Is it a Full Moon?

[Fiona59]

I'm finding it harder to carry on as a nurse.

The assignments are becoming bigger and harder. The families more demanding, the patients becoming less willing to do anything for themselves. I work with generally healthy people who have elective surgeries.

Favouritism, hiring friends of the family, new staff getting preferential treatment.

A coworker described us as all being worn out and basically fed up.

Workplace Utilization is being held over our heads like a sword. Management won't tell us when our rotations will change, just "it's coming".

May this is a rant, maybe it's just a howl in the wilderness.

But it is really getting harder and harder to keep showing up.

[CaffeinePOstat]

Hi Fiona, from your AN bio, it indicates you've been in nursing for 10+ years. As a new grad RN, I look up to experienced nurses on the unit as role models. I admire the work nurses do and seeing them balance their work life with their family life. It's common for nurses to put others before themselves thus being burnt out comes easily. As a nurse with 0year experience, thank you for coming in everyday and showing new nurses how it's done and that it can be done.

I know now taking a vacation is not the only solution, it seems like this has to be taken to a management or union level.

I hope it turns towards the better for you!

[loriangel14, RN]

I hear you Fiona.Our floor now has 2 RPNs and 1 RN on days and evenings, plus 2 PSWs. Nights has 2 RPNs and 1 PSW. The RNs work 8s and we work 12s. On days you split the floor between the 2 RPNs and the RN on the desk helps out. Typically we have 11-12 patients apiece. Falls are up and everyone is getting burned out and everyone is exhausted.

[itsmejuli]

Yup. I'm right there with you. I'm so over it all. No raises for 2 years. Nothing like being paid exactly the same as the new hire I'm training.

I'll soon be out of here.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

I feel the same. Certain aspects of my job I enjoy, other aspects I dread, particularly the endless documentation. New forms all the time, heavier patient loads, less staff and more demanding families.

We are also experiencing job cuts to every department so that means even fewer staff. I feel trapped because I am well aware that the same scenario exists everywhere.

I'm not sure what the solution is.

And all of the changes are the work of upper management and CEOs. It all trickles downhill. I have people who report to me, but I'm told what I should think and feel. I try to balance things out because I know how draining floor nursing can be.

The budgets are set, with less money being allotted to actual health care needs. More and more, we're moving towards a two tiered system.

[loriangel14, RN]

And while front line staff is being cut we seem to be acquiring more and more management all the time.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

Ain't that the truth. And physicians. When I started on my unit 12 years ago we had 6 intensivists, 2 fellows and 1 clinical assistant. Now we have 14 intensivists, 4 fellows and 3 clinical assistants. In the same time frame we've gone from 15 beds to 23 and our nursing staff has gone from 100 to 118. It's crazy.