Changing professions after age 50

Unfixable · Jan 29, 2016

Somebody else posted this a while back and I laughed because it's true. Sadly, I've finally reached this point myself:

"Press Gainey, Studer Group, the roboticization of nurses: " Is there anything else you need? I have the time..." More and more directors of stuff, less and less direct care for the patient, and the media making nurses the carriers of all disease, and the cause of all distress in the hospital. Bad food? Nurse's fault. Too cold or hot? Nurse's fault. Visitors not cared for also? Nurse's fault. Too many extra documentation requirements related to the Joint, the State, and Medicare. I am tired, tired. It took 20 years, but I am worn down to the point that I don't want to be a nurse anymore. The funny thing is, all I ever wanted to do was to care for my patients. That has been taken away from me. The burnout that I am experiencing is not from caring too much, but from not being allowed to care at all. 10 months to go, to be free. I really hope that I can make it without ending up a victim of a hospital's overriding need to ensure that the profits increase, and the CEO's and directors need to maintain their lifestyle."

Here is the link to the original thread:

https://allnurses.com/nursing-and-professionalism/is-it-me-751235.html

martymoose, BSN, RN · Jan 29, 2016

@unfixable- you get it.Thanks.

Sorry it has sucked for you too- and I must say it has sucked even more for you from what it sounds like.

ED Nurse, RN · Jan 29, 2016

It is a business! But when something goes wrong, who gets blamed? Even if it's the doctor who made a mistake, is the doctor the one who gets written up? No. I have seen instances where a doctor makes a mistake, pharmacy doesn't catch the mistake, the nurse gives the medicine...guess who got written up? The doctor ordered a pt to get heparin sq every 12 hours for DVT prophylaxis not realizing the pt was already on sq lovenox. Pharmacy didn't catch it and put the order through, even delivered the medication to the unit with the pt's label on it. The nurse gave it and guess what happened...the NURSE got fired! Everybody else walked away Scott free. I've worked MICU, SICU, CVICU, CCU, med/Surg, stepdown, and Yes ER too. One of the hospitals I worked at we would have 10-12 patients apiece in the ER. Most often times, 6 of those 12 patients were chest pain r/o that would stay in the ER all night long and you had to get them ready to go to the cath lab before you left, and the cath lab would bring them back to the er to recover them! Yes my charting is always precise, because I've seen too many nurses get blamed and fired for the mistakes of others! You're not a nurse you're a punching bag! I guess you like being a punching bag! You think things are going to get better? Think again! The patients have become so entitled it makes me sick! Check in to the ER and as I'm triaging they say "can I get a room with a TV?" You put them in their room and no sooner do you walkout they put on the call light and ask for a sandwich and a soda, as an ESI 1 is rolling into the trauma bay with CPR in progress. You run to help with code, completely forget about the soda and sandwich order, but you were able to resuscitate the patient who was coding. You find discharge papers for the sandwich/soda pt, you give them their discharge instructions and a survey about their visit, and they write a nasty comment on the survey about how you ignored them the whole time they were in the ER. The next day you get called into the managers office and you think she's going to tell you what a great job you did with the coding pt because after all you did help save his life. She doesn't mention that pt at all, instead she lambasted you for 30 minutes straight for forgetting about UTI lady's soda and sandwich. Oh yes, so rewarding! GTFO with that noise. Have fun being a punching bag!

You are a very extremely angry person, maybe you should see someone about that. It's also a good thing you are no longer a nurse bc I would hate for you to deflect that anger to a pt. One day YOU will need a nurse to take care of you, but I'm not sure what you're going to do bc you are so ashamed of nurses you couldn't possibly have one take care of you. Not all of us have that hatred and anger that you do, thank god for that. I'm also most certainly not a punching bag. You're entitled to your feelings and opinions, but don't trash those of us who thoroughly enjoy our profession. And please, don't speak for me.

If you're no longer a nurse and ashamed of the profession, why are you still on this site?

martymoose, BSN, RN · Jan 29, 2016

Question ED nurse- have you had to do any and ALL of the customer service things , scripts, blame for everything (even non nursing stuff)etc that have been described? Have you tried your best and still been written up or berated for it, repeatedly- operative word is repeatedly?

Just curious, because I see EXACTLY where unfixable is coming from. Unfixable NEVER said he/she was taking it out on the patients!

Obviously where you work you don't have to deal with these things, or aren't concerned over losing your job over some petty thing like a PG score.

You seem to have no sympathy for your coworkers- Essentially saying suck it up or get out. I was just asking questions as I saw ( on my own) that I'd like to get out and wondered what options there might be.

ED Nurse, RN · Jan 29, 2016

Question ED nurse- have you had to do any and ALL of the customer service things , scripts, blame for everything (even non nursing stuff)etc that have been described? Have you tried your best and still been written up or berated for it, repeatedly- operative word is repeatedly?
Just curious, because I see EXACTLY where unfixable is coming from. Unfixable NEVER said he/she was taking it out on the patients!
Obviously where you work you don't have to deal with these things, or aren't concerned over losing your job over some petty thing like a PG score.
You seem to have no sympathy for your coworkers- Essentially saying suck it up or get out. I was just asking questions as I saw ( on my own) that I'd like to get out and wondered what options there might be.

I treat patients with respect and protect my license. I've never been reprimanded, hung out to dry by an employee, nor feared being fired. If you work in a place like that, then quit and find a new job. You can't blame everything on an employer, some accountability has to be taken. But, when you have so much obvious anger built up, then yes, time to leave the profession. That's not me not being empathetic to my co-workers, that's me protecting patients- something we all took an oath to do. Just bc you are unhappy does not mean the majority of nurses are. At my hospital I do deal with those things daily, but I stick to treating others with respect and how I wish to be treated and I've yet to have issue. Not all hospitals are for profit, and not all hospitals are terrible places to work. Don't just generalize bc you've had some bad experiences. It's ok to complain, but to be ashamed and trash other nurses that enjoy their profession, is wrong. I'm sorry, not all of us are miserable and not all of us focus our entire energy on our jobs causing misery and burnout.

From what I've read, you've been given numerous viable options from where to go from here. If you're that miserable and are ashamed, then get out of nursing. If not, find employment by networking and finding a place that treat their employees well.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2016

From what I've read, you've been given numerous viable options from where to go from here. If you're that miserable and are ashamed, then get out of nursing. If not, find employment by networking and finding a place that treat their employees well.

I am not ashamed of the profession.I was not happy that it is treated poorly in some areas (apparently not all areas). I always treat my pt well, not like some of my coworkers who actually tell them off in an effort to"set boundaries".

My place has gone through some major changes the last 6 years or so , management changes, etc. I believe that has something to do with it.

Thank you for your advice. Nothing further is needed.

Thanks everyone who commented. Nothing further is needed.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2016

At 50, there is no way I would want to have additional debt for another degree. However, there are various options that will allow you to get away from the bedside.

It's the grueling shift work, unsafe ratios, lack of breaks and overtime that eventually burns people out.

Unfixable · Jan 30, 2016

How long have you been a nurse? It's just weird that you have a BSN yet you work at the bedside. You don't have to like nursing to be a member of this site. . Heck you don't have to be a nurse at all to be on this site. This is a thread where unhappy nurses are venting frustrations.

ED Nurse, RN · Jan 30, 2016

How long have you been a nurse? It's just weird that you have a BSN yet you work at the bedside. You don't have to like nursing to be a member of this site. Heck you don't have to be a nurse at all to be on this site. This is a thread where unhappy nurses are venting frustrations.

I haven't violated the TOS, like you just did. And btw, many nurses with BSN's work at the bedside- obviously you don't have a grasp on actual nursing practice. 90% of the nurses I work with are BSN prepared nurses- also, when did I say my primary job was at the bedside? Good managers manage, and are at the bedside with their team.

If I was ashamed of my prior profession, I would not continue to be part of that community- unless I wanted to start trouble and spread hatred.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 30, 2016

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