No I wouldn't recommend nursing

dlhall · Dec 31, 2005

And what specifically should they do?

A lot of things, for one the pay for nurses needs to be increased, and that goes for Nursing school instuctors, and hopefully this can attract more nurses, and reduce the nursing shortage. Right now you have a lot of qaulified students being turned away from nursing school because if kack of seats, because of the lack of teachers. Work with hospitals to attract quality nursing directors.

medsirgrn · Dec 31, 2005

It surprises me how many students are going into nursing. I had my BSN since 1992 and have worked in the hospitals since then. Nursing is back-breaking labor with the reoccurring role of cleaning poop. There is no way my back can last another 20 years until retirement. Pick something else to go into.
Manuel

Yes nursing is not for everyone but for the ones that nursing choose, must be willing to be a caring individual to the patients irregardless of how hard it may be.Your experience is unique to you and I am sure individuals out there can tell you that nursing is the most rewarding career for them.Every institution is different and I am sure there are institutions out there that gives as much support has they can to nurses.I am sure there are positive experiences that you can remember over the past 13 years that you can share with us.I don't think it can be all bad. Yes cleaning poop is not the most pleasant thing but that is why we are nurses.We provide total patient care to individuals who are at their most vulnerable stage of their life .Nursing offfers you the opportunity to choose other fields which will better suit you, not too many profession has that flexibility.If you are an insurance salesman and you do not like your job you may have to quit and find another job.In nursing you can chose another area in which to work.

juber22 · Dec 31, 2005

The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.

- James Baldwin

Nurse Ratched, RN · Dec 31, 2005

The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.
- James Baldwin

Great quote!

If you can love it, warts and all....

NaomieRN · Jan 1, 2006

In every career there is going to be some bad days and good days. I think many people go for nursing for the wrong reasons. If you love helping others, there should be no reason to complain. You know what the job was like before you went to school. It is no brainer if you working at a hospital, you are expected to work long hours on your feet and lift patients if possible. Appreciate the field of nursing and the reward of blessing someone.

nursechick30 · Jan 1, 2006

Jeez! That doesn't sound too good for a student!
Pardon my stupid question, but do RN's have to clean poop everywhere or it depends on the department you work in?

Well, I do know from where I work, we don't use aides. We have EMT's who do our prn work. Some of them are good to help, some (if not most) are not. So, it falls to us, the nurses, to do most of the "dirty work". Not all hospitals are lucky enough to have nurse's aides to do bedside care.

nursechick30 · Jan 1, 2006

I really don't know that I would recommend nursing to anyone. I see EMT's and secretaries pursuing a career in nursing. Now, knowing what they see us do every day, and what we put up with, they still want to do it. I wouldn't presume to tell anyone what I think is best for them. But, speaking for myself, I know that if I knew then what I know now, I would never have entered nursing. Things have changed so much in the 10 years I've worked as one. Things have progressed from caring for the patient to caring for the patient and the family. Since when did it become like going on a vacation? I see really sick patients nearly every day I work and they are the ones you rarely hear a complaint out of. Yet, we get these chronic chest-painers who come in looking for their next fix or attention, or whatever, and milk it for all it's worth. We are no longer required to just provide care for the patients. We also have to take care of the families. Sure, it's okay to provide something to drink or give them a leftover tray or a couple of blankets but when they start treating me like a servant in a 5-star motel, that's when I get more than just a little upset. I'm sorry, but I'm there to take care of patients, not every person who walks through the door to visit.:angryfire When I first started in nursing, I was young and gullible. Over the years I guess I've become a bit calloused. I don't like that, but there it is. Everyone's heard of the classic case of nursing "burnout" and I've got a major case of it. If there was some way to change that, I would. But, as I said, if I knew then what I know now, I would have picked something else. It's not worth the criticism and what we have to put up with. I envy anyone lucky enough to like it and keep liking it.

Sheri257 · Jan 2, 2006

Things have progressed from caring for the patient to caring for the patient and the family. Since when did it become like going on a vacation? I see really sick patients nearly every day I work and they are the ones you rarely hear a complaint out of. Yet, we get these chronic chest-painers who come in looking for their next fix or attention, or whatever, and milk it for all it's worth. We are no longer required to just provide care for the patients. We also have to take care of the families. Sure, it's okay to provide something to drink or give them a leftover tray or a couple of blankets but when they start treating me like a servant in a 5-star motel, that's when I get more than just a little upset.

This is definitely one of the most difficult parts of the job. And when people say things like this ...

If you love helping others, there should be no reason to complain.

I really resent it. It's a hellava lot more complicated than that.

One of the biggest problems you have is these patients with relatively minor conditions who are fully ambulatory, yet they constantly complain and demand constant attention, expecting you to wait on them hand and foot when you have other patients who are much worse off and who really need your help, but the demanding patient and their family takes all your time away from them.

You try to help the other patients who really need it ... but the demanding patients start complaining to the nurses' station, to management, to the doctors and anybody else they can find if you're not waiting on them every single minute so ... even if a poor little old lady who can't walk is crying out for help and in pain ... you end up having to ignore her most of the time because the fully ambulatory, self care patient is insisting that you wipe their butt, wash their hair and deliver a special tray of food.

Now I ask you ... does this mean I don't love helping others ... Or does it mean I feel terrible when that poor little old lady did not get my full attention because the demanding patient who really does not need my help expects the hospital to be a five star hotel? And management forces me to set the wrong priorities because they don't want to deal with the constant demands and complaints?

No ... I don't think so.

:nono:

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Jan 2, 2006

Wow, Lizz

I am not a nurse, but after reading your post I can see myself in your shoes. What a hard thing to do. How difficult it is to please everyone and split yourself in so many ways.

Lets pray for the better and for some kind of middle ground to be reached. A good start would be making it clear to the family members to understand they are not there to be catered too. (it should be obvious and no need to do this) but in these days you never can bee too clear.

Best wishes to you and keep doing the great work you do.

Sheri257 · Jan 2, 2006

A good start would be making it clear to the family members to understand they are not there to be catered too. (it should be obvious and no need to do this) but in these days you never can bee too clear.

You can be "clear" all you want with some of these people, but it won't make any difference with a lot of them.

They will continue to complain to everybody they can find and, even make up outright lies just to get attention. It's very frustrating because it ends up eating up all your time. They have nothing to do all day but think of things for you to do when, you've got a thousand other things to do and other patients to worry about but, they don't want to hear that because they don't care.

:madface:

nursechick30 · Jan 3, 2006

This is definitely one of the most difficult parts of the job. And when people say things like this ...
I really resent it. It's a hellava lot more complicated than that.
One of the biggest problems you have is these patients with relatively minor conditions who are fully ambulatory, yet they constantly complain and demand constant attention, expecting you to wait on them hand and foot when you have other patients who are much worse off and who really need your help, but the demanding patient and their family takes all your time away from them.
You try to help the other patients who really need it ... but the demanding patients start complaining to the nurses' station, to management, to the doctors and anybody else they can find if you're not waiting on them every single minute so ... even if a poor little old lady who can't walk is crying out for help and in pain ... you end up having to ignore her most of the time because the fully ambulatory, self care patient is insisting that you wipe their butt, wash their hair and deliver a special tray of food.
Now I ask you ... does this mean I don't love helping others ... Or does it mean I feel terrible when that poor little old lady did not get my full attention because the demanding patient who really does not need my help expects the hospital to be a five star hotel? And management forces me to set the wrong priorities because they don't want to deal with the constant demands and complaints?
No ... I don't think so.

I see what you're saying, but just because that's how I see things, that doesn't mean I don't like feeling I've done a good job. I do like to help those who honestly need help. It's just that we get these patients in who do take our time when they are not the priority at that time. We are even expected to treat them that way and somehow do it for everyone and get everything done by the end of shift. I'm tired of management who don't care. They just want what looks good on paper. And if our patient satisfaction scores drop, we're the ones who get reamed for it, even if it isn't our responsibility.....like the temperature of a food tray and how the food tastes, etc., etc. The list just goes on and on and on. Things we have no control over, but yet somehow, they make it out to be the nurses' responsibility. These types of things are actually on our surveys and you wouldn't believe the complaints we get. We bust our asses trying to save lives and give the best care we can and yet we're expected to worry over something as stupid as the temperature of a food tray. Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't go and order another one or heat it up, but that's just one more responsibility added, one more thing to worry about, and one more thing to get a complaint from that we get griped at about. No one out there on this forum knows me but I don't act this way at work. I'm just on here to vent a little and let those who are not in nursing to see what it's like and what we have to put up with. I don't know how other hospitals are but I'm telling you what mine is like. And quite frankly, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of not being appreciated. Things are different now than they were 10 years ago when I started. A lot more responsibilities have been added to us that would have been laughed at 10 years ago. So, that's all I'm going to say about it for now. :madface:

Sheri257 · Jan 3, 2006

I see what you're saying, but just because that's how I see things, that doesn't mean I don't like feeling I've done a good job. I do like to help those who honestly need help. It's just that we get these patients in who do take our time when they are not the priority at that time. We are even expected to treat them that way and somehow do it for everyone and get everything done by the end of shift. I'm tired of management who don't care. They just want what looks good on paper. And if our patient satisfaction scores drop, we're the ones who get reamed for it, even if it isn't our responsibility.....like the temperature of a food tray and how the food tastes, etc., etc. The list just goes on and on and on. Things we have no control over, but yet somehow, they make it out to be the nurses' responsibility. These types of things are actually on our surveys and you wouldn't believe the complaints we get. We bust our asses trying to save lives and give the best care we can and yet we're expected to worry over something as stupid as the temperature of a food tray. Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't go and order another one or heat it up, but that's just one more responsibility added, one more thing to worry about, and one more thing to get a complaint from that we get griped at about. No one out there on this forum knows me but I don't act this way at work. I'm just on here to vent a little and let those who are not in nursing to see what it's like and what we have to put up with. I don't know how other hospitals are but I'm telling you what mine is like. And quite frankly, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of not being appreciated. Things are different now than they were 10 years ago when I started. A lot more responsibilities have been added to us that would have been laughed at 10 years ago. So, that's all I'm going to say about it for now.

I think you might have thought I was criticizing you when, in fact, I was agreeing with you. I actually was responding to someone else's post.

:nurse: