HATING MED/SURG

[pale_pilsen]

I just need to vent away my feelings today at work. It was so horrible that i feel like a walking robot that keeps on going and going and ignoring my time to eat lunch and bathroom because the workload is just too much to handle! I was literaly crying inside. Fast pacing my walk from one hallway to the other. In my head, i need to keep going because im still behind with everything. I hated it. I hate getting piled up with so much things to do. Do this, do that, phonecalls, labs, dr on hold, pain meds, family complain, admission is here, discharge in 10 minutes, pain meds again and again and again, etc. I asked my other co-worker whos been there for 1yr and she told me, just keep on going. Shes right. Even though the workload keep piling up every minute of the hour, i just have to keep going because otherwise, i would have to stay for god knows how long just to finish my unpaid charting. And you know what, no matter how hard i worked without any breaks today, i still ended up staying for 2 hours to chart! Why? I didnt get to chart properly all freaking day long because so many things would come up that its literally impossible to stay in one place without someone calling your name. Ugggghhhh!

Some of you would not understand this situation. But some of you whos been there and done that would understand. So please dont judge me right away. I love nursing. But this type of nursing is toxic and detrimental to someones health overall. I dont want to be in this type of work for so long. I would go nuts! With the economy being so bad, its impossible to find work asap, even as an rn. Yes, thats right, even as an rn. There is no nursing shortage, even as predicted couple of years ago. If they were right with their estimated nursing shortage (look in your nursing books) in 2020, there wouldn't been complains about nurses not finding a job left and right in this site. Its all crap. Its business, and its all about the profits. I just wish someone would do a documentary film about med/surg nurses and see the real nursing as it really is, live and raw! Not the edited ones by johnsons and johnson commercial where everyone is smiling, clean, and happy.

Oh by the way, im still waiting to get that o.r. Job. But i dont have the result yet. Thanks for reading my vent. Sorry its so long. This is my only way of releasing my stress. I love this site.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

This is why I work nights. Less ******** day to day stuff to worry about and just dealing with the pts. I saw my stress level drop then change to a new kind of stress when I switched to nights and will not be going back any time soon. I dont hate medical but it is not where I want to be. Im looking it as starting at the bottom rung and working my way up from there

[StrwbryblndRN]

I am one of those nurses who love med-surg. I used to feel beat up,let down, sad, frustrated but I eventually "got it". I work nights though and that can be very different from day shift med-surg.

I look at the newer nurses (less than 2 years) and still see the frustration.

It will get better. I do hope that you find your niche in the process. Good luck

[aznurse1]

I wouldn't wish for someone with this attitude as the nurse for myself or a loved one.

I just want to say that as soon as you complain about nursing being unmanagable, it becomes your (the nurses) personal attitude issue. I don't think this is fair. (Me, a BSN nurse with 20+ years of experience and teach clinicals to nsg students.)

The point is, complaining doesn't make you a bad nurse, being overwhelmed doesn't make you a bad nurse. I, personally, am tired of the shaming that happens when a nurse describes how she is responding to emotional/psychological trauma in the workplace. That's what happens to nurses in these situations, they are emotionallly and psychologically traumatized by the uncontrollable situations in which they are placed. When they respond with complaints they are futher traumatized by the shaming. Please stop.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

OP, I completely understand your frustrations. I almost went to MS right out of nursing school, but ended up on a post interventional cardiac unit instead. Though the specialties might be different, they're still both floor nursing.

At first, I would get sick to my stomach just thinking about going to work. During my shifts, I would look longingly at the elevators and fantasize about what it would be like to get on them and never come back.

But, I did what someone told you to do, and just kept going. Just kept trudging along. And you know what? It DID get better.

After 2 years, yes, I still had the occasional crazy shift with no time to tend to my personal bodily functions, just glad nobody had died on my watch, but more often, I felt like a pretty darn good nurse. I learned how to structure my days, and when structure had to go out the window, go with the flow. I learned tons about pathophysiology and pharmacology, and feel now like that experience was a solid background for starting in the ED.

I would give it some more time. It will get better. You'll either continue to hate it, or you might actually start to like it. If you continue to hate it, then you can transfer to a different specialty with a solid clinical foundation under your belt.

Best of luck to you!

[Mulan]

Did you happen to be in management/adminstration?

Some people just don't have a clue as to what it is actually like to work at the bedside.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

If we had national patient ratios like CA including staff for breaks we could actually breathe and not be overstressed and overworked. Also so many of the new RN's looking for a job could have one and it might actually be a fairly good working environment, but I think it will take an act of congress to get most hospitals to hire adequate staff. Either that or a strong union to force safe, fair staffing ratios; because the hospital is just fine with the way things are now. They love working us to death and saving money that will just go for some big shots bonus at the end!

While we're being harassed to death with the damn computer big brother, why is the med a minute late etc! Don't forget to make everyone happy or else!

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

This is why I work nights. Less ******** day to day stuff to worry about and just dealing with the pts. I saw my stress level drop then change to a new kind of stress when I switched to nights and will not be going back any time soon. I dont hate medical but it is not where I want to be. Im looking it as starting at the bottom rung and working my way up from there

I wil admit, nights are better sometimes. Unfortunately there still are no limits on visiting hours or the amount of family in a room, so that still happens at 3 am, esp. with an admit- always feel bad for pt in other bed, and they usually give you bad points as" you kept them up all night"

Just to get perspective from other nurses I used to work with who moved on to float pool, they told me it's ike this in every floor of the hospital, that even specialties are now mixed with med surg. So there's no where to escape this. :-( . well maybe maternity, but that one I will pass on.

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

While we're being harassed to death with the damn computer big brother, why is the med a minute late etc! Don't forget to make everyone happy or else!

This is another reason we are being set up for failure!! OH, if only we all could walk out at the same time and make a point....

[NotFlo]

If you have time to look at the clock, you have too much free time.

So disagree with this statement...

[Isabelle49]

Never worked as an RN on med-surge, never will. After my experience as a Nurse Tech in med-surge, I said forget that!

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

So disagree with this statement...

yep- this person would probably berate you with "oh you need to practice better time management"

Although back when I worked at Mickey D's as a 16 y/o i do remember a saying " If there's time to lean , there's time to clean" hahaha

[pale_pilsen]

Wow. Thanks for all the wonderful comments. At least were not the only ones in similar situation. I just hope that all of us will get thru this crap and find something that we really enjoy. If its still bedside nursing, then maybe transfer to a different unit where it's less chaotic and more manageable (something like maternity, o.r., or being a dialysis nurse). If its non-nursing related, maybe something like in a management position (they always look clean and fresh in my opinion).

Yeah, people always tell me at work that i have to prioritize my time. Ok here is the deal, even though i prioritize my time, im always behind with my workload & charting. And even though you prioritize, you still have to do all that crap thats been thrown at you because if you forget or dont do it, the next shift will get really ****** and write you up because they will say "what have you been doing all day?" "did you look at the new orders?" "how come this one is not done?" its crap! They dont give a crap! This is a common response from the night nurse because they dont have a damn clue what is goind on in days (or maybe they do, they just dont want to do anything at night so they pass most of the work on days!).

I still dont believe prioritizing your time will make you successful in med/surg. It just simply means you do the most critical assign task first before doing anything else. And then, later, you still have to do the rest of that crap that was assigned to you. Its just up to you how you want to do it as long as it gets done. Do they give a crap if you eat or take a break. Hell no! Some would even make you sign a paper that you took your break just to save their a** so later if you sue them, theyll be like "here is the paper that you sign". Its that simple.

Time management or not, it still su*** because of the workload! Its not because of my time management, its the workload! Management easily point fingers and blame bedside nurses for any problems without recognizing that the workload itself is the main issue. They simply want you to think that "oh, i have to work on my prioritization skills" so that they can give you more work in the end, while they chit chat in their office and talk about how their weekend was like. And the rest of us holding our bladders, running around like a headless chicken, making sure patients and their family are being treated like a hotel guest so patient's satisfaction survey would go up. Otherwise, if the surveys are down, the state will find out about it and hospital reimbursement will go down and less bonuses for the upper management. All for the sake of bedside nurses who sacrifice so much and easily pointed fingers at when something bad happens. Love you all.