my problem with allnurses...why so pessimistic?

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2011

in answer to your initial question, the answer that springs immediately to mind is because we're a bunch of cranky old ******* who don't ever want to share our hard-won experiences because we looove watching newbies sink or swim and it's in our best interest to keep the flow of new nurses down to as close to zero as possible so we can have all the fun and glory (and poop) to ourselves.

can i hear an amen?

ummm, no, i thought not. :jester:

although she is right about one thing. if you have come this far in your education and still do all your "research" on line because you believe that everything you read on the net is true, this place will disabuse you of that notion fairly quickly. learn to make your own judgments. listen to others' experiences, but always do your own research. ::smiling::

Trauma Columnist · Jul 8, 2011

I've been a nurse for awhile now and this economy is the worst I've ever seen it. I see the stress on everyone's face nowadays, not just nurses. So, I think its just a sign of the times.

You are lucky.

Orange Tree · Jul 8, 2011

I'm glad you've had such an easy time, but people will post about their own experiences and they may be different from your own. I found a job easily after graduation, too....but I didn't get a $6000 sign-on bonus like my aunt who graduated way before me did....and I see the market getting tighter and tighter for those coming after me. My hospital is cutting out LVNs, decreasing new graduate positions for RNs, decreasing new graduate pay for RNs and taking away new graduate shift differentials (which added about $5 - $9 extra an hour). I feel like I made it just in time....

And I used to be under the impression that nurses could travel anywhere in the USA and easily find a job, but if that was ever true it has also changed. I'm stuck where I'm at for now if I want to stay gainfully employed.

AgentBeast, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2011

People that are unhappy are generally louder and more vocal that those that are happy. So it's easy to see why the number of negative posts outnumber those that are positive.

caregiver1977 · Jul 8, 2011

Many times people come here for support and advice when they have a problem or a question. That doesn't make them extremely negative. Just because you had an easy time doesn't mean the person who didn't is pessimistic

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2011

PYM,

Please keep in mind that this forum is a "safe place" for nurses, nursing students, and new graduates to feel free to vent about the challenges they are facing. Since this is an international website, there are varying responses regionally.

Some of what you will read on this forum will be negative. Nurses generally cannot vent while at work, so they rely on their e-colleagues here in order to get a different perspective, ask questions, or to simply let off steam. We must be very composed and professional in the working environment. As you know, our jobs are very stressful. It is very healthy to vent-and if you so choose, this forum is one way to vent!

Sometimes we have had a bad day and will post about the day's events. Most of the time, we are looking for validation...a sort of "what would you have done?" or "what would you have done differently?", or "I keep running into this problem, what do y'all think?". This forum has proven to be very valuable to its members because they can seek out the advice of more experienced nurses (for example, I will always weigh the advice of LeslieD, Ruby Vee, rn/writer, clear, and MANY others) to get their opinion.

Realize that we aren't all Debbie Downers. Most of us are actually very positive.

netglow, ASN, RN · Jul 8, 2011

"Now I work in area that has very few young educated people and has many elderly people who need medical care"

Well, now. hmmm.

pymschrs · Jul 8, 2011

wow, didn't expect to get that many posts that quickly. I know I was lucky and consider myself very fortunate. i just wanted to point out that allnurses has way more negative/sad narratives than positive ones. thanks for your feedback.

HorseHey · Jul 8, 2011

Thank you OP! I have thought that myself and nearly been discouraged. I did some face to face research with nurses in my area, recently graduated from the RN and BSN program I'm considering. Totally different version of the world from them, in a great way! So yes, I think that the greatly dissatisfied are louder than the really happy people in general, not just nurses. Makes sense to me, the happy people are out enjoying their non-work hour instead of stewing and brewing on a forum. And there is nothing wrong with seeking validation, it just creates an inaccurate picture for newbies.

pymschrs · Jul 8, 2011

I wasn't trying to make anyone mad. I just wanted to give people an optimistic perspective. I hope that a little optimism didn't make anyone mad.

pymschrs · Jul 8, 2011

Thank you OP! I have thought that myself and nearly been discouraged. I did some face to face research with nurses in my area, recently graduated from the RN and BSN program I'm considering. Totally different version of the world from them, in a great way! So yes, I think that the greatly dissatisfied are louder than the really happy people in general, not just nurses. Makes sense to me, the happy people are out enjoying their non-work hour instead of stewing and brewing on a forum. And there is nothing wrong with seeking validation, it just creates an inaccurate picture for newbies.

thanks,

That is exactly how I feel. I feel so bad for people who don't have jobs. Really just trying to spread some good news. Not insult anyone.