How many of you hate your job?

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To all who have their BSN - do you hate or love your job as a nurse? I keep hearing from people on this site that they hate their job and wish they would have done something else with their life. Is nursing really this terrible? It seems to me nursing is a GREAT profession to get into. You basically get around 50k a year to help care for people. Call me crazy, but I don't think the job is really that HARD if you just have the right mind set. I would much rather be cleaning up people's **** (code brown) than sitting on my *** all day staring at a computer screen or doing marketing meetings. The other complaint I also keep hearing from people in nursing is that they hate their job because people gossip about them too much... haha- get over yourself. Who cares what others are saying about you, just do your job and don't let it get to ya. Let me know what you guys think!

I feel a lot of people get into nursing strictly for the money, then they find out that the money doesn't even amount to all the stress and BS that they have to deal with. Don't get me wrong, of course there are nurses out there who are passionate, but there is also a lot of people who get a rude awakening because they went in to nursing with the wrong goals. Money doesn't always bring happiness...

I am a nurse who is passionate. I cry over my patients, I go beyond what my 'job' dictates a lot, and I feel like my purpose on this planet was found the day I walked in the door there. That doesn't mean I havent had shifts where I literally RAN out the door at 5:30 or nights where I surfed want ads just to make myself feel better. I don't even need a job, except to pay for the car I bought to drive to work. I didnt even need full time for that, but took it because I feel this is what I was meant to do.

Sappy story told, I would say if I ever left, it would be when the nurse vs nurse drama gets out of control. I am thankful that I work with some really great people, but that could change any time, and having to work with someone trying to stab you in the back day in and day out gets REALLY old after awhile, particularly when admin likes them or assumes they're right. Its happened to me once, and if it happened on a regular basis, even my "life changing job" would not be enough to keep me there.

Seriously though, I think the OP is a troll...

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

My opinion is that bedside nursing (my only experience so far) is an extremely thankless job, we are responsible for too much and are blamed for too much. The hours suck, they are unsociable and too many nursing managers don't care about their team or are too hysterical, or are too old and need to retire.

Mind you I don't know about other areas of nursing.

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Hello allnurses:

I am a 59 year old male working in Housekeeping in a hospital. I am returning to school to become a Practical Nurse in Ottawa, Canada.

I realize the nursing profession is dominated by female nurses and I would like some advice from both male and female nurses regarding how best to fit in with the group. For example, are there stereotypes of men to which female nurses cling. Is the politics all left wing? How to avoid the cattyness, if any, in the workplace. Forewarned is forearmed.

Much appreciated,

guy-nurse

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I am a nurse who is passionate. I cry over my patients, I go beyond what my 'job' dictates a lot, and I feel like my purpose on this planet was found the day I walked in the door there. That doesn't mean I havent had shifts where I literally RAN out the door at 5:30 or nights where I surfed want ads just to make myself feel better. I don't even need a job, except to pay for the car I bought to drive to work. I didnt even need full time for that, but took it because I feel this is what I was meant to do.

Sappy story told, I would say if I ever left, it would be when the nurse vs nurse drama gets out of control. I am thankful that I work with some really great people, but that could change any time, and having to work with someone trying to stab you in the back day in and day out gets REALLY old after awhile, particularly when admin likes them or assumes they're right. Its happened to me once, and if it happened on a regular basis, even my "life changing job" would not be enough to keep me there.

Seriously though, I think the OP is a troll...

Ok first off I am not understanding why everyone keeps referring to the OP as a troll. I am missing something. Someone please tell me what I am missing here.

Second, what I never understood about nursing (and yes I am just a student but I have gone through the CNA course and worked in hospitals before and been exposed to nurses all my life because my dad is one. I remember him coming home day after day complaining about the other nurses.) is why we cannot get along with each other. I mean for a profession that everyone supposedly enters to help people, they are so mean to their fellow co-workers. I don't understand it and if some vet. nurse could explain it to me that would be great. I keep seeing over and over again how nurses are being stabbed in the back by their co-workers, why?

It is my opinion that when we, the nurses, take our attention and energy and put it towards attacking each other we are wasting a valuable resource that could be used to improve patient care. I know that all professions have issues. I have worked in an office setting for the past 10 years, and they are the same way. When we are mean and back stab each other, we not only make nursing look bad, we also make women look bad as a whole. It took me years to enter nursing school because I did not want to work in a career that was predominately by females. Yes I have worked in offices, but most of those I chose jobs (back when there was enough jobs to chose from, lol) that did not have many other women working in the office. Not because I hate other woman but because I do not like dealing with drama between co-workers when I have a job to do. And yes for the record I am a woman, but woman can be so mean to each other in the work place. I just don't get it. Now that I am a nursing student and heading into the viper pit so to speak I am concerned for the fact that I will be working with women who hate their jobs, only went into nursing for the money and spend all of their time trying to stir up crap instead of worrying about their jobs.

But that is just my 2 cents on the matter.

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

No I don't hate my job. It has its ups and downs but I try to make the best of it. The politics are the crappy part as the patients are the same everywhere you go.

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Specializes in floor to ICU.
Ok first off I am not understanding why everyone keeps referring to the OP as a troll.

The thread seemed a bit fishy, like someone was purposefully trying to tick the nurses off in order to get a big reaction- known as "trolls" on this site.

As far as the differences between working relationships of men and women, I don't really have an answer. Men are from Venus and women from Mars (or however that saying goes) comes to mind. However, all women are not catty and gossipy back-stabbers. True, they exist! Even at my current job. I just try and steer clear of their path and choose not to engage.

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I love being a nurse but I don't particularly like my job. The cleaning up people's ****, even while the have it from head to toe, and decide to take the initiative to pee over the side of the bed onto the floor is the easy part. The paperwork is even doable although it's annoying and accumulates every year. We are also expected to wear many "hats" such as housekeeping, respiratory care, transport services, educator, and social worker just to name a few. The only computer time we get is "charting our assessment". You think people talking about your isn't bad then wait till you get into nursing and experience some nurse to nurse hostility first hand. Someone personally might not care for you and could sneak around just trying to find things you don't do or do wrong just so they can tell on you or write you up. There are many who gossip a lot and tell lies and you think "so what', right? Well wait till your manager takes you to HR over and over or tries to fire you and continuously writes you up because of these accusations. Management in most facilities do not back their nurses and even treat them worse. Families are rude and do not understand patient care. I work in critical care and you could have been super busy with a patient all night that coded and has no blood pressure, giving blood, multiple IV drips to help keep the patient alive yet the family comes in and complains that mama's lips are dry. Then you accused by your manager of not doing mouth care. (just an example)

I work in a place where the nurse to nurse hostility is worse than ever. I've gotten to where I hate to work with certain nurses and you have to continuously watch your back because nurses could change your IV pumps trying to get your into trouble or anything. Nursing is sooo much more than anyone can imagine. Not to speak how most are so mistreated and disrespected by egotistical docs. Then most people hear these issues think a nurse is burnt out. I see this routinely on allnurses where nurses are accusing other nurses of being burnt out. These people or nurses have no idea what a burn out is.

I would choose nursing all over again, because I love it, but you better make sure you go into nursing for the right reasons. I make six figures actually as a bedside nurse. We are the highest paid in the nation. But to have a better working environment and conditions I would give half of my pay away.

I'm sorry but did you just say other nurses will "change your IV pumps" to try and get you in trouble? If I suspected that, you can bet your bottom dollar that nurse wouldn't be working EVER again after my lawyer roughed em up in the court. I appreciate your input, but you need to to really check into hiring a lawyer if these things are going on at your hospital.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ED, Nurse Instructor,.

I have went through all five pages of all post. Finally, the OP responded. I would like to know what is going on because something is not right.

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

To be completely honest I really do enjoy what I do. I graduated in may of 08 when finding a job (after being told time and time again about nursing shortages) was really difficult. I ended up applying for a psychiatric inpatient nursing position that I love!!!! I will not lie and say that every single day is all fun and that I don't run into discouraging days but overall I really love what I do. The small impact that I get to make with the people I get to serve makes it all worthwhile. Most days from the second my feet hit the floor to the time I walk out the door (which is usually a little later then my actual shift ends) I am incredibly busy; with little time to stop and relax but I love the rush. And to be honest with all the things that I learn and get to share with my patients I get back 10 fold. I can't tell you how many days I walk into work mentally exhausted feeling overwhelmed and that my life just sucks... only to come across someone who truly is having a bad day with "real" struggles (not that issues in my own life don't matter but it helps me have a little more perspective). In the end my job not only interests me but it also grounds me, and to be honest most days entertains me. I feel very blessed to get to do the work I do.

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.
To all who have their BSN - do you hate or love your job as a nurse? I keep hearing from people on this site that they hate their job and wish they would have done something else with their life. Is nursing really this terrible? It seems to me nursing is a GREAT profession to get into. You basically get around 50k a year to help care for people. Call me crazy, but I don't think the job is really that HARD if you just have the right mind set. I would much rather be cleaning up people's **** (code brown) than sitting on my *** all day staring at a computer screen or doing marketing meetings. The other complaint I also keep hearing from people in nursing is that they hate their job because people gossip about them too much... haha- get over yourself. Who cares what others are saying about you, just do your job and don't let it get to ya. Let me know what you guys think!

The areas I've bolded are what sticks out to me as being a bit disrespectful and why some people have taken your post to be rather inflammatory.

Now as to your question there are days where I hate my job, other days when I love my job. I guess the factors that make me dislike what I do is the politics, ridiculous policies, nurses who are lazy, incompetent and can't speak English and general expectation from management that we can get the same results with less staff.

As for gossip if people want to trash talk about me I really couldn't care less. I'm there to work not to socialise. However some gossip can be harmful to your career. If people go around saying 'Scrubby is incompetent because blah blah' then I have a problem with it and will take it further.

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Why should I respond, you people are being very negative. Sounds like you guys have the case of the mondays if you ask me.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Looks like this thread has run it's course.

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