I want to be a bedside nurse, but...

[Aurora77]

..the stress is getting to me. My vent isn't anything ya'll haven't read a million times before but I just need to let it out.

I am so tired. I love caring for patients, educating them, having them several shifts in a row and seeing their progress. I'm an introvert who has learned to fake extroversion and I do it well. I get compliments from patients and their families. I love nursing.

But. There has to be one, right? My hospital got bought out by a larger facility recently and the change hasn't been for the better. There have been increases in nurse-patient ratio and pay cuts, with all the decrease in morale that entails. This new company is very heavy handed as well; practically every statement that comes out from them ends with "you'll be written up." I understand the need to follow policy/procedure, but the way these decrees seem to come from on high makes no sense to me. Another nurse said she's never felt so bullied in her life.

We're short staffed and no one seems to care. What is wrong with our profession that wanting to work the hours you agreed to upon hire means that you're a bad nurse? Why should I be expected to work overtime to fix staffing problems that HR and upper management obviously don't care about (it's not like these staffing issues haven't been going on for months if not years) Why am I the bad one in this case?

I also serve as a charge nurse which is a whole other ball of stress. I enjoy leading and working with my fellow nurses, but the amount of work we're supposed to do as charge, while being expected to take patients is insane. It's not possible to do it all in a 12 hour shift, yet more and more keeps being added by people who have no idea what's actually happening on the floor.

I fantasize about no longer working at my job. It's sad, really, I enjoy my coworkers and the patient population. I feel a sense of loyalty because my old facility (and my manager) have treated me well.

I desperately need a vacation, but who knows when that will happen. I'm not even sure it will help. I'm not young, I know stress goes with any job. I expect to work hard, but I also expect realistic work loads.

I know all this will pass, but I just needed to vent to some people who get it. I'm blessed to have a supportive husband who lets me talk about all this as much as I need to, but even he doesn't truly understand. He has said, though, whenever I'm ready to start looking for another job, if that's what I need to do, he's behind me. I don't want another job; I just want my old job back. I want to work for a place that cares more about best practices and patient care than whats written on the white board. Is that to much to ask? I haven't been doing this long enough to be this burned out. I hate feeling this way.

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

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We're short staffed and no one seems to care. What is wrong with our profession that wanting to work the hours you agreed to upon hire means that you're a bad nurse? Why should I be expected to work overtime to fix staffing problems that HR and upper management obviously don't care about (it's not like these staffing issues haven't been going on for months if not years) Why am I the bad one in this case? . . .

You answered your own question.... It's not "our profession" that's at the root of this. "HR & upper management" have instigated the changes. Chances are, not only are these people not nurses, they don't even understand how patient care works at the bedside.

Based on my eons of experience, the inevitable outcome will be - great nurses like you will 'vote with their feet' and leave for a better environment. The higher-ups will still be clueless, wondering why their wonderful changes did not improve the organization like they were supposed to.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

This could happen to just about anyone of us either because the hospital is bought out or as a cost saving measure from current admin. The only protection a person has for safe staffing ratio's is either unionization or a state ratio law like CA has. But even with a union, it isn't easy and is not as good as a state or better yet federal patient ratio law. Sometimes things are so bad financially a hospital is even forced to close. Small hospitals can't survive alone and are being bought out as hospital systems consolidate to save money and maintain market share. Public hospitals are dying, either closing or being bought out by private companies as they are losing money. Understaffing and overwork is a constant problem leading to burnout and high turnover, but I don't see things getting better as medicare and medicaid are cutting costs by paying hospitals less. The Press Ganey ******** is just a pretense for cutting payments to hospitals!

The only thing you can do is either keep working there and struggling or look for a better facility if you can find one! Hopefully, there is still somewhere to work that has decent staffing but it can be like looking for a needle in a haystack! Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Mr. Murse]

sounds like it's time to start looking for another job. I don't mean leave nursing, find another facility.

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

I" m with you. sorry. maybe you'll be lucky someday and get a better job.

I think all bedside jobs are going to suck no matter who you work for.

Time to get out of bedside.....

[RNperdiem, RN]

You are physically working in the same place, but your old job is gone and is not coming back. It takes time to mourn the loss. Eventually, there will come a time to start looking around at other places. Not all departments are treated equally when it comes to staffing from what I have observed.

If you need a vacation, what is wrong with taking one? It won't make your job any better, but it might help your state of mind.

[ERnurz]

As you can see, I have just today joined this site. I am looking for a place to keep up with what is going on in the nursing world outside my own, but I see the bubble has encompassed the country and the grass isn't any greener where you are. I left the world of office work to get an education and join the medical world three and a half years ago. I still feel like I'm a newbie some days, and like an old, worn-out, cynical, been-around-the-block too many times ER nurse. I did floor nursing for my first two years and enjoyed it, but needed more of a challenge so to the ED I went and a challenge doesn't begin to define my day. Unfortunately, the budget crunch and overworked/underpaid is the motto in health care these days. The one thing that I brought with me from my 20 some years in the world of clerical was "the job needs done, no one else is gonna do it, and at least I'm getting paid something for this" attitude. :)

What I'm rambling about and trying to say is that no matter where you work, what job you do, or how much you get paid, someone else is in the same boat with you, you just may not be able to see them right now AND it could be worse. (BTW, don't say that at work, cause it really can get worse!!) If you're feeling like you need a change, try a new department or a new facility, but I guarantee you are going to hit this wall again. Try to find the things you like about what you do and focus on that for now. If you find you cannot even find enough to keep you there, then in a certain time frame (say 6 weeks) start looking for something new.

Good Luck!

[sallyrnrrt, ADN, RN]

with reimbursements cuts, ACA! NON INSURED USING HOSPITALS FOR PRIMARY CARE, etc it will get worst, although a $paycut, I thank the lord every say for my physician office base practice four & 1/2 8hr days........ practice opted out of medicare, surprising number of people paying fee for service ...... this job is truly a rare bird, but comming June, 5mos will have been a RN 42yrs......so appreciated

[wannabecnl]

It sounds like you have a lot of good, useful experience; how about a different department? Some departments feel the brunt of staffing ratios differently from others, and where you on the floor are feeling the crunch from the new management, maybe a different dept (ED, PACU, endo) would have its own standards that would let you spend more time with patients. I know you have probably built up seniority there and may not want to change hospitals, but that's another option.

[Aurora77]

Thanks for all the advice. I especially like the idea about grieving for what was. I hadn't thought about it that way.

I don't know if there are better job options out there; I'm sure I'd face similar situations anywhere I go. I like the majority of my coworkers and we work together well, which is important to me. For now I think I'll work on my resume so I'm doing something and I'll really do some thinking about what I want to do.