I am sooooooooo SICK AND TIRED of the CRAP being dealt with by us nurses! I am giving up nursing for good! Back to college for a new degree in a totally different career field where I can get the respect and appreciation for what I invest most of my time in these days.
I am TOTALLY disgusted with family members accusing me of doing wrong when I did NOT do anything wrong! I'm sick and tired of NOT getting any recognition for the GOOD things I do as a nurse!
I work three twelve hour shifts a week. In the process of working those 36 hours plus, I care for at least five to seven patients a shift (counting discharges and new admits before the shift is over). Mulitply those five (let's do the minimum here) times three days worked, and that's 15 patients a week...60 patients a month. Out of 60 patients, dealing with their family members complaints, the patients issues and sometimes complaints, the doctors and the other hospital staff involved with those 60 patients, a few strangers come along and make out like I'm the worse nurse they've ever laid eyes on. Do I get credit for the 57 plus patients who happened to like the care received by them from me? Oh noooooooo....just let ONE irate family member complain about something I did NOT do, or let a doctor complain they didn't get what they wanted when they wanted it, let me come into work and be the nurse blasted by unhappy family or patients for the care they've received all week (not from me by the way cause I've not been at work all week), and I'm NOT a nice nurse. Whatever!
I QUIT!!! Those people have walked on me for the last time! I am NOT their handmaiden. Heck, I'm not even respected as "the nurse", so why stay in nursing. Someone PLEEEEEEZZZZZ tell me WHY should I stay in this crappy disrespectful put the nurses down for everything that goes wrong field?
Yeah, but it seems the harder you try to change things, the worse things become. After awhile you just want to disappear into a hole. God, I know I do.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Good guardian...while you are changing things for the better, I would love you to change the world for me,. too. Turn the tide for all of us, while you are at it, ok? I would welcome that.
I guess I am just one person...One who just gets weary of the fight at times. I love being a NURSE, when and if I can be one...a good one.
I am just tired of constraints that weigh me down and prevent my feeling good about care I rendered people due to "extraneous" things along the way.
It's not Burger King, but you would not know it some places.
I know by experience too. I was in a great Supervisory/Management position and enjoyed it well, until our hospital was bought out and new Nursing President and DON were brought in to "crack down!" I learned at the times of meetings (where we were practically beaten to concede to the "new way of doing things" such as firing experienced nurses to cut pension costs, staffing CCU nurses with 4 vents and conscious sedation recoveries.....) that Cinderella isn't real.
I decided to leave, bitterly. I went through outpatient therapy as I had begun to question my own morality.
I then started my company.
I am not making light of any situation where we as nurses eat our young. However, in my personal experience, I appreciate the hell I went through. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be where I am today.
Looking back, I don't remember the nasty days, but I DO remember that "Little old man" who just smiled and never asked for a thing.
Thanks to all who shared their hearts with me, and offered support and encouraging words. :kiss
I've been awake for over an hour now, and have to get ready for work in about fifteen minutes. I got up and fell to my knees asking God to please take this burden from me because it is much too big for me to carry all by myself. I'm not afraid to admit I'm not perfect, and can't make everything work the way I want it to, or the way it should. I need all the support and encouragement I can get, and don't mind asking for it, so thanks sibs. :)
To the nursing students: Nursing is lots of things. You'll start out happy and filled with glee once you graduate and pass those boards. Then...reality sets in...the world of nursing becomes far more than you imagined it to be, YET......it has been a profession I chose because I had so much to give to others, and chose to help the sick. It's not a bad thing to have those "rose colored glasses" removed before you become a licensed nurse working in the career of your choosing. The TRUTH is suppose to set us all free, so don't shy away from the reality of your chosen career. Face it head on, look it square in the eye, and give it your best shot. For me.......my shots have reached their limit, and it's time for me to move on to something else before I forget completely the glorious moments I use to enjoy as a RN.
As I am still taking my pre-req courses and after reading these posts, I have now reconsidered nursing and will probably re-direct in another field. I appreciate the candidacy from you guys. I dont think I could stand answering to patient' visitors if I am going to invest my blood, sweat and tears to get there.
I am getting a bumper sticker... "Nurses the professionals who are treated like kindergartners." I feel so bad for you Renee. It has become a Burger King world. Right no what we serve up for our patients is often cold, unsatisfying, and not good for them or us, just like that fast food joint. Someone forgot to mention that when we are strapped for staff and have more work piled upon us that it becomes harder to do a good job. We have to ask so many ridiculous questions and comply w/ so many government and hospital rules that I am sure we are soon going to go out to the curb and perform an inspection on the vehicle they are being driven home in and of course, document it in the electronic medical record.
To be in nursing management, I think many organizations are looking for people who will implement the selected policies and BS of the day, not lead the staff to bigger and better things. I just saw one management type who did stick up for us staff people (to some extent at least) asked to leave. Ready to slither into place is a "chamelon" who is ready to be whoever she needs to be to advance her way up the food-chain. This includes stabbing other nurses in the back if it serves her purpose. Gee, why is there a nursing shotage again?
Several days ago, I had a visitor demand that I go out to the desk to chart because when I was charting on the fetal monitor screen, I was in her way and she couldn't see the contractions when I was standing there. I told her that pt. (a very nice young lady) would let us know and the screen was just a tool mostly for the nurses to chart on. She told me "well I want that screen UP!" I was so tempted to offer to put it UP where the sun doesn't shine, but didn't want to upset the pt. Family members (though my pt's visitor was just a friend, may I never be that lonely)should be present to enhance pt. care and comfort, not to direct it. Management also needs to realize that we can't please everyone esp. given some of the conditions we are forced to function under. If a nurse has been very capable and well-recieved by her/his pt's in the past, then maybe they should see an isolated visitor/family complaint as a fluke or just the comments of of one of the many kooks and rude people who are out amonst us. Even as a stressed out person having a bad day, not ream the nurse for God' sake.
Anyway, Renee I hope you find something that you like and where you feel more appreciated. I know you talked about travel nursing before. Would you consider going back to that? you seem like such a caring person, it is definitely a loss for nursing and the patients if you leave, but I can certainly understand wanting to. It is just awful when an employer takes away your ability to have pride in the job that you do and makes it impossible to do a good job. Please go have a massage or do something nice for yourrself today. You deserve it!
Several days ago, I had a visitor demand that I go out to the desk because when I was charting on the fetal monitor screen, I was in her way and she couldn't see the contractions when I was standing there. I told her that pt. (a very nice young lady) would let us know and the screen was just a tool mostly for the nurses to chart on. She told me "well I want that screen UP!" I was so tempted to ask her where she wanted to put it UP, but didn't want to upset the pt.
:eek:
No way. OMG, there's just NO WAY I would have catered to that visitor !!! I'd have "accidently disabled" the friggin' screen first out of sheer spite before I gave in to her demands. They could have fired me on the spot, but I would have told this person in no uncertain terms that my responsibility was to care for my patient and use the tools (screen) avialable to ME, HER NURSE to carry out MY RESPONSIBILITIES in order to provide her with the care she deserved. That I was NOT there to cater to visitors' whims and if she had any problems with this she would certainly be more than welcome to go directly to the hopspital CEO and file her complaint. Period.
Nope. I WILL NOT be tolerating BS such as this in ANY way, shape, or form. Ain't gonna happen. I may lose my job, but I'll have stood my ground for what I believe in, and that's all I really give a doo-doo about, in the long run.
OMG Blue Eyes, I just read about your domestic duties. I remember being told to inspect the showers for mold before JCAHO came to my former employer (they also had several facilities in WA state, maybe you work for one of them). Although, everyone complained, I was the only one who refused to do it. Nothing happened to me, I got one of the best evals ever that year. Go figure! BTW, I didn't cater to the visitor, I finished my charting at the bedside on the computer screen for that occurence and q 15 min thereafter, but I was totally P*SSED and had to work hard to hold my temper. Thankfully, it was a very fast labour. I figured the pt. didn't need to have her birth ruined by the idiotic comments of her visitor. The pt. did thank me profusely after the delivery for "being so nice to her", which did cause some glaring on the part of this wonderful visitor. After delivery she busied herself w/ directing the infant's transition and irritated the nursery nurse!
Rene, I feel your pain. Last week I had an irate son-in-law demand that a pillow case on a pillow on a chair be changed IMMEDIATELY. He had noticed that it wasn't changed when the pt's linens were changed. I was extremely busy and put on a smile and said "I'll get right on it." and went back to trying to pay attention to my med pass. He then THREW the pillow in the middle of the hall. I put it against the wall and continued with trying to get my meds organized.
Good luck. You sound like such a caring nurse. I hope you find a niche in nursing so that we don't lose another good nurse. It is a shame that someone like you - with all that experience and caring feels that you must leave nursing.
................ and FURTHERMORE... (can ya tell I'm just REALLY po'd here ? )...
what about that thing they always charge ppl with when "interfering with the duties of a police officer"? Well, by George, I think it's high time we incorporated that to use as our own back up system..."interfering with the duites of a nurse" and have the person hauled off !!! :(
well, by george, i think it's high time we incorporated that to use as our own back up system..."interfering with the duites of a nurse" and have the person hauled off !!!
"interfering with the duties of a nurse?" honeychild, the duties of a nurse are as follows:
1. welcome the customer to the floor as if you were a wal-mart greeter, putting on your best "people-person" smile.
2. make sure the customer gets settled in their room, to their satisfaction. if they need anything, run and get it and be quick about it.
3. also, of prime importance is the customer's family! their needs, wants, and desires must be addressed......we are "treating" this "patient" holistically, doncha know.
4. make sure you have time enough to stand there and be the repository for all their complaints and gripes: i.e., how long they had to wait in e.r. "while mama's head was bustin'", how incompetent everyone is.....etc....etc......above all, agree with every idiotic word that drops out of their mouths, because customer satisfaction is #1 priority!!!
(maybe, just maybe somewhere along the line you might get the chance to get their health history, vitals, and any other extraneous information besides what they want to snack on....!
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Just call me:
Debbie, RN, C (certified in HOUSEFLY REMOVAL SERVICE)
sheesh.....
it's not what it should be, huh, folks? I didnot sweat it out in school to be told to assume housekeeping, kitchen, maid, lab, security, and numerous other duties as WELL as being a nurse.
Do I get credit for the 57 plus patients who happened to like the care received by them from me? Oh noooooooo....just let ONE irate family member complain about something I did NOT do, or let a doctor complain they didn't get what they wanted when they wanted it, let me come into work and be the nurse blasted by unhappy family or patients for the care they've received all week (not from me by the way cause I've not been at work all week), and I'm NOT a nice nurse. Whatever! 
:eek:
Guardian Angels
62 Posts
My mother and father have given me the best of advise when I am so angry I could scream................
It is we have two choices in life, put up with it, or change it.
I am trying to change it.