getting discouraged...

Hey everyone...I've been working as a rn for 8 months now--and I am really beginning to feel discouraged. My floor is crazy busy and we are being short staffed all the time now! We are a cardiac/telemetry floor and the other day our patient load was 9:1---that's insane! That cannot be safe for our patients! and I know it is not healthy for us either. I have been trying to stick it out for a year--to gain experience--but I really feel I can't take it much longer. I'm thinking about switching to somewhere else in the hospital. I've been thinking about same day--anyone have any experience with same day? I feel like I'd rather have the patients come to me, do what needs to be done, and send them on their way, nevermind having the lives of 7-9 people on my hands for 13 hours. It's getting to be too much for me. Any advice?

Don't know anything about same day; but, have you considered the ED? With what you said, "I feel like I'd rather have the patients come to me, do what needs to be done, and send them on their way," you might be suited for emergency nursing. With the floor nursing experience, you would also be able to handle the admits easily. The only problem could be the pt load. Find out the max in your ED and if its less than what you have on the floor, it might be just what you are looking for.

9:1 that is crazy and just plain wrong !!!! i have heard of some hospitals are 10: 1 where i work it's 6:1 and that is enough for me... i barely do 6 somedays.. you poor girl...i maybe you could find a better job

I've heard that a lot of folks bailed out of Mountainside after the sale so as to stay with AHS and maintain their pensions. Not confirmed, just something I heard that might explain the shortstaffing.