when i first started nursing i made a point to answer every call light, do every extra duty, go every extra mile. now that i have been working for almost 17 yrs i find that i am not so eager to do all the extra tasks. i still try to do everything i can but it is now impossible to make everyone happy. the pt that refused their shower on nights and is now demanding it on days is not my priority. much less being able to cut someones nails or blow dry their hair. i'm lucky to get peoples pain meds to them or toilet them in a timely manner. our hospital is (supposedly big on customer service) but don't staff accordingly. anyone else not so gung ho anymore??????
Aug 15, '02
From the time I started clinical rotations in college until my last day of working in nursing, I was the same nurse. I'm like a jumping jelly bean who smiles all the time anyway...and makes a lot of humor with everyone I know...patients included...so nothing has slowed this energizer bunny down one bit. I just take everything in stride, and keep on keeping on.
:kiss
Aug 15, '02
i am still the same old nurse i was when i graduated i love going to work and helping my patients. I get accused of babying my patients to much, some of my coworkers used to get annoyed with me doing that for some reason.but i will never change i just love what i do!
Aug 15, '02
i'm glad you guys still go the extra mile for your pts. but do you think this is one reason more demands are put on nursing? i still smile and keep good spirits but have to limit what can be done. maybe you haven't worked short or maybe you guys can just handle it better than me. i am very organized and get my work done but find it difficult to run myself ragged while nursing is the only dept expected to kill themselves for the sake of the pt. everything falls back onto nursing dept. and i am sick of it. i know, i need to get out of nursing. ah, if it were that easy to leave my benes and all behind........
Aug 15, '02
i think the extra demands are put on us by the bean counters. and the fact that nurses will not stand together and fight what is piled upon them
Aug 15, '02
Originally posted by mark_LD_RN
i think the extra demands are put on us by the bean counters. and the fact that nurses will not stand together and fight what is piled upon them
am going there more and more in my nursing mind and thinking.......
worth the requote mark LD RN
Aug 15, '02
6years.......gung ho? whats that? :chuckle me 
Aug 15, '02
After 15 years in one hospital I found myself having days when I wasn't so gung ho about the whole thing. Time to leave. I never had my patients do without or anything just wasn't as gung ho as usual. Now, new job of only 4 weeks, am very excited and gung ho again. Maybe we all need a change now and then. I think it's like Mark said about administration or bean counters. They just keep pushing us down further and further down until we can't see the forest for the trees.
Aug 15, '02
i am gung-ho about OB; hope always to be. but then this is my niche. and being perdiem helps, working when you want and how you want. try a change of venue; maybe a fresh outlook and job is what you need. i wish you the best.
Aug 15, '02
Tiger,
Maybe its not that you've lost your gunghoness, maybe you are just not staffed as well as you were.
Aug 15, '02
Tiger, don't be so hard on yourself. It's unrealistic to think that you'll never have days when you just can't get up to 110% enthusiasm. The first thing that comes to my mind is to ask if you're doing anything special for yourself? Are you making sure that you take care of yourself--eat right, sleep enough, exercise a bit, see friends and loved ones, smell the flowers. It's hard to care for other people when you don't feel cared for yourself.
For myself I find that when I get into one of these modes what seems to work for me is to push myself to do those little extra things, to spend some time chatting with my patients even when I feel like I don't have the time. It reminds me why I am a nurse and why I remain one. I'm a nurse because of and in spite of the patients. Because of them as they occ. say thanks, get better, go home, die well; in spite of them beacuse they are cranky, mean and frustrating and force me to grow.
Take care.
Aug 15, '02
Originally posted by mark_LD_RN
i think the extra demands are put on us by the bean counters.
I KNOW!!! Let's get rid of the bean counters! (Who needs beans anyway?) AND the lovely (non-nurses) advisors who come in and tell TPTB how to save $$$$!!!
Aug 15, '02Joined: Sep '01; Posts: 16,606; Likes: 680From the time I started clinical rotations in college until my last day of working in nursing, I was the same nurse. I'm like a jumping jelly bean who smiles all the time anyway...and makes a lot of humor with everyone I know...patients included...so nothing has slowed this energizer bunny down one bit. I just take everything in stride, and keep on keeping on.
Aug 15, '02Occupation: registered nurse Joined: Nov '01; Posts: 1,083; Likes: 14i am still the same old nurse i was when i graduated i love going to work and helping my patients. I get accused of babying my patients to much, some of my coworkers used to get annoyed with me doing that for some reason.but i will never change i just love what i do!
Aug 15, '02Occupation: RN Specialty: ER, PACU, OR ; Joined: Dec '98; Posts: 2,120; Likes: 286years.......gung ho? whats that? :chuckle me
Aug 15, '02Joined: Apr '02; Posts: 38,756; Likes: 16,288i am gung-ho about OB; hope always to be. but then this is my niche. and being perdiem helps, working when you want and how you want. try a change of venue; maybe a fresh outlook and job is what you need. i wish you the best.
with this knowledge, it is difficult to be enthusiastic. :stone thanks for the replies.:roll 
