I dont need any judgement with this, b/c it truly is a deep concern. I am a 1st term nursing student, and a tech at a well known hospital in my town. I can say with all honesty that I hate my job. My floor is a small med-surg floor with only a handful of rooms, which isn't so bad, except all they do is float me. Its rare that I work on my floor more that 2 times a month. I get floated everywhere, including areas that I have not one ounce of training in. ICU is the bane of my existence. Ive never had any training in ICU and I get sent there all the time. The first time I floated there, I was so scared that I cried on the phone to my husband in the break room for 15 mins. I hate bathing people, Im so sick of cleaning up feces, Im tired of being bossed around and treated like a waitress, Im tired of pulling elderly people out of bed by myself to get them on the toilet and throwing my back out b/c no one will help me, spending 45 mins in one pt's room just to get them to the bathroom and back, getting run ragged every night...
I actually threw up in a pt's bathroom the other night b/c she sprayed diarrhea all over the toilet and I had to clean it up. Everytime I have to work I dread it the whole day, and I cry the whole drive there. It breaks my heart to have to leave my husband and kids to go to a job that I hate. My back hurts 24/7 and Im contently exhausted. Ive begged my manager to let me cut back my hours but she wont
So my question is this: If I hate being a tech, does that mean I will hate being a nurse? Im almost done with term one and Im just scared Im wasting my time and money.
You will still have to deal with this a nurse, but like other people said, it depends on where you work. I LOVE having a tech to help out, but I am not one of those nurses who sends you off to do the dirty work and not offer to help. I find it faster to bathe a person or clean someone up if you have another set of hands. I was a tech in nursing school too, and it really opened my eyes. I see how techs are treated, used and abused, and I knew I would never do that to one of my techs.
I think you should try to find another hospital to work at. You need a good environment with a good support staff, whether you are a tech or nurse. This is a good opportunity for you to learn from the nurses and not be tossed around. There are so many different avenues you can go with nursing to limit you time cleaning poo and vomit, but you will still have to do that in almost any area of nursing. It is just limited amount in some areas versus others.
Personally being in the same boat, being a tech and SN, I would see how clinicals go. Perhaps its where you work, I love my job, but also could not survive without my supportive nurses. They are amazing. Even if they do not see me around they are not above cleaning poop even off the floor for that matter. I would think it would feel amazing to get your RN and assist the techs and be a role model for the rest of the nurses. Recently, my manager hired a nurse intern that stated during orientation that she hopes the manager doe snot expect her to clean poop once a RN, she got fired so fast.
I hated being a tech so much that I wondered if I should even go to nursing school. Fast forward - I found nursing totally different and did NOT hate it. I worked ICU and did not have a tech and had to do the same cleanup work that you describe, but it didn't bother me like it did when I was a tech.
I think you should consider another line of work just in case, but hating being a tech does not mean you won't love nursing!
I really think that me being floated all over the hospital has a lot to do with it too. When I was hired on, the manager told me I would float "occasionally". Fast forward to now, I haven't worked on my floor in a month. I dont know anyone, and I haven't been able to get a good relationship w/ any of my co workers, I haven't been able to establish a routine, theres no consistency...
I dont want there to me any doubt about my pt care. Im a good tech, and my pt's are cared for. I just hate going to work
I agree with everyone and then some, but I did want to mention that the nurses you work with would be raked over the coals if they worked with my current nursing crew, and how things are being run at your hospital are NOT acceptable in the least.
I was a CNA for about a year at a small hospital before I got my RN license. It was very apparent that some nurses felt that there was "nurse work", and then there was "tech work". Everything unappealing, of course, was "tech work". I've had nurses there leave their patient's rooms pretending they didn't notice the smells of dirty briefs! It was typical for a nurse to pass a med, then walk out of the room to tell the CNA, "Hey, patient so-and-so needs to use the commode", then sit down and play Bejeweled on a computer in the nurse's station.
I've moved on to a larger university hospital as a nurse, and every unit here promotes teamwork. On the floors, the nurses and CNA's work together to keep people clean. In the ICU, the nurses don't have CNA's, but if a fecal explosion is too much to take, it's okay to ask another nurse for help.
I think it's worth mentioning that it's normal to be disgusted by cleaning up patients when first starting out, and it WILL get easier to handle over time. I think most of your complaints are probably really about your lousy co-workers than the nursing tasks itself. I think if you worked someplace where the teamwork is great and everyone (CNA and RN staff) takes their turn dealing with unpleasantness, then you'd probably be much happier.
But most importantly: If you do decide to continue school and become a nurse, PLEASE remember how miserable you feel being the one doing the grunt work now, and don't stop basic nursing care after you're a nurse. Delegating everything gross to the CNA's will not get you any respect, especially if you get a job someplace like where I work. If you turn into one of the lazy nurses who made your CNA job awful, you're paying all that misery you feel forward, and in the end, you won't any better than THOSE nurses are.
THIS!!
you need to really decide whether or not it's the actual "nursing tasks" that bother you or if it's the nurses and that will help answer your question. when i became a CNA i found that i LOVED working with the patients. it was the nurses i couldn't tolerate. i'm not speaking of nurses in general (obviously) but the ones on the floor i started out on are very much like the ones you describe. luckily, there were a few good apples and i was really able to enjoy my time at work when i worked with them because they helped out. what i did (which you said your manager won't let you do) is cut back my hours. i was sincerely afraid that i was going to get burnout (like you are), explode on a nurse, and get fired which would ruin my chances of being a nurse which i was sure i wanted to be. cutting my hours back helped a LOT. even if i was having a bad day bc i got stuck with a nurse that was above doing the grunt work (not too busy, but above) it was easier to get through the shift without being too frustrated because i knew i wouldn't have to deal with it again for awhile. i say this all the time, but i'm SO glad i worked as a CNA. it has given me great insight. i'm able to tell who the "good CNAs" as opposed to the lazy ones bc i've done what they're doing. i know if a task requires two people or not and i would never ask nor expect someone to do a task that i would've needed or wanted help with. like someone else mentioned - the fact that you get paid a lot more to do the tasks you're doing now doesn't hurt. that being said, i did work with a couple of nurses who had been CNAs before becoming nurses and i never would've guessed it had they not told me. so, should you decide to keep pursuing nursing, don't forget all the frustrations you're posting about now. it will make you a better nurse and a better CO-worker.
Floor nursing sucks for both nurse aids and nurses. Everything you are dealing with right now you will have to do as a nurse and more. I realize that you think your co-workers are unhelpful and lazy, but that's not excatly the case.
First of all you need to speak up and ask for help. Don't move people unless you think you can do it without hurting yourself.
All I can say is that I spent two years as an aid before I became a nurse and can tell you that cleaning poop and all the other stuff you described does not go away. It only gets worse because you still have to do all that and a ton of paper work and med passes. I realize what you think you see your nurses doing now and how you feel...I felt the same way. I though they were just being unhelpful and lazy. That really is not the case...well for the majority of nurses. I thought I was going to be so much more helpful when I became a nurse to my aids, nope not much more sucessful than my previous coworkers.
If your crying and feeling like this right now then I'd really suggest that you get out of nursing and get some other degree. Even though I'm sure you could tough it out and get through nursing school, you'd still have to suffer through 2-3 years of bedside nursing before you got enough expierence to do something else with your degree. Things are not like they were 4 or 5 years ago when new grads could just get out of school and go strait to a non-bedside nursing position.
Heck I've been looking for a non-bedside nursing position for a couple of years now with no sucess. I can't stand bedside nursing for all the reasons you can't stand your job right now and more. Nursing is not a profession that I would ever encourage someone to go into. I do not believe in the popular opinion of 'you have to have a calling for nursing'. Nursing as it is today is slavery with work conditions of the worse kind. The longer I work in medicine the more I fear the day anyone I care about has to go to the hospital or deal with someone in the medical field.
I'm a traveling nurse and have been to several hospitals in several states and most are the way you described. I've been to one hospital that was wonderful and had a 5 to 1 nurse-patient ratio with a 5 to 1 aid - patient ratio. Unfortunatly this place was to far from my family for me to consider full time employment.
On the other hand, if you think you can tough it out for the next 4 or 5 years. Get through school and then a couple of years of bedside nursing, the one and truly great thing about a nursing degree is that you can get jobs doing a ton of different things. I know people who have a nursing degree and end up teaching science at middle schools or working in management for other companies. So there is that, but I think that most people who are nurses and don't like it have a hard time finding these jobs. Mostly because they've become use to the pay of a nurse and most other entry level jobs pay 5 to 7 dollars less even with a degree. But the important thing is to have a career you like that doesn't make you feel like crap every day. Nursing is not that kind of career unless you are very lucky and at a nice hospital. To be frank with the way the economy is I believe that working conditions for nurses and aids are only going to continue to get worse....heck I have a friend that is a doctor and he feels just as over worked and abused as I do. So medicine in general is a poor career choice if you wish to have a mild stress level, decent hours, and time for a family.
Its surprising that I would have to deal with this as an RN b/c the ones at my work dont help me one dang bit with any of the things I listed above
And please dont get me wrong. I know theres an insane amount of paper work and charting with nursing. I see it every day. But when Im running my rear end off all night and you're just sitting at the desk chit chatting about a vacation and dont even offer to help me, thats what I have a problem with
That could be a reason why you don't like it- the hierarchy has made sure you feel like the bottom of the barrel, when you're a huge part of the unit functioning.
No nurse should be 'above' getting their hands dirty- I don't care how long they were in school. Patient care is not 'below' a nurse- it's part of the job :)
I really think that me being floated all over the hospital has a lot to do with it too. When I was hired on, the manager told me I would float "occasionally". Fast forward to now, I haven't worked on my floor in a month. I dont know anyone, and I haven't been able to get a good relationship w/ any of my co workers, I haven't been able to establish a routine, theres no consistency...
I dont want there to me any doubt about my pt care. Im a good tech, and my pt's are cared for. I just hate going to work
YES !! Being floated like some disposable person has to have an impact. Floating is part of nursing, but unless you are in the float pool, you should be able to get some stability on a floor....
Is there any chance of getting a job in another facility, to see if you like it better (ie- not being shipped all over the building) to actually be part of a team? :)
There are two examples of RN to CNA interaction that I've never forgotten. They happened in 1991 at a really nice LTC/SNF facility.
The first: I was orienting with the ADON (to be weekend sup- 2 16 hour shifts on the weekend). One of the CNAs was coming up the hall after lunch with 2 trays- one in each arm. She very politely asked the ADON if she would open the door to the food cart that was about 2 feet away from her. The ADON VERY rudely said "put those trays down, and open it yourself". I was stunned.
The second: One of the CNAs was coming up the hall looking around- I asked her if she needed anything. She said she needed to turn someone. I told her I'd be glad to help. She got a look on her face like I'd just put her foot in a pail of water and finger in a light socket, and nearly yelled at me "but you're an RN". I was once again stunned. i told her that I would be glad to help...she looked at me like I might be some psychopath, but "let" me help her.
While there will always be some degree of task separation, it should never be to the exclusion of just getting the care done- no matter who has to help. A CNA can't help with calls to docs, checking orders, or giving meds (among some things), but they are the backbone of a good unit. :)
When I started I worked on a 30+ bed medsurg unit which constantly had 1:1's. The night shift nurses treated the techs like pure garbage!
I can't tell you how many times an RN would come all the way accross the unit from a pt's room while your siting for a 1:1 and goes. "I'll sit for you, go put ptX on a bed pane"
Are you SERIOUS???? it drove me up the wall!!!!!!
and one day I walk into a patients room to do a blood sugar and the patient was unresponsive... alerted the nurse, who proceeds to run out of the room screaming bloody murder that the patient is coding... they call the code and I get the code cart... the doctors and ACLS RN's are in the room doing their thing... I stand outside the room by the nurses station incase they need me to run and get something (like I was told to do during a code when I started)
The RN at the station tells me "what the hell are you doing, dont just stand there go work or something"
OMG!!! I hated that floor! I was full time nights and switched to PD float because I could see myself blacking out on an RN....
Now I'm a PT eve tech in ICU ad LOVE LOVE LOVE it! ofcourse there are things about my job I hate doing... but in ICU they know a good tech when they see one and they appreciate it.... they know my job sucks sometimes and I know theirs does to...so we help each other out. If the RN sees me running round like a maniac... they will do their own blood sugars or empty their own foleys (not all of them but most).... there is great teamwork on my unit
being a tech really does suck sometimes and it's easy to feel unappreciated...but put yourself in the nurses position. They have peoples lives in their hands... especially in ICU... it's stressful, and while I wish sometimes I could get off my feet and do a crap load of paper work.... I'm working my way up the later...
Ahhh...yes. Your feelings are justifiable and warranted. You are not bitter or disgrunted; just simply HUMAN and need a BREAK! I do empathize with you as I have been there, done that and continue to do it! I will not reiterate what's already been stated, but instead would like to share some lessons that I have learned as a CNA on my journey in becoming a nurse:
the labor is bitter, but the fruits are sweet- There will be some patients who have never set foot into a hospital and are now faced with insurmountable diagnoses, just as those who are always in the hospital. At one point, these individuals were independent and now have become dependent, because of medications, surgery or the illness itself. It is embarrassing to have lost control of bodily functions when you're used to controlling. Yeah...it's disgusting and labor intensive. But remember, it takes courage to submit- for both the patient AND the caregiver. Think about it. (...which brings up my next point)
attitude is EVERYTHING- Patients have a keen sense of perception in determining whether you are genuine or not, the minute you walk into the room. Your response (i.e., what you do next) will either make or break their spirit, trust, etc...and will either make your shift heaven or a living hell. How YOU handle a situation has a trickle down effect on EVERYONE after you, regardless of the environment.
it's all a process- The good, the bad, the ugly- it's all a part of going through the process. In this you will find out your strengths/weaknesses, likes/dislikes, what you would put up with/deal breakers. For me, had I not gone through the process, I would not have ever experienced the JOY of seeing a patient recovering, the JOY of a family's gratefulness that you cared for their loved one, the JOY in knowing that you did the best that you could during your shift. There's healing in going through the process...and it's all a process.
Good luck, my friend! Hone in to that wealth of knowledge that you acquired and worked so hard to attain. Stay the course and be the example of what TO do. I have no doubt that you will be awesome!
Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.
I dont need any judgement with this, b/c it truly is a deep concern. I am a 1st term nursing student, and a tech at a well known hospital in my town. I can say with all honesty that I hate my job. My floor is a small med-surg floor with only a handful of rooms, which isn't so bad, except all they do is float me. Its rare that I work on my floor more that 2 times a month. I get floated everywhere, including areas that I have not one ounce of training in. ICU is the bane of my existence. Ive never had any training in ICU and I get sent there all the time. The first time I floated there, I was so scared that I cried on the phone to my husband in the break room for 15 mins. I hate bathing people, Im so sick of cleaning up feces, Im tired of being bossed around and treated like a waitress, Im tired of pulling elderly people out of bed by myself to get them on the toilet and throwing my back out b/c no one will help me, spending 45 mins in one pt's room just to get them to the bathroom and back, getting run ragged every night...
I actually threw up in a pt's bathroom the other night b/c she sprayed diarrhea all over the toilet and I had to clean it up. Everytime I have to work I dread it the whole day, and I cry the whole drive there. It breaks my heart to have to leave my husband and kids to go to a job that I hate. My back hurts 24/7 and Im contently exhausted. Ive begged my manager to let me cut back my hours but she wont
So my question is this: If I hate being a tech, does that mean I will hate being a nurse? Im almost done with term one and Im just scared Im wasting my time and money.
Work on Peds. I LOVE IT. Never saw myself there, EVER! But I LOVE IT. I love my unit, the adult overflow we get we are very picky about. I just can't ever see myself ever leaving now. Maybe to a Pediatric ER or something but I absolutely love where I am at and my unit. The family sometimes is difficult but most times they are very appreciative. A balloon and a Popsicle gets you a smile and a thank you. It's not all roses, but it's been great 95% of the time.
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mbuchanan2107
36 Posts
You will still have to deal with this a nurse, but like other people said, it depends on where you work. I LOVE having a tech to help out, but I am not one of those nurses who sends you off to do the dirty work and not offer to help. I find it faster to bathe a person or clean someone up if you have another set of hands. I was a tech in nursing school too, and it really opened my eyes. I see how techs are treated, used and abused, and I knew I would never do that to one of my techs.
I think you should try to find another hospital to work at. You need a good environment with a good support staff, whether you are a tech or nurse. This is a good opportunity for you to learn from the nurses and not be tossed around. There are so many different avenues you can go with nursing to limit you time cleaning poo and vomit, but you will still have to do that in almost any area of nursing. It is just limited amount in some areas versus others.
Keep your chin up and I hope things get better.