Happy Thanksgiving to all! Reason to be thankful: I am not a nurse anymore!

Nurses General Nursing

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Hi all,

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

This year is special because I have something really special to be thankful for! I do not have to work as a nurse anymore! Which means I no longer have to:

1) Listen to patients complain because they have had their cold symptoms for more than two days and they just cannot wait in the ER waiting room!

2) Listen to thankless patients yell and belittle me becuase they are sick of waiting for the doctor to come in to see them, and then watch as they treat the doctor with the respect that I deserve for ordering all of thier lab and radiology exams while they were waiting to see that doctor!!

3) Wait hand and foot on patient's who have been in the ER for 10 minutes and just need to eat right now! There abdominal pain is just that terrible!

4) Hold my bladder until it is ready to explode!

5) Eat lunch AND dinner at the end of my 12 hour shift that I haven't had a break on, while I am forced to feed patients that have been in the department for 10 minutes!

6) Listen to other nurses put a guilt trip on me when I demmand a break!

7) Hear about the negative comments that other nurses have said to a preceptee about how bad of a preceptor I will be, but I am only a preceptor "becuase management loves me and thats the only reason I got employee of the month too".

8) Hear that a charge nurse complained that I only take sick kids that require 1:1 care becuase I do not like to work. We all know critically ill children are no work at all, you just stand there and twidle your thumbs! This same charge nurse is the first to run and get me when a sick kid comes in and assign it to me!

9) Watch patient's suffer for 2-3 hours with pain and/or nausea/vomiting becuase we are so overwhelmed with patients and god forbid the doctors see patients in a timely manner. The same doctors that refuse to put some medications in our order sets!

10) No longer getting hit, spit at, and verbally abused by any patients, especially psychiatric patients!

11) No longer have to worry about the medical patient I am neglecting because the psychiatric patient who comes in every other day is acting out because they suddenly need a sandwich, a cigarrette, a shower, and medication for their anxiety!

12) No longer have to do rape kits, something I was never trained in as a nurse, god forbid we skip the magnet crap and put the money towards SANE nurses so that someone who has some forensic training can do an exam that SHOULD REQUIRE someone with forensics training!

Last, but not least, I could continue with this list, but it would go on for days. I no longer have to be tired and miserable all the time and I no longer have to dread the very thought of going to work!!!

HappyParamedicEXRN!

Specializes in ICU/CCU.

Woohoo! Congrats on the switch. Follow your bliss!

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
I am currently as a paramedic full time again, and believe it or not my take home pay is double. Yes I have to work more hours, but a 24 hour shift on the ambulance feels like a 4 hour shift in the hospital as a nurse!

Yes I will have to deal with irritating people, but only for about 10 minutes before they become some poor nurses' problem which is fine with me! (sorry, I hope I do not sound like a mean person there, but it is so true)

and my patient's tend to be much more thankful than the ones in the ED, since I can give them relief from pain, nausea, and sometimes anxiety related to their condition. It's much easier to give patients the attention most of them deserve when you only have one of them! Thus I do not need to work as a nurse to feel like I am helping people... I do that every shift I work on the ambulance and enjoy what I do. Nothing like looking FORWARD to going to work! It's a great feeling and life is way to short not to know what that feels like!

HappyParamedicExRN

U have read my mind - my thoughts over the past 4 yrs or so. I have been a nurse for 19 yrs, and love working in the ER but ...

I was in EMT B school at the same time as nursing school, and had to give up one, so I gave up the EMT. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. Hubbie and I have been talking about it, and I'm hoping I can think about going back for it.

Thanks, u have made me feel a lot better!!

Anne, RNC

Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.
U have read my mind - my thoughts over the past 4 yrs or so. I have been a nurse for 19 yrs, and love working in the ER but ...

I was in EMT B school at the same time as nursing school, and had to give up one, so I gave up the EMT. Woulda, shoulda, coulda. Hubbie and I have been talking about it, and I'm hoping I can think about going back for it.

Thanks, u have made me feel a lot better!!

Anne, RNC

Do what your heart and mind tell u to do and do not listen to people tell you that you cannot make a living working in EMS! As an EMTB you might have to make some life style sacrifices or even work part time as a nurse while you get enough EMS experience to go for your Medic if that is what you desire, but you can make it work. I own a nice truck, a condo and have many other bills that most people have and I am doing fine with only my income!

Good luck to you!

Happy paramedic

Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

Happy, I'm happy you're happier. :) But just a thought ... keep the nursing license active, just in case you're inspired to go into another area of nursing at some point (like flight?). I love being a medic too, but I also like having a lot of irons in the fire. :D Good luck!!!

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
Do what your heart and mind tell u to do and do not listen to people tell you that you cannot make a living working in EMS! As an EMTB you might have to make some life style sacrifices or even work part time as a nurse while you get enough EMS experience to go for your Medic if that is what you desire, but you can make it work. I own a nice truck, a condo and have many other bills that most people have and I am doing fine with only my income!

Good luck to you!

Happy paramedic

Thanks, happy! I appreciate it. I have had quite a few people telling me about the financial aspect, but my hubbie is also an RN - he works as a nsg supervisor. We have looked at finances, and we would have o make some adjustments, but it won't be a big stressor. Thank goodness for that.

I applaud u for making the switch - I can identify with so many aspects of your post.

Anne, RNC

Specializes in ICU/CCU.

Very interesting. I'm a little saddened that nursing had such a negative impact on you, I wish I couldv'e shared my experience so at least you could leave with a better taste in your mouth. At least you didn't say you left to become a vacuum sales person, that would have been weird.

Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.
Very interesting. I'm a little saddened that nursing had such a negative impact on you, I wish I couldv'e shared my experience so at least you could leave with a better taste in your mouth. At least you didn't say you left to become a vacuum sales person, that would have been weird.

Honestly if I had to work as a vacuum saleswoman to leave nursing, as long as I could pay the bills, I would!

LOL! I think many people can relate to that. :)

Specializes in ER, TRAUMA, MED-SURG.
LOL! I think many people can relate to that. :)

Definetly!!

Speaking of going back to being a full-time paramedic again...

I got a recruitment flyer from an area in northwest Arkansas, where I want to live, looking to hire full-time paramedics. The starting salary was somewhere around 45k/yr, which is quite the salary in Arkansas, plus it was three to four day work weeks with no emergency runs.

I called them up to ask about it and spoke to the secretary for about twenty minutes. It was strictly to understand what was going on. She said they just had trouble getting medics, and new guys always wanted to "just do" emergencies.

It made me wish I was up there doing it, lol.

Specializes in ED.

Good for you happy. I'm still practicing as medic. Prn. I don't miss the 24 hour shifts cause we spent mist of the night ona corner "covering". Plus I'm not a firefighter so my choices as a medic are less than as a RN. Both jobs are not for everybody. Though locally tgeyvare cranking out medics like there is no tomorrow :). I like aspects of both th ERRN. And medic

Specializes in ED, Pedi Vasc access, Paramedic serving 6 towns.
So as a paramedic you don't have to deal with any of this? I agree a lot of it sucks! but you still will have psych patients and have a lot less help--though you do have the cops. But you will still get kicked and spit at and all that.

I am glad for you that you found a job that you are happy at. I understand wanting to be doing something that makes me happy and that I don't hate going to. Gotta do what is best for you. Too bad they can't make some changes to the hospital so that nursing isn't so miserble and overworked.

uh, actually I have never been physically assaulted or spit at by a patient working EMS and I have been in EMS for13 years in a fairly busy city! They have tried, but cops will have the person down on the ground kissing the pavement long before they can kick us or spit at us, not to mention if the patien is kicking and spitting in the field, unlike nursing I am not expected to jump in and hold them down! Patients are also much less likely to act out with the police present, it's amazing the effect a person with a gun and tazor can have on keeping someone in-line!

Happy

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