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.

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

23 hours 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.

Many nurses have come into the profession wanting to take care of people and to give something meaningful back to society. The issue is that there will most likely come the day, usually sooner rather than later, that the expectation of the hospital higher-ups will conflict with what is best for the patient you are providing care for. You will find yourself pulled away from the patients bedside, to complete inane legal and financial based requirements. And then the guilt and frustration begins.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

On one hand I consider myself fortunate to have a job with no likelihood of ever being downsized or laid off under normal circumstances. Now with COVID around I consider myself fortunate because I never did feel like acute care is the be all and end all of nursing. I've never worked in a hospital setting in 25 years of health care and have no desire to start now.

I am truly appalled by some of the stories that are coming out about how poorly nurses are being treated in these trying times.

I also think nurses and CNA's/PCT's are definitely getting the short of the stick when it comes to additional compensation during this pandemic. Some are being laid off and forced to use their own PTO/sick time to get by. No extra unemployment for them! Instead they get to burn their entire years vacation time so when they are called back to work they can look forward to doing so without any more time off for rest of the year.

Not necessarily health care related but...I do blame the government for this oversight. I am tired of all the news reports about this stimulus and that stimulus that helps the "workers" of the country only to hear too many stories about how badly managed and implemented these programs have been. But of course the big company bailouts don't seem to be having those same issues. Turns out there was a tax cut in the last stimulus package that will end up helping the millionaires. In the mean time the small business loan program ran out of money in days. So many local small businesses will end up going under permanently before this done. It's a sad state of affairs.

[kitty29]

On 4/14/2020 at 8:27 AM, AnonymousSuper said:

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.

Your words resonate to me! After spending 40 years greatly devoted to my career in Nursing many chapters in your story are my own! No support from management, back-stabbing, bullied....it all happened causing me to retire 4 years earlier than planned. After a year the hurt is still there, although the nightmares have diminished. Medicine became a business Not a art. As a business at the height of your nursing career instead of respect you find you cost too much. I gave my youth, my life to nursing. My advice to the young nurses, some who think they are above it all, save for an early retirement!

[Lynn02]

My first hasty response had too specific a suggestion for the public thread terms - so my apologies to all.

Will try this instead: remember that every nurse has more than just a clinical skill set. When you become burned out or need a different setting for any reason, you may be more marketable than you think.

Whether you have active credentials - or now lapsed ones - you still have medical knowledge and vocabulary. A simple online search on any job site (there are dozens) can yield not just “nursing” positions ... but health coach, advocate, navigator, admin, sales, etc.

I don’t minimize the exhaustion and frustration against the System at all. There is a reason why if you visit almost any hospital floor, the percentage of over-35 nurses seemingly has dropped.

Sometimes taking a clear look at all job possibilities allows you to either make a change - or go back into the grinder another day or week knowing you may have other options if and when you need them.

At the end of the day, people are living longer and budget dollars are getting smaller. No new logo (or lobby fountain) changes that. Sometimes we have to protect ourselves and our health and our livelihoods with a fresh look at how else we can use what we know. That’s not betraying a calling. That’s sometimes just survival.

[Fed Up And Done]

I agree with the original post but I also wanted to address my brother Grandpa Nurse. I don't know about others but I am a veteran from the 80's and discharged before the war. God bless you for your service and sacrifice my brother but I have to disagree with some of what you say. First off I served for 6 years active duty, secondly I spent 9 years as a correctional officer and volunteer EMT. I owe nothing to society and I believe I have given of myself enough with that said there is only one other cause I am willing to commit to and it is not nursing. I have been a nurse for going on 20 years and this area (Southwest Virginia/Carilion} has not received a descent raise in almost 20 years. Yes, I do it for the money and no I didn't go to school to be a servant for the people, I owe society nothing. The nurses in this area are nothing more than slaves to the system. A system which could care less about their staff. A system where the president makes over a million a year yet pays travel nurses because she doesn't want to increase nursing pay to retain staff or recruit new nurses.

Take a look at the situation staff are in with the pandemic. When all is said and done and the smoke clears nurses will have risked their lives, some will have died and it will be business as usual because big business does not give a rats *** about their staff. Until nurses stand up and demand change to the point of refusing to work we will all continue to suffer. Brother, nursing is no longer a prestigious profession but one of slavehood.

As a side note companies give discounts etc. to first responders (Police, Firemen, EMTs) but when do you see nurses included with the celebrations, discounts and recognition? In case any of you have forgotten you are exposed to things that can kill you every day. God Bless you all!

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

Ironically, I went into nursing for all the wrong reasons, job security and money. But something wonderful happened along the way. It became a calling, a vocation, if you would. There are so many things wrong with nursing and healthcare, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

I've worked in bad places and great places, and learned so much from each.

There's some people out there saying they don't send soldiers out to war without the proper equipment, but as an army wife and sister in law I know they do send troops out without the proper equipment.

There's nothing wrong, or cowardly with saying that you can not work in this type of situation, I have no doubt you are making wonderful contributions away from the bedside, but for those of us that can, say a prayer please.

Be strong brothers and sisters, and wherever you are, doing whatever you need to, be safe.

[toomuchbaloney]

Joining the military does not equate with entering nursing. Nurses aren't heroes, they are people who just help others as a job to help their families, in a capitalist world that will throw them away for more profit. They are a professional group with little legislative or workplace power.

[guest1135744, ADN]

On 4/15/2020 at 9:59 PM, AnonymousSuper said:

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.

I work for a large, urban, academic and research institution. They are transparent, my direct nurse manager gets a yearly bonus. Data is collected regarding overtime, staff meal cancelations and staff scheduling along with budget, utilization, and stewardship. This year has been challenging and we were “asked” to do something that was truly outside of our bounds and all of our concerns regarding protecting our licenses were dismissed. Our manager kept having meeting after meeting with us and her absolute panic was clear based on the pressure she was getting from above her; it finally resulted in a stand off of sorts because none of us agreed to do what we were being asked to do. The manger had a meeting with us, told us “someone” needed to step up, or else it would be mandated for all of us. One of my coworkers asked if we would be terminated if we didn’t do as our manager requested of us, she replied that she didn’t know, but stated more likely it would be her being terminated since she couldn’t get us to do what we were being asked; it was a nice dump on us. Then, she got very angry, told us her bonus was in jeopardy, and told us she was leaving the meeting but we were not to leave the meeting room until one person was identified to be the person designated to do the additional job.

[guest1135744, ADN]

20 hours ago, Fed Up And Done said:

I agree with the original post but I also wanted to address my brother Grandpa Nurse. I don't know about others but I am a veteran from the 80's and discharged before the war. God bless you for your service and sacrifice my brother but I have to disagree with some of what you say. First off I served for 6 years active duty, secondly I spent 9 years as a correctional officer and volunteer EMT. I owe nothing to society and I believe I have given of myself enough with that said there is only one other cause I am willing to commit to and it is not nursing. I have been a nurse for going on 20 years and this area (Southwest Virginia/Carilion} has not received a descent raise in almost 20 years. Yes, I do it for the money and no I didn't go to school to be a servant for the people, I owe society nothing. The nurses in this area are nothing more than slaves to the system. A system which could care less about their staff. A system where the president makes over a million a year yet pays travel nurses because she doesn't want to increase nursing pay to retain staff or recruit new nurses.

Take a look at the situation staff are in with the pandemic. When all is said and done and the smoke clears nurses will have risked their lives, some will have died and it will be business as usual because big business does not give a rats *** about their staff. Until nurses stand up and demand change to the point of refusing to work we will all continue to suffer. Brother, nursing is no longer a prestigious profession but one of slavehood.

As a side note companies give discounts etc. to first responders (Police, Firemen, EMTs) but when do you see nurses included with the celebrations, discounts and recognition? In case any of you have forgotten you are exposed to things that can kill you every day. God Bless you all!

100% agree with this. Never before have we been included in any discounts. This is a first. There still is no hazard pay for nurses while cops, EMTs, etc are receiving hazard pay.

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

30 minutes ago, Jml1986 said:

I work for a large, urban, academic and research institution. They are transparent, my direct nurse manager gets a yearly bonus. Data is collected regarding overtime, staff meal cancelations and staff scheduling along with budget, utilization, and stewardship. This year has been challenging and we were “asked” to do something that was truly outside of our bounds and all of our concerns regarding protecting our licenses were dismissed. Our manager kept having meeting after meeting with us and her absolute panic was clear based on the pressure she was getting from above her; it finally resulted in a stand off of sorts because none of us agreed to do what we were being asked to do. The manger had a meeting with us, told us “someone” needed to step up, or else it would be mandated for all of us. One of my coworkers asked if we would be terminated if we didn’t and our manager requested of us, she didn’t know, but stated more likely it would be her being terminated since she couldn’t get us to do what we were being asked; it was a real nice dump on us. Then, she got very angry, told us her bonus was in jeopardy, and told us she was leaving the meeting but we were not to leave the meeting room until one person was identified to be the person designated to do the additional job.

Strangely while I feel angry for the nurses put in this position I also feel a little sorry for the manager. She probably wasn't wrong when she admitted it would be not only her bonus but her job in jeopardy. Easier to fire and replace one manager that "can't keep the staff in line" than to fire and replace all the staff.

This is just one more case of crap rolling downhill. The unrealistic expectations that start at the high levels of administration. Probably some bean counter with zero nursing experience came up with this brilliant idea and more bean counter's said "good idea, let's do this" and the order was rolled down the chain. By the time it reached any level of management that had doubts about this being the best idea ever that manager was too far down the food chain to push back without losing their job so like good little lemmings they jumped right off the cliff in some misguided attempt at self preservation. By the time this order reached the unit manger that poor woman didn't stand a chance.

Now I am curious how this played out. Did somebody eventually agree to take on this additional task? I hope not but I will not be at all surprised if that is exactly what happened.

[BSN-to-MSN, ADN, BSN, RN]

On 4/14/2020 at 7:27 AM, AnonymousSuper said:

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.

Newsflash!

I also don't care for my hospital administration. Fake smile them and do my thing. Never-ever feel guilty for calling in either.

So sorry you are disappointed in nursing though.

[HiddenAngels]

"an expendable piece of meat"... "a dead battery"....uhhh sir/ma'am, ..you killed me... LOL