Have nurses always been so negative?

[scrubbee]

Question - have nurses always been as negative as they are on these boards? Is nursing in "real life" as negative as these boards are? I'm a student and looking for honest answers, not trying to offend anyone.

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

Wow, thanks everybody. These are really good comments. I wish I could kudos some of them twice.

And so you know, I don't mean to say that I think venting and ranting is bad or anything. Considering many of you have spouses/families/friends who don't really "get" what you deal with every day, you need this outlet. Truthfully, your vents are good for us newbies to read to see the reality of things. I don't really even see venting as being negative - I meant more the "attitudes" I see on here, i.e. often bitter, harsh, rude, etc.

Well like another prev post said I think, I take everything I hear with a grain of salt. There are so many ways that people will interpret a situation and then give their skewed take on it: for advice is pretty useless. Some people have the attitude "it's all about me" and have problems coping with the realities of nursing. There are negative posts and some may be sincere and others probably just like to rant. I wouldn't dwell on the negative posts so much as your situation is alot of what you make it.

I think many posts can come off as harsh or rude unintentionally as it's often hard to express true emotion across the Internet. I know I've posted things that have sounded slightly brash when I've reread it but perhaps that is the type of person I can be from time to time. Yet another coping skill and a strange sense of humor.

Good luck in your career!

[INLPN93]

No.

What you see on this board is the 'please help' situations.

What you aren't seeing is the good things that happen all the time.

We vent about our problems, identify with those problems and tell our horror stories we have related to that cry for help or vent.

Most of what I've seen here is a bad situation is vented about, we all get together and tell our stories.

But end it with a 'hang in there', good luck, or a 'don't give up'.

Nursing is hard, and with a negative attitude you will lose out on the rewarding side of it. So for the large majority, no nurses aren't negative.

[Caffeine_IV]

Nursing is getting harder because we are more customer service oriented than ever before. It's like working in retail or being a waitress. If things don't go as the customer likes, they complain in hopes for a prize, reduced bill etc.

I have good and bad days and this is where I come to "kick the dog." You will encounter many different attitudes in the nursing world some very nice and some who are crabby when everything is going well.

[NocturneNrse]

I think we need NURSING REFORM.. It's amazing to me how resistent the uppers are to more nursing staff for better patient care.. and they tell me that more nurses won't make a difference.! Okay.. THAT'S believeable.

I mean.. How can this go on? How can we change this? Does anyone know of a way to approach congress or.. has that been tried and shot down? It's disgusting. No wonder the saying "you go to the hospital to die" is such a firm belief!

[steelcityrn, RN]

Your a student, and in time you will realize that when a nurse complains, there is almost always a valid reason. Do not confuse negatism with dissappointment.

[canesdukegirl, BSN, RN]

I think that RNperdiem stated it concisely. We have unbelievably stressful jobs. If we complain to our co-workers, we are labeled as whiners. If we complain to management, we are labeled as high maintenance. Coming to a forum like this is wonderful, because it is like having a stadium full of peers that KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! It is soooo nice to be able to vent, ask for advice and to relate to others that have faced a challenging situation.

I don't necessarily think that nursing as a whole has a negative attitude. We are just trying to work through some of the hurdles that we have identified as troublesome, and are seeking the advice of the nurses on this forum. I have posed some "what would you do" type questions and have gotten some wonderful advice from nurses who have faced a similar circumstance. It is at once comforting to know that so many nurses participate on this forum and also that the feedback you receive is from such a wide cross section of our profession. On the whole, we actually DO support each other, although you will see some hair raising scenarios described by posters.

[Mulan]

You can't vent at work, that's for sure!

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

I think its easier to capture the true emotion and intention of what is said when you are face to face. Like everything else, there are positives and negatives. Also, at the moment, the nursing culture really sucks, which is due to low staffing, lack of resources, and unreasonable expectations placed on nurses. So morale is low, and people need to vent. That being said, most of the nurses I have worked with have been great. I guess the feedback you receive from others really depends on your own attitude and expectations. I think the majority of nurses aim to help, or they wouldn't be nurses in the first place :)

[Guest717236]

-give nurses adequate staffing to meet the needs of their patients.

-a nursing team who works together for patients goals (leaving ego trips and game

playing at the door)

-add a respectful wage for their services with growth opportunity/benefits

-a dash of management/administration who listens to their concerns and

makes course adjustments to improve the concerns. a management team

who has faith in their staff.

-a setting where nurses are encouraged to learn and grow in education and skills

-an environment where doctors acknowledge the critical role nurses play in

providing care to their patients. and treat nurses with the respect they deserve.

~~~~~~~~

for me, the environments i worked in that included the above made me

a positive nurse with room to advance in my field.

in todays, business oriented medical setting many of these items have been

lost.

but, with all the concern about money, administrations spend more money by

not including some or all of the above.

go figure..

[JulVaccRN, BSN]

This board is great for venting! I absolutely LOVE everything about my job, but there are always things that irk you. I can't vent to my best friends/boyfriend because they are not nurses, they don't "get it" like my fellow nurses do on this board!

[msvegaslpn]

this site is just a great place for people to vent....lets behonest....nursing is not only physically draining, but is also emotionally draining. no one really knows what we go through but other nurses......so yesssss....there will be alot of what appears to be "negativity"....this is essentially an advice and support group for nurses. lol

[Altra, BSN, RN]

The personalities and demeanors of nurses run the full gamut, just like any other segment of the population.

But trust me, your definitions of "rude" and "harsh" will evolve as you continue your studies and work as a nurse.

Good luck to you. :)