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.

[Roberta Diva]

I am going to be a nurse and nothing will discourage me. I am just doing it for me and not for anyone else. I will not have high expectations from the job because I will be disappointed. If you become a nurse it for the right cause...I so much believe that you will find something in it that gives you joy no matter the ups and down in it.

Meanwhile, if you are truly tired of being a nurse why not quite the job or study further and be a doctor. I know tons of people who has been a nurse even before I was born and believe me not everything sucks when it comes to being a nurse. Please stop discouraging us newbies and try to find joy in what you do. After all nursing is not meant for everyone.

[AnonymousSuper]

5 minutes ago, Roberta Diva said:

I am going to be a nurse and nothing will discourage me. I am just doing it for me and not for anyone else. I will not have high expectations from the job because I will be disappointed. If you become a nurse it for the right cause...I so much believe that you will find something in it that gives you joy no matter the ups and down in it.

Meanwhile, if you are truly tired of being a nurse why not quite the job or study further and be a doctor. I know tons of people who has been a nurse even before I was born and believe me not everything sucks when it comes to being a nurse. Please stop discouraging us newbies and try to find joy in what you do. After all nursing is not meant for everyone.

I presume you're a nursing student or plan to be? Either way, you'll know soon enough of what I speak. You obviously lack experience and wisdom about the profession based upon this response. This isn't your fault of course.

Do nursing school. Become a nurse. Do bed side care for 5 years and come back to this post. Your view of the world and the profession will be different.

[guest1135744, ADN]

11 hours ago, OUxPhys said:

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".

Because all management has on their radar is their bonuses. That is all. I’ve seen them just being human but frankly, chopping at the bit to keep staff from getting overtime, keeping people from cancelling their lunch if it’s missed, and manipulating the situation so they strong arm you to do what they want you to do. It’s all about the bonuses they receive for keeping everyone in line.

[guest1135744, ADN]

44 minutes ago, Roberta Diva said:

I am going to be a nurse and nothing will discourage me. I am just doing it for me and not for anyone else. I will not have high expectations from the job because I will be disappointed. If you become a nurse it for the right cause...I so much believe that you will find something in it that gives you joy no matter the ups and down in it.

Meanwhile, if you are truly tired of being a nurse why not quite the job or study further and be a doctor. I know tons of people who has been a nurse even before I was born and believe me not everything sucks when it comes to being a nurse. Please stop discouraging us newbies and try to find joy in what you do. After all nursing is not meant for everyone.

Congratulations on your resolve, it’s a worthy goal for you. It’ll be clear for you in a few years what we’re saying. I wish you nothing but the best.

Please know, I love to help people and instead of channeling that somewhere else, I chose nursing. My intention was to help people, be challenged and grow in the profession. Sometimes things don’t work out the way you’d like.

[AnonymousSuper]

10 minutes ago, Jml1986 said:

Because all management has on their radar is their bonuses. That is all. I’ve seen them just being human but frankly, chopping at the bit to keep staff from getting overtime, keeping people from cancelling their lunch if it’s missed, and manipulating the situation so they strong arm you to do what they want you to do. It’s all about the bonuses they receive for keeping everyone in line.

This is a misconception of management and leadership.

Bonuses are not a common occurrence in mid level management. For example, the supervisor (like myself) and the manager but directors and above can receive these items.

And, your perception of management is a massive generalization. Perhaps some managers are this way. I've been fortunate enough to have a couple good ones that aren't.

[brownbook]

2 hours ago, AnonymousSuper said:

I presume you're a nursing student or plan to be? Either way, you'll know soon enough of what I speak. You obviously lack experience and wisdom about the profession based upon this response. This isn't your fault of course.

Do nursing school. Become a nurse. Do bed side care for 5 years and come back to this post. Your view of the world and the profession will be different.

I did bedside care for 17 years. The more confident and competent I became the more I loved it. Moved into ambulatory surgery. It's like Disneyland.

I was mid management for five years. Never was offered a bonus. Was nominated by my staff for nurse of the year.

I'm sorry you chose the wrong profession.

Don't curse the darkness, light a candle. Tell the nursing students what wonderful, perfect, profession they should be persuing. I guess you believe there is some perfect company, job, profession out there? We'd all love to know what it is?

[keldorn, BSN, RN]

Even better advice for those going into the nursing profession, or any profession, is that if you're not sure if it's the field for you, do not make big purchases right away when you start making a paycheck. If you took student loans, you're already in debt, so you don't want to compound yourself with being in a career you might not like combined with further credit card or mortgage debt etc.

I already knew what I was getting into to some degree as my mom worked as a CNA/PCT for 30+ years, and I have heard all kinds of amazing and horrific stories. I've been working as a nurse/RN for the past seven years, and plan to keep on going until I die/retire, whether COVID-19 takes me down, or I have a stroke playing bingo some 30 years later.

[Rogue1]

I gotta chuckle when I read all those 'you chose nursing so suck it up and quit complaining'-type retorts. There are so many martyrs in this profession, not only allowing but actively encouraging the whole profession to be thrown to the lions while the crowds cheer.

It helps if one has something to compare nursing to. I became a bedside nurse at age 50, after working extensively in both the manufacturing and education (admin) industries, along with some dabbling in the non-profit sector. I'll also throw in there being able to observe my spouse who has worked for a huge corporation for 30 years. While I love the intrinsic, non-monetary rewards that are unique to nursing, and I absolutely adore my co-workers--the sharpest, most caring, decent and solid human beings I have ever known--I do think that nurses, as a whole, are treated poorly. The equation between expectations and objective rewards has never seemed anywhere near balanced to me. I don't need to list the myriad expectations (not to mention serious liabilities)--you all know the list by heart. I would never encourage a young person starting out in life to go into nursing. All jobs have tough parts, but nursing is truly at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to that expectations/rewards equation.

Those who choose--or have the luxury--to focus on nursing's intrinsic rewards can justify staying in the profession, but this is a process that takes place entirely between one's own two ears. No need to criticize those who choose to evaluate what they are doing from a more objective standpoint.

[brownbook]

2 hours ago, Rogue1 said:

I gotta chuckle when I read all those 'you chose nursing so suck it up and quit complaining'-type retorts. There are so many martyrs in this profession, not only allowing but actively encouraging the whole profession to be thrown to the lions while the crowds cheer.

All you down on nursing as a job posters are such deep thinkers, very eloquent, verbose and have such high expectations from a job. I wish some of you would learn to use paragraphs....I didn't read the long posts with no paragraphs.

I got a job as a nurse because science is interesting to study, there will always be a need for nurses (until the robots take over ?). The pay is more than adequate. (Earning a big paycheck was never something I aspired to.)

I didn't feel nursing was a calling, I'm not a martyr. No one would ever enter any profession if they expected whatever it is you expect.

Hospitals have to be run somewhat as a business. You have to have enough income to pay the bills.

We could all become ultra socialists, be taxed a lot, so somehow all the hospitals income would go towards payroll. Go Bernie!

I do agree waterfalls in the fancy lobby are inappropriate ?.

[MarkMyWords]

Everyone I know of has respect for nurses, more so than many doctors. I haven't seen one complaint about a nurse in internet forums but loads about doctors. Sure the pay could always be higher but generally don't patients appreciate your service? The reward is when the patients happily leave the clinic or hospital and are much better. Of course, some do not leave or get worse.

Numerous other professions, including college teaching, have little to no intrinsic reward and much disappointment and unappreciative classes.Part-time professionals typically are paid poorly and treated like pawns in chess. I suppose this comment is not consoling, sorry.

[Willcont2montr, LPN]

On 4/15/2020 at 2:15 AM, Jml1986 said:

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.

This. We are not like the police or firemand exactly. I am 32 and watch nurses that are 67 still working the floor because honestly they CANT retire.

Their pay didn't shoot up every year and I watch nurse be forced to retire from hospitals only to end up making half their salaries at new job.

Not to mention once you are trained for a few months as a cop or fireman thats it. There is no continous requirements to keep indebting yourself to education with student loans that never end.

We dont have a "brotherhood" or sisterhood like the army police or firemen. It is cuthroat.

All this hero talk ...when a nurse dies there is no trumpets there is no ceremony.

They say " Nancy died...can you work an overnight? "

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

On 4/14/2020 at 10:28 AM, Just-a-nurse said:

My job isn’t just a job, I do it for the patients!! They are the ones who matter!!

If you didn’t become a nurse to help people then maybe it is the wrong career.

That's the thing. Isn't it a bit melodramatic and too much like martyrdom for the patient to be "the ones who matter."

Don't you and your family matter? It's this 'holier than thou' attitude that drives me crazy and is one reason that nurses can't ever come together for their own good.

Also the whole, "if you didn't become a nurse to help people then maybe it is the wrong career"...This makes me crazy! It seems psychologically unhealthy to not care for and love family, friends, and yourself first, because only then can you really give to others.