Nursing is not what I thought it would be!

[loheRN]

As a new grad nurse I was beyond excited when I landed my first job at a highly reputable hospital on a surgical unit. Feeling extremely overwhelmed I told myself that things would get better, but here I am 7 months in and I'm finding that nursing is not what I thought it would be. I feel completely overwhelmed each and everyday at work, I feel like I have no time at all for my patients. Rather than seeing my patient's as people I am forced to treat them as task lists each and every day. I don't even feel like I get to "care" for my patient's, it's all about productivity. I feel like I made a mistake with my career choice, however changing careers is not a choice as I am a mom of two with some hefty student loans. I know there are many other options in nursing but I keep hearing that you can't do much without floor experience and I'm afraid I will leave the job I have now and be even more unhappy. I'm just feeling very confused about my career choice at this time. I'm in my 20's, I'm I going to have to live with this feeling for the rest of my career? Anyone else have this problem?

[MaumauMom]

I don't know of any career that's live up to the hype. Focus on what you can control and don't worry about the rest. I am switching career from teaching to nursing and teaching wasn't what I thought it would be. The same problem, productivity and treating students like they are task versus people. Looking back the deciding factor for me was getting burn out too quickly without being able to provide for my family. Stay in your job, know that everyone else is feeling overwhelm, pay your bills and go on vacations with your love ones. You just need an outlet and a way to manage that much stress. Know that it doesn't get better and learn to be okay with that.

ps. I'm not yet a nurse but I plan on listening to inspirational music, lectures, whatever to get me through the BS.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

Why don't nursing instructors tell the students the reality of the job??

They used to. In diploma programs.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

Been there done that I'm totally serious when I ask this-Do you consider MN-RNs reply to be a case of nurses eating their young and/or an example of bullying?

Fine. Here's a rainbow and a kitten..Happy?

Ours is a very difficult and demanding job and I'm sure there are plenty of very "good cop" supportive posts awaiting this nurse.

But on the day I posted that, and today, I have had it up to about here with nurses (new and old) complaining about the job. I worked with a very, ahem, experienced nurse today who said to me, "I just HATE it here...don't you hate it??"

I looked right at her and said, "I'm actually having a blast. I love coming to work every day. I've had other jobs and I hated those. I learn a ton every day, I enjoy how challenging it is to work on this floor (very busy med surg) and I'm making more money now than I ever made in my life - and I've only been doing this just over one year."

Was I "bullying" her? I don't think so.

I tried to address "eating" other nurses, but was unable to write anything that wouldn't get moderated in a hearbeat!

With respect to new nurses I work with (or float nurses unfamiliar with my floor): if you asked them who they would like to work with, or who they feel comfortable asking questions, or who they go to for help, or who enjoy working with, or who helps them out - I guarantee you that every one of them would say: "MN-NURSE!!"

So stick me in your bullying or eating category all you want...but if you find yourself in the weeds and need help, there is no one you want next to you more than me.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

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to be fair, there's too little info here to tell us whether mn-nurse's bulling or just giving a fair advice. it's hard to see with written messages what mood she's been while writing it.

although my initial reaction was of a puzzlement at how stern it's tone is, after rereading i felt she was just trying to cheer 'lohern'

on the other hand, being a nurse i'd have expected 'mn-nurse' to anticipate how her message might be taken.

that's what smileys are for anyway.

mn-nurse is a he. that might help you a bit for context.

i honestly am tired of the complaining about the job. you take a job in med-surg, you are going to be challenged.

my point to the op is that the job does get better, but it takes experience and you have to work at it. you have to work to improve your skills in every area. you have to study. you have to observe other nurses. you learn from everyone - patients, doctors, techs, aides, families. the more experience you get the more you learn and the better the job gets.

unless you have a crappy, entitled attitude. then you just grouse about everything that goes on and you learn nothing. i work with a new nurse that acts like this and i cannot wait for her to leave for another unit so she can torture them with her horrible attitude.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

That was not an absence of sugar coating,THAT was the application of a layer of another problem in nursing.

If you really think that was bullying, you are out of your mind.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

"So stick me in your bullying or eating category all you want...but if you find yourself in the weeds and need help, there is no one you want next to you more than me. "

Except perhaps, someone with two whole years of experience.

[Stephalump]

Fine. Here's a rainbow and a kitten..Happy?

Ours is a very difficult and demanding job and I'm sure there are plenty of very "good cop" supportive posts awaiting this nurse.

But on the day I posted that, and today, I have had it up to about here with nurses (new and old) complaining about the job. I worked with a very, ahem, experienced nurse today who said to me, "I just HATE it here...don't you hate it??"

I looked right at her and said, "I'm actually having a blast. I love coming to work every day. I've had other jobs and I hated those. I learn a ton every day, I enjoy how challenging it is to work on this floor (very busy med surg) and I'm making more money now than I ever made in my life - and I've only been doing this just over one year."

Was I "bullying" her? I don't think so.

I tried to address "eating" other nurses, but was unable to write anything that wouldn't get moderated in a hearbeat!

With respect to new nurses I work with (or float nurses unfamiliar with my floor): if you asked them who they would like to work with, or who they feel comfortable asking questions, or who they go to for help, or who enjoy working with, or who helps them out - I guarantee you that every one of them would say: "MN-NURSE!!"

So stick me in your bullying or eating category all you want...but if you find yourself in the weeds and need help, there is no one you want next to you more than me.

So you had a bad day, got ****** off by someone at work who hates her job, came onto allnurses, found a post from a new grad who also hates her job, and decided to put her "entitled" tush in her place...even though you know nothing more about her than I do, and all I know is she is miserable at work.

Did I get that right?

If so, I'm pretty sure that qualifies as bullying. Pretty sure.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

wow - i am a new grad looking for work and i hope to goodness i don't have to rely upon someone like mn-rn to help me. i was told some nurses forget what it is like to be a new nurse and comments like mn-rn make me want to run away on a one way ticket back to england and my mummy lol

mn-rn didn't say anything horrible -- she just told it like it is. the first year is difficult, and you shouldn't expect your dreaaaaaaam 7 months in. that's not bullying, young-eating or harsh. it just isn't sugar coated. if you need everything sugar coated, i'm sorry for you. you're not likely to get that. mn-rn may be an awesome preceptor -- i don't know her. neither do you.

very few of us have forgotten what it is like to be a new nurse -- i certainly haven't. but no new grad understand what it's like to be an experienced nurse tasked with orienting a newbie and our own assignment.

your comment was perilously close to the "i hope i never have you for a nurse!" comments that we all know and love.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

most certainly. op was expressing frustrations with a new job, in a new career.

she needed ,and deserved , validation and encouragement. she certainly was not asking for "the whole dream". rather she is trying to understand the nightmare that nursing has become.

that response was mean-spirited , not insightful and demeaning to the op.

venting is great. validation and encouragement have their place. mn-rn's comment was blunt, but it was not bullying or young-eating. it was just blunt. what it wasn't was sugar coated, there were no moonbeams or rainbows.

[Stephalump]

MN-RN didn't say anything horrible -- she just told it like it is. The first year is difficult, and you shouldn't expect your DREAAAAAAAM 7 months in. That's not bullying, young-eating or harsh. It just isn't sugar coated. If you need everything sugar coated, I'm sorry for you. You're not likely to get that. MN-RN may be an awesome preceptor -- I don't know her. Neither do you.

Very few of us have forgotten what it is like to be a new nurse -- I certainly haven't. But NO new grad understand what it's like to be an experienced nurse tasked with orienting a newbie AND our own assignment.

Your comment was perilously close to the "I hope I NEVER have YOU for a nurse!" comments that we all know and love.

HE is also a new nurse, and frankly this entire clusterfudge of a thread is a great example of how the written word can only go so far in terms of communication. You do not know if MN-Nurse was speaking to the OP in terms of tough love or attempting to bully You clearly identified with the meaning YOU saw from the post...I assume because you thought he was also an "old nurse" exhaustedly dealing with whiny new grads, when he worked 30 years to get where he is.

I'm not saying I'm in any way beyond that...yesterday I thought, what a condescending, rude attitude. Yesterday I was also exhausted, running on no sleep, and had a kid in the hospital. I also get extremely tired of the condescending attitudes displayed when a new grad has any job related complaints, so I'm sure I'm in hyper vigilant mode.

Today I read it and it didn't seem rude at all. I also slept last night

[hiddencatRN, BSN, RN]

Exactly why so many new nurses are chooseing to do a nurse residency when fresh out of school rather than just being thrown to the wolves after graduation. Lets face it nursing school do not prepare, or even pretend to prepare actual bedside working nurses. The univerisities in my area seem to attempting to train every grad to be a nurse manager at the expence of clinical skills & thinking.

Had you ellected to do a nurse residency you would only now be graduating, or preparing to graduate from the residency (most are 6-12 months long).

The job market is tough, so the OP might not have had an option to do a residency program. I applied to a ton of jobs and the one sole offer I had was a position that did not have a residency program attached. I didn't have the luxury to hold out in hope of getting an offer in a residency program.

To the OP...it is really common to feel overwhelmed your first year or so, but it's also possible your unit is not a good fit for you. Can you finish out the year, seek a mentor to help you adjust and identify ways you can improve your prioritizing and time management? Are there other new grads near you to network and decompress with? Are you giving yourself time to recharge after your shifts?

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

"So stick me in your bullying or eating category all you want...but if you find yourself in the weeds and need help, there is no one you want next to you more than me. "

Except perhaps, someone with two whole years of experience.

Your choice, but many don't make it based on that criteria.