Most Challenging Aspect in Your Nursing Career?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 17, 2013

As a bedside nurse, I would say that explosive families, visitors and external 'customers' are easily the most challenging parts of my shifts at work. Lat me explain further...

Customers who harass the pilot on a major airline will be forced by the air marshall to exit the airplane. Customers who curse at a bank teller will be forced to leave the bank by security. Verbally abusive patients and demanding family members who mess with the physician at his/her private practice will be asked to leave the medical office and risk being dropped from that doctor's practice for inappropriate behavior.

On the other hand, management expects nurses to accept the public's rude behaviors because these 'customers' are under stress. They ask us to coddle abusive families and menacing visitors because 'coping skills' decrease during times of illness. People in other occupations receive more respect from the public than the typical bedside nurse.

These know-it-all family members and explosive visitors should be held responsible for their unacceptable behavior. I wouldn't come to other peoples' workplaces to tell them how to do their jobs, hover over them like a helicopter for hours, and use profanity when things aren't going my way. These things happen to bedside nurses daily and it's flat out wrong.

emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Jul 17, 2013

Thecommuter nailed it. I still love my job though. ER nursing is more funner than corporate cog.

allnurses Guide · Jul 17, 2013

The most challenging thing for me is also the families and their unrealistic, romanticized expectations.

SleeepyRN · Jul 17, 2013

The most frustrating thing: finding a job. Other than that I'd say unmanageable patient loads. I know everyone says you eventually get faster, but in the meantime, life is miserable. I'm a newbie and already completely jaded. I do not recommend nursing to people unless they have done extensive research about the realities of nursing school and the job itself.

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Jul 17, 2013

Dealing with crazy admins and DONs (thankfully only a few qualify for the term), and totally unrealistic families.

SleeepyRN · Jul 17, 2013

Commuter hit the nail on the head. Well worded.

rednotebook · Jul 17, 2013

Other than that I'd say unmanageable patient loads. I know everyone says you eventually get faster, but in the meantime, life is miserable.

Hi SleepyRN! What is the patient to nurse ratio where you work? I hope things get better for you!

wanderlust99 · Jul 18, 2013

Not enough support staff, not enough help, understaffing to save money, being treated like a number by mgt & a slave by some patients, many people don't respect the nursing profession, rude families, rude and demanding patients, short lunch breaks, paperwork, watching the healthcare system function & its problems, physically demanding - we are the number 1 profession for back injuries - yet most hospitals don't provide adequate lifting equipment to protect your back, fellow nurses/coworkers can be a pain to deal with too, etc.

xoemmylouox, ASN, RN · Jul 18, 2013

Lol.. I don't think I can pick just one.. Worthless management, lazy staff, and ridiculous families are my top 3.

~PedsRN~, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2013

I'd rather have the obnoxious rude family member in the room, then deal with the absent ones. I work in pediatrics as an acute care bedside nurse, and the hardest part of the job for me is watching sick kids suffer and fight alone because their parents are worthless. I will never ever get used to it. No amount of love from me will replace the love that these kids need from their mom/dad. And nothing will ever prepare you for listening to a 5 year old cry in his room alone for his Momma who can't even be bothered to call in and tell him good night.

SleeepyRN · Jul 18, 2013

Hi SleepyRN! What is the patient to nurse ratio where you work? I hope things get better for you!

Thanks rednotebook. I'm not currently working bedside, but when I did, it was about 40 residents per nurse on the alzheimers unit, and 25 to 30 on the skilled unit. I worked PMs. The beginning of my shift was a race. Shift began at 3. Report wasn't usually finished til about 3:30. 4pm was accuchecks (I had 7-10 with those). Most of the time most of them needed insulin which was time consuming. 5pm was g-tube feedings (6-8 of those where I had to hang new feedings, sign, date, and write the rate, again very time consuming.) Also at 5 was first med pass which was yet again quite time consuming due to so many g-tubes and crushed meds and liquids....This was also the main time family was trying to talk to you. Also phone was constantly ringing, and we had to run to the nurse's station to answer it. Most of the time it was an MD returning a call from first shift and many times adding or changing an order. At some point, we were supposed to magically find time to enter the order in the MAR and fax to pharmacy. Then you try to remember what you were doing before the interruption. Oh yeah, back to med pass....Its just about dinner time, so then Id give all my insulins (with family interruptions.) Then somehow finish med pass while you keep an eye out for labs coming from the fax. (During report off at the end of shift it's inevitable to hear "why weren't these labs called on?" Um, because I was passing meds, administering feedings, performing accuchecks, answering phones and questions from family all at the same time, thank you very much.) Oh, and being an RN, you're also getting called to other floors to handle IVs and hanging bags. This is the first half of the shift. Now all that being said, I very much enjoy all those tasks, right down to charting and entering new orders. But it's simply too many residents to do it for, until you become a pro. So as I said, life in the meantime is miserable, constantly feeling disappointed in myself, worried Im missing something, trying to play catch up and not having a moment to eat. But I'll tell you this: I sure miss my residents, and the occasional genuine "thank you" are what make it all worth it. Sorry for all the misspellings. Trying to post from my phone is difficult. I tried to correct most of them.