I feel like they should change the title of this site to "reasons why my job sucks"

[hershdawg]

People on here need to realize that when you complain on here (and for some that all those individuals do) it really dissuades us new grads from continuing into the profession. First and most obvious question, Does anyone actually like being a Nurse? I mean granted I don't think anyone loves all aspects of their job, but does it seem like a nightmare every day? Secondly, name the best part of your area and your biggest pet peeve.

Sorry had to rant.

[SleeepyRN]

I can't really muster up an actual response to this that won't get edited for violating TOS, so I'll just be brief. Ummm, NO. I don't have the obligation to teach, mentor or prop up ANYBODY on the good old World Wide of Web, kthanks.

I feel an obligation to the nursing profession's future to make sure that new grads gain the expertice of experienced nurses. I'm a new grad and have already taught newer employees than myself what other nurses have taught me. My attitude is "pass it on." Otherwise, like I stated in a previous post, new grads will not learn, and in the future there will be no experienced nurses because no one felt an obligation to the continuing of our profession. Many employees, not just new grads, but nurses switching fields, have very brief orientations. So we/they still rely on other nurses to learn. As long as a nurse takes responsibility for his/her own learning and not expect to be spoon fed, then I absolutely agree that we are all teachers. I stated this post in a respectful manner, so those that disagree, please debate intelligently, respectfully and flame free.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

In a general sense, yes, nurses do have a responsibility to mentor, which they do every day. However, we don't owe our co-workers or new grads anything. It's a two way street. You give and you get. So for the new grads who are under the assumption that nurses are obligated to mentor, or that they should retire so the new grads can take over....well you're sadly mistaken. The world owes you nothing.

[SleeepyRN]

In a general sense, yes, nurses do have a responsibility to mentor, which they do every day. However, we don't owe our co-workers or new grads anything. It's a two way street. You give and you get. So for the new grads who are under the assumption that nurses are obligated to mentor, or that they should retire so the new grads can take over....well you're sadly mistaken. The world owes you nothing.

1. I did say you have to give to get. You have to take responsibility for your own learning. 2. I said nothing of mentoring. Mentoring is a different definition.3. Nowhere did I say anything about anyone retiring. 4. And most importantly, I only mean it in a general sense as you mentioned. I specifically said I do not expect to be spoonfed. I do not in anyway mean that as a new grad, nurses should take me under their wing and make my learning the priority of their day. I believe too much was read into my post. If I have a question at work, please answer me. I will ask questions at appropriate times. I will also try to learn the answer on my own before coming to you.If there is a skill I have never done, please allow me, if timing allows, to watch how its done, or even do it myself under your guidance. I am not understanding how that is a sense of personal entitlement. There is a time for "teaching" and there are times we have to get out of the way and ask questions later.

[exit96]

Lol...the OP was fine...truth is, whether it's nursing or diggin' ditches some people are just miserable souls. I do not mind realism though, it's not all lovely. But do tell me, WHAT IS?

[CherylRNBSN]

Why am I responsible to guide and inspire anyone? Find your own path. You're an adult, not a child.

And if a bunch of strangers complaining about their jobs on the Internet is enough to discourage you from being a nurse, well, maybe that says more about you than it does about us....

Yikes, Brandon, that's harsh.

We all must "find our own path". I agree with you there. But few people do it ALONE. I know I have personally needed others to inspire and guide me.

I daresay that you can also (hopefully) recall, and appreciate those who have guided, encouraged, and inspired you.

New grads, young people, and yes, even us older, more experienced people, still have lots to learn. I do. WE ALL DO.

So if I have the privilege of being able to help someone who is struggling, I will do so. But, admittedly, I welcome that role.Perhaps you do not. I consider it a role of teacher, healer, MENTOR. Maybe helping someone reframe something. Maybe helping them deal with reality. Maybe helping them realize that discouragement can be a learning experience itself....WHY are you discouraged? What VALUES lie beneath the discouragement (i.e. WHAT IS WRONG? How do you think you can contribute to "fixing" it? What do YOU do to make this better for others?)

There are no pat answers. There is only an opportunity for growth and understanding.

We can only help, or hinder, this process. OP is where he/she is. I'll meet her/him right there.

I won't tell them to grow up, I'll help them do it.

[SleeepyRN]

Yikes, Brandon, that's harsh. We all must "find our own path". I agree with you there. But few people do it ALONE. I know I have personally needed others to inspire and guide me. I daresay that you can also (hopefully) recall, and appreciate those who have guided, encouraged, and inspired you.New grads, young people, and yes, even us older, more experienced people, still have lots to learn. I do. WE ALL DO.So if I have the privilege of being able to help someone who is struggling, I will do so. But, admittedly, I welcome that role.Perhaps you do not. I consider it a role of teacher, healer, MENTOR. Maybe helping someone reframe something. Maybe helping them deal with reality. Maybe helping them realize that discouragement can be a learning experience itself....WHY are you discouraged? What VALUES lie beneath the discouragement (i.e. WHAT IS WRONG? How do you think you can contribute to "fixing" it? What do YOU do to make this better for others?)There are no pat answers. There is only an opportunity for growth and understanding.We can only help, or hinder, this process. OP is where he/she is. I'll meet her/him right there.I won't tell them to grow up, I'll help them do it.

Cheryl, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your mindset. We would be nowhere without nurses like you.

[BrandonLPN, LPN]

Yikes, Brandon, that's harsh. We all must "find our own path". I agree with you there. But few people do it ALONE. I know I have personally needed others to inspire and guide me. I daresay that you can also (hopefully) recall, and appreciate those who have guided, encouraged, and inspired you.New grads, young people, and yes, even us older, more experienced people, still have lots to learn. I do. WE ALL DO.So if I have the privilege of being able to help someone who is struggling, I will do so. But, admittedly, I welcome that role.Perhaps you do not. I consider it a role of teacher, healer, MENTOR. Maybe helping someone reframe something. Maybe helping them deal with reality. Maybe helping them realize that discouragement can be a learning experience itself....WHY are you discouraged? What VALUES lie beneath the discouragement (i.e. WHAT IS WRONG? How do you think you can contribute to "fixing" it? What do YOU do to make this better for others?)There are no pat answers. There is only an opportunity for growth and understanding.We can only help, or hinder, this process. OP is where he/she is. I'll meet her/him right there.I won't tell them to grow up, I'll help them do it.

I was responding to the idea that part of my job description was to guide new nurses. It's not. I'll help if I can, but I have my own duties and my own patients. I am very busy at work and I have lots of priorities to juggle. For a new grad to expect their guidance to be one of my priorities is just narcissistic on their part.

[nursel56]

Yikes, Brandon, that's harsh.

We all must "find our own path". I agree with you there. But few people do it ALONE. I know I have personally needed others to inspire and guide me.

I daresay that you can also (hopefully) recall, and appreciate those who have guided, encouraged, and inspired you.

New grads, young people, and yes, even us older, more experienced people, still have lots to learn. I do. WE ALL DO.

This is so true. It seems like there are a variety of philosophies out there with regard to the the role of a student or new grad. I never expected the experienced nurses to behave in any particular way toward me. Since people are so different in their approach, I picked people in all my work environments to be my role models. I didn't adopt a bad attitude or question whether nursing was right for me because a few seemed miserable. I still have a mental Hall of Fame for great nurses I've worked with in the past, and I barely remember the nurses who hated their jobs.

Hershdawg, I've wondered why people complain that "this site is so negative" for a while so I decided to do an informal survey of a weeks thread titles. It isn't an exact measure but out of approx 532 posts 480 were neutral requests for assistance, information, articles or news items, 26 complaint/vents about jobs, co-workerss etc, 5 admonishments, 5 complaints about people/things in their personal life and 16 saying something positive about their job or spontaneous offers of support/advice to other people. Completely unscientific and subjective as it is, it indicates what we know in general about how people behave. They remember the negative, and don't normally come to a forum like this to tell us how wonderful things are, but that's human nature.

[redhead_NURSE98!, ADN, BSN]

I feel an obligation to the nursing profession's future to make sure that new grads gain the expertice of experienced nurses. I'm a new grad and have already taught newer employees than myself what other nurses have taught me. My attitude is "pass it on." Otherwise like I stated in a previous post, new grads will not learn, and in the future there will be no experienced nurses because no one felt an obligation to the continuing of our profession. Many employees, not just new grads, but nurses switching fields, have very brief orientations. So we/they still rely on other nurses to learn. As long as a nurse takes responsibility for his/her own learning and not expect to be spoon fed, then I absolutely agree that we are all teachers. I stated this post in a respectful manner, so those that disagree, please debate intelligently, respectfully and flame free.[/quote']

If the comment I replied to had not been stated in such a rude, entitled and threatening manner, my response may have been different. And you will note that I said I was referring to on the Internet, on which I do not care about or wish to take any responsibility for 1) how everyone hates the new grad at their first job, 2) the nursing student who thinks we should provide answers to their daily homework assignment, 3) the new grad still on orientation who is on their third med error, or 4) the student with a DUI who wants us to assure them that they will be able to get a nursing license!! At work I am paid to orient people. This here is my time, my one day off this week and I'm not gonna crap rainbows just because I supposedly owe it to the future generations according to some faceless online personality. "I had BETTER care," I think not.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

There is a happy medium between holding everyone's hand singing about sunshine and rainbows and actively trying to make new grads/students miserable.

I was fortunate to have a wonderful clinical mentor and I owe my survival of my first year in practice to her. I feel an obligation to pay that forward and I make every effort to. Can you all remember your first days? Did someone help you survive?

On the other hand, I also don't suffer those that convey a sense of entitlement; they need to find their own way and (hopefully) learn in the process, some humility. I also wouldn't have survived without having been humbled.

As far as the "system" pushing out too many nurses? This is, in the short term, true, which is why IMHO it's a great time to begin to transition to a BSN as EtP and DNP for EtP at APRN. In 10 years, that RN shortage will likely be very real as will the PCP shortage for APRNs.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Kel, you and I think the same way here for sure. I left the hospital for a M-F 9-5 job and I would NEVER ever go back to that horribleness. I too had quite to commute and woke up at around 4:30am and returned at about 9pm. I absolutely LOVE my schedule now, I love making plans EVERY WEEKEND, and I love not waking up until the time I was usually already at work.

What did you switch to btw? I moved to office work.

Per diem school nursing and Home Health/Case Management. Never up before the sun and yes, the vast majority of time I'm waking up at an hour that I was AT the hospital a year ago. I love my life.

[FLRNR1]

I really care about my patients and enjoy supporting, teaching, and caring for my patients. Unfortunately, more responsibilities are being hoisted on nurses - no patient care technicians to assist with bathroom, baths, confused patients; high nurse to patient ratios on high acuity floors 1:5; enter our own orders when the MDs round (call MD when we cannot read the orders) etc. If we work without clocking out for lunch or beyond our 12.5 hour shift, we receive a written letter of counseling due to "productivity".

I value the time I get to spend with my patients. I am able to gain knowledge regarding their past medical history that may have been missed upon admission as well as assess their need for home care, educational deficits etc. Most importantly, I am able to identify a change from their baseline - for better or worse.

It is frustrating to say the least. Hopefully you will be able to find a job that has a low nurse to patient ratio, great pay and lots of help on the floor. I wish you the best of luck.