I hate nursing..

caffeineRx · Feb 20, 2010

I'm sorry for your experience and I hope things have gotten better for you. Please let us know!

HollyHobby · Feb 21, 2010

I confess here that I never wanted to be a nurse at all. I wanted to be a grade school teacher. My (now ex) husband decided I should be a nurse, and here I am. Unfortunately, I could never become a grade school teacher now; after being an ICU nurse for so long, my students would need psychological help after being exposed to me. :jester:

I've worked for three hospitals (in ICU), one home health agency, and at one point I had a private care home, where I cared for a few elderly folks in my own home.

Right now, I'm happy to say, I've found my niche. I am so happy where I work that I cannot imagine going anywhere else, even though I could get paid more elsewhere.

I've learned that being satisfied with your workplace is one of the most important things in your whole life. If you work full time, you spend the biggest chunk of your life there. If you're not happy there, that biggest chunk of your life is an unhappy one, and even worse, that unhappiness overflows into the other areas of your life and ruins all of it.

I cannot overemphasize how important it is to like what you do.

Now, the best thing about nursing is that there are so many options. True, the economy sucks right now, so finding your niche is a little harder. It took me nine years to find the place I love, and looking back now, I'm grateful for those less-than-stellar places and experiences. I learned a LOT at those other jobs, but even better, I appreciate what I have now so much more.

Nursing specialty is not, in my opinion, the major factor. For example, I now work on a unit that is primarily cardiac, and I hate cardiac. It is my least favorite body system. Also, my managers are not the best: I could complain about them all day. So why am I so happy here?

For me, the most important is thing is finding a nursing atmosphere, nursing environment, that fits you. In my case, the perfect fit means working with other nurses/aides/unit secretaries/etc. that work as a team and support each other. We truly enjoy each others' company. I do not dread going to work, because to me, work is like going to a pajama party with all my best friends. I don't even notice how hard I work, because we have so much fun doing it. When I walk in that door, I know the people inside are happy to see me, and I'm happy to see them. If you're going to spend 40+ hours each week with other people, they should be people you like.

I know that I can rely on my co-workers to help me through the difficult parts. And it brings me great pleasure to help them through their troubles, too. Where I work, for example, no one has to despair over being assigned to that horrible patient. We'll all take turns with that horrible patient. No one is ever left frightened or alone or unsupported. No call light goes unanswered, code browns are fun get-togethers, and if a doctor chooses to be an a**, the nurse he targets will end up knowing the rest of us will attack him in the parking lot if need be. We cry on each others' shoulders, a lot, but mostly we laugh together.

So don't despair. The work and money you invested in your degree is not wasted. Whoever you are, whatever your talents and shortcomings, there is a place in nursing that will bring you joy. Look forward to that day; it's worth the search.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 22, 2010

i graduated in december, and have been working on an inpatient oncology unit since. i dread going to work each week. the days i do have off, i'm too tired to enjoy. i'm not overwhelmed or any of the typical things you'd assume. i just don't like it!
is this normal for new nurses? does it pass? were most of you in love with nursing from the get-go? maybe i need a new are of nursing?
i just don't know what to do, i'm already pondering starting up a new degree program.

i went to a medical floor right out of nursing school, and i hated it. absolutely hated it. i'd cry all the way to work and all the way home, and was making plans to go to school and get my mba. unfortunately, i had a husband to support so i couldn't just quit. i put my husband through school and then had my opportunity for graduate school, but a funny thing happened as i was getting my mba. i discovered that i loved nursing. by then i was in ccu, and i discovered that i didn't want to give up the adrenalin rush of caring for the really sick patients. so i'm probably the only bedside nurse in my hospital with an mba, but i'll be here 'til i retire!

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 22, 2010

i agree with all of the posts saying nursing is good because you can move around and try to find your niche. the problem is, not everyone finds it. and nurse managers are mean, hateful people that dont like "job hopping". some will even not hire you if you have a history of changing jobs frequently to try to find where you're best suited. i graduated in 1999 and went straight into icu. i liked it until 2001. then i just got tired of the backstabbing, negative attitudes, and getting chewed out by almost everybody. i went to the cath lab. loved it, but the call was a huge toll on my family life. and after a while, when the newness wore off, i hated it too. so then i did travel nursing for 2 years. went all over the country. hated nursing even more because i realized the issues are with the profession, not the location. you can't escape it. came back to my current facility. did float pool. was good in the way that it dets you not get involved in the "politics" of the unit, but bad because you are constantly trying to prove to ppl that you actually do know what you are doing, because they don't know you. and it's a new set every day. so i went to an open heart recovery unit. loved the experience, but cardiothorasic surgeons are the meanest, nastiest ppl on the planet. and after a while, i was burned out there. i now work in surgical icu and hate it. i am going to school to advance my degree, because i've seen on monster.com and places that you can actually get a job outside of nursing with an advanced nursing degree. jobs will say "bachelor's degree in related field." i have talked to these employers, and it seems that everything is related to nursing in their eyes, so they would hire me. so, in summary, i think this job just major sucks. you can move around to make it more tolerable for a while, but in the end, the job is still there- in all it's suckiness.

wow! it seems that you encounter mean, hateful, nasty, backstabbing people with negative attitudes everywhere you go. have you considered that it might not be them, but you? wherever you go, there you are -- you can't escape you. please at least consider that you might be the one in need of an attitude adjustment . . . if you're determined to be unhappy, no job will make you happy.

pleasekillme · Mar 29, 2010

I hate nursing. I've been a qualified nurse for 7 years and now I want to kill myself. I hate other nurses, Doctors, relatives, and the poor ******* I have to care for... in that order.

dlatimer · Mar 29, 2010

To Pleasekillme, I know how you feel and suspect the causes. I would like to know more about your experiences. The system seems to be broken. The nurse shortage is going on over 30 years now. But, recruitment to schools are at an all time high. What is wrong with nurses? OR, is there something wrong with the way nurses are educated, treated by employers, etc. Let me know, I may not be able to help, but maybe together we can find an answer we can live with. Sometimes just being aware is more enlightening. [email protected]

dlatimer

LoneRN · Mar 29, 2010

I have come to the conclusions that wards are either HELL or surprisingly tolerable.

I was suicidal when I was put on a ward as a student full of vile nurses who bullied and belittled me for everything. I wanted to die. They tore me apart for just asking where the toothbrushes were on my second day (I couldn't remember which cupboard). At that time, I vowed to myself that I would NEVER be a nurse. I was just trying to drag myself to the end of my course so I could abandon the whole thing and do something else with my life. I was planning to return to being a cashier in a grocery store, just delighted to know I would never have to step foot on a ward or clean up excretions or speak to an arrogant Doctor again.

However, my friends pushed me to just try as an RN and see how I feel. I am now on a HDU with a Stroke ward attached, and the nurses are great! I do not dislike nursing any more even though it is backbreaking work at times.

Saying that, I do still wish I had chosen something else, as I did not know everything that it entailed at the start. However, I am going to stick with it as long as I can because I want the money and it's a job at the end of the day and I can't complain when there are so many unemployed.

I do not subscribe to the school of thought that says you have to love your job to be a nurse... as long as you don't treat the patient badly... it's a job and you get paid to provide a service. We are a part of the economy like any other industry. I dislike all the brainwashing that you have to be perfect or that you're the worst person in the world for making a simple mistake... A job is a job is a job. I'm not going to sell my soul to my employer because my life outside of work is what means the most to me.

dlatimer · Mar 29, 2010

Lone RN, I can certainly identify with your thoughts about nursing as a job. I suppose it depends on what you want from a job and what the job demands of you. I agree that life does not exist of just work, but it is a part of it. I always got more satisfaction and felt more confident and productive if during the day, a patient, family member, doctor, other staff said 'thank you'. I felt as though some of the abuse was worth it when it came from a patient or family member. I examined my feelings in these encounters and decided I would take less pay if I could have more help in helping the patients. When I told my supervisor she looked at me as though I had worms coming out of my nose. I find I make more honest effort and feel more confident when I experience the reward of a sincere 'thank you' from another human being. It is like a validation of my efforts. I also find I am more productive and am happier with my work. An economist, WE Demings called it 'pride of workmanship'. He thought it was important. What do you think?

LoneRN · Mar 29, 2010

Yes, getting a thank you, or realising that you have made somebody's day more tolerable is one of the best things about nursing. When I say, it's just a job, it doesn't mean that I think a nurse should come in late or just do the bare minimum. There is nothing wrong with going the extra mile to brighten somebody's day. I would try to do that even if I worked in the bank or, as an example, when I worked in the supermarket.

What I find though, is that when somebody's day is brightened, it is really only a set of unlikely probabilities that have just happened to fall into place. It is not because I have been "working harder". Every day is hard work and sometimes I pull it off looking like a pro. Other days I look like a moron because I lack resources or we are short staffed. Whether I work hard or not does not guarantee that I will come away looking like a good nurse. A good aide, fair staffing levels, an empty bed in my bay, lower patient acuity overall... those things make me look like a good nurse from the patient's perspective.

Often, I am praying I will somehow get all my tasks fitted into the day. Sometimes, we aren't given a fair chance because of managers, poor resources, poor work conditions, paperwork, fear of litigation, high patient acuities and too few staff to manage it. If they want me to go home and worry myself sick about whether I am a good nurse then they should pay me for "worry time". I am just a number on the staffing rota, so why am I bothered?

If I am a bad nurse they can just fire me and I will do something else. That's how I feel! But again, that doesn't mean I should not aspire to do everything as well as I possibly can. Tend to my patient's every need as much as I can. But as soon as home-time comes then my life begins again.

Whatever sector I worked in, health or otherwise, I would not appreciate having to work. I do it because I have to but it does not define me and it does not control me.

dlatimer · Mar 29, 2010

Lone RN,

I agree with you 100%. I appreciate a challenge, but give me a fair chance to win. I think American culture places too much emphasis on what you do for a living. Ever notice at social gatherings? When you are being introduced to new acquaintances? This Joe, he is a nurse. Unfortunately, we become defined by what we do - not who we are. dlatimer

LoneRN · Mar 29, 2010

I can't comment on American culture as I live in England but I do think it is probably the same here. As far as being defined by what we do. I honestly do not think the general public have the faintest idea what a nurse does or what it is like. So they can define me by whatever model or image they have in their minds. In the UK it is not always a pleasant image as we are seen as lazy, unwashed and dirty. Solely to blame for the way the NHS is.

But I refuse to put myself into the box of perfect, angelic nurse because I am far from it and would go insane. As humans we are not perfect to begin with. I am not going to feel guilty or inadequate because a did a tiny mistake in my job when everyone else does. As long as I am safety conscious and avoid harm at all costs.

adampricecna · Apr 28, 2010

Im a CNA and I can't wait to become a nurse, Im so passionate about it....but if thats not really what you want move on....