Nursing to me has always been something bigger than myself. It was a calling that never was silent and always in bold letters. Nursing itself is to help and heal others in many specialties in several fields for a broad range of unique human individuals that are amazingly born on this earth. It's a passion and a drive that I feel can fuel an entire city, yet I feel like someone who is going into nursing I'm observing career nurses struggling to find that passion that they once had and telling others it's not worth it. It makes my heart sink. Makes me sad that Nurses who are heroes of this earth are no longer able to see the amazing work and care that they do for others every day so selflessly. Even more so they are no longer, with integrity, able to tell others who are interested to go down that path and to follow it.
Working in health care and experiencing it myself along with speaking with some amazing nurses I found out that it usually comes from the same source. Those sources being "burned-out", "short-staffed" and "communication". The question is what is the source of why this is happening? More importantly, what can we do so new nurses who have that same overflowing fuel of passion to help others never stray from losing it and prevent others from being swayed from making that decision to become a nurse?
I would love to hear the stories of so many amazing nurses who have been in the field for years tell me exactly what made them slowly lose that motivation and passion that got them started. I want to hear what could have been better in the workplace that would make it both sustainable and more enjoyable. I want to know how being short staff affected nurses and why it made it so difficult. What could be communicated better or what isn't getting communicated at all? Do you have any ideas about what could make it better? Do you know a solution that even when short staffed can make it sustainable and safe for the patients and the nurses burnt out from extreme hours and high caseloads? Do you think it's due to individuals going into nursing for the wrong reasons? More importantly, as a career nurse what would you want new nurses coming into the field to know and what would you want them not to have to go through to help them never lose themself and their passion?
I ask these questions, that I know might be hard to answer because what I also have seen and realized is a lot of individuals just go through the process and never see change. Never see it get better. That no matter how many times they bring up these very real concerns nothing comes to fruition. I don't want to just let it keep going and lose that rare and amazing spark in so many and prevent new nurses from second-guessing themselves to make that jump to go down the path of nursing. I also ask these questions for the nurses who have been in the field and seen, worked, and gone through so much so that they might get the change they so extremely deserve. More importantly than all the rest and as healthcare workers we know it's the main goal that the people (patients) that trust us and know that we are there to help, heal and save their lives get the best of the best every single time at every single location that they go to! No matter what!
I am so incredibly thankful for all your posts. This has been such an amazing discussion and I can't thank you all enough for being honest with each response. My main goal, exactly as what happened, is to get the truth of what it's like to be a nurse and if there is anything that could possibly make it better. What I am most thankful for is the honesty of some nurses going in not for passion but for a career. I hope I never made it sound for whatever reason that one is less than the other. It's not. Life is very much abstract and I am the last person to say anything about another human being's reasons, decisions etc. We are all human and I love that.
One thing that I got from this most of all is romanticizing the career of nursing. It is an interesting change of perspective and I definitely am thankful once again for each response. As much as I will go down with excitement and determination with my career I will definitely be warmer on how I approach the path. As well as lowing possibly my expectation of what it will be. What I still want to do is find out, even if it's a speck, is something that could help and benefit both nurses and patience in the long run.
You have the heart of a nurse. Protect it. Resiliency training is blaming the victim. Get involved and help protect nursing so that we can safely treat patients.
Nursing_Student
2 Posts
I am so incredibly thankful for all your posts. This has been such an amazing discussion and I can't thank you all enough for being honest with each response. My main goal, exactly as what happened, is to get the truth of what it's like to be a nurse and if there is anything that could possibly make it better. What I am most thankful for is the honesty of some nurses going in not for passion but for a career. I hope I never made it sound for whatever reason that one is less than the other. It's not. Life is very much abstract and I am the last person to say anything about another human being's reasons, decisions etc. We are all human and I love that.
One thing that I got from this most of all is romanticizing the career of nursing. It is an interesting change of perspective and I definitely am thankful once again for each response. As much as I will go down with excitement and determination with my career I will definitely be warmer on how I approach the path. As well as lowing possibly my expectation of what it will be. What I still want to do is find out, even if it's a speck, is something that could help and benefit both nurses and patience in the long run.