I cant take nursing anymore

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

My job is horrible, dreaded, makes me ill...literally. I work med/surg. With staff cut to skeleton crew, I cant take the workload anymore. I love my patients, I like most of my coworkers. I am comfortable there (the only job Ive worked as a nurse). But we NEVER have any supplies, pharmacy NEVER has our meds there. I spend most of my time scavenging for supplies, arguing with pharmacy. They started a new medication reconcilliation system and half the docs refuse to do it, I dont understand it, its causing a pain in the orifice! I cant keep up anymore and I just cant take it anymore. Today, I honestly didnt know half my patients' names! I had one who had stool squirting out her midline abd incision that I was fighting with all day long, on top of everything else. This hospital is the only hospital within 70 miles and I dont want to commute such a distance, especially on bad roads, but what am I to do?! Everyone feels the same way, we break down and cry at work...its THAT bad. We all feel like this, but complaining does no good. Sorry for ranting, I guess I just needed to get this off my chest. And for those who are still reading, thanks for reading my post. Nursing is not what I thought it would be. I used to love it. Working at McDonalds looks better every day!

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

Sorry to hear what your going through.

Have you thought about trying something different to med-surg? There is so many speciality areas to choose from such as ICU, ER, OR and so on.

Sounds like you work in a highly stressful environment and you don't have any support from management. If everyone is breaking down at work then IMHO it's time to get outta there.

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

I also suggest transferring to a different floor of the hospital.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, HH, Tele, Geriatrics, Psych.

Wow! Your job sounds just like my job! Do we work at the same place, on the same floor? I, too, work on a horrible Med-Surg floor and am currently looking for something less stressful. I started to transfer to another floor, then realized that part of the problem is the HOSPITAL. No matter where I transfer within the hospital, I believe that it will be similar because administration just does not care!

We cry at work, we have highly acute patients with high nurse:patient ratios, fight with pharmacy and doctors. I swear....if we could just BE NURSES vs having to fight with everyone just to perform our job duties, it would be nice.

I have a feeling that this is going to be normal practice for hospitals from here on out. Sad, but true. It has been echoed here on AN before. Hospitals are being run as if they were 5-star hotels. We no longer have "patients"; we have "customers". And customers do not like to listen to patient teaching, or listen to nurses or doctors. They want what they want when they want it! Now! How dare you try to keep them on the floor, much less in their room. They have rights, don't you know?

I am sorry I am venting, but I am right there with you. I am very disappointed that nursing has turned into such a circus!

I have a feeling that I am going to get flamed!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

I agree. Ive seen patients tell the docs what they WANT, doc order it...instead of doc just ordering what patient NEEDS. I just cant believe what admin expects out of us though. I feel like I literally neglect the patients. One doc told us today that we (nurses) need to unite and complain and just refuse to work under these conditions. He is so supportive and is also mad at administration And he is one of the few GREAT docs there.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, HH, Tele, Geriatrics, Psych.

Yet if we refuse to work under these conditions, there will be repercussions, you can count on it!

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Specializes in Psyche, Geriatrics, Rehab.

Although I work in LTC, I have many friends that work in hospitals, one with whom I reside ( a 30 year oncology veteran), and I hear the exact same comments from them. Please know that my heart goes out to all of you wonderful RN's on "the front lines" and know that most of you do touch lives....most of your patients appreciate you and what you are able to accomplish...most of the doctors that know better know you do your best each and every shift...

Unfortunately with the insertion of lawyers and insurance companies into the framework of nursing, it will never totally be what we signed up for, but at the heart of the matter is why we went to school.

Although what I say here will NEVER make up for those lousy shifts, the butt kissing that is expected of you from administration and some patients, not to mention not having what you need when you need it, maybe remembering why we did this to begin with might just help make a few minutes of our work lives a tiny bit less heavy.

I wish you my sincere best and want you to know one LPN thinks the world of hospital nurses. I couldn't do what you do, but I respect the hell out of your fortitude for doing it.

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I feel exactly the same way. I wonder if we work at the same hospital? One day after I got off the phone with radiology (of course, they can never come get the patient, why would I think they could possibly? Nevermind that I have an active MI going on, an admission, two complaining family members at the desk, and a doc we've been trying to reach for over an hour now). I look down the east hall and the nurse is standing at the med cart crying, I look down north hall and the nurse has her head bent and literally is either praying or meditating. The call bells sound like a flock of geese. And I think to myself, if only I could go back in time...

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

I understand.....

I think far to many of us understand.

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Specializes in Emergency.

Please... pleeeeease all-powerful pharmacy tech, I BEG you PLEASE send me the Lyrica I asked for 2 hours ago so my patient stops freaking out on me!:plsebeg:

I'll clean your car i'll change your kitty litter... ANYTHING just PLEASE send me the DRUGS!!!

No, but seriously, I know what you mean... Nurses have been crying a lot around here lately... heck, I was almost in tears today when I came on and ICU took their nurse back because staffing was screwed up... one nurse got 2 admissions at the same time :no:...

I'd also recommend a transfer to another unit... as far as the docs are concerned, upper mgt has to bribe them somehow into doing the med recs.. they are useless if the docs don't look at them... and the joint commission requires them to be done... once the hospital is docked a few times, i'm sure they'll be forced to do them. .. hang in there though, maybe you can become a manager and help change the process!

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Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.

It truly is amazing just how much time we spend on the phone with the pharmacy. "We sent that 15 minutes ago" seems to be their phrase of choice. One time a pharmacy tech told me "i know we lie, but this time i am telling you the truth". :uhoh3:

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Specializes in Emergency.

Oh dear lord! That's great... how bout when the lab calls the unit insisting that we did not send the blue tube down for the PTT/PTP... even though I sent it myself! How is it that they always get every other tube I sent down except for the glass one??? Yaknow, if you'd just admit to dropping the damned thing I wouldn't care so much.. but to lie to me!? Pshaw! :lol2:

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