I started an ADN nursing program over a year ago and graduate in May. I have the highest average in class, and I really seem to be doing well. However; I hate everything nursing, I really only started the program because I was bored, and now I feel to far invested to quite. I have to keep telling myself that this is a great job, but in reallity this job holds a lot of responsibility, "crappy responsibility." In addition I feel tremendous pressure from my family, my husband, and my husbands family to finish and work. It's not like I don't already have a BSN from another university, and my husband makes an excellent salary, I don't have to work. I keep hoping that all the pretentious people in class with their over enthusiastic "I love nursing" attitude will be non-existent in the workplace. This is me just venting, but if you have any productive advice or have felt this way I would love a response. However; if you are just wanting to tell me how terrible I am, please keep it to yourself.
It sounds like all you want is sympathy, not criticism. I hope you show the same respect to your patients as you wish to have for yourself. As previously recommended, do not go into direct patient care because it takes a person with compassion and the love of human beings to be a good nurse. Best of luck!
I am a LVN and I remember when I trained for it I wasn't hating the field but was very afraid of being a nurse. I had always wanted to be a nurse but by the time I got to get into training one instructor I had made it scary. That was 15 years ago. I don't regret pushing through and am now back in school to pursue a higher license. I don't think you are a terrible person feeling the way you do. I don't think we can get the full scope of our options in the middle of training. Twice I did almost leave the profession due to burn out, but my hubby kept pushing to try a different area to practise. I am very glad I listened. I think that is key too. We have so many options as nurses. You don't have to be a hospital nurse if you don't want to, or a geractric nurse, and so on. You can do case managment for home health, work in a doctor's office, work for a health insurance company, etc, etc, etc........ We all have our niches. I am definitely not going to ever pursue E.R., I.C.U, or pschye. Those our areas I've never had an interest. My advise is don't judge the profession while training. If your grades are good that says something of your abilities. Talk to as many nurses as you can in as many different areas as possible. We all hate our job at some time but work through it and if you hear others talk about this it will help to get a better handle on things.
Specializes in Geriatrics, Adminstration and Pediatric.
If your heart is not in nursing then you could possibly cause more harm to a patient then anything else:cry:. An attitude of "hating nursing" is seen in my point of view already too much, (with one nurse being one to many). I have wished on several occasions a nurse would quit because they obviously hated what they did and the ones we are there to help end up suffering for the nurses lack of caring, comfort and support, which is just part of nursing. Do them a favor and don't try to be a nurse if your heart is not there. You can use your degree working for lawyers, getting medical evidence, and other areas not requiring patient care.
I too hate nursing. The reason I hate it so much is because the crappy responsibility always has a crappier superior attached to it to be sure you get reamed if anyone under you forgets to do anything.
I just got fired because my staff ( I was the night Charge Nurse) disliked having to follow policy and procedures as outlined in our company handbook. Texting for 8 1/2 hours of a 12 hour shift was their usual. They set me up by not administering antibiotics, which when you are in charge, it is ultimately your responsibility. They also cursed and described their sexual practices so loudly that patients down the halls could hear them. This Texas town isn't ready for lesbian love antics!
Nursing ultimately has nothing to do with nursing, only politics.
I have been a nurse since 1986....what a waste of time!
I know there are honest and hard-working nurses out there who have been in the same situation.
Specializes in Geriatrics, Adminstration and Pediatric.
Yes, there are a lot of challenges of nursing but you have to ask yourself, why you are there in the first place, isn't to help the sick,those in need of healing? That is what you have to remember, then the other stuff isn't your focus, the patient is.:heartbeat
It sounds like all you want is sympathy, not criticism. I hope you show the same respect to your patients as you wish to have for yourself. As previously recommended, do not go into direct patient care because it takes a person with compassion and the love of human beings to be a good nurse. Best of luck!
Sounds like you are being a bit judgemental here, ventgurl. We are just Venting on here, right?
To all of the 'nurses' who hate being a nurse - GO DO SOMETHING ELSE! If you hate what you do, why waste your time?
As a nurse for over 21 years - I can't imagine doing anything else!:redpinkhe
And for the 'nurse' who was in charge & 'set-up' by staff, if you manage appropriately then you wouldn't have all of the problems you have. Their are bad staff members as well as bad managers.
Not everyone can be a nurse - not even all nurses should be nurse.
I pray that no one in my family ever has the misfortune to be cared for by someone who dislikes their job so much.
I LOVE everything about being a nurse - even the crappy jobs you are dealt means that you have made life better for someone else, and after all isn't that what 'NURSE' is all about?:heartbeat
Please - for the sake of the poor people who will eventually depend on you for care...QUIT!!!!
" I have to keep telling myself that this is a great job, but in reallity this job holds a lot of responsibility, "crappy responsibility." In addition I feel tremendous pressure from my family, my husband, and my husbands family to finish and work. It's not like I don't already have a BSN from another university, and my husband makes an excellent salary, I don't have to work. I keep hoping that all the pretentious people in class with their over enthusiastic "I love nursing" attitude will be non-existent in the workplace."
I thought nursing was going to be completely different than it has turned out to be. I also have a BA and had been in grad school for several years. To be totally honest, I thought school would be a breeze, I could go into any field I wanted, have high pay, and little responsibility! I planned to get a job doing something where patients were either in comas or chemically sedated so I wouldn't have to deal with all that 'touchy-feely' holistic care crap. My attitude was pretty superior and counterproductive to say the least!
Because I had committed to the program, I am finishing it and plan to go to work as an RN--but with a whole different attitude! I had to find what I really did like about nursing and focus on those things. I had to accept that no matter where I go in life professionally, there are always going to be aspects of the profession that I'll just have to stomach along with the good. And I had to find my own excitement about nursing rather than denigrating those who naturally had the passion! It worked.
You may not be able to change your attitude on this. The operating room may be a good option if you want a little more cynical environment... If not, I recommend you get a non-bedside career. You might find (as I did) that you take your attitude with you.
I agree with the post that was said earlier to those who say "if you don't have a passion/love/orgasm at the thought of nursing, then get out" being a bit too hasty.
First off - human beings are terrible predictors of what will make them "happy." Heres a good blog post that I feel illustrates this concept well:
For example: "No matter where they live, human beings are terrible predictors of what will make them happy." This is because our mind plays tricks on us: "We are more comfortable with decisions we can't reverse than ones we can."
Here is something that really affected me: "Those who seek out the best options in life are called maximizers. And maximizers, in practically every study, are far more miserable than people who are willing to make do." One way to stop being a maximizer is to move to where you have fewer choices, (which takes us back to the New York City problem.) Another way is to make choices faster, before you obsessively weigh every possibility.
Other zingers: Kids don't make you happy, losing limbs doesn't make you sad, and if you have as much money as the people you hang out with you'll feel like you have enough.
How can you not be curious about this article? I read it three times.
Like I said before, I really think basing one's happiness on what one does as a career is just setting you up for failure down the road. There are more important things in life to base your identity and life on like good meaningful relationships with those you care about, friends, family etc.
But it is good you are asking these things now. Some people never take a time to reflect on these until they are very old or im sure some never do.
I too hate nursing. The reason I hate it so much is because the crappy responsibility always has a crappier superior attached to it to be sure you get reamed if anyone under you forgets to do anything.
I just got fired because my staff ( I was the night Charge Nurse) disliked having to follow policy and procedures as outlined in our company handbook. Texting for 8 1/2 hours of a 12 hour shift was their usual. They set me up by not administering antibiotics, which when you are in charge, it is ultimately your responsibility. They also cursed and described their sexual practices so loudly that patients down the halls could hear them. Sulphur Springs, Texas isn't ready for lesbian love antics!
Nursing ultimately has nothing to do with nursing, only politics.
I have been a nurse since 1986....what a waste of time!
I know there are honest and hard-working nurses out there who have been in the same situation.
Bye-Bye....
Squawmeemaw
I have felt the same way at one time or another, squawmeemaw.
I've read a few of the repsonses to your post. And, I personally don't agree with some of them. The ANA likes to talk about the nursing shortage, yet the administrations in many of our nations hospitals and healthcare facilities suck and holding a job is primarily contingent upon playing office politics even when that office is in a AC facility, LTC facility, urgi-care facility, or any healthcare realated facility where the goal is to care for the patient not suck up to those who control the purse strings. Sometimes, those in authority abuse their power over peoples lives. I've heard the old adage said, many times, that "nurses eat their young", which only goes to show that there is a certain amount of problems with nursing interaction with each other and with those in authority towards those who actually do all of the work. Some have implied that it could be a matter of attitude on your part. Not knowing the full circumstances, I can and will say only this, The shortage of nursing is due in part to ineffiecient and to inappropriate management destroying careers due to their inablity to mange well and the middle management staff having to take the fault when something goes wrong because of it. If there's some other career that you'd rather go into, consider it. But, I say, if you want to stay in nursing, do so. There's someone in management somewhere who'll appreciate the nursing knowledge and care you have to impart to your patients, your fellow nurses, and to your choosen profession.
This is to the nurse who insulted my intelligence re: proper managerial technique.
I hate the politics...NOT the job. I have Never had a patient complain. Evidently you have never been entrusted with charge, or you wouldn't have made the assinine statement that I wasn't properly managing my charge. Couldn't you read the part about the 8 1/2 hours of texting by one of the staff? When you "do the correct thing" and councel them, you make an enemy. 21 years of floor nursing doesn't make you a good judge of charge positions.
ventgurl, ASN
61 Posts
It sounds like all you want is sympathy, not criticism. I hope you show the same respect to your patients as you wish to have for yourself. As previously recommended, do not go into direct patient care because it takes a person with compassion and the love of human beings to be a good nurse. Best of luck!