Have you quit in disgust?

mianders, RN · Apr 25, 2008

Nursing is like every other profession, you will have good jobs and bad jobs. Don't blow off nursing in general because of one bad exp.. I am working in a hospital right now that I love. I am suprised, most rural hospitals are great. They have a family atmosphere. I am sorry you had to go through that.

Super_RN, BSN, RN · Apr 25, 2008

I worked for 4.5 years in a small rural hospital (1.5 as an aide, 3 as a RN). When I married and moved South, I went to work at a large facility. The atmosphere was COMPLETELY different and I was treated like crap. I didn't last 3 years though, I quit after 3 months. They changed my schedule for an entire month w/out asking me, I was to work one weekend a month and I was scheduled for 5 in a row, they cut my orientation by 4 weeks....Granted, I was an experienced ICU nurse, but going from a 7 bed ICU to a 50+ bed ER is different. Anyhow, I called in one day and told them I wouldnt' be back.

They told me it would look bad on my work record and I replied, "You think I would use you on my resume?" Nope.

But don't be discouraged, I found a wonderful place to work after that and haven't looked back.

oramar · Apr 25, 2008

I recently ended a 3 yr engagement @ a rural hospital. From the moment I started there I was treated terribly! Bullying and degredation were part of everyday life. We lost 85% of our staff every year to this. We closed 60% of our beds due to understaffing (re:mass resignations due to employee treatment by mgmt and senior staff) Right now Im unemployed and reconsidering my options. I feel, if thats nursing....I want no part of it!!!! I spent so much time in school and loved my profession. This feeling of being undermined and abused is haunting me...I need to move forward, but am terrified of working in a similar environment. I developed severe cardiac issues over this. Any advice? Im sad!!!!

You just pretty much outlined the reasons for the nursing shortage. It is not that every place is like that but to darn many are bad places to work.

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Apr 25, 2008

i don't think you should give up on nursing completely due to one poor experience. i thought the same thing when i left my first rn job, that nursing was not for me. it took me quite some time to realize that it wasn't me, it was the combination of that job plus me. sometimes it takes more than one (or more than two, or more than five!) tries to get a correct "fit."

think of what kind of nursing you want to do, and what you can do to get there.

i wish you the best!

jess

flygirl43 · Apr 25, 2008

Thankyou for your support. Ive been very sad!

medsurgrnco, BSN, RN · Apr 25, 2008

Amazed you were able to put up with it for so long. I've been treated horribly by some of the other staff at every hospital job I've had. This time around I've been really researching the world of nursing, thinking maybe med/surg typically has this type of environment and that I don't do my best in that type of overworked situation with such focus on customer satisfaction.

caliotter3 · Apr 25, 2008

Please consider getting a position with a home health agency. You too might find home health to be the best kept secret in nursing. Many nurses who have burned out or become disillusioned with hospital nursing find themselves liking home health. One of the biggest advantages to this area of nursing is your ability to make a difference by working with one patient instead of trying to spread yourself thin with many. Also, you don't have that much to do with the office personnel if you don't want to get involved with personalities or office drama. Just do your visits or shifts and turn in your paperwork. That's it. Please consider this before you throw in the towel. Good luck with your future decisions.

flygirl43 · Apr 25, 2008

Im going back to school for perioperative nursing. Hope it will be better. Just couldn't handle senior staff telling junior staff how stupid they were all the time. They even alienated a minority nurse who worked with us (she was very nice) they refused to sit at the same table for lunch etc, etc blah blah blah...now thats a caring profession!!!!!

tntrn, ASN, RN · Apr 26, 2008

No, but I'm about to do just that. I'm in my 31st year of nursing, 17 in the place I'm considering leaving. Up until about 3 years ago, it was a good place to be...but with each changing administrator, CNO and Nurse Manager, it becomes more and more oppressive and I do not want my last couple of years in a career I've mostly enjoyed, to be a bad memory.

Staffing (or lack of it), abuse of floating, general disrespect from management is to blame. I like my co-workers, but that is just not enough anymore to keep me there.

sfn2008, RN · Apr 26, 2008

You just pretty much outlined the reasons for the nursing shortage. It is not that every place is like that but to darn many are bad places to work.

It has always been my thoughts that we do not have a shortage of nurses. We have a shortage of nurses that are willing to work under the conditions that are being presented. Change the conditions and I wouldn't be surprised if you saw nurses come out of the woodwork to go back into a field that they love.

Travel Nurses work under a contract. Union Nurses work under a contract. I have always wondered why nurses can't get themselves an "agent" and draw up a contract and hold the managers to it. If Baseball players and Football players can have an Agent and a Contract on an individual basis, why can't Nurses?

flygirl43 · Apr 26, 2008

Your simplifying a situation that may/has become critical for the public. When 89% of nurses on one unit quit annually, what kind of care do you think is being provided. And why is mgmt not held to task? This is way out of line with provincial/state norms of retention. Why are people not questioning this?