Why so negative ?

RNroseshea · Oct 21, 2007

I feel that it is a good opportunity to vent here because it is a supportive and mostly non-judgemental environment. The support here is from others who are going through the same thing and/or will encounter the same or similar problem in the future. Most workers in the healthcare field in general are sensitive and need to vent..I mean who wants to keep all of those feelings inside..not many! We help others all day long and for once we have the opportunity to talk to others in the same profession about positve and negative experiences...that's good!

JustMe · Oct 21, 2007

First I want to thank you for starting this thread. Yes, there seems to be a lot of negative feelings in these postings, but where else can we vent when it's been a really bad day? My husband is sympathetic, thank goodness, but only nurses know what nurses go through.

I bend over backwards to do a good job for my patients. What is my thanks? Patients who scream and moan and cry that I'm not there holding their hand when my other patient is trying to die (I work in ICU). When I have a patient who has been assaulted I need to keep them safe--but all I get is grief and threats from a family member who insists they have a right to know the patient's condition (how do I know they aren't the one who committed the assault??). I think I've developed a good rapport with the family then when I can't be there at their beck and call I'm "ignoring" them--I had to go on a road trip with my other patient for a STAT CT scan! No amount of explanation helps. They don't get that there may be more pressing issues I have to deal with. They don't care.

Don't get me wrong--I LOVE being a nurse! I love it when I can do some teaching and really connect with my patients. But it's due to these situations that I work only part time, and I'm lucky that I can afford to do that.

Sorry this is so long--just had a very bad day:banghead:

TazziRN, RN · Oct 21, 2007

Just Me, the problem is that this is not the first time this kind of thread has been started. Most of the time it comes from students, but every once in a while it comes from a "real nurse". I love my job, I have a passion for it that has never faded in all the years I've done it, but there are times when I need to come on here and scream because if I screamed at home my family would have me committed. Here, my fellow nurses nod empathetically and pat me on the back and tell me, "I understand."

swee2000 · Oct 21, 2007

My husband is sympathetic, thank goodness, but only nurses know what nurses go through.

:yeahthat:

jb2u, ASN, RN · Oct 21, 2007

Hi everyone,
I have been reading this forum for months now and do enjoy it most of the time.
I do however notice that that the negative posts far out weight the positive ones. Some of the stories you read make you want to take an extra dose of Zoloft and see if World War 3 is already in progress.
Yes, Nursing is a hard job, Employers are mostly evil, Coworkers will eat their own young, Patients are all a pain in the ...,.
Seriously now, there has to be some good things abut nursing, I happen to love it, did so when I was a LPN and still do being a RN, not that my work has changed since I became a RN two years ago.
My favorite part of nursing is actually making a difference in the life of my patient and their family, seeing them recover from what seemed to be curtain doom ( I work in ICU). What makes you feel great about nursing ?
Michael

Everyone did a great job explaining the negative post, but to answer your question...what makes me feel great about nursing is....

1) knowing that I make a difference everyday, even if my pts don't know it!

2) having the ability to go in so many directions if I so choose (NP, CRNA, Home health, research, legal, etc etc)

3) knowing that it is always expanding and growing as a profession!

4) the respect that I get from the Doctors, pts, families, and co-workers. Not everyone is delirious to the respect owed nurses!!!

leslie :-D · Oct 21, 2007

Everyone did a great job explaining the negative post, but to answer your question...what makes me feel great about nursing is....
1) knowing that I make a difference everyday, even if my pts don't know it!
2) having the ability to go in so many directions if I so choose (NP, CRNA, Home health, research, legal, etc etc)
3) knowing that it is always expanding and growing as a profession!
4) the respect that I get from the Doctors, pts, families, and co-workers. Not everyone is delirious to the respect owed nurses!!!

*grunt*

oh shuddup, jb.

leslie:)

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2007

A negative post about all the negative posts!!

As they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2007

I have to agree with the others that we come here to vent. I think there's a difference between whining negativity and venting frustrations.

I also think the negativity isn't overwhelming on this site. When you look at the thousands of posts here, they are overwhelmingly people asking questions and others answering. Or people venting and others offering supportive and advice.

When a negative vent occurs most of the responses aren't negative in return but supportive.

So I disagree that the negative at Allnurses outnumbers the positive. The General forum does tend to contain more "venting" than some of the others.

I need to realistically vent about my frustrations but it certainly doesn't mean I'm down on nursing. There are some aspects I'm unhappy with, and sometimes I have a bad day.

leslie :-D · Oct 21, 2007

I do however notice that that the negative posts far out weight the positive ones. Some of the stories you read make you want to take an extra dose of Zoloft and see if World War 3 is already in progress.
Yes, Nursing is a hard job, Employers are mostly evil, Coworkers will eat their own young, Patients are all a pain in the ...,.
Seriously now, there has to be some good things abut nursing, I happen to love it, did so when I was a LPN and still do being a RN, not that my work has changed since I became a RN two years ago.
Michael

hi michael,

i will only speak for myself.

my first 2 yrs in nsg, were filled with anticipation and adrenaline.

i was psyched about caring for my pts, and the personal satisfaction that came with it.

my ideals were high, and had the negatives well under control.

i knew i could still affect change.

as the yrs progressed, the negatives were pervasive.

not only with coworkers, admin and md's, but the types of pts/families i cared for, were changing.

many were not mentally stable, and created a lot of hardship.

but it still didn't matter...

my pt grabbing for my hand at the end, families pulling me for a hug....it still was worth it.

i was just a little more tired.

today is not a good day.

i am feeling weary and defeated.

my passions are dormant.

i feel that i don't have the fight in my anymore.

the negatives have finally infiltrated my spirit.

and i am wiped.

tomorrow, through the grace of God, i will go to work and start all over.

and i will give my all, to my pts and their families.

i'll do my damndest to simmer the festering of intractible pain, angry bleeds, spewing vomit, relentless diarrhea, infested wounds that eat to the bone, and all other poisons that accompany a rotten death.

and i'll do it gently and proficiently.

i'll try and dissociate from the screams that fill the room, as i do every day.

i'll administer the narcotics that would kill an elephant, but don't touch my pt.

and too often, palliative sedation is the only answer.

and then, the silence is deafening.

sometimes, i'll listen to the livid accusations of me killing their loved one.

or the too frequent question of our administrator, "why are you stressed/sweating/hurrying?" or even better, "what DID you do to mr. xx?", readily taking the family's side.

i'm sick to death of abusive parent(s) who act like Mother Theresa, at the end.

i'm sick to death of the grateful pt who is GLAD they are dying, rather then live the life they were.

i'm sick to death of the spouse who keeps a 10 minute vigil at the bedside, while his/her gf/bf is sitting in the room.

and on and on.

yes, this is the specialty i chose.

but through reading everyone else's plights, this is nursing today.

and still, i remain.

and still, WE remain.

and that is because, when push comes to shove, our passions for the sanctity and quality of human life, is what we aspire to.

of course we're discouraged!

and so very tired.

but most of us will probably still do what we do best, until we retire or die.

and that is to nurse.

so please, allow us to vent, scream, kick, cry.

God knows, we need it.

leslie

TazziRN, RN · Oct 21, 2007

hallelujah, les!!!!!

you said it better than any of us.

NursingAgainstdaOdds · Oct 21, 2007

I don't think overall the negative posts outweigh the positive, however it is true in certain forums (General Nursing Discussion and First Year in Nursing spring to mind).

However, if one reads the "negative" threads, you will see something which bodes quite well for nursing - nurses in dire straits being supported by their colleagues, who often share their own positive stories.

However, I do appreciate the idea behind your post. My two loves in nursing are hands-on problem-solving and supporting family members in crisis.

jb2u, ASN, RN · Oct 21, 2007

*grunt*
oh shuddup, jb.
leslie:)

So, I should not have answered the OP's original question which was "What makes you feel great about nursing?" I stated that everyone did a GREAT job at explaining why there are negative post. I could not have added more to that, but I could answer what makes me feel great about nursing. I do not go around with rainbows in my pockets, but I am someone that tries to make the best out of any situation. Honestly, I'd rather see other people respond with an answer to the OP's question.