I hate being a nurse

Published

I've been a nurse for a few years now

Specializes in Medical ICU, Coronary Care Unit, Med Onc.

:crying2: Your post makes me want to cry with you... To be repetitive, try something new! I was hired on to a medical ICU right out of school, but my manager suggested that I spend 3 months on the med surg floor before delving into the unit. The floor gave me perspective to say the least. I felt like a chicken with my head cut off without time to know the doctors or patients I was working with. I ran all day but still felt like I made no difference. Some days I felt more like a waitress than a nurse.

The ICU is very different for me. First of all, I have only 1-3 patients---I know them well. I have much more autonomy. The physicians have respect for the nurses here and include them in care planning-in fact they rely on us because if S*** hits the fan we cannot always wait for them to return a call. I get to use my technical and critical thinking skills. It's exciting and fast paced, and still busy but in a different way. At the end of the day I actually feel like I have saved a life. Plus (and I feel guilty for adding this) many of the patients are sedated, which reduces the stress and drama sometimes (I used to hear call bells in my sleep).

It isn't for everyone of course (I feel like a salesman lol), but I found my niche here. Try something new, and you will probably find yours too. And more importantly take care of yourself: pee when you need to, never miss lunch, and don't take no crap from anyone! Burn out happens fast.

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Makes me feel a little better that I'm not the only one feeling this way. I used to go into work with my mom back in the 80's early 90's for bring your child to work day. I remember loving what she did and told myself this is exactly what I wanted. Healthcare has changed so much. My patient expired the other night (I work 12-13 hour night shifts) administration was on top of me to get the pt to the morgue so they can book the bed. The son of the pt was hysterical at the bedside. What was I to tell him? Get the hell out we need this room? Where is the compassion? I swear I told all my family...I want to die and home. Don't ever keep me in the hospital.

This is a perfect example of greedy health care industry.

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Specializes in pedies and er.

what made you decide to choose nursing to begin with? I have viewed only a few of the messages here, so please excuse me if this has already been asked.... there are sooooo many avenues to choose from w/in nursing... , I'm speaking from experience here.

for instance, I love older people, but I prefer NOT to do LTC, I love Pedies, I prefer acute/er settings.., thinking about going into legal nursing....

so, see?

you are most probably in the best career field as far as a profession that has sooo many outbranching possibilities.

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Med Surg bedside nursing will suck a life out of you until you're completely physical, emotional, and mentally drained out. We call it BEYOND CRAZINESS at work.

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I know what you mean about family, friends outside of healthcare not getting it! They don't understand the difficult working conditions I deal with in the hospital and make comments I should work more overtime and how lucky I am to have a secure, high paying job or they want to know why I'm not a supervisor, mgr or DON after all these years!

I could probably work every day of the week if I wanted and money was my only motivation, but I'm just trying to make it thru the day and pay my bills. So many people make comments about how "rich" I am as a nurse and I'm definitely not rich. I say it makes a living wage that's all I don't know where they think I'm rich. LOL

I'm not the least bit interested in magnet status and climbing the ladder for a one time miserly raise that is held over your head and threaten to take it away ever after. Give me a break! They've changed the ladder so if you stay Level II you just work and go home and I'm very happy with that. Don't want to be on committees, do research etc. but I don't care what other people think about that. They have these employee surveys and that they want engaged workers. Well nursing has made me a very disengaged worker. I put my hours in and go home, that's all I want to do. Hospital nursing sucks the life out of a person especially because the hospitals and nursing homes are all trying to squeeze profit at our expense! I heard magnet status hospitals don't mandate, the nurses just work short! Sounds great, have twice as many patients and the hospitals profit all the more by paying less staff and you wonder why your always short-staffed!

Thanks to the person who mentioned clinic nursing as being an oasis in the desert. It is definitely something to consider for a better job and working conditions! Glad there's hope out there for some of us!

No desire to be in a committee or such. that is shoved down out throats non stop in the quest for magnet journey!!!! ugh. don't care. i prefer to go in, do my job, go out. i dont know how some of my coworkers have the motivation or desire for the endless committees and meetings.

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Specializes in aged care.

Hi,

Im only a student, but i have heard that travel nursing can be a great way to have a working holiday. It pays well also. If you are experienced, then will be in demand.

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Specializes in med/surg.

I've been a nurse for 18 years, part of that time was on a med/surg floor. Hospital nursing literally almost killed me mentally and physically. I don't know why I ever went back to it. I tip my hat to any nurse that can handle it well. I wish I could. Now I suffer from depression and bipolar type 2 that I think was exacerbated/or brought on by the severe stress I suffered as a floor nurse. I got out of it and now work in home health, but I feel ruined. Take my advice, if you are not happy, find something else in nursing as soon as you can, before it's too late for your mental health.

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Specializes in PCCN.
If you hate your job, QUIT. It's nonsensical to go to work day after day when you hate the job.

easier said than done :-(

really, kinda a tough decision. hmm , would I rather be poor living in a cardboard box, or be sane? although i know what answer i'll be choosing soon:crying2:

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Home Health.

OMG....I had just typed this lengthy letter but it got deleted....So, now I will say in a nut shell....NO job is worth feeling that way......polish your resume' and get back out there into the job circuit....nursing can be a beast! Sounds like it's where you are that sucks!

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Specializes in Oncology, Psych, Corrections.

Don't give up. Get your Masters and get out of the "back breaking" aspect of nursing. You don't want to regret getting out of nursing...there are bigger better things out there for ya!

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Specializes in Rehab, critical care.

If you're dreading work so much that you're crying on the way there, it's definitely time to move on. Do some introspection first: are you crying only b/c o work? Such as, is it just situational depression (your job), and will changing your job fix everything? If that is the case, then it's an easier fix...just change your job. If you feel something more is going on, then by all means see your PCP or seek counseling. Life's too short to battle depression without treatment. (can you tell I was a psych major? lol...I'm practically an empath according to my husband lol).

Definitely, definitely switch to another unit or a different hospital (maybe even home health or something completely different), do something you love. if you think the whole hospital sucks, then get out of that hospital, but just make sure you have another job first before you put in your notice. Definitely go back to school if that's what you want to do, but you may want to postpone school until you're not so depressed, i.e. maybe work somewhere else for a year, make sure you're happier with your life, and then pursue school (and you can work and go to school at the same time). School is stressful, so if you're already crying on the way to work, I wouldn't think you'd want to add school into the mix. Granted, starting a new job is stressful, but it's a good kind of stress if you at least like what you're doing (I can attest to this lol). Best of luck to you.....it sucks hating your job...I've been there, and I think most people have unfortunately. For now, just try to cling to anything (like...well, my patient smiled today, and I am helping people, etc) just to help your attitude until you find something better.

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Specializes in Nursing Admin.

I agree with all of you...Bedside nursing is grueling....and with resources getting tighter and tighter everything is dumped on the nurse. You're hating your job because you do not feel value in what you are doing, and there is not enough hours in your shift to deliver the care you think the patient diverse...I get it!

But there are so many diverse opportunities in the field of nursing and u need to try them out and discover your niche. Where will you feel like you are of value where can you make a difference.

Nursing is about problem solving..so look at that kind of problems in nursing you are good at solving, clinical, organizational (more big picture), maybe you would prefer policy development (very detail oriented), home health care (like to work alone), pharmaceutical rep, or any kind of rep in healthcare industry ( you want to travel), article writing (educational)...the field is wide open. Start with joining a local nursing organization...it is worth the membership fee to get access to nurses in all the different areas of healthcare, participate on a nursing organizational committee outside the hospital and discover the impact nurses have in community, state and national level....this can be very stimulating , but most importantly find a nursing mentor, someone you like someone that is out there making a difference in nursing.

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