Why do some nurses "hate their jobs"?

amoLucia · Apr 10, 2016

Sounds like homework?

heronurse · Apr 10, 2016

I hate my job right now because were always short so having a higher patient load makes it inefficient and unsafe.

Libby1987 · Apr 10, 2016

I'm paid fairly and I don't hate my job. I grew a stronger work ethic with maturity and I became a better nurse and more tolerant patient person after having personally experienced health crises and death and dying.

I'm wired for it though.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

I enjoy my current job because I am far removed from the bedside and direct patient care.

I detested the bedside due to the increasingly abusive families who want to displace their anger onto nursing staff. They wouldn't be able to get away with their antics in any other industry, but nursing excuses it because "these people are stressed."

heron, ASN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

OP, I'm not sure I understand your question - are we supposed to pick one?

Also, your first bullet point (about "quick money") is fallacious.

jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B · Apr 10, 2016

I think some people aspire to be nurses because of a hands on/critical thinking combo. So I don't think some people are "built" to be nurses.

Bedside has become rather robotic with a chicken with head cut off pace. Ratios and acuity are difficult to say the least. So it is not the profession per se, but rather the job. There are people who are more ill, more complex and limits on the time they can spend in house. So that leaves nurses to be working a practical miracle with a deadline.

Back in the day 20+ years ago, there were fewer choices for women. Even a bit longer than that, there was getting married, being a teacher, a nurse or a flight attendant kind of culture for some. So there's a level of frustration there.

Equally, at that same time, a hospital job was a really good job to get. The pay was amazing, lots of staff, really good benefits, room to be sent back to school, all around employers were invested in keeping nurses, and keeping nurses happy. Not so much today. And changes are not to the patient's benefit, even though the powers that be say it is. Wolves in sheep's clothing. And any number of us who have been on the job 20 plus years can see right through it.

By then, you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Financial responsibility, losing seniority and significant pay be going elsewhere, conditions the same or worse....and the ever present fear that people don't hire bedside 50+ year old nurses who have put in 25 years. They all want to grow their own for less money and no expectations/preconceived notions. But then you put a new grad in a place where seasoned nurses have been for a long time, and all heck breaks loose. New grads do not have the kind of instinct that was expected of a new grad 20 years ago. But you are playing with sicker people for less time. The days of Gram in the bed for a month because of her "failure to thrive" is over, vs the complex patient with multiple comorbidities that you have 3 days to fix and discharge and you best not have a readmit for the same thing is alive and well.

Yes, to be paid well is not a bad thing. But to be paid fairly with a acuity level and patient load that makes sense and is safe, not having all of this strange passive aggressive bring all your personal problems to work weeks even better.

Maevish, ASN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

I most certainly believe that some people are built for or made for nursing. Either they always wanted to be a nurse or they're easily adaptable and hard working naturally so the trials that come with nursing aren't as much of a burden for them. My mom is one of those people and is finally considering going back to school to do the LVN-RN program (she's a CNA now and absolutely loves her job more than anyone I know). I'm not one of those people and nursing wasn't my first choice. I went into it because my family said I needed to find a job where I'd be able to pay off my school loans (upwards of 60K) and music wasn't gonna cut it.

Fast forward to today, before the criticism starts rolling in. :) I'm not one of those who is "just dying to go to work", but it's like the gym: I don't want to go, but by the time I get here and get moving, it's something I enjoy (except for those exceptionally bad shifts, of course!). I still don't think I've found my honest-to-goodness niche, but I enjoy what I do now enough to do it until I do. So far, plastic surgery centers are something I've enjoyed the most, after postpartum, but I still find ICU fascinating and stimulating, except for the assignment I'm on now (haha), simply because it's not a "real" ICU. Also, any job where the people are good to work with helps so freaking much! I'm just being honest.

Nursing is most certainly not a way to make fast money, especially considering all the schooling and stress that go with that, boards, finding a job (let alone a job you like), etc.

For me, increased pay along with sufficient staffing would help a lot with my work, but there are those who would say that was selfish because nursing pays more than a LOT of other jobs. I would argue that, with all the stress and what's constantly at stake (licenses, lives, etc) I'm not asking for more than my due, but I know some would disagree.

Another thing I would change is, now that I know more about traveling, that facilities would give more feedback to their travelers and not be able to cancel a contract for dumb reasons, but that's just me. :)

iculvr · Apr 10, 2016

Hello! @ heron

How is that statement fallacious? Nursing is a way to make quick money in comparison to other routes. I obtained my A.D.N. in two years while working full time as a tech and graduated at the age of 22. Friends my age were still in college working towards becoming a Pharmacist, Lawyer and other professional degrees. So, In my eyes, nursing is a quick way to make money. What is your stance?

I only listed statements for viewers to reflect upon that is all. :saint:

OP, I'm not sure I understand your question - are we supposed to pick one?
Also, your first bullet point (about "quick money") is fallacious.

iculvr · Apr 10, 2016

I certainly agree. As bedside nurses we have to deal with the patient, family, doctors, personalities, supply room that isn't filled, managers who aren't on our sides, all of which are taxing. At the same time we are told to put a smile on our face and follow it with my pleasure. I love my job, I only wish it was more nurse driven.

I enjoy my current job because I am far removed from the bedside and direct patient care.
I detested the bedside due to the increasingly abusive families who want to displace their anger onto nursing staff. They wouldn't be able to get away with their antics in any other industry, but nursing excuses it because "these people are stressed."

iculvr · Apr 10, 2016

It's not homework if you enjoy it

Sounds like homework?

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Apr 10, 2016

Keep in mind that you are on an anonymous internet forum. Do a lot of happy employees in any field come to a place like this to shout from the rooftops about how much they love their jobs? Heck, no! Even the people you meet in real life are much more likely to express negativity about their jobs than total satisfaction with their careers.

That being said the most common reasons for dissatisfaction with nursing are very valid. We are continually expected to do more with less and are not being compensated for the more. The bottom line that drives most of the decline in employee satisfaction is Health care in general has moved away from a patient centered model to a let's make money business model.