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.

[brownbook]

I'm glad I became a nurse. Good pay, job security, some shifts were nightmares, most were average, some were so slow it was boring.

I think my expectations of what I am owed from any type of job are very simple.

[Daisy4RN]

8 hours ago, 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.

While what you say is true have you considered that most bedside nurses do not earn anywhere near what those professions you mention do. Those also probably have nice benefit packages including pension plans which most nurses do not. Add to that (as others have stated) the stress level r/t the responsibility is severely lacking in financial compensation! It is not that easy to go leverage yourself because most hospitals (if not all) are ran in the same way, the almighty dollar first (at the expense of the patients and staff). IMO, hospitals should not be run with a business (only) model.

[Daisy4RN]

Sorry to hear that your working situations have been so bad. I understand how/why new nurses today don't want to stay because of the poor working conditions. I have seen the hospital environment deteriorate significantly over the years and it is just sad and ridiculous. Wishing you well in whatever you decide to do from here!!

[Mr. Southern NP, MSN, APRN, NP]

4 hours ago, Grandpa nurse said:

I know many that joined for the college money. How many would have said this isn't worth it, this is not what I signed up for, or the other complaints I keep seeing from nurses. So many that become nurses believe they are fulfilling a higher cause. But I guess it's only when we can pass out meds and take temperatures. I don't know of a single nurse that's making minimum wage, and if you are unhappy with your pay there are things to get more. It's called a sacrifice because it isn't easy, otherwise everyone would be doing it. There are police officers and firefighters who may not make it home today or any day that they go to work, yet none of them are asking for hazardous duty pay. In my humble opinion, Nursing in and of itself is hazardous. When HIV/AIDS first appeared nurses weren't even using gloves, but I don't remember any asking for more money. If it's an easy life with great pay you seek, you are correct that Nursing isn't it. Welcome to being a hero. No special powers are needed. You are there to maybe hold the hand of someone's dying loved one because the family can't be there. COVID 19 will eventually become another battle won by doctors and nurses, like the flu, cancer, heart disease and so on. Yes we will lose more than we want to, but we will also save many many more. Take a break, take a breath and think back to why you became a nurse, and if you still think it's time to leave the profession do so. But remember as one person we are limited to what we can accomplish, but as a group we can accomplish so much more. I hope you find peace and maybe even a sense of renewal of why you are as important as you are. Only you will ever know.

I agree with you @Grandpa nurse

although I have fallen into the trap of complaining as well, we do get pretty decently compensated. The work is hard, but I’ve got some information from Genesis that explains why. I can definitely relate (and have stated myself verbatim) that we are being required to do more, with less, in less time. There are simple explanations for this as well. An increasing litigious society combined with a severely overreaching federal government along with a taught mindset of no personal accountability. All of these things lead to more and more paperwork which tightens up the time available for “hands on” nursing. I, too, have been a nurse for over a decade and have lost some of my zeal over the years. Rather than continue to gripe, I put my nose to the grindstone and muscled my way through grad school to become a nurse practitioner. Time will tell how I acclimate to this position.

A point I agree with the OP on is that of recommending someone to go into nursing. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless someone truly enjoys taking care of people, because if you are in it for the money you will hate your job. I have seen it countless times.

[Grandpa nurse]

You are so right. We have become a litigation nation. It is so easy to file a lawsuit these days, and there doesn't seem to be a common sense approach. My wife watches People's court and Judge Judy and I am surprised by some of the lawsuits. The military has gotten me used to doing more with less, so I should handle nursing just fine. I also agree that accountability or lack thereof can lead to parts of the problem. I know that a student dropped from the first semester of Nursing school a couple of semesters ago because she didn't realize that she would actually have to touch patients. There are careers out there are for those who are only after a paycheck, I don't think any in the healthcare industry fits into that category. Management will always be about the bottom line. The further away from the action or bedside they are the less they seem to remember what those on the "frontline" are dealing with. I congratulate you for digging in and accomplishing more.

[jobellestarr]

Yes ma’am, right there with you. (Or sir))

[Susie2310]

1 hour ago, Mr. Southern NP said:

A point I agree with the OP on is that of recommending someone to go into nursing. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it unless someone truly enjoys taking care of people, because if you are in it for the money you will hate your job. I have seen it countless times.

I agree with this. I think that people considering nursing as a career would be wise to reflect carefully on the fact that the majority of nurses are bedside nurses providing hands on patient care to sick/very sick people.

It seems that many people decide to pursue nursing because of the relatively good salary and possibilities of job security and good benefits, and yet fail to properly consider whether they really want to take care of sick people, and whether they will want to do this in an environment that is often not ideal.

Wanting to take care of sick people physically and emotionally, and being able to be compassionate towards sick people and their families, is in my opinion very necessary for working in this field. Sick people are often not easy or pleasant to take care of, and they and their family members are often under a lot of stress and can be difficult to deal with. This requires patience and maturity. One also needs to be willing and able to deal with blood, body fluids, cleaning incontinence, and much more.

I consider nursing to be a hazardous profession which requires a strong body and mind. Bedside nurses are at increased risk of physical injury and workplace violence (including lateral violence). There are significant stressors, both physical and mental. There is shift work, working nights, week-ends, and holidays. These are all things that are sensible to consider before one starts on the path to becoming a nurse.

The OP made the point about the high liability that nurses incur as part of their practice. I agree with this, and I think this is also something to consider before one decides to pursue nursing as a career. Whether the liabilities incurred in practicing nursing are commensurate to the financial reward is something that I think each person has to weigh up for themself.

Nursing requires life-long learning. Maintaining one's license requires completing a number of continuing education credits within a two year period in many states. If one goes on to obtain certification in one's specialty, the requirement for continuing education credits for certification renewal increases. More things to be aware of when one considers a career in nursing.

[cov1dea, CNA]

You guys focus on the money. Focus on the value of your profession. You save lives. Nobody can afford your sacrifices. The equivalent of life you give up every day for people it's also their lives. Look at how some people disrespect our cops and militaries. They don't understand what's like to live in places where they constantly fear being rape or murder. Money is based on our needs and wants. We might as well don't do anything and just live like we all used to be historically where we protect our own safety and fend for ourselves. It will fix the issues, probably.

For me, becoming a nurse, I always think whether I want to put up with some ******** who want to get me fired every mistake I make. COVID? That's the unknown in the equation since the day I understood a little bit of Microbiology.

Yes, you're right that the pay is not worth it. In fact, it's worthless really. We put up with atrocious and disrespectful people in healthcare. This alone would chase me away, but I know better. I wish I could wear N95 for them. They're silently, insidiously hazardous than the COVID. I have a heart for mentally ill patients but people who enjoy inflicting pain in others because that makes them alive.

Reflect on why you feel resentful of your profession.

[guest1135744, ADN]

12 hours ago, Grandpa nurse said:

I am sure a lot of people will not agree with me. After all I am only in my first semester of Nursing school and my wife has been an ICU nurse for three years, I can't possibly understand what you are going through. As a veteran who has deployed to Desert Shield/Storm, twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan I don't agree. I have pulled money out of my own pocket to buy supplies for my soldiers to accomplish the task we were given to complete without the necessary support. I can thankfully only imagine what would have transpired if we were attacked by a chemical or biological weapon. I know many that joined for the college money. How many would have said this isn't worth it, this is not what I signed up for, or the other complaints I keep seeing from nurses. So many that become nurses believe they are fulfilling a higher cause. But I guess it's only when we can pass out meds and take temperatures. I don't know of a single nurse that's making minimum wage, and if you are unhappy with your pay there are things to get more. It's called a sacrifice because it isn't easy, otherwise everyone would be doing it. There are police officers and firefighters who may not make it home today or any day that they go to work, yet none of them are asking for hazardous duty pay. In my humble opinion, Nursing in and of itself is hazardous. When HIV/AIDS first appeared nurses weren't even using gloves, but I don't remember any asking for more money. If it's an easy life with great pay you seek, you are correct that Nursing isn't it. Welcome to being a hero. No special powers are needed. You are there to maybe hold the hand of someone's dying loved one because the family can't be there. COVID 19 will eventually become another battle won by doctors and nurses, like the flu, cancer, heart disease and so on. Yes we will lose more than we want to, but we will also save many many more. Take a break, take a breath and think back to why you became a nurse, and if you still think it's time to leave the profession do so. But remember as one person we are limited to what we can accomplish, but as a group we can accomplish so much more. I hope you find peace and maybe even a sense of renewal of why you are as important as you are. Only you will ever know.

Thank you for your military service. I just want to chime in. I have 20 plus years of nursing under my belt. If I could go back and smack some sense into myself the day I decided to be a nurse I would. Let me tell you a secret: I never thought I would pass nursing classes, but semester after semester I some how did. Then I took the NCLEX, I didn’t think I would pass and figured the stupid decision I made to be a nurse would be taken out of my hands, but, of course, I passed on the first try.

I don’t like nursing, I don't like being clumped into a group called “my girls” or “the girls.” I don’t like dealing with a bad day, personal problems and having a difficult time being dumped on all day at work and being taken to the office because I pushed back while at my absolute limit. I don’t like being so messed up mentally from all the stress and pressure to be productive; a literal cog in the wheel, that my personal relationships suffer and they do suffer because of my frustration level and a spouse who doesn’t understand and prays on my fragile psyche; I’m weary of giving myself 30 lashes for not performing to management’s level of expectations. I’m tired of being rushed, possibly making a mistake and then berated for being slow, I’m tired of impatience from management, physicians and administration; I’m just tired.

The message is clear, burn yourself on the sacrificial alter, but guess what, I didn’t sign up to put my life in this kind of danger, I get it, we are needed, but it’s hard to come to terms with this when cops, fire fighter, EMTs are getting hazard pay but are not fulfilling their full duties to keep them safe during this crisis; cops, fire fighters, EMTs, military are able and encouraged retire in their 50s with full benefits. Talk to any nurse over 60 years old, they are tired, but will keep going until 65 and soon to be 67, they get none of these benifits; it’s just not right. Nursing is physically and mentally draining. I hear what you’re saying, but nurses are not military, cops etc and this is a huge ask especially not knowing what future damages could occur; plus our families will not be taken care of the same way a cop or firefighter’s would should we perish due to this.

I do not advise anyone to go to nursing school and I’ve personally, successfully talked 3 people out of it, I will continue to talk people out if it. It’s toxic, abusive and self destructive. I could not take my family on a trip to Ireland during the Summer because I can only take one week off in the Summer, I finally told my husband to just take our two kids and he went ahead and booked it for the 3 of them. Of course, it’s now cancelled, but I think that sucks for several reasons and the first one being that I cannot take off the time I need and want for a family vacation.

So while nursing is sailing into uncharted waters, we will be left with some very severely effected healthcare staff; I’m foreseeing workers crippled with PTSD for the long term; they will not walk away from any of this unscathed, I hope something is put in place because help will be needed.

[rockchickrn, BSN]

You hit the nail on the head. I have been feeling like that for a few years now. Tank you for sharing.

[OUxPhys, BSN, RN]

I agree with some of your post. I would recommend nursing to people but I always try to push them to the ICU if they can handle it. I enjoy being a nurse most days. 98% of the time the patients I work with are great. I have a great NM and ANM. Great co-workers. Doctors for the most part are easy to work with as well.

Who I hate and absolutely despise is upper management. They all forget where they came from and they do not care one bit. A lot of them are so old that they dont understand what it is to be a bedside nurse now. Same goes for those nursing school instructors who have been in the field forever. It's great for teaching but at the same time they have no idea what it's like doing bedside nowadays.

I work on a PCU. We were getting the shaft with staffing. I can't prove it but it was intentional. We have two supervisors who always try to get us staffing. The other three....not so much. Sure, they have to make sure the whole hospital is staffed and deal with call-offs and whatnot but when you find out a few days later that you needed nurses, supervisor says I got no one, and find out a floor had low census and a plethora of nurses.....you tend to get salty and negative. Too often the 3 supervisors who dont staff us look at our numbers and say "you have enough nurses". It's complete BS they dont take acuity into account.

Our floor was converted to the covid floor. I was foolish enough to think that since we have a low census hospital wide that we would have nurses to come and help us. Nope. Everyday it's "We dont have anyone". How? HOW?? The census is low hospital wide.

So, like the original poster, this is the final straw. I'll stay and help my floor during this pandemic but once it's over, I'm finding a nursing gig that isn't on the floor. I dont care if its a procedural job or in a primary/specialty clinic or case management. Will it sometimes be boring? You bet, but then I will think back to all the stressful days of dealing with admissions and having no help and think "Nah, ill gladly take this boredom over that s*it show".

[Workitinurfava, BSN, RN]

It's meeting my financial needs. I get to save people, I actually brought a lady back to life with a ambu-bag and my bare hands, it was a tech and I that did this. Everyone else froze up, no judgement and the code team took forever to get to the room. I am where I need to be for the time being. I hope that someone will always want to be a nurse, as I will need one to save my asz should the time come.