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I hate this job. It is so hard to think of my job as a "career" when I get paid the same as a waitress & get treated like one too. I am disrespected on a daily basis by patients, their families, and especially the doctors. I am ordered around by doctors like I am a damn slave. Even with the most seasoned nurses, all integrity goes out the window when a doctor comes to the unit. I HATE that I have 15 minute lunches (that's usually all I have time for), yet I automatically get 1/2 hour cut out of my paycheck. I hate that my unit gets praised for it's "Top 10% in customer service" rating, yet the hospital gives bonuses to all the administrators and not the nurses who earned the honor in the first place. I hate that I am treated like a waitress by my patients. I hate hate hate that I wasted.. yes WASTED... 4 years of my life to become something that really could have taken me less than 2. I hate that I cannot sleep the night before I have to work because I dread going to work the next day. I hate smelling like poop when I go home.

You do not owe anyone and explanation.

I never meant to imply they owed someone an explanation. I'm just curious as to what is behind this, as I've seen it more and more in recent years.

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Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.

I do think that the schools have not been realistic. But, because I have worked in nursing for many years in other positions, I was not surprized. In fact, I used to get pissed off sitting in class, because I know that they were talking B-S about nursing. I do enjoy being a nurse, because I like to teach, I enjoy comprehending diseases and am a fan of medical documentaries. But, what school does not prepare you for is demanding managers, older nurses eating their young, how the chain of command is really not the answer to your problem and the main thing (at least to me) is being in a position to desperately need the support and assistance of people that may not have your best interests and may screw you royally.

There is really no textbook that can warn the new grad, and unless a person is familiar with working in a medical career to some capacity, they WILL have a rude awakening.

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and the main thing (at least to me) is being in a position to desperately need the support and assistance of people that may not have your best interests and may screw you royally.

Isn't that the truth! Something learned the hard way.

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Emmanuel Goldstein,

I was not referring to your post. was referring to her comment that "they just don't get it." That they give her a blank stare.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
Are many of these students entering nursing programs these days expecting to start out 'on top'? Is it a matter of not wanting to get their hands dirty (I say that as some have expressed disdain at cleaning poop)? Is it those damnable (and completely unrealistic) J&J ads?

I think it starts before they get to nursing school. Remember, most of the general public does not truly understand what nurses do. A lot of people enter this profession with the idea that they will earn a fairly high salary for giving people their medications and helping them to the bathroom. They believe that all the responsibility, the hard decisions and the complicated thinking is done by physicians. They don't have a true understanding of how complex and difficult this field is. Clinicals by design, do not give you a true taste of what you are about to experience. This is evidenced by numerous posts by about to be new grads who expect to work 60 hours a week for infinity or they expect to work full-time jobs with agency on the side while simultaneously returning for their master's degrees. The reality is almost crushing. It's been almost 17 years since I was a new grad but I remember feeling everything that the OP and others are voicing.

Having said all of that, there is a bright side. Nursing is a tremendously flexible job. If you hate the bedside you don't have to leave nursing entirely, thus your 4 years are not "wasted". So many nurses refuse to consider that there are so many options especially if you live in an urban area, it's crazy. For many years, I worked at the bedside only 1-3 days a week, more or less as I felt physically or emotionally stressed. Since I was 1 year out of nursing school, bedside nursing was always my sideline, never my main job. I also like what ernursewendy said about being your own advocate. As long as you take crap from physicians, patients and your coworkers, they will dish it. Once I learned that, my life was so much easier. I took my lunch and on the rare occasion that I didn't I clocked out "no lunch".

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Maybe times have changed in hospital nursing. Maybe it's just gotten worse for hospital nurses (thanks for those ratios, managed care!).

And now the patient is the "client" - this term's a real indicator of just how far the business mentality has extended into (tainted) health care.

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Specializes in Cath Lab/Critical Care.
I think it starts before they get to nursing school. Remember, most of the general public does not truly understand what nurses do. A lot of people enter this profession with the idea that they will earn a fairly high salary for giving people their medications and helping them to the bathroom. They believe that all the responsibility, the hard decisions and the complicated thinking is done by physicians.

It doesn't help the public's perception of nursing when every medical show on TV shows nurses as secondary characters, standing by doing nothing while Dr's make all the important decisions, have all of the insights and understanding, and even check vitals and dispense meds. Nurses are shown as helpless bystanders who do nothing more except stand in the background waiting for "orders". :angryfire grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Whew, OK, I will step down from the soapbox now...

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When we graduate school where we paid for the experience, we enter the workplace where we get paid. This signifies a huge change. Paying means we get to have it our way. Getting paid means someone else gets to have it their way.

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I wonder what percentage of nurses who hate their jobs, work on med surg.

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Specializes in ER, IICU, PCU, PACU, EMS.
Remember, most of the general public does not truly understand what nurses do. A lot of people enter this profession with the idea that they will earn a fairly high salary for giving people their medications and helping them to the bathroom.

I think not only the public hasn't a clue, but administrators, some doctors, and any PR personnel.

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Specializes in Telemetry.

I am a student graduating in May. I'm not really sure I know what to expect when I get out there and begin working as a RN. It scares the heck out of me reading all the posts from new grads who hate it though.

I can tell you this- being a RN has been my dream since I was 19. There was a point in time I thought I'd never get there (single parent, no family or friends in the area to help out with the kids so I could go to school and work at night). Now that I'm almost finished, I'm excited to get out there and get working. I know myself well enough to know I'd be miserable in med surg. I will not accept a position there. I want to work in an ER, and will do what I need to in order to end up there. I enjoy the crazy fast paced environment. I like that you get your patients in and out - they don't stay there for days. I like that you see so many different things. When I get out of school I expect to feel like I don't know anything, and that I'm on a steep learning curve. I expect that the real world is much different than what you are taught in school. I expect to have to earn the respect of my coworkers and most likely not to be accepted or appreciated until I can hold my own during my shifts. I realize that with the fast paced environment most likely the attitude from other nurses will be that of annoyance- I realize they are already busy enough and that having to train a brand new nurse takes up more time they don't have. I expect to hate it some days, especially when I really don't know what I'm doing yet, and even still when I do. I expect to be exhausted by the end of my shift, mentally and physically. Even so, I can't wait to be a nurse. At the end of my clinical days I always hold my head a bit higher, because I'm starting to feel like a nurse. Its something I'm proud of. I know its going to be hard, and an adjustment, but I have a pretty strong personality- and I'm obstinate... I won't let bad days, or having a rough time with the other nurses stop me. I know sooner or later I'll grow on them and hopefully be one of the bunch and accepted, I generally tend to fit in pretty well with most people...but I don't expect that for quite awhile. And if there are still the nurses out there after time passes and I get on my feet that still want to treat me like crap... well.. oh well. Their problem, not mine.

I do hope I'm right, and don't hate it when I graduate though!! I'm pretty sure this is for me, and some day I hope I will become a damn good nurse!!

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Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.

beachbum3,

Sounds like a great attitude! WE NEED YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;)

ebear

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