Perpetually overworked?

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi, an educator of mine whom I trust very much recently told me in response to my complaints about my job that "you will always feel overworked and undervalued". This was very discouraging to me! I've been in my first nursing job for about a year and a half so am still getting my bearings in terms of understanding what aspects of my job are true of my job area only vs nursing as a whole. I work in a clinic and struggle with acting as a middleman between everyone and/or as gatekeeper for the doctors; dealing with critical/impatient/temperamental doctors; and doing administrative work like scheduling, prior auths, and record retrieval (or being criticized when the individual I delegated said work to does something incorrectly). Any input, thoughts, or advice you have would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know how you'll "always feel". I feel pretty breezy, though. Not only do I have a bit more experience, but I live in a state with mandated ratios and my employer doesn't make too much of a fuss over anything.

If I were still at my first nursing job, I think I'd still be suffering.

I'm sure your instructor believed what she said, and was well intentioned. However, no one can tell you how to feel, how you will feel, how you should feel. Not everyone's experiences are the same. Even if one has the same experience as another, that doesn't mean they will feel the same about it.

What is one thing we are taught to never say to people diagnosed with a disease or who just lost a loved one? "I know how you feel." No. You. Don't.

If you truly ARE overworked with no appreciation from management, consistently, then you move on elsewhere. maybe not right away. Get experience in. Put in a reasonable notice. Then you know better what questions to ask during your next interviews to make sure you don't land in that type of environment again and end up feeling that way again

If you can't change your environment, then you can work on changing your attitude and perception. For example, I didn't get squat as far as appreciation from management in my former job. But I did get it from many patients and families, and THAT meant more to me.

Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Agree with the previous poster; it's all in your own attitude, perception, etc.

I'll add: Nursing is not unique, as far as having employees who are going to

feel "overworked and underappreciated". Anywhere in which one is working

beneath others, does one have the possibility of feeling that way.

I've never felt over worked and under appreciated in my 30 plus nursing career in a variety of settings.

On the other hand, being a wife, mother, and grandmother....it goes without saying I'm totally overworked and under appreciated :).

If changing your family was as easy as changing a job.....yikes wouldn't our society be different.

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