my problem with allnurses...why so pessimistic?

Catch22Personified · Jul 9, 2011

A lot of people are just more vocal when negative, I know I am. A lot of people are having problems finding a job, dealing with their current job, and whatnot.

greenfiremajick · Jul 9, 2011

you are now officially my girl crush.....in a completely platonic kind of way, of course....

in answer to your initial question, the answer that springs immediately to mind is because we're a bunch of cranky old b****es 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.

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::

allnurses Guide · Jul 9, 2011

you are now officially my girl crush.....in a completely platonic kind of way, of course....

yes, w0rd, and amen all at the same time . . grntea that was so awesome i don't think i will be even capable of breathing a negative syllable about nursing diagnoses for the duration! :)

in answer to your initial question, the answer that springs immediately to mind is because we're a bunch of cranky old b****es 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.

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::

to the op - grn tea really said it all (i'd emphasize do your own research)but there are so many wonderful, talented and enthusiastic (they are trying to be) new grads here who's talents are being wasted, by sitting on the shelf through no fault of their own. the fear of financial ruin is real. the fear coming through people halfway through school reading about the new reality is real. thank god they have a place to vent where they can be real. they are not negative nancies (or normans).

nobody begrudges you your success.

i love allnurses (obviously :)) but i never would use it as my only source of information - (even for a boots on the ground reality check).

brandy1017, ASN, RN · Jul 9, 2011

Regarding nurses having difficulty finding jobs, it makes sense that certain areas of the country have a shortage, while others don't. Depending on the size of the city, number of hospitals, number of colleges, demographics, insurance or lack thereof, general unemployment, income levels, etc will all affect number of nursing opportunities.

That said if you look around you will probably find many college educated people that are unable to get college level jobs; secretaries, waitresses, drivers and clerks for example. Nothing wrong with that except these jobs tend to be low paying with little or no benefits which makes it hard to plan one's future, and of course pay back your loans.

Technical and vocational job training I believe will always be easier to find a job with, and yet, there is no guarantee you will get a job you trained for. Even if you have a job you trained for like engineers, computer programmers,etc you may end up laid off down the line, especially with so many companies outsourcing. This is simply the sad reality today for many workers. Nurses can't be outsourced as easily, but they can decrease nursing staff, add more tech staff instead and recruit nurses from overseas to come here. Hospitals have been doing all these things for years to save money.

Many times you will see a person going into nursing because they cannot get a decent job with their last bachelor degree. To tap that market many colleges offer accelerated degree and even direct entry RN master's programs. These students especially have to be careful not to get in over their head with excessive student loans as they probably are already carrying loans from prior education.

I think this forum lets us share common problems and lets students have some idea of the struggles they will face. On top of the workload and stress, many people are dealing with out of control student loan debt. So if these posts enlighten and help others avoid the pitfalls as much as possible especially regarding new nurse shock and student loan problems, these "negative" posts have served a good purpose.

My final word I always recommend prospective nursing students get real work experience in a hospital or other healthcare setting by working as a CNA, nurse intern or at least shadowing a nurse.

tokmom, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2011

I love this forum. We all have bad days and vent, so maybe this is what you see.

There are some very funny people on here, once you get to know them :cool:

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Jul 9, 2011

That would be because nursing is not the most happy go-lucky job out there.

Never come home and say.." Dang,that was cool! What a great day!"

Most likely peel off scrubs, remove shoes from swollen feet, cry in the shower.

We are not pesismists , we are realists. :smokin:

radicalsenseofhope · Jul 9, 2011

I almost let all the negative posts scare me away from pursuing my dream to become a nurse. But the dream just won't go away. So I decided to search allnurses for posts about why people love nursing. That really helped brighten my outlook. :)

But I do truly appreciate the honesty here at allnurses. It helps add to my knowledge and paints a more balanced view of nursing. It is not all sunshine and holding hands.

NeoPediRN · Jul 9, 2011

If it was that easy for you then you should count your blessings and shut your mouth. Thousands of nurses aren't exaggerating the difficulties of the current economy.

tokmom, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2011

That would be because nursing is not the most happy go-lucky job out there.
Never come home and say.." Dang,that was cool! What a great day!"
Most likely peel off scrubs, remove shoes from swollen feet, cry in the shower.
We are not pesismists , we are realists.

Hmm, dunno about that. Give me a really big I&D with lots of chunky stuff and I'm a really happy girl.:)

healthstar, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2011

I absolutely love all nurses, it is my favorite website. I am currently attending what is called" the best nursing school in the states" and I have learned so much from nurses here than from school. I receive more help here than in school. I never get tired of reading interesting posts, I learn from mistakes that nurses have made. We all have good days as well as bad days. I love it when people Give you hope, tell you are smart, you can do it ( without even knowing u), they tell you to never give up, seek help etc. I have seen more positive people than negative. I love all nurses. We might not know people by names but we will never forget the nicknames that made us feel better or encouraged us to never give up. Hugs

beckster_01, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2011

Someone earlier said that you get what you look for on this website. For example, I have had a very rough month at work as far as patient loads go. One week I had 4 psych patients (if I was cut out for psych I would not be on a surgical floor). The next I had three very non-compliant patients. This week they have all been very heavy assists, barely able to stand-pivot with a three assist. On the verge of burn out, I think I have read the entire nursing humor forum to help me find a little comic relief in the way life goes.

I honestly never spent much time reading posts about job searches, because when I was looking for my job I focused on what the job market in my city was. But you can bet that if I was having a hard time finding a job, I would probably find myself here trying to figure out if it was just me. Sometimes people need a little validation to know that their lack of success isn't a result of a poor resume, or unrealistic expectations.

On a side note, if anyone subscribes to Medscape they had an interesting article about the job situation for new grads...

mikesgirl1 · Jul 9, 2011

If it was that easy for you then you should count your blessings and shut your mouth. Thousands of nurses aren't exaggerating the difficulties of the current economy.

She should shut her mouth?!? Really? She isnt entitled to ask questions or share her experiences? Exactlyyyyyyyyyyyyyy why i agree with her about the negative rotten un-uplifting attitude from the majority on here. What a joke. I feel so sorry for all the new nurses, Im so sorry the majority of your collegues are going to let you down, to the brave ones that keep pursuing this honorable career keep going with the positive attitude you went in with! You all may be the saving grace of this profession. Good luck and God Bless al you newbies:)