Leaving Bedside Nursing

My ultimate goal is to get out completely. It's just so sad to see..while at work all my coworkers can talk about is how unhappy they are and how burnt out their becoming. Plenty nurses on my floor at taking antidepressants. No ma'am I will not go down that road. If you have a job that makes you have to rely on chemically dealing with your stress then something is seriously wrong. HCHAPS is ruining floor nursing. Nursing is declining as a profession and no one respects us. Unless we band together and take a stand things will only go south as hospital move to improve reimbursements thru hotel-like treatment. Pts come to the hospital to get better, not to be treated like they're at the Hilton. Management makes pts and families feel like they have a right to demand things not essential to pt care..I'm just sick of this foolishness and don't want to spend another minute as primary care floor nurse

Nursing is a tough job and not all will adapt to the day to day grind that being a bedside nurse entails. Mostly we deal with people who aren't happy about being in the hospital and are in some degree of pain or discomfort physically, mentally, or both. I'm glad you found an area that's less stressful for you.

I think it's blame game to say nursing ruins marriages. It does if you let it. I've had opposite schedules with my husband for 7 years, but I understand that I don't need to be with him 24/7. If we want the same time off we plan ahead. I don't bring my job home with me and burden him with my woes. His job is hard too in a different way. I come home, and spend time with him when I can, keeping a positive attitude and thankful for a good job in tough times.

Don't let your circumstances determine your attitude. If you are depressed, seek medical help, it is a disease and I understand that. Maybe re-evaluate your well being.

I am not playing the blame game in regards to my marriage but if I stay at the bedside it will put a strain in our relationship. Different people have different coping mechanisms. I just so happen to let the negativity affect my mood at times. Wished I could help it but I can't. I dont think it necessary to seek medical advice as my physical and mental well being is intact, I just have no time for BS and as long as there are choices I'll make the one that's best for me. Life's too short to get up feeling like crap each day

Good for you for recognizing what won't work for your life, and doing something about it. Good luck in your new position!

I am so sorry that you felt this way, but you are not alone. I too went into nursing with the purpose of helping people but instead I had the very opposite experience. Coworkers were mean and would refuse to help you out once you were out on your own. The attitude of "not my patient, not my problem" was so sickening. Doctors would act like a**holes even after I would try to help them with their computer issues. The patients would complain because I took too long to get them their water or because I brought them the wrong pancake syrup.

I have also thought about leaving nursing, but thankfully there is so much more you can do these days than bedside nursing. I am glad you found a better place to work. I would also suggest you looking into administrative positions. Nursing informatics is a big field that pays well if you are computer savvy. Another area that I personally am looking into is Forensic Nursing. You work on sexual abuse and domestic violence cases and coordinate with law enforcement and criminalists.

Deebuzz said:

My ultimate goal is to get out completely. It's just so sad to see..while at work all my coworkers can talk about is how unhappy they are and how burnt out their becoming. Plenty nurses on my floor at taking antidepressants. No ma'am I will not go down that road. If you have a job that makes you have to rely on chemically dealing with your stress then something is seriously wrong. HCHAPS is ruining floor nursing. Nursing is declining as a profession and no one respects us. Unless we band together and take a stand things will only go south as hospital move to improve reimbursements thru hotel-like treatment. Pts come to the hospital to get better, not to be treated like they're at the Hilton. Management makes pts and families feel like they have a right to demand things not essential to pt care..I'm just sick of this foolishness and don't want to spend another minute as primary care floor nurse

I think this is a bit of a blanket statement, though I do understand your frustration. I really do.

NurseRies said:

I think it's blame game to say nursing ruins marriages. It does if you let it. I've had opposite schedules with my husband for 7 years, but I understand that I don't need to be with him 24/7. If we want the same time off we plan ahead. I don't bring my job home with me and burden him with my woes. His job is hard too in a different way. I come home, and spend time with him when I can, keeping a positive attitude and thankful for a good job in tough times.

Don't let your circumstances determine your attitude. If you are depressed, seek medical help, it is a disease and I understand that. Maybe re-evaluate your well being.

You are lucky then. I literally see my family probably less than 6 hours a week.

When I can get time off, my spouse cant.Or vise versa.We have to find our own coverage for any weekends you might want off.The work situation sucks so much that most arent willing to work more than they have to. We have only 2-3 perdiems, and they are usually filling the holes on the weekends as it is.

Oh well, sorry op , didnt mean to hijack.

Seriously , notice case mgt has a desk and an office and a secretary , ?

They spend hours talking to a patient to tell you taht the man who has put his fecees in strofoam cups at the bedside, cant be discharged (the dr discharged ) because she has to get food for his dog !!!!!

NurseRies,

I appreciate your outlook! Nursing is not easy and I have learned over the years how to make it work, maintain a mostly positive attitude, and not constantly burden my significant other with the stress of my job. Still a work in progress; thanks for your example.

jrwest said:

I dont see how CM is going to not deal with families. They want nursing care in their home for the pt, or to pick and choose which facility they go to, or home care agency, or what services they will get , bla bla bla.

I recently entered case management after a decade of inglorious direct patient care. It makes a refreshing difference when you deal with families for only a few minutes at a time rather than all shift long.

TheCommuter said:

I recently entered case management after a decade of inglorious direct patient care. It makes a refreshing difference when you deal with families for only a few minutes at a time rather than all shift long.

Maybe your case mgmt is different than ours. Poor CM is on floor the whole day. And recently with one family, we were debating calling security guards for her because the family was making verbal threats to her. She dealt with it on her own( what a saint) . Typical- someone trying to go out of their way to help someone, and they have to endure swearing and verbal abuse.