Help!!!

Trauma Columnist · Jun 12, 2008

I'm sorry this has been so overwhelming for you. What did you think nursing would be like? Then, how did these jobs fall short? Maybe shadow a non-hospital RN?

nickykitty · Jun 12, 2008

I thought being an RN I would be able to really focus on my patients and what was going on with them holistically. I thought I would have time to talk with them and assess them properly. Instead, I found that there are hardly any nurses aids anymore. My job was taken up with tasks that they could pay someone much less money to do. I don't mind bedpans and feeding, but if there is no help, then those tasks take away from what I thought an RN's job would be: Analyzing, assessing, formulating a plan of care, and managing that care. Heck, it would just have been nice to have time (as a new nurse) to be meticulous and thoughtful with the patient's medications for safety reasons! I was actually yelled at because I wasn't going fast enough drawing up a mg. of morphine!!! These hospitals will not pay for the support staff to make our job as nurses safer for the patients, and maybe I'm just not cut out for that. Also, I am in an area where there are few teaching institutions, actually, only one. The problem with this is the lack of patience towards new nurses or resources to properly train new nurses. I am in my 30's and have had other jobs prior to going back to school and have always been told I have excellent communication and prioritazion skills, so what happened???? I suppose we all change as we get older and when I worked in a hospital years ago, I loved all the chaos, beeps of monitors and distractions, but now-----------it causes me to have a panic attack! I am a very laid back person with no history of anxiety related issues! I guess I chose the wrong field. Maybe I should go back to school:( --That was the last thing I was good at!!!

TashaLPN2006RN2012, ASN, RN · Jun 12, 2008

You seem to be a very caring person who wants to advocate for her patients, Have you ever considered long term care? Maybe as an MDS nurse? or nurse manager? Or are you dead-set on hospitals? How about working in a doctor's office or clinic. My mother-in-law LOVED working at the health department, it wasnt as much in pay, but she liked giving classes and having one on one time with the people there. The WIC office's also hire RN's and LPNS. Just some other thoughts on different jobs if you are not dead locked into working at a hospital!

fifi rockefeller · Jun 14, 2008

Perhaps Kindel International; they do surveys and such. There is an office headquartered in Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio (they have a website). Try agency nursing. Try private home nursing.

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I'm sorry you're having a horrible experience. I'm at University Hospital in Cincinnati, on a floor where we have three, perhaps four, patients in a step-down unit per nurse on days, 6 per nurse on nights. My buddy at St. Luke in Northern KY works on a med-surg floor and has 7, commonly 8, patients AS A NEW GRAD. I don't know how she does it; I'd be sitting in my car crying after work.

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Don't give up on nursing. You invested too much $, time, and brainpower into this to work as a Wal-Mart greeter with the retired seniors. Can you do wound care? Stoma Care? IV therapy? Your degree opens doors. How about LifeCenter (organ donation/organ harvesting)?

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The person who yelled at you because you weren't drawing the morphine quickly enough has issues. It is supposed to be about patient safety. You can always waste a tenth, but how are you going to get it back if you needed it?

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Never, never, never give up.

fifi rockefeller

amjowens · Jun 14, 2008

I'm sorry about your experience!

I'm 30, and a returning student in Toledo at Owens Community College. I did attend UT for my undergrad, but decided to go to Owens for nursing. Toledo is with a lot of nursing schools relative to the population/hospitals. There are a lot of LPN schools, ADN programs, and then of course UT (also Lourdes and Mercy). There's always difficulty competing for clinical spots in hospitals by the instructors here at Owens, and I actually didn't know my clinical setting this semester because my instructor couldn't get a spot for my clinical group until the last minute. This information says a lot about the job market when I graduate. It's kind of scary, and completely opposite of what we hear re the national nursing shortage. My instructor tells us we may need to go to Michigan for a hospital job!

It's too bad that we aren't given the "critical" info like our topic before we start a program! A nurse guided me to do the ADN then the BSN. She said that employers often actually hire ADN-trained grads over BSN grads (assuming no experience from either) because ADN students are trained to work as nurses, while BSN students have a lot of "theory" study and preparation for research/management careers. She said that BSN-trained nurses often have a difficult time on the floor. This guided my decision.

In my program, I am seeing the preparation for clinical skills. I'm actually half-through with my LPN (graduate in early Dec.) and begin my ADN in Jan immediately following graduation. I'm doing this because I want to work as an LPN and learn skills while taking classes in my ADN. For my program, we were required to take a CNA class as a requirement. Skills are really emphasized in our classes along with "theory", but it's assumed that we will go on for our BSN for in-depth theory.

Sometimes I wish I'd gone for the accelerated BSN because of timing. There are even accelerated BS/MSN (nurse practitioner) programs at UT. I shudder, though, at the time frame of supposedly being prepared for being an effective nurse (having no prior health care experience) in a matter of two years or so (maybe three, but STILL!). I'm making some real sacrifices, though, toward do the step-by-step plan because I see the value of experience in nursing. I want to be a nurse practitioner eventually, so you see the time frame! But, I'll be working first as an LPN,then RN, then BSN, all while in school as my plan.

We each are in unique situations, and maybe you'll need to look at where you'll need to make some relatively short-term sacrifices in order to reach the big-picture goals. Maybe work in a setting that you didn't originally plan for a while just for experience, or travel up north, etc. I understand your frustration, though, as I'm currently working VERY hard to try to set myself up for the reality of nursing.

HealthyRN · Jun 17, 2008

Hi Nickykitty, I completely understand your frustration. How long did you stay in each position? While many of the job options that another poster mentioned sound great, most of those would likely require at least a year or more of bedside experience. But don't despair because you do have some realistic alternatives.

You could try another setting of direct patient care. Look into long-term care, assisted living facilities, or home health. You could try for a public health type of job, although it may be difficult without the experience, but not impossible.

Another option would be to market your nursing degree as a more general "bachelor's" and get a job completely outside of nursing. It would really depend on what your interests are in. A lot of people that do this still tend to gravitate toward health-related fields, but you wouldn't necessarily have to. Options could include working as a rep for medical device companies, pharmaceuticals, or home health/hospice agencies or working as a clinical research associate. Another option would be to pick up some extra certifications and use the combination with the nursing degree to market yourself. For example, if you are interested in fitness, you could look into personal training certifications. Your nursing degree wouldn't be directly applicable, but many people would like the fact that you are a nurse and understand the physiology and anatomy. If you tell me what your interests are in, I could give you more ideas. If you are interested in research assistant type of jobs, a great place to look is in the job postings on university websites.

For myself, I currently work as a rep for a home care agency. It's not my idea of an ideal job and I am planning on going back to school for something completely different. I'm trying to hang in for at least a year though so that I can show some type of solid experience on my resume.

Good luck!

showtime1970 · Jun 17, 2008

I feel exactly the same way. I was an LPN and went back to get my RN and wish I never would have gotten into nursing in the first place! I must have been stupid. I have had many jobs in my 8 short years of nursing and can't seem to find one that is not as stressful. It is not an easy career, unlike some people think. Nurses are always overworked, understaffed, yelled at by doctors and families. It seems there is no winning in this field. I have worked in hospitals, nursing homes, and home health. I have found that Home Health or Public Nursing (since you have a BSN) School Nurse, Corrections Nurse, would probably be less stressful for you. Some of these, like the Home Care Nurse , may not pay as much, but if it lessens your anxiety then it's well worth it. Good Luck

TashaLPN2006RN2012, ASN, RN · Jun 17, 2008

I got paid REALLY well as a home health nurse (LPN) in Texas $20 an hr and it was my first job...the RN's however could work as the initial assessment nurse and worked out of the office and they made $40 an hr so the pay is good at least here in texas. I'm not sure about ohio, but i will know if a few months as i plan to apply for home health again. It seemed a little less stressful than even working in a clinic! but tha't just me

RN Power Ohio · Jun 22, 2008

This is why NNOC Ohio RN's are meeting with legislators and working to pass minimum mandated ratio's!

The ONA and OHA have the legislators so brainwashed that there is a nursing shortage in Ohio- so false. There is no nursing shortage there is a shortage of nurses willing to work in hospitals!!!

We are making progress but it will take a village! You can PM me for more info...