How many times have you cried???

Published

  1. How many times have you cried over work-related issues?

    • 24
      Once
    • 78
      A few times
    • 18
      Once a month
    • 22
      Once a week
    • 56
      Too often to count
    • 21
      Never. I'm a 'professional'.

115 members have participated

How far are you into your first year and how many times have you come home and cried?

I've been off precepting for five weeks and have come home and cried three times....most of the time it's because I was so overwhelmed on the floor....once I almost started crying at the nurse's station because I was being pulled in a million directions!

How about you?

Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).
I hear what you're saying Tarapom. It's bad that it causes the best of us to just break down and cry. I don't know what else to say or do about it .. .it's just a highly stressful job with a lot of unpredictability and a lot of accountability. I wish the higher ups knew how bad it really can be for new people.

But seriously, it's sad that one has to do that and resort to prayer just to get through a day. I NEVER had to do any such thing in my former career.

Nothing compares to nursing, that is for sure.

I hear what you're both saying, too, and truth be told I've watched a few too many John Wayne movies to cry easily, but I suspect I may not be the only one who feels a little sorry for those who have jobs that don't feel worth praying, and even crying, over. I'm all for leaving work at work, but while I'm at work, I kinda like the idea of knowing it takes the best I can give.

Which isn't to say it isn't pretty frustrating when it seems like my best just isn't enough.

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but I suspect I may not be the only one who feels a little sorry for those who have jobs that don't feel worth praying, and even crying, over. I'm all for leaving work at work, but while I'm at work, I kinda like the idea of knowing it takes the best I can give.

This is an interesting comment. I'm going to think about it for a few days -- we have a job that is worth crying over - while some do not. Very insightful.

It's a tough, yet signficant and very real job -- that's all there is to it. You cry from sad patients, sad cases, pure exhaustion, pure uncertainty, constantly being challenged, watched, sometimes berated and criticized, (depending on your preceptor), and just feeling new and not quite accepted by all those veterans up at the nurses station. I am also more of a sensitive soul, so that doesn't help.

DOES help, though, in other situations -- as a nurse, I feel.

GUY nurses -- do you cry as well? I mean -- perhaps do you go home first and cry in private? LOL

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Specializes in OBGYN, Neonatal.

I'm about six months in and I haven't cried much recently. In my first job I cried pretty much every day on the way in or on the way home or before going in. I left that job not that far into it. It wasn't for me.

Now my current job I do enjoy and the only times I've cried are once when a patients husband was rude to me, well more insensitive than rude but either way it hurt me b/c I had been doing all I could for them. But I haven't in a long time LOL hopefully not for a long time but I am sure it will come again!

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Specializes in Cardiac/Telemetry.

I'm still precepting, but I have cried numerous times. I get home and I am so frustrated with myself for not remembering the little details and forgetting important nursing things, and getting some assessment wrong. I am very overwhelmed. Once, I cried on the floor, and almost in front of the patient's family, because the pt's husband made a racist remark towards me. That was the first time I have dealt with racism in my life. I held it in enough to stop the tears from flowing in front of the pts, and fought them back in front of my preceptor. I hate that I've cried so much, though. *sigh*

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To those of you who have cried through your 1st year, how does it make you feel about nursing? Does it make you regret it? Or second guess your career choice? I am a student and was coming here to see if it was 'easier' once you get done with nursing school, and saw this thread and am very curious. Do you end your day feeling fulfilled, even if sad, because you made a difference?

I ask because I did not chose Nursing for the money, but for reasons of fulfillment and purpose in my life that were severely lacking. (I used to make websites/sell computers/tech support etc for a living)

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To those of you who have cried through your 1st year, how does it make you feel about nursing? Does it make you regret it? Or second guess your career choice? I am a student and was coming here to see if it was 'easier' once you get done with nursing school, and saw this thread and am very curious. Do you end your day feeling fulfilled, even if sad, because you made a difference?

I ask because I did not chose Nursing for the money, but for reasons of fulfillment and purpose in my life that were severely lacking. (I used to make websites/sell computers/tech support etc for a living)

It felt bittersweet. While I knew I was making a difference every day, I also knew there was so much more that could (should) have been done, but was impossible due to poor staffing. I realized that "my best" would never match up to the quality care that I thought the patients should get, because I was stretched far too thin. Instead, I had to settle for OK care for the patients, and the patient here or there that got borderline adequate care where I prayed that nothing negative would happen to them since I was unable to monitor them routinely, due to me being busy with this emergency or that emergency. Its stressful when you realize that one day something very preventable is going to happen because staffing/support is so poor. Another negative that I didn't expect was the toll it took on my body and on my family. Lying in bed nauseated on some of my days off and falling asleep while sitting in my chair doing email became commonplace. While I didn't go into it for the money either, you do feel kind of abused by taking all this for $20 an hour. And with seeing experienced nurses around me cry routinely, it made me think it would not get better.

Though, the many travelers and floats we had often said it was the worst floor they had ever been on, so my account may not be the norm.

I'm now in a low stress nursing job (making more than I did in the hospital!) but feel unfulfilled. Still trying to find a job that will give me the best of both worlds.

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Specializes in Ortho, Case Management, blabla.

I have yet to cry. One time I was almost moved to tears after moving a newly critical patient to the ICU; but it was more for joy that I didn't have to deal with the situation any longer with the limited tools available to me on the floor.

Most of the time if I feel stressed or pulled in a million directions I just say in my head, "screw these people!! (not in reference to my patients).

I have no problem putting things on hold if something more important is going on. I guess I'm just halfway decent at prioritizing.

One time I actually had a physician physically restrain me so I would talk to him about a patient. He kept trying to talk to me and I had a patient puking in the next room and didn't think discussing the physician's stable patient's situation really took the priority at the moment..So I kept running off every time he'd try to get my attention. He was standing at the end of the hall going, "Hey!" and trying to get my attention and I had to put him on hold for 20 minutes (physicians are definitely not used to that!!) Finally I went to talk to him and he grabbed me by the hand so I wouldn't run off again.

haha...got respect for that...he's one of those physician preceptors and I overheard him sticking up for me, telling a group of medical students "serving the patients is always most important to that nurse." This was after two of the med students had approached me and asked about labs and vital signs. I got really short with them (hey, I was very busy with an admit). I opened up the chart, pointed to the tab that said, "Labs" and pointed to the tab that said, "VS" and told them to go to town. Pshaw

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Much love and support to all you fellow nurses! I was an LPN for 15 years prior to getting my RN, so I thought I was up for the challenge.

I cried after being yelled at on two occasions within my first week of orientation. These were docs upset about documentation they had requested over the weekend, when I was off. I understand thier fustration, but there are other , more tactful ways of talking to people.

The staff doesn't always give new grads a chance. Sometimes it seems like you have to prove yourself to everyone.

Hang in there, and remeber crying is good for the soul! It is okay to shed a tear, we are all just human. :redbeathe

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Specializes in ER - trauma/cardiac/burns. IV start spec.

I went straight to ER after grad. In fact I never wanted to work anywhere else. I have cried may times with family. It is a natural reaction if you have empathy for your patients. I cried once when I went to family room to talk to family of suicide only to find my Dad's secretary in the room. The girl was her neice and I had to tell Helen that she was dead.

The worse were the children 1 SIDS and 1 12yo Indian boy that had been born with a bad heart. He had his first heart surgery at 24 hrs old. He had been to a childrens hospital north of us by 100 miles. A blaylock shunt was inserted and he was sent home. I never did understand why he was not held for several days but they made the drive home only to have their child suddenly collapse. Worst case I ever worked. The chest Xray was miss labeled r to l and we inserted chesttube on wrong side - I caught problem and we swapped sides. The blood was so clotted and we were pouring fluids in like mad but pressure kept falling. We cracked chest in er and the blood around his heart was scooped out like so much jello - we tried massage, we tried ped. internal paddles. Nothing. Then family accused us of not trying because they were Hindu.

He was a beautiful child - dark hair dark skin. I have a child with the ability to change colors during summer. With the same thick dark hair and his dark summer skin I saw my child lying on that bed. The thoraic surgeon came in and closed his chest and we got the nursing supervisor to set up a place (other than in the reg morge room) where one of the elder males needed to stay with the body. I cried all the way home and refused to let any of the kids go to school. I held on to them all day.

How long does it stay with you? I just came out of my remaining sons room and he had been crying. I asked why and he had thought about a friend in his 10th grade class that committed suicide. I tried to explain that with time the bad fades and is replaced with good thoughts but in relaying the above story I still cry and it has been 10 years.:crying2:

I cannot speak for other floors or units but in the ER it is usually the children - once they are 18 and have done something stupid they loose childhood status.

You will learn to hold the tears and when to let them flow. Trust your heart in that time you will know when.:confused:

Patty

PS While I worried about my patients I found out after I had to quite work (latex) I terrified the residents - they were afraid to look dumb.:yeah:

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I have been a nurse for 10 months and although my crying has decreased I still do it. It is just who I am!!!! I have never cried in front of a family or a patient, but I have cried in the med room or the bathroom at work, but most of the time it is at the end of the day when i get into my car and go home after feeling completely overwhelmed. I just cry and move on and show up to work the next day no matter how difficult it is!!!!

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Specializes in CTICU, Interventional Cardiology, CCU.

I cried my first night off orientation 7 months ago and I am almost 10 months into my first year I cry every now and a again.

My first night off orientation, which I had went from 8 weeks of day shift orientation to 4 weeks of night shift orientation, b/c I took the night shift postition when I get the job at the hosp.

That first night off orientation I was a mess, I got my report, I was susposed to only have 4 pt's right off orientation, they gave me 6 pt's. 3 of the 6 pt's came back to back to back from the cath lab during shift change at 7pm, and had drips out the wazoo, one had a bleed and one had a sheath. ALL had STAT labs, and orders.

Here is me in the Pyxis room BALLING, like a 5 y.o. I wasn't sure what MD to call, and my night preceptor wasn't the best at telling me what MD I needed to call at night b/c she just did it for me, and it's COMPLEATLY different at night calling the MD's than day shift calling the MD's b/c during the day the MD's are either at the hosp. or AWAKE . So OK I am the RN off orientation who do I call, The House MD, ok dosen;t cover that pt's MD, do I call the tele resident, or the cardiac fellow, RRRR..

My charge was breathing down my back asking me 10000 qestions, that I was scrambling to find the ans to. The call bells were going crazy, it seemed like every phone call was for me, and I was in complete dissarray, every pt.I swear was having v-tach including myself.

The unit clerk kept over head paging me every 10 seconds (I wanted to SCREAM), for things that the 3 CNA's on the floor could do, "Angie the pt. in room *** needs Ice", ok I run to get the pt. Ice, "Angie the pt. in room *** needs a blanket" I run to get a blanket, "Angie I need you to come to the nurses station" I run to the nurses station, the UC says to me, "I am going on break you have to put the 3 pt's charts that came from the cath lab together and enter their orders, and I want it done by the time I get back from my break, or I won't do it before I leave at 11pm" I had never put a pt's chart together before let alone 3 of them, the med's needed to be wrtten on the MEDEX and the pt's all had 10 pm Meds due, the orderes were incomplete, so the MD's needed to be called but it was rounding 10pm and I had no idea that after a certain time some MD's just don't return pages or phone calls. The pt's came at 7pm, why was the pt's chart not completed?

OH and giving report that morning to the Day shift my frist night off orientation was like sitting in the Electric Chair and being slowly fried. I was bombarded with 100000 questions, that I took forever for me to answer. I think I began crying during report.,Like WHYY DO I SUCK AT THIS??

HENCE the reason my first night off of orientation I was hysterical in the MED room, the bathroom, the car ride home, before I went to bed.

It has been a long road from that night and I know I only cry now when I am OVER TIRED, there is WAY too much chaos going on at once and I can;t get an answer from anyone, which is more frustration then anything. I have also learned to stop the unit clerk from paging me for things that the CNA's can do, and if I am doing a procedure, drawing labs, recieving the pt from the cah lab, not to bother me at that moment b/c I am with a pt. unless there is a problem with one of my pt's, or a RRT or a CODE on the floor.

Giving report In the morning I used to cry after b/c some of the day shift RN's were incredibly MEAN to me, why didn't you do this last night, why didn;t you call this MD last night? I would say I did 3 times and the MD didn;t call back, the house MD covers the MD at night along with 100 other MD's the House MD covers and gave me this order.. And the day RN's would keep me there for an extra 2 hours. I used to get so upset and cry on the way home like I was a bad RN.

BUT I have learned to deal with these RN's while giving report in the Morning, and most of the time they get the same pt. they had the day before, so when they ask me 100000 questions, I say you had the pt. yesterday, you know these answers, there was no change overnight. I am updating you, and where ever peaks your coursity that I didn't have time to go over in the chart with a fine tooh comb, you can find b/c the chart is right here and you had the pt. yesterday, so if you had these questions yesterday they are right here in front of you in the chart, that you could have looked though yesterday.

I am not going to jynx myself, b/c I just cried a couple of weeks ago b/c one of the nurses gave me a bunch of BS about a pt. I had taken care of 3 nights before that had a stroke the previos day and acted like it was my falt the pt. stroked out 2 days after I had taken care of the pt.. And my Chrage said to me I need to talk to you about said pt. I caught my self, and said to both RN's, I have been off for the last 2 days. the pt. was stable when I gave report 3 days ago. Why are you comming down on me for something that happened 2 days after I had taken care of the pt. and i wasn't even working the last few nights. They both said OH, I thought you worked the night before the pt. had a stroke. I said NO, I had been off for a few days. But the tears were still rolling down my face.

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I had an 8 week orientation on a small tele unit which I love. Well I've been off orientation for 3 shifts and last night I barely held it together! The 2 nurses that came on the next shift just laughed and tried to make me feel better! Every nurse it seems has cried or made a mistake they thought was awful! Hopefully there won't be too many more crying nights!

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