Sorry for having to ask this question. I'm sure it comes up a lot. I've been a CNA for ten years mainly in a nursing home. I've always wanted to be a nurse , I've shadowed in the ER, in the ICU, I've watched all the documentary medical shows you can think of a long the years and now I feel different. I just got hired at an ortho trauma department (my first professional hospital position) and I only started having doubts once I came onto this unit. I see cliques between nurses, rotations that never over lap because some nurses stick with their charge nurse and dislike the other rotation , rumors, gossip , wars between shifts , rudeness when nurses are giving report or receiving it, complaints of being back at work again, having to see/ deal with so and so. It even got to a point where I witnessed a clique of nurses be very nice to a new grad and once that person left, they started saying very rude things. For some reason I figured at a hospital things would be different , and trust me I love what I do (currently a tech) but I don't think I could handle that every single week until retirement. I was floated once to another unit to help out and it was the same thing. Nurses talking to me telling me how this unit sucks, how they want to leave , how so and so is this and that. This by the way was a whole different department ! What my question is , is this how it is everywhere ? Other departments ? I didn't want to ask nurses at work because I don't want them to know how I feel or how I perceive people , but I just need to know if this is how it is every where. I'm applying soon and since this job and seeing everyone, I've had doubts for the first time in 10 years. I mean I know Nursing isn't amazing and nice every shift and t has its ups and downs , but should I really judge Nursing and base my entire life choice off what I see in ortho trauma ? Your advice is greatly appreciated. Anything that can help me before I apply.
People are people wherever you go. Some are awful, some you will love.
Sometimes you will find, much to your shock and dismay, that the very ones you like and enjoy working with are the ones who will knife you in the back. They will be the ones who put you down. And you thought they were your friends. That hurts and shocks.
I don't know what to tell you except walk quietly, do not gossip or discuss this sort of thing with anyone at work, mind our own business. Even then, someone won't like it or you and will then be after you to do you dirt. No matter what you say or do, someone will misinterpret it, misrepresent it, lie about you, and otherwise cause you trouble. That has been my over all experience with coworkers. I've had some great jobs and met some great people, but my trust in people was destroyed long ago.
Sorry for having to ask this question. I'm sure it comes up a lot. I've been a CNA for ten years mainly in a nursing home. I've always wanted to be a nurse , I've shadowed in the ER, in the ICU, I've watched all the documentary medical shows you can think of a long the years and now I feel different. I just got hired at an ortho trauma department (my first professional hospital position) and I only started having doubts once I came onto this unit. I see cliques between nurses, rotations that never over lap because some nurses stick with their charge nurse and dislike the other rotation , rumors, gossip , wars between shifts , rudeness when nurses are giving report or receiving it, complaints of being back at work again, having to see/ deal with so and so. It even got to a point where I witnessed a clique of nurses be very nice to a new grad and once that person left, they started saying very rude things. For some reason I figured at a hospital things would be different , and trust me I love what I do (currently a tech) but I don't think I could handle that every single week until retirement. I was floated once to another unit to help out and it was the same thing. Nurses talking to me telling me how this unit sucks, how they want to leave , how so and so is this and that. This by the way was a whole different department ! What my question is , is this how it is everywhere ? Other departments ? I didn't want to ask nurses at work because I don't want them to know how I feel or how I perceive people , but I just need to know if this is how it is every where. I'm applying soon and since this job and seeing everyone, I've had doubts for the first time in 10 years. I mean I know Nursing isn't amazing and nice every shift and t has its ups and downs , but should I really judge Nursing and base my entire life choice off what I see in ortho trauma ? Your advice is greatly appreciated. Anything that can help me before I apply.
Hmmm...I hate to generalize, but there is definitely one thing to keep in mind with what we do - it is female dominated. So with that being said there are definitely situations where there's "too many women in the kitchen." One of my fears when going into nursing school was knowing how being with a lot of ladies can be sometimes...especially since I am the kind of girl who always got along better with boys anyway. On the flip side, I have worked with some WONDERFUL women and BEAUTIFUL humans that I look up to.
I will say this though...I have NEVER not wanted to do my job because I was with a bunch of cliquey/miserable nurses. There are many units like that but there are many units where they get along REALLY well. There are even cases where maybe day shift is cliquey and don't work together but night shift is cohesive. It just kind of depends on the personalities in that department. Should you ever let that get in the way of YOUR income, YOUR future, and YOUR career?? HECK NO! There are many options that do not include being at the bedside in a department you loathe. So if your career aspirations lead you to want more, then go get it. Certainly don't let a bunch of sour grapes spoil your wine!
"I've watched all the documentary medical shows you can think of a long the years and now I feel different. I just got hired at an ortho trauma department (my first professional hospital position) ".
You do not hold a professional position. Watching medical shows means diddly squat.
If you apply to nursing school and are accepted... it means you have what it takes to succeed. The rest is up to you.
She didn't say she had a nurse position. She just said she had a position...
Kooky Korky speaks the gospel truth once again. So wherever you work you will find toxic venues. They aren't all that way, though. But to counter this problem, the wise nurses buy themselves some "toxic workplace" insurance.
Now about this time you may be asking yourself "what the devil is this fool talking about?"
Well I'll tell you: down through the years I have met many nurses who have worked two different areas of a hospital or different hospitals. On this site many nursing vets work, say, ED and ICU. This this done, if you ask them, in part, to keep the work stimulating, socially vibrant, educational, whatever; but really the most important reason is to ensure continuity of the paycheck if due to an almost innumerable amount of reasons one job or the other turns into a living hell.
No single workplace is immune to disintegration. People get married, move to other states, become psychotic, drop dead, you name it. It's a shame but that's life.
So since rank an file nurses are usually never awarded "golden parachutes" the "second job" safety-net could be just that.
*One more thing. Since it's been awhile since you last attended school, I want you to know that in that short period of time many for-profit schools have emerged and gone from doing a sort of OK job of educating nurses to becoming sub-par loan mills with very low graduation and retention rates. (collegescorecard.ed.gov) Go ahead and become a nurse but do it intelligently by going to a community college for prerequisites and then transferring as practicable to continue on with your education elsewhere. This way you'll do it on the cheap and you won't fall victim to debt peonage.
Kooky Korky speaks the gospel truth once again. So wherever you work you will find toxic venues. They aren't all that way, though. But to counter this problem, the wise nurses buy themselves some "toxic workplace" insurance.
Now about this time you may be asking yourself "what the devil is this fool talking about?"
Well I'll tell you: down through the years I have met many nurses who have worked two different areas of a hospital or different hospitals. On this site many nursing vets work, say, ED and ICU. This this done, if you ask them, in part, to keep the work stimulating, socially vibrant, educational, whatever; but really the most important reason is to ensure continuity of the paycheck if due to an almost innumerable amount of reasons one job or the other turns into a living hell.
No single workplace is immune to disintegration. People get married, move to other states, become psychotic, drop dead, you name it. It's a shame but that's life.
So since rank an file nurses are usually never awarded "golden parachutes" the "second job" safety-net could be just that.
*One more thing. Since it's been awhile since you last attended school, I want you to know that in that short period of time many for-profit schools have emerged and gone from doing a sort of OK job of educating nurses to becoming sub-par loan mills with very low graduation and retention rates. (collegescorecard.ed.gov) Go ahead and become a nurse but do it intelligently by going to a community college for prerequisites and the transferring as practicable to continue on with your education elsewhere. This way you won't fall victim to debt peonage.
And that condition should always be a deal breaker.
Specializes in Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgical.
Newsflash: we work in a stressful job, especially these days, and the stress spills out out sometimes. You're going to hear the same buzz in the background no matter what field you work in- I've worked in retail, restaurants, was a scientist for a very long time, and now have been a nurse for a bit. It really doesn't change no matter where you go.
My coworkers and I get along really well and are a great team on our high acuity CT stepdown unit, I love them to death, but there's occasionally some griping from one to/at the other. We move on in life afterwards.
As long as there are people working together, you're going to see this!
What I tell HS students is that it is important to have a realistic picture of what it means to be a nurse nowadays.
Fact is that nursing is stressful generally speaking, you need to have good knowledge but also people skills. Yes, you do "care" but it is not the florence nightingale way anymore and a lot of times nurses feel they are just shuffling tasks and focus on "completing tasks", which can lead to neglecting the bigger picture. There is no time for nurses to sit down "and talk" or to get to know your patient better (unless you are private duty I guess).
The most important thing though is that you need to be comfortable with constant change, constant multitasking, and be able to deal with your on discomfort and stress. You can have a great day but you can also have some "difficult days". You can encounter the whole continuum of drama including staff drama, patient drama, family drama and need to be able to get pulled in too much - otherwise you will add to the drama. I often hear that it is the whole "drama thing" that sucks energy out of people.
Once in a while a patient or family are grateful for the care and express gratitude but nowadays it seems that most people are disappointed regarding the healthcare system, the care, and have unrealistic expectations - which leads to them being neutral at best but more often I find that people are really angry and frustrated.
There is no perfect job in nursing because everything around us is constantly changing.
If you don't like what you're seeing I'd recommend staying out of hospitals, most units have some or all of the 'features' you've observed. Sure, you'll hear from nurses who like their unit or work at one of the few non-profits that isn't completely ****** to go to each shift, but more likely you'll experience what you are now. I'd look for another niche.
Kooky Korky, BSN, RN
5,216 Posts
People are people wherever you go. Some are awful, some you will love.
Sometimes you will find, much to your shock and dismay, that the very ones you like and enjoy working with are the ones who will knife you in the back. They will be the ones who put you down. And you thought they were your friends. That hurts and shocks.
I don't know what to tell you except walk quietly, do not gossip or discuss this sort of thing with anyone at work, mind our own business. Even then, someone won't like it or you and will then be after you to do you dirt. No matter what you say or do, someone will misinterpret it, misrepresent it, lie about you, and otherwise cause you trouble. That has been my over all experience with coworkers. I've had some great jobs and met some great people, but my trust in people was destroyed long ago.
Try to win the lottery so you don't have to work.