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Discussion

Miserable on the job....

I've been working nights on a large, very busy Ortho/Neuro/Med-Surg unit (aka the dumping ground of the hospital) for 5 months now. Most nights are rough. We are overworked and understaffed. Most of our patients are very needy or total care and it's hard to give them the care they need when you've got 5 patients calling out at the same time and only one tech on the floor. With recent budget cuts, things don't look to be getting any better. Hours have been cut for non-nursing staff, the role of the CNAs have been cut drastically and almost to the point of being cut out all together, overtime is being cut out, and rumor has it that some PRN staff will be cut too, which is half of our night staff. Our manager is not very supportive of nightshift either. She basically told us that if things are left undone it will always fall on nightshift, regardless of whether or not it should have been done during the day and we need to make sure that we have everything complete for day shift, meaning double work for us.....but of course if we stay over to make sure everything is done we get yelled at because they don't want to pay us overtime anymore.

I have honestly tried to remain positive and tough this out. I thought that with time things would get better but they haven't. I am so physically and emotionally drained at this point. I started having panic attacks again for the first time in years. I won't be eligible for transfer until May, but with our current budget crisis we're on a hiring freeze and who knows how long that will last. There are few hospitals closer to where I live that have openings (my current job is 45 minutes away), but I'm not sure if now is the right time to apply. I don't want to burn any bridges with this hospital and as crazy as it sounds, I feel guilty for wanting to leave, especially knowing that 2 of our nurses are leaving for maternity leave within the next 2 months. I've never been one to job hop but I just don't know how much more I can take. :crying2:

Thanks for letting me vent and sorry for rambling on!

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    • Featured Replies

    if you can stick it out until may i know it will be a test of wills but trust me you will feel better about sticking it out. do you have any battle buddies on the unit? can you switch to days at all? start researching other jobs end of april beginning of may then make your move. thats my advice. you will feel better knowing you stuck it out and on your resume you can just say it was time to move on or something like that .

    take it one shift at a time and mentally prepare yourself.

    change your mental outlook before you start the shift then take it one shift at a time. time flies remember that it does.

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    I work days and I stay over quite often doing tasks I just couldn't get to so I don't push it off on night shift, I know other nurses that don't do that. I thought I was barley getting by and my unit review and revised our staffing pattern, cutting us a nurse and cna per shift, and increasing ratios. WHY? because thats what everybody is doing!!! seriously that was the rational. "nationwide med surg nurses have 5-6 pts on day shift." that doesn't mean its a healthy working environment.

    after reading other nurses complaints of staffing ratios, and talking with coworkers (experienced and novice nurses alike) have learned that the change is stressful on all of us. I was relieved to know that I wasn't alone in how I feel.

  • Quote
    • Experts
    I've been working nights on a large, very busy Ortho/Neuro/Med-Surg unit (aka the dumping ground of the hospital) for 5 months now. Most nights are rough. We are overworked and understaffed. Most of our patients are very needy or total care and it's hard to give them the care they need when you've got 5 patients calling out at the same time and only one tech on the floor. With recent budget cuts, things don't look to be getting any better. Hours have been cut for non-nursing staff, the role of the CNAs have been cut drastically and almost to the point of being cut out all together, overtime is being cut out, and rumor has it that some PRN staff will be cut too, which is half of our night staff. Our manager is not very supportive of nightshift either. She basically told us that if things are left undone it will always fall on nightshift, regardless of whether or not it should have been done during the day and we need to make sure that we have everything complete for day shift, meaning double work for us.....but of course if we stay over to make sure everything is done we get yelled at because they don't want to pay us overtime anymore.

    I have honestly tried to remain positive and tough this out. I thought that with time things would get better but they haven't. I am so physically and emotionally drained at this point. I started having panic attacks again for the first time in years. I won't be eligible for transfer until May, but with our current budget crisis we're on a hiring freeze and who knows how long that will last. There are few hospitals closer to where I live that have openings (my current job is 45 minutes away), but I'm not sure if now is the right time to apply. I don't want to burn any bridges with this hospital and as crazy as it sounds, I feel guilty for wanting to leave, especially knowing that 2 of our nurses are leaving for maternity leave within the next 2 months. I've never been one to job hop but I just don't know how much more I can take. :crying2:

    Thanks for letting me vent and sorry for rambling on!

    I was in a similar situation I could have written this first post. My advice is to start looking for another position and dont leave until you find one. It is easier to find a new job when you have one. Every interview asked why I was leaving and I was honest, med surg is not my favorite. I ended up sticking it out almost 7 months total but I did find a much better position. At the hospital I felt anxiety fear & dread before every shift. I always left doubting my abilites after getting crap at report. I got sick to my stomach the day before I had to go back. I cried all the time. It was HORRIBLE. Knowing that I had interviews coming up helped me get through the shifts. Everyone kept telling me to stick it out a year, but for me it came down to this - life is too short to be this unhappy. I knew I would just be miserable for the rest of the year. Hospital nursing is not for everyone. Different floors may be different as well there may be another you like better. My new position pays more has better hours and is a much smaller facility. I am glad I didnt waste another 5 months in misery.

    Someone on another thread offered this advice- Just keep showing up. That really helped me because after a particularly miserable shift I wouldnt want to go back (and I wouldnt be able to sleep!!) but sometimes the next shift would be fine. In the meantime just keep telling yourself it is ok to be new, just do your best. That is all you can do. And start sending out resumes!

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    I would investigate the job options at the hospitals closer to you.

    It appears many things are in flux at your current position, mostly

    lack of staffing and the potential to decrease staff further.

    If you feel it is safe to stick it out until May, that is one option.

    However, if staffing continues to decline and you do not feel

    your clients are being safely cared for it is time to jump ship

    before your clients are at risk. You and your license are at risk

    as well at that point.

    Take care of yourself first, if your hospital valued longevity in employment

    for their nurses they would provide a safe enviroment with enough

    staffing for the types of patients you have on the unit.

    Good luck and keep us posted...

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    You gotta think of your own health first. For some reason the nursing mentality is always to stick it out at whatever expense to our own health! The hospitals love this school of thought because it causes nurses to stay and put up with the horrific nursing conditions.

    You could always apply places and see what happens. If they ask why you are leaving say " I feel like my nursing license is in jeopardy " and they will get it and not ask questions. It never hurts to try. It's not exactly lying either.

    And if you don't want to burn the bridge at the current hospital, explain to them that the long drive home is exhausting and you don't feel safe driving after working nights. They should understand this, or you may even get lucky enough to get transferred to days.

    Good luck :)

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    • Author

    Thanks for the comments everyone. I'm going to try to tolerate it a little longer until something better comes along. Staffing is still screwing us over and we were told in our staff meeting yesterday that there's pretty much nothing we can do about it. On top of that, we were informed that the hospital is adding more tasks and paperwork to our already full plates. I have also noticed in recent weeks that I am being assigned more patients than everyone else and having to take 1st/2nd admit (I'm being assigned 4-5 pts while everyone else has 3 :rolleyes:) I'm just trying to take it 1 shift at a time and praying that I can find something else.

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    • Experts
    Staffing is still screwing us over and we were told in our staff meeting yesterday that there's pretty much nothing we can do about it. On top of that, we were informed that the hospital is adding more tasks and paperwork to our already full plates... I'm just trying to take it 1 shift at a time and praying that I can find something else.

    Wow, sounds so familiar! Glad I'm not the only one.

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    Oh, I am right there with you! Exactly the same thing is happening on my floor. I work on Tele/Cardiac and we have five on days, six on nights, acuity is through the roof (several complete-cares to each nurse), one tech if we are lucky (usually none on nights)... I am miserable. I'm in my seventh month and am going to try to stick it out to the one-year mark. Every day is a battle of wills with myself: terrified I'll make a mistake d/t being spread too thin, sick of the stress, feeling nauseous and panicky on the way to work and crying afterward.

    I hate that I hate it.:crying2: It wasn't supposed to be this way. I wanted to be a nurse my entire life (I am 46 now). I love all things cardiac -- everything was in place for it to be wonderful and rewarding. It is neither of those things. I'm sorry you guys have it tough too but I am glad I am not alone...

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    Sounds just like my floor too - seems to be a trend haha. We have 6-7 med surg pts on nights depending on how many RNs decide to show up for the shift lol. 1-2 CNAs IF we are lucky, and when there's only 1 the CNA's refuse to take any vitals...does that make sense? Half the floor is usually total care as well. 2 vents. 6 isolation and we've started turning doubles into isolations. I constantly feel like my license is on the line too, add that to only 6 mos experience...scary stuff. You're not alone!

    then they yell at you for not charting enough in detail and finishing your insane lists of tasks, and then yell again when you collect too much OT. this is NOT nursing....:(

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