CONTINUED IN WHAT IS THE MAJOR REASON Why are they all leaving?

Nurses General Nursing

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What conditions would cause so many nurses to leave? Our ER has been losing friends fast. Why is there such a large turnover in nursing? I'm going to school, yet I talk to many RN's who are looking for a new career!!

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I am a nursing instructor for a 1200 hr. LPN program in NY and I am TIRED and overloaded with students and paperwork. A recent crisis, finding out in April as evidenced by the local ads for LPNs in our area, that per diem LPNs were paid $0.22 more an hour than I made, was the straw that broke my back. The boss at our BOCES, with respect and in honor of the absolutely necessary paperwork that goes with in front of the class teaching, returned our time sheets with a mandate to our program coordinator to amend our timesheet, remove any hours that were not backed up by the calendar, and never again allow submission of a time sheet that had prep time hours documented on it. If I am in front of my students in class for a 6 hour day, at least 3 hours of additional work is required to meet only the basic needs of our students. Never mind a power point or internet resource lesson on our white board. It takes an hour to review chapters and make teaching notes, an hour to write a lesson plan and format an exam, and an hour to correct that test, all previously done at home, unpaid, at my kitchen table. Not any more. Needless to say, we have been unable to date to replace 2 necessary instructors. I have 11 students in my clinical group. Picture our current hospital hospital workplace where overworked staff nurses look at the students as a warm body to carry some of their workload, no offense intended. It takes time to learn! I will no longer be doing any classroom teaching. A recent article in USA Today documents that 41,000 prospective nursing students where denied admission into a nursing program in 2005 because of a lack of faculty. Nursing shortage? What nursing shortage?[/quote']

I am sorry to hear that you are having a hard time as an instructor. It shows that nursing has become a farce in many levels. It is impossible to teach with no incentive, and I can understand why many leave teaching or don't want to be bothered with it, if the circumstances are as you say.

Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
I will NEVER work in a hospital setting again...when I had to get my year hospital experience after nursing school I worked in a university based medical center doing oncology and literally wanted to crash my car on the way to work so I wouldn't have to go. The stress was with me all the time. I would wake up in the middle of the night panicing because I couldn't remember if I'd completed a specific vital task. NO THANKS.

I do hospice nursing now. I can focus on the patient and family I am with as I am in their home and the office nurses handle patient calls. I am treated with respect by the physicians I work with and have an incredible amount of automy. And best of all, I am able to help my patients die comfortably and with dignity. I am a CHPN (Certified Hopice and Palliative Nurse) and am able to offer to my patients and familles my expertise. After 10 years I am still fascinated by my work and feel privledged to do it.

I am hearing that many nurses are enjoying private duty moreso than floor nursing or hospital settings. I am aiming in that direction as an LPN as well. Too much politics and showboating for me to contend with...I'll stay in my clinic until I get out of the hospital setting period...

My last three clinical rotations have not allowed for a lunch break and barely a bathroom break. I am very apprehensive about how to organize the work load so that it all gets done, (not just because I want to eat, or am afraid to sneeze:uhoh3: ) but for client safety, and legality reasons. I can see that this type of stress over the long term would be a reason to look for another "safer" job- but that wasn't my goal when I went into this. I pray that I can develope the skills necesary to make it all work out

Obviously no comparison. But I disagree with you. I like that post.

Taking a break for nourishment and elimination is essential, no matter how busy you are, that's what I got out of the post.

In the 15 years I've worked as a med-surg nurse 99.99% of the time have I eaten (mind you they haven't all been the 30 minutes I'm allowed and confess to eating many a meal on the run, or being interrupted) and 100% of the time I take time for bathroom breaks. I take other breaks as they come up, which isn't often, but eating and bathroom are mandatory.

Glad you can get your breaks.

In some environments, breaks are hard to come by. As a traveler, I am usually the only nurse in the entire facility (I work chronic hemo) and often work 14 hr days without a break. The other day, I was determined to take one. Of course, a pt pulled out her venous needle and spewed blood all over as soon as I left the floor. At this unit, there was no manager, no sec'y no RD and no SW. Just me and four techs-

two of whom were horrible. It was the roughest job I've had in a long time.

I usually got about one or two 15 min breaks per week.

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Additionally, nurses can move around more freely due to the high availability of positions everywhere. It's a bonus to be sure.

You are totally incorrect there. There is a glut of nurses in several areas of the US. Where I live, a nurse cannot buy a job. My old facility closed- everyone was laid off. Tons of nurses and no jobs at all in the this part of Texas. I've been looking for a job locally for over two years without success. I've been a traveler for two years now because of this.

Also, the Dept of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics shows there is a surplus of 100,000 nurses in the US- in other words, there are 100,000 more licensed RNs in the US than there are nursing positions. So, where are these nurses? The majority are working in areas other than nursing- because they've had it.

I've posted the quotes and sources for these facts many times here on allnurses.

I'm still working as a RN, have been for 35+years. I've remained in the PROFESSION because I have always stood up for myself and nursing, I've changed jobs when I felt it was needed or because I wanted to advance myself in knowledged/experience, and I avoided listening ad nauseum to nurses that liked to carry on about the negative aspects of their lives that they have created without doing anything to make it better. Even the simple act of leaving an overwhelming position and moving to a better one makes a statement and empowers the individual. There are great hospitals, nursing homes, etc, etc, out there and they've been created by nurses, yup just regular old (or young) nurses. The ones that cared about making things good, better, best for themselves, the profession, the patients and families. Negative energy eats up a person from the inside out, positive energy radiates outward in an expanding circle of positive energy. Try it, you might just like it...

By the way, I'm currently working on a medical unit in acute care. I've never worked in a union and highly doubtful I will. I do chart responsibly, I do get aggravated over not enough time to do things exactly the way I'd like, but overall I still love my job, I make good money, I respect myself and everyone I come in contact with even those with different jobs and opinions. If asked I respond honestly how I feel, what I think. The rest is up to the other, it's their life not mine. It's a full time job keeping mine in line. Your's is up to you

Just to touch on a few things the last person commented on...

Take a bathroom break. I know this many sound tough, but YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE of YOURSELF TOO. Unless it's a life or death situation, I am sure the patient can wait a few moments while you use the restroom. Same for eating, you should take at least a 15 min. break to sit and eat a sandwich. You are no good to your patient and fellow staff members when you are tying your legs and about to fall over from low blood sugar. That helps no one. YOU HAVE TO TAKE A FEW MOMENTS FOR YOURSELF. I have read on this board where nurses take care of everyone else BUT themselves. Yes we are in this to help people, but we have to remember to help ourselves too! You just have to make the time. Period. If the other staff members give you a bunch of junk over taking a 5 min. bathroom break or 15 to wolf a sandwich... get out. I am sure there are other places to work where employees are valued. It may be a challenege in the nursing industry, but I am sure decent places do exist. Stand up for yourself. I will. I have read that is one of the traits of nurses.. that many don't stand up for themselves. In the end you have to NURSE yourself too.

Good luck and hold your head high.. because YOU are worth it.

Thanks to all the nurses!!! E

:w00t:

yeah and like this week - i take my half hour cause the boss says i have to and the resident i have had to one on one since i started ( what a joy to drag a resident around as you pass meds - and wouldnt the state love to see it if they did) and what happens during that time ( when i literally told boss - o you watch my wing as so and so will get out and she needs one on one and she says call for more meds- i say no i refuse to chemically restrain residents for the employers benefit she says well i cant afford to staff one on one and says just go to lunch) anyhow- i come back and guess what - the boss ( administrator - RN also with a bunch of other initials which should inc BFD) sits her butt in her office - the resident got out - followed by a cna of course leaving 1 cna to watch the other residents on the wing inc 2 others trying to escape) goes all around the building and takes 4 people to get her back in ( last weekend i guess they called the cop on the woman as staff couldn't get her in) they want our dementia unit turned psych unit but they refuse to staff for these people.

i can go on - one nurse for 22 residents with 3 trachs 4 tube feedings, 2 wound vacs - tons of dressings and creams , 8 accuchecks and sliding scales , yada yada......

or nights - instead of replacing noc nurse who calls in call in an extra aide and leave one nurse with 4 cnas for 90 plus residents. leaving a med tech to do 2 wings of meds 40 some residents- and the other 2 heavy wings nurses who can not get THIER work done have to get over to do those 2 wings treatments , flushes , etc.

refusing to use agency cause the DON etc take call to come in and then have them not answer or if they do tell yo to deal with it they aren't coming in and the administration does nothing about it.

stand up for yourself - yeah- you cant even stand up for the resident and prove anything to state as everyplace covers thier butts by fake numbers and if ya stand up for yourself you are out a job and blacklisted - i know - beeen there done that!!!

I have had people tell me this too and it sounds nice in theory... you know, the patient's not dying... take a break.

Yeah okay, last night I had no patients on the verge of death BUT I had two who were getting blood transfusions, two who needed extensive dressing changes, several who were painful, lots of scheduled meds to give, orders to note off and other tasks to attend to. I did not stop and sit down until the final hour of my shift and then only to chart quickly for 15 minutes before hitting the floor again. There literally was no time. Telling me to take time doesn't solve the problem. We're too loaded down. Period. And a person can only take so much of that before they start questioning "Is this the kind of job I want for the rest of my life?" Funny, I just started another thread (before seeing this one) about being a new grad and wanting out of hospital nursing...

we have lost quite a few new grads quit due to lack of orientationand slammed with what we put up with - thats in the last month - after we lost many of our "old time" nurses who got out just for these resaons.

Specializes in med/surg,ortho trauma,step down,neuro.

why are so many leaving? well, i love nursing. does that make me crazy, probably. it is hard, long hours, mandatory overtime, mandatory holidays, weekends, call time, stress: you could potentially kill some one, and tell me why we are expected to never get sick, hello we work with sick people. yes, i'd like to think i'm wonderwoman, but alas i am not. many people just cant hang. many people thought there'd be more money or maybe more gratitude, either way they were wrong. nursing is what it is, it alway has been. no, it's not for everyone. maybe they just need to find their niche, there are so many opportunities in nursing. before you give up try something elese, so you hate floor nursing? (me too) try research, teaching, fertility clinics, plastic surgery clinics, peds, ob, case management, legal consulting, forensics, there are so many things to try.

i dont know why there is such a mass exit? there always has been there always will be. it's not new and not likely to change unless the pay, working conditions and benefits suddenly change.

I don't understand this at all. Perhaps we are lucky in Australia, but having breaks is mandated by law. People cover your breaks. You get a 10 minute teabreak and 30 min lunchbreak you HAVE to take. I don't understand how people can do an 8 or 10 hour shift without getting to the bathroom! Then again, we have mandated nurse-patient ratios, including med-surg wards, so perhaps as I said we are just lucky. There is no way I'd work in that situation.

for one thing - in america - at least most places - do not have nurse patient ratios- they do not go by aquity of resident care but only the number of residents there- so a 90 bed facility that they say nneeds 3 nurses and 7 cnas really needs at least 4 nurses if not more and 9 cnas if notmore can get away with the low staffing..

Hummm......I always took my breaks. Guess I was lucky and other staff would cover my pts for the time being. Of course, we ate on the floor in the breakroom should an emergancy arise we would all be there to help. There were some times that I didn't get a lunch and I charged the hospital for it. Manager didn't like it and I explained to her that if I was expected to take report on new admissions and get them into bed while on my lunch break, then, they will pay me for my time. It was mandated that we were allowed an uninterupted 30 minute lunch. I pointed that one out to her in the employee handbook. She never brought the subject up with me again and I DID get paid for working through my lunch. I realize that sometimes the units can be crazy and we may have to eat on the run, but, take the time to pee, and to grab a bite to eat. It's important not to run yourself into the ground. Nursing is a 24 hour job. What can't get done on your shift, can possibly be finished on the shift that follows.

HAHAHAHAH phew - sorry had to laugh - nextshift doing it? yeah - i can go away for 2 days and still have to finish the paperwpork from admit i started 2 days ago - all the shifts are as bad as the next on staffing and even though days have powers that be there all day that are rns do you think any of thoise powers that be will chip in and help? NO. nursing is like chasing your tail an never being able to catch it.

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