After switching specialties a few times, I’ve come to the conclusion that I hate bedside nursing. It’s won me chronic migraines (for which I have tried a plethora of drug therapies with no relief), hypertension and most recently have been grappling with pretty serious depression.
Because somehow complaining online to strangers is therapeutic, let’s dive into all the things I hate in hopes that someone feels the same way.
1. Incivility. Nursing for me has been Mean Girls in real life. Nurses (and providers) are all too comfortable airing their grievances to everyone but the source. Providers are condescending, and I’ve been publicly belittled as much as I can tolerate. Management plays favorites. PSRs have become a fancy way for other staff to be self righteous and passive aggressive simultaneously.
2. We don’t have CNAs or other support staff where I work. Vitals, butt wiping, bed making, ambulation... it’s all on us. In addition to all the other stupid things we have to do in a shift. See #3. I worked as a CNA throughout nursing school. At the risk of sounding entitled, I became an RN in the first place to get relief from the manual labor.
3. Endless documentation on the aforementioned obsolete charting system. Every week, the good idea fairy comes along and we have yet another stupid thing that we have to mindlessly chart (in 5 different places) for every patient. Hourly rounds... God forbid you didn’t document that your patient is STILL lying in the bed, watching Judge Judy... just like they were an hour ago, and the hour before that. Chart audits are on us too.
I have to get out, but I don’t know how. I like the idea of pharmacy but acknowledge that obtaining a Doctorate for which none of my credits will transfer is no small decision. I like the idea of becoming an NP, but not sure what I’d specialize in. Concerned about the market being saturated. Hell, I’d toy with public health or informatics.... anything to get away from the bedside. I’m currently active military, and I am unsure where I would even like to live. I feel like I should talk to a career advisor but don’t know how. My biggest fear is going back to school, taking out more loans and spending years on a job I will also grow to hate. I see a lot of new grads hating nursing, but after 5 years, I’m just....done. Anyone else go through this?
