Great nursing jobs out there :)

Good Morning, Gil · Oct 12, 2011

Yep, I love my job! I'm in the same ICU area as you are, and I love the team-oriented nature. The MD's are always asking our opinions on patient status, and working with the RT's is great, too. It's even more awesome that I am still on orientation, and the MD's ask me what my opinion is rather than just passing me over and asking my preceptor; I guess I just assumed respect would be earned (and they would just ignore me and ask my preceptor), but they treat me like I am part of the team already. I guess if I had no clue what was going on, and looked like a deer in the headlights, that would be a different story lol, but it helps that I'm confident in myself, and so at times, they probably don't even realize I'm orienting.

ICU, BSN, B.S., RN · Oct 12, 2011

That's AWESOME!!. Yea it seems like a close knit family down in the ICU with the RTs and the Intensivists, which at my hospital, are the Pulmonologists!! :) :nurse: :yeah: Glad there are others out there who are enjoying the profession.

Good Morning, Gil · Oct 12, 2011

Yep! I think it just all depends on finding the nursing area that is right for you, and having a good manager/unit. It's so sad to me that some facilities, especially the ones that are mentioned on here, are so poorly run. I mean....it's really not that hard to be a good manager or even a decent one, and the employees suffer from poor management, but I mean, that's everywhere now. Employee abuse is probably at its highest with the crappy economy now since everyone is trying to make do with less, and the employer knows that people are just desperate and thankful to even have a job. It's not right, but it's the way it is. Anyway, I'm glad that you are enjoying your job! There are many people that do enjoy their job, but there also are many that don't. I just wish most people did! It would suck to go to work every day, and hate it. (I have been there before, and when I was there, I would try to find a few rewarding things about my job to make it tolerable and feel like I was making a difference).

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Oct 12, 2011

I do, but I'm feeling a little burned out. I've taken care of a lot of really really sick patients lately. And I work very hard, but many of them end up being put on comfort care the next day and support removed. It's completely appropriate, I just hate being that nurse before that shift running so hard to do what's really futile anyway.

I'm talking 90 year olds full sepsis, k's of 7,blood pressure of 45/27 Blood sugar of 19, intubated, lines and everything placed on my shift when I got them from the ER at almost 5 AM and only have 2 hours with all paperwork. That's with another patient on a ventilator. Thank god for team work. But I've had so many of those kinda shifts lately....I'm really thinking of a change. And I'm mad at myself because I wanted this challenge.

ICU, BSN, B.S., RN · Oct 12, 2011

I'm assuming you are in an ICU?

**NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN** · Oct 12, 2011

Yes! I love working with intensivists and I love the team. We take care of some really sick people and are a brand new unit with mostly new equipment. 20 bed MICU 20 bed SICU.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Oct 12, 2011

It's funny: what you described as being an awesome part of your job is something that would drive me nuts. I hate I/O monitoring and constant vitals checking on the same patients. If I have one patient for more that 4 hours I start to get sick of them. I used to think I wanted ICU or ED and I'm so glad I went the ED route because it's a much better fit for me!

I also mostly love my job. The honeymoon is definitely over, but my coworkers are great and most of the doctors are good too work with. Our residents all seem to realize the benefit of being good to the nurses. I definitely feel very lucky to be where I am.

roser13, ASN, RN · Oct 12, 2011

I seriously doubt that you will hear from any Med/Surg nurses that share your optimism and love for your job. And that's a shame.

Personally, I would have been a Med/Surg nurse for the rest of my life (and one of the few who actually loved it) if I had been allowed to actually be a nurse instead of the chief barmaid, waitress, errand runner and pillow fluffer to my patients and every single member of their families, thanks to the almighty pursuit of outstanding customer service. And if I'd had adequate support staff so that I didn't also have to answer the phone and every single call light.

It's sad to me that your optimistic cheerful post is so rare here. There are so many of us who went into nursing because we care, only to realize that in some/most? institutions, we are about the only ones who do care. I do realize that lots of us use AN to vent, but still, I don't see very many happy M/S nurses.

(So sorry to rain on your lovely post. :lol2: Carry on!)

Nikki 1984 · Oct 12, 2011

I'm really glad that Some of you out there have found such enjoyable jobs, it gives me hope that they are out there. I've been an LPN for 27 yrs. I just left my last job due to such a hostile work environment. So many things were wrong with this facility that I won't list them all. I'm not going to vent about it, just wanted to know what would you do if you went into work everyday and your UM bossed you around like her very own puppet, or humiliated everyone she came into contact with? What would you do if you knew that illegal tampering of the MARS was taking place and because you refused to be a part of it, your job was being threatened and your license. Who could you go to with your questions and problems when your supervisor's are all part of the problem? How do you inform DHEC of documents being falsified without risk of losing your own license because of the accusations. I would not even be thinking of informing anyone without knowing that I have a witness who is willing to back my accusations. But even though I have such a witness I live in a very small medical community and once the word gets out that I was a whistle blower it's very likely that I won't ever work again. So, what would you do? Would you let it go? Move on and let them get away with all of the things they have done in order to protect yourself? I'm just glad that I saw your post about how happy you are at your job. it gives me hope that there are decent people still out there and jobs that a person can go to everyday that they don't hate. I'm not burnt out, just frustrated about what I should do. I hate the thought of all the good employees and the sweet residents I've left behind. What will happen ton them? Especially the residents who can't control the situation they find themselves in. It's just a really sad situation that doesn't leave me with a lot of options at this point. Why doesn't anybody back up their employee's? Why do facilities like this get away with fooling DHEC about so many things? Who really protects the innocent? Does anybody even care?

optimist · Oct 12, 2011

I love my job! Been doing wound care in LTC for 2.5yrs now. Weekends only. I love the autonomy of working at my own pace, having the time to take a break or help a L.O.L put her makeup on in the morning,sitting and talking to a lonely demented little man.I love only having to focus on a specific part for my assessment (granulation vs nongranulation,exudate type,s/s of infection,etc). I love having the time to help other nurses out when they get overwhelmed but being able to do my own thing when I myself am swamped at the time. I love being obligated to only 2 days a week,with the other 5 to do as I please, or picking up whatever days I want to supplement.I love doing the gross stuff that few other nurses enjoy. I could vent on and on about the difficulties of LTC as a whole, but in general I really do love MY job.

MomRN0913 · Oct 12, 2011

I did love my ICU job. The doctors definitely treated us with more respect than the floor nurses, sadly enough. And the dayshift more than the nightshift.

I enjoyed my 2 very sick patients. Loved using my critical thinking skills, working close with the patients and families. The problem is now, it's your very sick 3 patients on averageat the facility i worked at.

But I did love my coworkers and still do.