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

Nurses General Nursing

Published

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!!

Just as patients are entitled to high quality care, so as nurses, we should be able to give the time and have the facilities to provide it. FACT:there is a worldwide nursing shortage.If we continue to perform work whilst unpaid just to meet the workload then in turn we make the situation worse for ourselves in the long run.What should we do? As a collective continue to submit written complaints citing patient acuity and numbers every single shift you work which is inadequately staffed and send it to your unit managers.Keep your own personal diary describing your workloads and events.Prioritise your workload,perform the essential tasks first.Since when in the rulebook does it say your patients must be showered on the day shift?I say these things because a tired and unhappy nurse can and does make mistakes!You MUST think about yourselves and ensure that your practice is safe practice.Allow the patients to make complaints and encourage them to send their letters to the powers that be.DO THE PAPERWORK so that you and your colleagues get paid overtime ALL THE TIME! It is true when they say that the "squeaky wheel gets the oil".It takes time but in the end you'll benefit.After all, are the managers going risk a big law suit if something happens to a patient as a result of poor staffing?If you have the documentation at least you cover yourself.You should discuss these problems with your unit manager and colleagues.Do you have unit or ward meetings as the forum for issues?This i'd encourage as well.Nurses work effectively as part of a team and as such need to work together to solve problem issues and HELP each other out!If you don't ask you won't receive. After twenty years though i still would like an alternative career - but then again i've been thinking that since i was a second year student! It does have its rewards.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Labor & Delivery.

It would be interesting to know if any JACHO rep read these threads and see how some of their nonsense policies are affecting our care for the patients and our ability to do the job we (thought::rolleyes: ) we were hired to do. I would love to hear from them on a new and separate thread. So if any of you JACHO people are out there - drop us a line.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing home and Hospice care.
Also, are you even an RN? It doesn't look like it by your profile. If you're not then I don't think you can comment on the situation.

what the heck does RN or LPN or LVN have to do with taking breaks???????

:argue:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

hi there

I think people are free to choose their careers, so guys if u don't like it quit and something else, is very simple, I don't mind nursing but i won't stay a ward nurse, no way I will pursue something else:), such us ; Medical School, Forensics or even Biomedical Science :), take care and loof after urself too

c ya

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am a nursing student. This past semester we were only assigned one pt. I never got a break just taking care of one. I was sitting at the nurses station working on nursing diagnoses for my pt. and my instructor fussed at me for sitting down. I went all day from 6am to 4pm without using the bathroom even once. I cannot imagine how it would be with 8-14 pts. to take care of.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
hi there

I think people are free to choose their careers, so guys if u don't like it quit and something else, is very simple, I don't mind nursing but i won't stay a ward nurse, no way I will pursue something else:), such us ; Medical School, Forensics or even Biomedical Science :), take care and loof after urself too

c ya

That's something that is very easy to say, but quite difficult to do. I am young, single, and have no children or family responsibilites and I am still finding it tough to pursue another career. I still have student loans to pay off from my undergraduate nursing degree and I am trying to crawl out from under the debt that I accumulated trying to make it through four years of nursing school. I want to go back to school for something else, but I would have to return to take more undergraduate courses. Since I already have a bachelor's degree, funding opportunities are now more limited. Yes, it is possible, but I just wanted to point out that it is not "very simple". Add in family responsibilites and you would find that changing careers is actually quite a struggle. People do have to eat and have a place to live.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

i am yet to be a nurse though i am school now, but news like this scare me, and make me wonder if i have made the best choice.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
i'm 6 mos. from grad. w/ my R.N. & I HATE med/surg! I had clinical today and didn't have time to pee once, let alone eat! Not only that, but I do my best job w/ 2-3 pts. (I'm a student) & it's NEVER enough (I do the aids work also) even if I go above and beyond what other students do. There's always an R.N. ready to say "well, did you do this" .."did you do that", but NEVER... "good job"! Ticks me off & makes me mad! They're sucking the life out of me, before i'm even paid to do it, so no thanks. I'm doing my time on med/surg in school, because i have no choice then i'm outta there!!!!!

I'm in the same position as you, I'm doing a preceptorship on a med-surg floor with 4 patients. I do the aide's job at times, too, but usually the aides help if you ask them nicely/help them out too.

There is also always an RN saying I neglected to perform some care or charting. I think this is because a. they want us to be a better nurse when we graduate or b. they don't want to be shown up by a student/and want to appear to be in control.

I've also seen other RN's not do the things they tell me I'm not doing. I no longer have respect for these nurses, so I just shrug it off.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
i am yet to be a nurse though i am school now, but news like this scare me, and make me wonder if i have made the best choice.

Scares me a little too, but I think this post attracts people who have negative views/opinions about the current nursing environment.

We should start a post that says: "Why are nurses staying?" or "That won't happen to me"

I may be wrong, and I'll find out when I graduate: I still think everything is what you make it. If the place you're working at doesn't respect you or your needs, quit. Keep looking for a place that does. Maybe if enough people do this, word will get around about the terrible place that doesn't let the nurses eat or go to the bathroom. Eventually, that place will have such a hard time staffing that it gets shut down, or maybe, just maybe, they'll start looking for reasons why all the nurses left.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac, med/surg, ICU, telemetry.

Nurses are leaving because they, as human beings, can only take so much for so long without a break. Our patients are much more critical than they used to be. The hospital floor is like a circus with a door that goes round and round. One gets off, two get on. I can remember when I had a patient that was admitted for headaches. She would usually stay about 2 weeks, now thats an easy patient. Most patients are not easy anymore, they are very, very ill, and I myself, don't feel as if I do them justice as there are not enough seconds or minutes in the day to do the things I would like to do for my people. I can't remember the last time I was able to so something nice like curl someones hair, do nails or even a back rub, thats my opinion, at least today. It changes daily. Somedays I'm more angry about what other people have turned my hard earned profression into. Overloaded paper pushers who are in charge of everything that goes on in the unit, even making sure the Doctors do thier thing. geezzz, I almost feel better now. Ronna

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac, med/surg, ICU, telemetry.

It also seems as if the younger, newer nurses see some nurses , like myself, negative and part of the problem. I do have negative vision right now, it comes and goes, but mostly stays as I usually have head trauma from beating my head against the wall. I don't want young nurses to be like me. I want you to be proud, stand up tall, push out your chest, pull your shoulders back and tell yourself that you are going to do some wonderful things today, I want to be encouraging, but it also feels really good to get out the bad stuff sometimes, and this forum is bout the best outlet I got. Ronna

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree with everything you've stated. The job took a toll on me to the point that I got so depressed that I had to leave. I picked this profession because I care about people, as do most who have chosen this profession. After spending 8 yrs in Med-Surg. 2 in ICU. I finally had to come to terms with the reality of the conditions. I have thought for a long time there should be a nationwide strike, then what would all the consumers, doctors and administrators do? This is the only way things are going to change...We have worked hard in school to obtain our licenses. Why are we any different from other professionals. If this were going in a corporate office it would be the top story on the evening news. People not being able to take a break to pee! Doesn't that sound rediculous! Sad but true. Does the American public know that there lives are on the line? Guess not otherwise we would'nt be in here BITCHING!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment