I read Allnurses every day, rarely do I post. Over the past year or so I've been reading more and more about how hard "that first year of nursing" is and how many new nurses just can't handle it and are looking to get out. I understand.
As an old, seasoned nurse, now retired I have watched nursing get harder and harder, working with sicker and sicker patients with less resources. How long can this continue? I've read lately about nurses who need antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds just to be able to come to work each day. And we all nod and say that's just how nursing is now. I read about nurses who cry and dread each day that they have to come to work, working in fear of making a mistake. The horror, a human being might make a mistake. And then I read other nurses who say, "we should never make mistakes, we should triple/quadruple check everything we do because the poor patient should not be harmed in any way, ever." What utopia do they live in? And yet we have to drop everything that we are triple checking to run and get a family member an extra pillow or a soft drink or risk being reprimanded.
What other career puts such a burden on it's members? I can't think of any that routinely have members dreading to come to work and needing medications to get through a shift, maybe airtraffic controllers, or combat soldiers. I don't know.
And then we tell ourselves that we should be happy that we're lucky to have a job. Really? What is so lucky about this?
I started nursing 40 years ago on a busy labor and delivery unit. I was afraid at times. But there was a support system from the top down. Director of nursing, nursing supervisors, head nurses (they weren't called managers back then) and the shift charge nurse, everyone pulled together. I miss that. I left hospital bedside nursing 10 years ago because of the lack of support and teamwork, and the increasing focus on the patient "experience" versus a positive outcome of disease or injury.
I don't have an answer, well I do but for some reason, nurses I have known don't want to talk about solving problems for their profession. We're great at solving everyone else's problems but not our own. How long can this continue? I feel sorry for new nurses and for my older colleagues as well.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
As soon as our primary job became making the patient happy instead of making the patient well the downward spiral began. Sadly I see no change for the better in the future.
I wholeheartedly agree with the first sentence. The second, not so much. Even though I have become a bit cynical over the years, I still believe that nursing will hit rock bottom at some point and have no choice but to go back up. May not happen within my working life though.
Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
The nurses you see in clinicals cannot be that much different than all the nurses I know work with, have worked with, etc. It's that many nurses do not share their unhappy feelings with most people and they hide it well at work. They do share it with close friends, family, and quietly with coworkers they trust. Some nurses can appear so contented, but then will secretly share exactly how unhappy they are. Most would never share any negative feelings with a new employee or a student. On Allnurses, we can be more open with each other and share our true feelings, even those feelings that change day to day :) Feelings we hide at work, so as to be professional and provide the best care to the patients. How people really feel and the face they present at work, can be very different.[/quote']
My personal experience in nursing school is not at all similar to the experiences of other nursing students I see on allnurses. And the mood and tone, the workload, the expectations, lack of support, backbiting, are just not at all representative of the culture that i see on the floor where i have clinical. I don't claim to know anyone's heart, but i am talking about the dynamic.
I have seen people talk about failing out of nursing school for breaking sterile field in lab. That does not happen in my nursing school. If you screw up your test out you get remediation until you pass. It's not about culling the herd. It's just not at all what I see where I am.
Specializes in Med/Surg, OR, Peds, Patient Education.
After reading all these posts, the only conclusion I have is that I must work at an amazing hospital. I don't really get stressed, I give patients meds, I help them with ADLS, I chart my assessment etc. I don't really feel this soul-crushing environment.
Yes, you do work in an amazing and most unusual hospital. I am sure that the facility in which you work retains their employees, has a low turnover of nurses, because it supports and respects the dedicated staff. If only all hospitals treated their staff so well.
Common sense should tell all hospitals and other corporations that by treating employees with respect, and giving them the needed support, employees work harder, remain loyal and the turn over rate is low.
Worked as a Tech on a few hospital floor's: ICU, radiology, emergency room, OR, Psych, and a few rotations on the OBGYN floor. Never worked on the medical or rehab floor's. Also never done nursing homes. Anywho psych and ER from my experience seem the most supportive towards nurses and Techs. However, OR and horror stories from medical unit's new nurses are being devoured by the young and short staff a lot of skills being hammered on to them.
The unfortunate reality is that health care is a big money business and is run as a big money business. More unfortunate is nurses are not part of the big money equation. It is very clear that for the most part employers consider nurses expendable, and for the most part we are.
There is no nursing shortage in most areas. There is in fact a nursing surplus which means if you don't like the expectations your employer is dumping on you, go ahead and leave. There will be a line of nurses waiting in the wings to take the very job you can't tolerate...if they even bother to fill the empty position.
You've hit the nail on the head. By taking money out of the equation, nurses are automatically de-powered. Imagine if we had a slice of the reimbursement pie? What if we were tied to productivity bonuses or paid on the basis of our knowledge and experience? What an incentive that would be. I'd much more eagerly take on more responsibility. It's the stripping away of any power or incentive while demanding higher productivity that is killing morale. Nursing can never truly be a profession until we have power over our own and have some input into where and how we work. Doctors have it, why can't we? Do you ever see doctors or PAs float? Called off? Asked to empty the trash? Fired for a small mistake? Never. But they sure as heck get paid per patient seen. Nurse Practitioners are stepping in the right direction but what we lack is a coherent organization that has our best interests at heart. I'd rather see the nursing elite push for this than making nursing theory believable. As long as we're lumped in with housekeeping in the budget, we'll never be taken seriously and nothing will change.
I've been a nurse a little over 20 years. I've hated it for 20 years. But life happens and you get stuck. If I could find a way out I would. Sorry to say the debate rages on regarding nursing being professional, therefore let's not have a union but I think if the union is good perhaps it would be better for us if there was a natonal nuses union. After 20 years, I can say nursing really isn't a proffession, it is a blue collar service job; no where else in the hospital will you find healthcare professionals getting interrupted in the middle of an important task like nurses. And everyone else (docs, NP, etc.)thinks it is OK to force you to stop what you are doing to help THEM; to go "fetch" something for THEM; to assist THEM. It is constant, never ending, grueling abuse on many levels and god forbid you refuse to drop everything to go do someone else's bidding because if you do, you will get written up.
I am one that has sat in my car crying, telling myself to get in there and get my shift over with after spending the hours prior dreading having to go to work. Heck there were days I wanted to get in a car accident so I wouldn't have to go in to work.
I don't know what the answers are, but I am getting my BSN right now and hoping I can find some other type of position.anyone who prays out there, Please pray for me to figure this out and get off of this ride.
The nursing profession has collectively decided to become submissive. I believe that it is time to rise up and say enough is enough. It goes without saying that the health care system would collapse without nurses. We KNOW nursing is a pushover and we KNOW nursing is submissive, but do we really understand WHY?
What is this fear and lack of initiative I notice among my nurses?
What is this silly "Well we gotta work with what we have" attitude.
Do you seriously think you're a patient advocate or some type of hero when you decide to take on 10 patients with no tech?
Is it that some nurses want to be martyrs?
I'm no martyr, I'm no robot, I'm not your slave.
I am counting the days until I can start graduate school.
Be a NURSE advocate
THEN
Be a patient advocate.
Just saying, advocating for nursing at many institution will get you a brown box and security escort out to the parking lot. We had so low noise about a possible union organizing at my hospital and that was nipped in the bud by quickly doctoring up the two RNS notes and firing them. Just saying you are going against hospital administration that has many more resources at their disposal. If you go in and have a ridiculous assignment you just have to make it work cause if you don't you will be repremanded for not being a team player or abandoning you patients or any other number of things. No one has your back, no one cares and you are nothing but a cog in the wheel.
I am a new grad myself. Started in the ICU new graduate program at my local hospital. I am 5 weeks in and must say, I love it and the support I am receiving from my department and preceptors. Is it hard work? Yes, but I love going there and learning and improving my skills. I am blessed to be in this department and to work within the ICU. Yes, there are stand off'ish nurses, but the doctors have been great and very patient with all of us new grads.
Listen, no place is going to be perfect. You have to decide what works for you. Complaining only sets up negativity, if you don't like nursing or your department, find s different department or maybe a different career. Good luck to all of you new nurses out there. Stay strong and keep going. Brush off the rude comments or bitter nurses and just do you:).
I'm a high school senior looking to pursue a career in nursing and health. My two options I have so far is to be a registered nurse or a medical assistant. Now I'm not sure whether or not to change my career interest based on the nerve-wrecking environment. Are there any tips or words of wisdom you guys can give me, especially if you are an RN or MA. Thank you very much for responding and your time
Hi Diana,
I'd ask yourself what is it about nursing and health that interests you to make it your career. Don't be blinded by the images you've seen on TV as to what a nursing career is. Ask lots of specific questions so that you can learn what it is and what it can be. Do you handle stress well? I would encourage you to wait tables for six months while you are preparing yourself for further education because you will learn to multi-task and customer service skills. No joke.
I encourage you to look into the current employment needs for both registered nurses and medical assistants in your community to get a glimpse of potential opportunities available. You can do this by reading one of the online job posting sites. Decide if you would rather work in a clinic/office setting or in a hospital, nursing home, corrections (jail/prison), school, etc...because some of those areas may have more opportunities available as a RN. Most of the clinics/offices here hire MA's or LPN's rather than RN's. The local school board hires LPN's and RN's for school nurse positions where I live. If your goal is to work in a hospital then RN is the best choice. I live in a large metropolitan area with a variety of health services available, so your options might be varied from what I describe if you don't live in such a place.
Lastly, spend only what you can afford on your education. If you must borrow, then spend only what is necessary because the student loan debt will have to be paid back. You do not want to be saddled with high payments as you begin your professional life. If you default (don't pay them), you will lose your nursing license. So be smart with your time and your money no matter what career you choose. Best of luck to you!
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MsTaran
2 Posts
That sounds believable!