If you could do it all over again...would you still have went into nursing???
I'm in my late 20's, only been nursing for a few years and I'm totally burnt out!! I dont know if it's the patient's, the workload and stress of the job, my insane co-workers, or all of the above!!! More often than not, I feel overworked, underpaid, overstressed, and at times treated unfairly as their is a lot of favoritism on my work unit and if your not in the clique of the "can never do anything wrong, holier than thou nurses" they treat you like sh*t (excuse my language). I work 12hr shifts, and usually end up getting off of work about an hour or at least 45 min late, as we have to wait for the last nurse to finish report before we can leave....thats because we're a relatively small unit and there has to be RN's on the floor at all time, which makes sense, but taking 30min to give an end of shift report is ridiculous....with that being said I often get off of work late, and by the time I get home, shower and eat, my alarm is going off the next morning and I'm up doing it all over again! I AM SO TIRED! mentally and physically tired! I often ask myself why I went into nursing, and I answer myself, "because I love nursing and helping others", but not enough to lose my sanity or have a nervous breakdown over. Nursing school prepared me for everything except the "real world of nursing." I've tried applying for other jobs within and outside the hospital, but I never get so much as a call back and I think I may be getting black balled from leaving my current job! Sometimes I wish I would have went into physical or occupational therapy or even respiratory therapy...come in see your patient's and move on to the next one! I know your going to encounter difficulties in any job and that's just life, but I often questions myself...If I could do it all over again, would I honestly have chose nursing knowing what I know now??? All responses welcomed! :)
It would have been very possible to state your opinion without belittling "Aggie2012". Why was it necessary to attack her? She is entitled to her opinion, even if you don't agree with it. There was nothing polite or respectful about your post. New nurses should be welcomed into nursing, not attacked. New nurses = More staff
While I agree with you completely, if you go back and read all my posts, I'm not an attacker, I'm a person that feels strongly about my opinions, and I'm generally a supportive person. Re-reading my post after several peeps have called me out, what I was trying to convey strongly can certainly be looked at as nasty and negative.
I was really trying to say that until you've really nursed, and know what is truly involved it's easy to say just job hop and find something better. I stand by my point that until you've walked the multiple miles in our shoes, it's easy to say just leave if it's just that's bad.
I'm a person that does not believe in just leaving because the grass isn't greener. If you read after that in the posts, a wise poster reminded me that there are multiple reasons for leaving and I acknowledged my ignorance in ignoring those options. I bend in forgiveness to have not thought that far out of my personal box.... those are options that are not available to me and haven't considered them.
With attempts to clarify and not beat my point, which I promise was not meant to be nasty is that a student, whom doesn't walk in my shoes lacks the true life comparison of balancing ;
-patient satisfaction scores
-family needs as a priority over my patient
-making moment to moment life and death decisions
-mediating with doc's that hide from family
-the ethics involved in critical care that many here will never experience, let alone a student....
A student does not have the retrospect that I have and it is ill advised IMHO for one to lecture me that changing a "job", or position will eliminate all the barriers that we face as real nurses.
So I may have posted wrongly, or my thoughts didn't come across right, and I appoligize for that but new STUDENTS, not REGISTERED NURSES should not ever assume they understand what I do, we do and give advice to just move on and the grass is greener.
At some point, we need to dig out heels in and make a change for the better and quit job hopping and make a change where we are. That is my point. A student has the luxury of giving advice on a career and profession of which they have never experienced, and it bears no meaning for my practice.
As I've stated before, I'm sorry if I didn't convey what I wanted to say correctly, or nicely for that point... and thank you all for calling me out. I'll try very hard to be more careful in my written words and not just type, and post... and think harder to my message that I send to others ... there are better ways to say what I'm thinking... and I'll do better. Thanks for considering my thoughts on this, despite my post that many deemed nasty, was not, NOT my intention... I'm just very passionate and hit the post button before it's thought well through.
Anyone I've offended.. I do apologize, and thanks in advance for understanding me.
Zookeeper, I totally understand. I have done MS, Tele, charge nurse and now am in ICU. I have been a nurse for a while but until recently, no critical care experience. I pride myself on being a good nurse, being able to anticipate the patients needs, and intervene when necessary. Moving to ICU put a new spin on this concept.
Until I got into critical care, I never really realized what an impact the nurse for that shift has on the patient's outcome. By outcome, I mean life or death. The doctors are in and out and, yes, we couldn't do our job without them but what is even more spectacular is they couldn't do their job without us. I enjoy the relationship I have with (most) of our docs in ICU. It is truly a partnership. "What else do you need from me?" is a favorite question of mine that the docs asked before leaving the unit.
Thinking of the minute by minute nursing that I do gives me great pride. It is truly the nurses sharp critical thinking and skills that keep some of these patients living.
However, that relationship and pride that I have is somehow cheapened by all the the other crud that comes with nursing in today's hospitals. By crud, I mean: patient satisfaction scores, the customer is always right attitude and the "What more can I do for you?" generic robot response that managers except us to spew.
It's like all the skills that you have acquired over the years that make you a great nurse just don't matter anymore because so what if you kept the patient alive during your shift, THAT isn't what is important. What really matters is that the daily patient satisfaction emails are coming out and your Department's scores are below par.
If the higher-ups want the hospital to run like a hotel, then they need to hire the appropriate staff to take care of those needs (concierge desk, valet service, butler, waiters, customer service reps w/ aides to assist them) so the nurses can get back to what they went to school for which is NURSING.
Zookeeper while the apology is accepted, you seem to think my message was directed at you and it was not, it was directed towards the poster. I never suggested job hopping! I suggested finding a new environment. Finding a new place to work, I wouldn't consider job hopping. My post was my opinion and I just feel if you are absolutely miserable it is not worth staying. Based on her post it seems that the problems at her work continue to exist and are not going to change, why live with that?! I will admit while you may have not meant to attack me I was very saddened by your post because you should be supporting new nursing students, and comments like " walking in our shoes" hurts a little, because one day I will be in your shoes! Any ways apology accepted from me.
It sounds as if you are burnt out. I do agree that nursing has changed its meaning...it is more like a customer service...the customer's always right.
I have been in nursing for 11 years only and i'm 31 this year.
I am not the type who can sit in the same environment for long, no matter how good it was. I like to gain more experiences by volunteering for replacements or upgrading.
I would do nursing again. In my country, the pay is actually quite good.
I have tried ICU, burns, medical, home care, palliative, development disability, and now school nursing.
Each of the specialty I went to, I gained more experiences. I don think i'm suitable in ICU and palliative care though! I am so far feeling perfectly happy doing school nursing. I was happy too doing medical and burns, but I can't do 3 shifts work due to family commitments.
I do regret that I do not get my advanced specialty training in medical/surgical though.
I chose to be in nursing when I was 17. I hated my first posting and felt like crying for my stupidity to go into nursing. But one day, an old lady said 'Thank you' so very sincerely and that melted me...till now.
It just takes one patient to remind me why I am a nurse.
I really hope you will find the right path for yourself. Stay strong..
I would choose another profession if I could go back in time. I'm also in my 20's and am already burned out.
I feel sad saying that, but it's how I feel at this point in time. I hope that changes and I once again love what I do.
I know what you mean, because I also feel sad saying that...I went through 4 years of nursing school, blood sweat and tears, and only 4 years into, I feel like I've been doing this 40 years....
Zookeeper while the apology is accepted, you seem to think my message was directed at you and it was not, it was directed towards the poster. I never suggested job hopping! I suggested finding a new environment. Finding a new place to work, I wouldn't consider job hopping. My post was my opinion and I just feel if you are absolutely miserable it is not worth staying. Based on her post it seems that the problems at her work continue to exist and are not going to change, why live with that?! I will admit while you may have not meant to attack me I was very saddened by your post because you should be supporting new nursing students, and comments like " walking in our shoes" hurts a little, because one day I will be in your shoes! Any ways apology accepted from me.
Thank you for understanding in your own way. I took it personal as you'll unfortunately soon find out that we job hop to get out of a bad spot rather than dig our heels in and demand change... there are so few of us left that do so. If the senior staff doesn't make a stand.. what chance does the new staff have. the new staff has to support the senior staff that is there to protect them for what WILL come.
If we are all busy going off in our own direction to save ourselves.. what is wrong.. CANNOT BE FIXED. And that is why I got snarky with this post. At some point.. we have to fight for our patients.. and as our older nurses, such as me are tiring . who then will take up that fight? And we all are going to suffer as well as our patients.. as this customer service crap continues....
I'm simply saying we all need to bond over this. you haven't walked in those shoes.. but try them on .. you might find they will fit you and this fight is yours... thank you for listening to what I've said and what I mean as nothing negative to you. I appreciate that in you.. thanks.. and I look to debating other issues soon. I love new nurses, you keep me on my toes!
No I would not do it again and I've been a nurse for a very short amount of time in the big scheme of things. Many posters have already covered the reasons why and I agree with them. As far as the customer service the nursing interpretation of that goes too far. I've had customer service oriented jobs and never did corporate expect us to kiss a$$ or be abused by the "customers" the way nurses are expected too. One company said "the customer is always right, unless they are very wrong and in those cases they can shop elsewhere for this service." I was treated better by managment & had more professional co-workers when I was a factory worker & customer service rep.
I dislike the fact that I now belong to the ranks of people who are still fighting over LPN, vs diploma RN, vs, ASN, vs BSN vs MSN. The reason nurses get 0 respect is because overall we have no respect for each other and a large percentage of us crap on the PCTs/CNAs as if they aren't our backbone. We never hear doctors calling each out publicly but I bet each nurse has a story to tell about the time they got humiliated or humilated another nurse.
I went into nursing with a thick skin, good health and a desire to learn. What I am becoming is a bitter, anxious, hag with health problems. This profession has sunk to the depths of hell. I regret putting my family and self into debt in order to obtain a BSN. The only thing I'm proud of at this stage is the fact that i went to college and got a degree of any kind. I actually put my degree and nursing license in a drawer. I was once so proud of obtaining them, if I look at them now I only feel more depressed for choosing a profession that is anything but professional.
Absolutely not. It's my passion, but pretty much modern day slavery. No respect. Crap opportunities. Low pay for what we do. Nursing is pathetic these days.
i wouldn't do it again. no way. i worked in business for years and nursing is a second profession for me so i have some basis of comparison.
on your worst day you disappoint everyone. the patient isn't happy, their family isn't happy, the doctors aren't happy, the charge nurse isn't happy and a lot of times it is for things beyond your control (like trying to start an iv on a 4 month old and calling nurses off of caring for their patients to help you and no one is successful in starting a line and you can't start the iv antibiotics without one).
i will say that my best days nursing are way better than my best days in business. by a million fold. but those are few and far between.
most days i just feel like i'm being ground under the wheels.
i read someone say that there is a lot of "flexibility" with your schedule. while that is certainly true, there is also very little predictability.
i don't get a long with my co-workers and yes, they can make your life hell and frequently do.
when i think about what i gave up for this? i feel like such an idiot. such a naive, idealistic, gullible moron.
I was thinking yesterday how pigeon holed I feel by having a degree in nursing..there is very little else you can really do with it. I don't want to go back into the hospital and its a major pain trying to get a job now. You go to interview after interview - sometimes several at one place - wait days or weeks only to hear "sorry" even though you know you are more than qualified. If I could do something else I would. Nursing is not what it use to be for sure
Zookeeper3
1,361 Posts
While I agree with you completely, if you go back and read all my posts, I'm not an attacker, I'm a person that feels strongly about my opinions, and I'm generally a supportive person. Re-reading my post after several peeps have called me out, what I was trying to convey strongly can certainly be looked at as nasty and negative.
I was really trying to say that until you've really nursed, and know what is truly involved it's easy to say just job hop and find something better. I stand by my point that until you've walked the multiple miles in our shoes, it's easy to say just leave if it's just that's bad.
I'm a person that does not believe in just leaving because the grass isn't greener. If you read after that in the posts, a wise poster reminded me that there are multiple reasons for leaving and I acknowledged my ignorance in ignoring those options. I bend in forgiveness to have not thought that far out of my personal box.... those are options that are not available to me and haven't considered them.
With attempts to clarify and not beat my point, which I promise was not meant to be nasty is that a student, whom doesn't walk in my shoes lacks the true life comparison of balancing ;
-patient satisfaction scores
-family needs as a priority over my patient
-making moment to moment life and death decisions
-mediating with doc's that hide from family
-the ethics involved in critical care that many here will never experience, let alone a student....
A student does not have the retrospect that I have and it is ill advised IMHO for one to lecture me that changing a "job", or position will eliminate all the barriers that we face as real nurses.
So I may have posted wrongly, or my thoughts didn't come across right, and I appoligize for that but new STUDENTS, not REGISTERED NURSES should not ever assume they understand what I do, we do and give advice to just move on and the grass is greener.
At some point, we need to dig out heels in and make a change for the better and quit job hopping and make a change where we are. That is my point. A student has the luxury of giving advice on a career and profession of which they have never experienced, and it bears no meaning for my practice.
As I've stated before, I'm sorry if I didn't convey what I wanted to say correctly, or nicely for that point... and thank you all for calling me out. I'll try very hard to be more careful in my written words and not just type, and post... and think harder to my message that I send to others ... there are better ways to say what I'm thinking... and I'll do better. Thanks for considering my thoughts on this, despite my post that many deemed nasty, was not, NOT my intention... I'm just very passionate and hit the post button before it's thought well through.
Anyone I've offended.. I do apologize, and thanks in advance for understanding me.