Nursing Is No Longer Worth It

[AnonymousSuper]

I'd Like To Tell You A Story

I've been a member of Allnurses for nearly a decade. It's a little surreal to contemplate that amount of time but I vividly recall writing posts in the pre-nursing students section pleading for help in Anatomy and Physiology.

A decade! Time really flies.

Given my involvement in this forum over the years, I created this new username to remain anonymous and to speak freely about my opinions and feelings about nursing.

In the beginning, nursing was an exciting, interesting, and thrilling career. As a student, I would spend extra hours delving into extra readings about A&P and care plans. I would tutor students and help anyone that I could. I even volunteered in a local hospital to get more exposure.

I was addicted to the idea of becoming a nurse!

As a newly minted nurse, I loved connecting the pathophysiological dots at the bedside and helping the providers make well-informed decisions by providing them with valuable assessments and up-to-date patient data.

I've worked in many specialties over the past 7 years but my primary focus has been pulmonary step down. I've traveled all over the country and worked in a variety of hospital systems big and small.

I've helped save lives through rapid responses, code blues, administered vital medications and important treatments. I've teamed up with fellow nurses to help them catch up on meds or other tasks, then find ourselves at a local diner for an early morning post-shift breakfast.

Those are the best!

I've also experienced a significant amount of pain and agony. I've seen more patients die than a I care to count. I've listened to hearts stop. I've seen heart die on monitors. I've watched people take their last breath completely and utterly alone in this world.

I've laughed, cried, and been stunned. A host of emotions over the years.

When I was done working acute care, I transitioned to ambulatory nursing and started triaging patients in a variety of specialty clinics. This was a weird shift because I thought ambulatory nursing where were lazy nurses go or older nurses go to finish out their career. I found that outpatient nurses were just as hard but simply in a different way.

I even found myself in a nursing supervisor position where I currently reside. Something I never would have thought I would have found myself in. I even tried to talk my boss out of it when she first approached me about it because I thought to myself, "You must be crazy! Why would you consider me?" I am grateful for the opportunity ultimately.

Something Has Changed

There was a time where I absolutely loved the nursing profession and my place in it. But, something changed along the way. Burn out? I have my doubts it's that simple. This feels more definitive than the insidiousness of Burn out. This feels more permanent than burn out.

Over the past couple years, I've really questioned my place in nursing. Is this profession for me? Was it ever? Is it worth it anymore? I think Covid 19 really pushed me over the edge and was the straw that finally broke the camel's back.

Here's The Bottom Line To Me

• If I had to do it over again, I would not choose nursing as a profession.
• Nursing is no longer a profession that is worth pursuing and if a person would ask, I would recommend they choose something else.
• While there was a time when the love of the patient was what did it for me, ultimately, at this time in my life, nursing is no longer worth it because we are completely undervalued, underpaid, underappreciated, and understaffed.
• We are forced into dangerous scenarios with massive liability with compensation that doesn't match the risk we take as professionals and individuals.

Hospitals Just Do Not Care

While they give the facade of caring, healthcare organizations and hospitals ultimately don't care about you and your well being as a professional nurse.

Hospitals don't want quality. They want the appearance of quality but in actuality they want quantity. They want more with less in even lesser time. More patients. More calls. More responsibilities. More liability for you. More destruction on your physical and emotional well being. You are treated like a disposable piece of equipment with a short shelf life.

And, when it comes down to it, your professional and personal butt is totally on the line and if you screw up, there will be every effort to blame you, avoid organizational liability, and throw you under the bus.

Don't ever believe your hospital is there to back you. Consider yourself fortunate if you happen to find a manager that will stick their neck out for you and back you when the **** really hits the fan.

The PPE Crisis We're Facing Is Unbelievable

It's shocking to me that our hospital "leaders" didn't have the wisdom or foresight to have massive stockpiles in place. Now, nurses and providers are force to buy PPE on-line (impossible currently), wear the same PPE over and over, or not have any at all. This is a clear example of the failure of leadership all over the country and the clear lack of consideration for the front line worker's safety. Of course, nurses aren't the only one feeling this pain.

Nurses Are Severely Undervalued And Underpaid

We take massive liability when we're administering medications and implementing the plan of care. Yet, where's the pay? When you try to negotiate your pay with HR, you're going to get a giant middle finger. Organizations have standardized pay scales and there is zero room for negotiation. Nurses have zero pull when it comes to pay negotiation.

My theory about pay is that nurses are a cost to the healthcare system. You are not a financial asset like a provider who has billable treatments and procedures. We don't bring in revenue to the organization. Therefore, nurses don't have negotiation power. Yet, we're somehow sooo "valuable?"

Don't buy us pizza, baked goods, and crappy nurse's day prizes. Give us better pay and better benefits. That is the way to create loyalty. Yes, nursing is also about providing a service to the patient but if you're a valuable, highly trained, highly skilled, and highly knowledgeable professional, you should be paid adequately. Period.

Here's a current representation of the pay issue. I'm seeing travel nursing contracts for $4,000-$8000 per week in some parts of the country. That's crazy money! The organization I presently work for is "volun-telling" ambulatory staff to either "go acute care or use PTO/unpaid leave." However, when these staff to go in-patient, they don't receive temporary differentials or hazard pay.

Furthermore, the acute care nurses taking care of Covid patients aren't receiving hazard pay either even though they are reusing PPE and taking care of dangerous patient populations. So we're going to pay travel nurses six figures? But, when you force nurses back into acute care or not adequately pay acute care nurses, that's supposed to be okay? Think again.

Nursing Isn't Worth It Because Of The Liability

I've traveled in certain locations where nurses were taking care of 10 patients at night on an acute cardiac unit.

Unbelievable. Talk about liability.

I'm not going to go into it now but if you practice nursing without professional Liability Insurance, you're basically having unprotected sex but expecting not to get pregnant.

Why do you think providers have professional malpractice insurance? Yes, nurses get sued to and remember what I said above about hospitals throwing nurses under the bus? It's literally pennies a day for peace of mind. If you have any valuables or assets in your life you wouldn't want to be taken away, you need professional liability insurance.

Nurses Are Part Of The Problem As Well

The nursing culture is full of malignant toxicity, backstabbing, and bullying people. It's vial and toxic and incredibly hard thrive in.

I have rarely seen a unit or clinic act in a cohesive, team-based manner. My professional career has only been in nursing so I'm not sure how other professions are. However, most places I have been to, have been the same.

There are many nurses that bring their contagious negativity to the bedside and to the clinics. It's distracting and disturbing to be around and it has taken a toll on myself and I know it has on others around me. I'm speaking in generalities of course because not ALL nurses are like this but it's fairly common. Just spend a half a day on a nursing unit and you'll quickly notice who those problematic people are.

I once had hope for the nursing profession that someday they would come together and help change it for the better. There's what, about 3 million nurses in the country? That's a lot of voices. We're too busy bickering amongst ourselves to ever truly come together and create meaningful change.

Bickering, backstabbing, and bullying is easy. Coming together with a cohesive voice to promote real change in the nursing profession is hard and it will never happen in my opinion.

I guess I could go on and on about the failings of the nursing profession but I'll leave you with this:

Quote

Nurses are treated as expendable pieces of meat that are readily replaced like a disposable dead battery. You are severely under paid for the skills and knowledge you bring to the table. Hospitals don't give a crap about your well being even though they say the do.

Nursing Is No Longer About The Art Of Nursing

• It's about the numbers.
• The output.
• Doing more with less in less time.
• The satisfaction scores.

You only live once in this life. If you happen to discover this article and you're considering nursing, I would urge you to turn around and look elsewhere.

Nursing isn't worth the risk and the personal effects it has on your life.

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

I clearly remember when we decided to stop complaining and do something. The grumpiest of us became our hero because she arranged for us to meet with a union organizer at her apartment.

[STEMIRN, BSN, RN]

WOW!! Can I just say, that I am glad that I am NOT the only nurse that feels the way you do??!! I have zero motivation, and absolutely zero pride in what I do for a living. Nursing is no longer a career to me, it's just a job and it pays the bills. I can't afford to go back to college, so I just suck it up, and go to work. People get away with murder in the ER where I work! I keep my nose clean, and try to lay low. It really is sad, just how many nurses feel this way. I wanted to be a nurse since I was 5 yrs old, and now I find myself constantly thinking "What if." Bottom line, money runs the world, and there are plenty of greedy people out there!

[toomuchbaloney]

2 minutes ago, STEMIRN said:

WOW! Can I just say, that I am glad that I am NOT the only nurse that feels the way you do??!! I have zero motivation, and absolutely zero pride in what I do for a living. Nursing is no longer a career to me, it's just a job and it pays the bills. I can't afford to go back to college, so I just suck it up, and go to work. People get away with murder in the ER where I work! I keep my nose clean, and try to lay low. It really is sad, just how many nurses feel this way. I wanted to be a nurse since I was 5 yrs old, and now I find myself constantly thinking "What if." Bottom line, money runs the world, and there are plenty of greedy people out there!

When I felt like that I changed units or specialty.

[42pines]

I love nursing. I graduated at age 51 back in 2001. I've enjoyed many jobs and have had issues at some, pretty much like others.

Still, way back in 2001-2009 I'd say to others: "Become a nurse."

Then, things changed, a lot of it after the crash of 2008. The world has become so much more about "money." Lately, I've run into lateral violence (nurse to nurse, or corporate to nurse bullying) and in reality, all that I've seen is about politics and economics (read profit).

I no longer recommend nursing. To me nurses have become expendable "pawns." Even so much of society is all about "I don't wanna wear no !#@$@ mask," without so much as a thought about, hey, what about the person you infect? What about the medical personnel that will develop PTSD, stressed to the max treating you and those like you?

Three months ago on a post here, where someone asked, early in the crisis, "should I quit." My response was "no, it comes with the territory." (Excepting severe co-morbidities).

I was lucky, I was between jobs when the crisis hit--I did not have to make a decision. But frankly, about now, with the laissez-faire attitude that much of society is taking, and still--amazingly unsolved PPE issues, nowadays, I'd say, quit.

Or perhaps, be very choosy in where you work. There are places where high quality nursing is appreciated and rewarded.

[Hoosier_RN, MSN]

6 hours ago, 42pines said:

Or perhaps, be very choosy in where you work. There are places where high quality nursing is appreciated and rewarded.

Sadly, those are few and far in between. As you said, the almighty dollar rules. I too noticed the sharp changes in 2008. I've not witnessed much lateral bullying that I can specifically remember, but corporate to nurse bullying is a common event

[Sorentomax]

On 4/14/2020 at 8:44 AM, A Hit With The Ladies said:

Have you considered treating those healthcare organizations as expendable as well? We live in a capitalist country where everyone's worth and value is determined by their market value they provide for an organization.

It doesn't matter if you're a nurse or not. You'll see the identical patterns among attorneys in Biglaw, among physicians in giant hospital networks and group practices, among engineers in corporate offices (ever heard of Dilbert comics?), among computer scientists/software engineers at the big tech companies, and most other educated professions.

Your job is and always will be "just a job". If you make your nursing career your identity, then suppose your state board of nursing took away your nursing license - who are you, then?

Create value in the marketplace and leverage yourself.

Well said unfortunately many of us equate this proffesion with our identity

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

4 hours ago, Sorentomax said:

Well said unfortunately many of us equate this proffesion with our identity

I do not think it unfortunate to identify as a nurse. After about 84,000 hours caring for hospital patients and working countless hours with fellow nurses to win safe staffing standards for our state I have a sense of myself that is influenced by the characteristics, norms and values of the nursing profession.

People like these nurses are a tribute to our profession as they continue the long and proud history of social advocacy in the best interest of individual patients, families and communities. Equally nurses who hate going to work, yet do the best they can to provide safe, effective, therapeutic patient care are heroes deserving respect in my opinion.

https://www.bradenton.com/news/coronavirus/article241706686.html

[PCU_RN9, MSN]

I totally agree with this. I think nurses as a whole need to stand up to these facilities. I believe our caring nature allows it to happen.

[nottheproblem]

herring - BRAVO! People act like it is literal sin to complain about what is the truth about nursing. A lot of people hate their job and I would say likely most people at least don't like their jobs. That does not mean they don't get up and go to work and do the best job they can do because that is their character. Not liking your job does not equate to poor performance or even attitude on the job. I didn't like mine but I came to work with no complaints and a smile on my face being friendly to all my patients and coworkers. Yet, I have witnessed my fair share of nurses over a decade who proclaimed to love the profession yet be MISERABLE to work with and complained the most on the job. I remember thinking either they are lying to me or to themselves.

[eggyweggy, MSN, RN]

I love nursing and the opportunities I have had over the years. I hate how covid has flipped my job upside down and made it generally intolerable. I can’t stand the fear-based decision-making that is being done by people who sit at desks all day. I can’t stand the lack of evidence-based practices. I’m tired of providing a lower standard of care to covid patients because people are scared. I was probably a little burnt out in my current job before covid, but this pandemic has pushed me over the edge into straight-up job loathing. The only thing keeping me where I am is my paycheck. I feel trapped because I suspect that any other bedside nursing job probably has the same frustrations. I feel like all I do is complain about how absurd things are. In any other circumstances, I would use this energy to push for change. With covid, I feel powerless. I’m passively looking for other jobs in other areas of nursing to combat my current state of burnout.

[Lilone20]

I feel the same exact way. I can’t believe the way we have disregarded everything we learned in school about PPE and tossed it out the window. I work in a hospital who rarely mops/cleans floors, and when we ask we are ignored. We don’t even have a cleaning closet to do it ourselves. I called the EThics line and every word of my concern was read back to me. So really nothing is safe. Our hospital decided that getting rid of CNA’s and only having nurses on the floor would improve nursing care. In the few weeks it has increased falls and some other issues. We put our lives on the line during a pandemic and we get thanked by hiring freezes, no CNAs and told we are not good enough.

[Daniel Baneni]

If the author of this piece thinks nursing is not worth pursuing anymore because of some challenges he/she faced, he or she was not made for nursing in the first place. Nursing is not about You being cared for. Nursing is about you caring for others, even at the cost of your life. It is not about the whole world caring for you. I get sick of people crying the good old days. The past is gone and there is nothing you can do about that. The future is our gift. And that future is shaped in the present and not by people complaining about gravity and God knows what, but by people taking charge and making their dream a reality. A man becomes an adult when he faces obstacles and overcomes them or perishes in the process. A man does not become and adult by crying and abdicating when the first obstacle shows up. There are basically two kind of people in the world, those with an external locus of control. Such people think that they are valuable when the world external to them validate them. When they cannot see such validation, they collapse into depression and become pathetic. There are, however, those whose locus of control is internal. They know who they are and what they are worth. They need no one to tell them their level of worthiness. They need not be given a pat on the back to perform their duties. When they are complimented, it is icing on the cake. These are true nurses.

Is that to say that nurses should suffer in silence when they find themselves working in a toxic environment? Absolutely not! Toxic environments come from management. If the facility you work in is more interested in politics than the well being of its patients, they will fail eventually. Knowing what you are worth, quit immediately and offer your services to a facility that will appreciate the skill set you bring forth. In my experience, however, nurses with strong characters are successful even in the most toxic environments because they do not make a bad situation worse by complaining and gossiping. They tend to radiate positive energy. As MLK so well put it, darkness cannot overcome darkness, light does.

Nursing is a great profession, but it is not for everyone and not particularly for the fainthearted. Good nurses are made to function in the most stressful environment and yet, be the source of calm and reassurance for patients going through life and death situations.