I'm taking a 3-month medical leave of absence due to stress from nursing. Anyone who is currently working with me will recognize who I am.
Basically, covid has killed nursing for me. It has made it into a macabre profession. I am now a full-blown claustrophobic thanks to the masking mandate, and all the other regulatory BS that has taking over everything. I hate what nursing has become.
I hope to continue to lead a healthy life, and then die before the medical industrial complex gets its hands on me. I've told my children that I want to die a natural death and I want only a graveside Christian burial when my time comes.
With you on that last statement. With my respiratory status, I can't breathe as it is without a mask. Wearing a mask makes things that much worse. Glad you are in a peaceful place. Sounds relaxing.
Then why are you still on blogs talking about the profession if you “applaud” people leaving? Wouldn’t you get to pruning your roses already and leave the “toxic” profession to the “judgmental” nurses who just want to help others?
You can't be serious?! What right have you to question someone else's right to verbalize how they feel? More than one member thought your post insinuated that those who left did so because they don't care about the patients. If that wasn't the case why didn't you just clarify instead of attacking? The last thing we need to do is start turning on each other.
Specializes in ICU/ER/Med-Surg/Case Management/Manageme.
3 hours ago, vintagegal said:
Then why are you still on blogs talking about the profession if you “applaud” people leaving? Wouldn’t you get to pruning your roses already and leave the “toxic” profession to the “judgmental” nurses who just want to help others?
Some of us have served our time and served it with pride and dignity. Many of us here have 15-20-30 years in the trenches (I've got 40+) and certainly don't need to be told to "get to pruning our roses" by someone who has spent a meager 2 years delivering patient care. And yes...at 2 years in I was 1000% enthusiastic and gung-ho...spending most waking hours continuing my education, volunteering for OT shifts, not hesitating to work 2 or 3 back-to-back 16 hour shifts.
Don't lecture. It's not pretty and very frankly, I'm glad I will never have to work a shift with someone with your holier-than-thou attitude. Best of luck. I likely won't be around "these here parts" in another 10 years or so but I'd be really curious as to what you are doing then.
Emergent I'm so glad you are recovering and enjoying yourself. I totally understand the mask issue with my asthma even a simple mask is uncomfortable, but with the N95 I feel like I'm suffocating. They were mandating N95's for CPR when I left due to a patient coding that was not tested for covid till after and then was found to have it. So a lot of people were left in limbo who were exposed. That was one of the deciding factors to finally give my notice, but certainly not the only one.
My BP was sky high on four BP meds due to the stress, I had dread 24 hours before my shift and working with a full load and no CNA's was untenable to me. The final straw was full assignment six patients no CNA and I had an insulin drip patient on q 1 hour blood sugars and another patient on vapotherm with serious respiratory issues and coughing and had no voice so you had to get right in his face to understand him. He was not considered a covid patient, but they weren't testing everyone so you would come back to work and find out you'd been exposed and the last patient I took care of was in the ICU who was on a BIPAP for the last 2 of my 12 hour shifts with only a simple mask and I had to be close to him as he was total care and didn't speak English. I wasn't even told of the two patients that officially had covid and I was having shortness of breath and coughing issues after that. I only found out from coworkers. No way could I do CPR in a TB mask, it is very physical and I could barely breathe in it at rest. I gave my notice that night! The vapotherm and BIPAP areosolize covid but they weren't testing so we had a simple mask only.
Since I quit my BP is stable on 2 meds now and I feel so much better. I basically went from 100% stress to almost no stress. I don't need tranquilizers anymore just to function. It really is the best thing I did.
I'm glad you are doing OK financially. While I felt Dave Ramsey was over the top before and went with the more flexible ideas espoused by Liz Weston of Deal with Your Debt, I now advocate for Dave Ramsey especially for the many with insane amounts of student loans. So far the 10 year public student loan forgiveness program has been a complete failure with 99% rejection rate! I'm so glad mine are paid off. I would recommend Ramsey's radical approach on paying off the student loans ASAP as it will give you peace of mind and not having to worry if the government forgiveness actually happens. To the 99% that were turned away, they were told to restart it a step one for another ten years! So sad.
@Brandy1017 I agree with your post above: "The answer is for the hospitals to treat their staff with respect, retain the nurses they have, hire more support staff and have adequate supplies to do the job safely", but it's too late for that. Hospitals need the help now.
Specializes in ICU/ER/Med-Surg/Case Management/Manageme.
16 minutes ago, brandy1017 said:
Since I quit my BP is stable on 2 meds now and I feel so much better. I basically went from 100% stress to almost no stress. I don't need tranquilizers anymore just to function. It really is the best thing I did.
Hang in there, brandy1017, and you may soon be down to 1 b/p med followed by zero! I can only speak for myself but since walking away a few months ago I feel wonderful! And at my age, that's saying alot. LOL Basically, I'm at peace. I'm calm. I sleep well. I enjoy my days doing my artsy-craftsy stuff and going to lunch with a few friends. Yes, I will start at Costco soon as one of the little old ladies handing out samples...just a bit of $$ so I don't have to scrunch pennies quite so much but I'm even looking forward to that. And I can sincerely say I haven't missed one second of nursing. Nada. It's like I went from 60 to zero in the matter of 24 hours!!
@Brandy1017 I agree with your post above: "The answer is for the hospitals to treat their staff with respect, retain the nurses they have, hire more support staff and have adequate supplies to do the job safely", but it's too late for that. Hospitals need the help now.
They have the option of hiring travelers, new grads and even going to their state government and the federal government for more money and staff.
A couple of states are receiving state aid to pay for more travelers. So essentially hospitals have learned they don't have to treat their staff well because they can cry to the government to bail them out to pay travelers at crisis pay after their poor working conditions drove their own to staff to flee! It is very sad and ridiculous and I would just like to know what they did with the billions they were given last year from the federal government? Where did all that money go?
On brighter news the University Arkansas Hospital in Little Rock is offering $25,000 sign on bonus to work there. To those of you able to relocate that might be a great option to consider.
Brandy@1017 I agree with your post above. I don't judge anyone who feels they have no choice but to leave their job. As a Nurse we all know the importance of mental health and providing Nursing care. And we should not jeopardize our physical health working with limited equipment. Working short, with limited equipment and no relief or help can cause accidents and jeopardize patient care. The surgical mask did little to protect me from people who coughing in my face. Episodes of projectile vomiting while I trying to start an IV.
Have not regretted retiring at all. I left Nursing September 2020.
May try to pick up a part time or supplemental Nursing job in the future.
Good luck and Best Wishes as you continue on to your next adventure.
Sad that you want to attack those of us speaking up about the unsafe toxic conditions in some hospitals. And for the record morelostthanfound is still a working nurse. I however retired early rather than work in unsafe conditions so I guess you can spend your ire on me if you want. But I will still speak up for unsafe working conditions and to help our fellow nurses with my decades of experience and knowledge. I can do that and still tend to my roses. LOL
I applaud you for working thru the pandemic as I did the whole year of 2020 as morelostthanfound and millions continue to do. I hope you have decent working conditions. I pass the baton on to the younger ones and I wish you all the best. I truly do. I hope and pray we will finally get safe staffing ratios like only the state of CA has so far. It would make a world of difference and if we had that hospitals wouldn't be in dire straights now.
Many of us that walked away were essentially forced by the unsafe working conditions that took a toll on our bodies and minds. But honestly I don't feel guilty for retiring early. If management had not destroyed my hospital to the point where we didn't have transporters, HUCs, CNA's and even not enough tele monitors and oxygen flow meters, I would still be there. It was not covid, it was the management that lead me to walk away. We were forced to admit patients without tele monitors for them and then had to wait to see if a supervisor could find us one. If after an hour or two they couldn't we were then forced to call a Dr and get another patient off tele so the new one had it! Also half the rooms didn't have oxygen flow meters so you'd have an emergency look up and no flow meter to give oxygen. I'd literally have to run to another wing to find one to give my patient oxygen. And don't get me started on the times we held ICU patients on the floor, not for a lack of beds, but for a lack of ICU nurses as they were quitting due to triple assignments as the norm. One time a Dr had to threaten to transfer a patient to another hospital if they didn't transfer the patient to ICU that had been sitting waiting all day for a bed, but really for a nurse! Currently I hear if you come to their ER you may have to be transferred to another hospital if God forbid you need sugery or a cardiac cath because they lost most if not all of their staff and haven't replaced them in a timely fashion! So unsafe and I will not apologize for speaking out about it!
Brandy 1017, hope you're enjoying your much deserved retirement and may you have continued health and peace:) Thank you also for your years of service and for continuing to advocate for your fellow nurses. What you so well describe is the raw picture of acute, bedside nursing in 2021, and a lived reality daily for thousand of our colleagues. While I hope (pray) for things to improve, I realistically don't expect it as the old saying, 'follow the money' rings especially true. It's better for administrators, managers, and politicians to continue with Bandaid approaches in a time of crisis instead of spending the money and working for real, meaningful change
I think that a lot of us are looking towards other options. It's nice if you are at the stage in life where you can still tolerate the medical field. Some of us have reached the point where we cannot. But, nursing has been a huge part of our life and as I was told by an administrator on this very thread, I might be quitting nursing but I should not quit this site.
Emergent, best of luck with future endeavors and thank you also for all your witty posts and your years of providing quality, patient care. Good to hear that in retirement, you're finding new ways to nurture your soul and finding creative expression. I'm hoping to follow in your footsteps in a few years as I am ready to get off this hamster wheel and step away from all of the ridiculousness that has become nursing. Cheers!
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
6 hours ago, vintagegal said:
Then why are you still on blogs talking about the profession if you “applaud” people leaving? Wouldn’t you get to pruning your roses already and leave the “toxic” profession to the “judgmental” nurses who just want to help others?
Why? Cause the poster did their time. I think you sound absolutely jealous here. No more than that. I am jealous myself, but won't judge the OP. I am not-so-patiently waiting for my time to retire myself. I can't wait! I may still talk about nursing after I am done and that will be my prerogative after over a quarter of a century doing this work.
Specializes in Community Health, Med/Surg, ICU Stepdown.
8 hours ago, brandy1017 said:
On brighter news the University Arkansas Hospital in Little Rock is offering $25,000 sign on bonus to work there. To those of you able to relocate that might be a great option to consider.
Wow! I read the article and watched the video. That is scary. I am fearful that some hospitals may have to start turning patients away or even close. I see on the news restaurants and fast food places closing because they have no staff. I feel for the nurse in the video who says she cries in her car before work. No one's job should regularly make them cry. Do you think it's possible some hospitals may have to close due to lack of staff? That might make people finally understand how much stress healthcare workers face and make people care, but I hope it doesn't come to that.
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
With you on that last statement. With my respiratory status, I can't breathe as it is without a mask. Wearing a mask makes things that much worse. Glad you are in a peaceful place. Sounds relaxing.