines. I have seen patient demands change, doctors' demands change, hospital demands change and staffing change and the changes have all been for the determinent of nurses. I just could not lift up one more 400 pound "client"; over medicate a patient whose pain was always a 10, no matter how much pain med was given; deal with no staff (I was a charge nurse) one more time; talk with family and patients who were "dissatisfied" with the care; I just had enough! I was very outspoken about all the problems I encountered and management always listened and promptly did nothing. I have seen the quest for more money take over health care and seen it radically change how I was able to function as a nurse. I have lots of empathy for nurses still working but I am through and tend to stay that way.

siggie13 · Nov 7, 2007

I just read your post and can only say, you and I must have worked together. Thank you for putting into words what I feel. Personally, I quit nursing and have never looked back. My floor lost a great nurse with lots of experience and I gained a Life!!