Foley6

I love this site because it is realistic. I get so tired of reading articles that either ignore, or sugar coat the problems in nursing. Anyway, I work full time in a clinic where I do not do a lot of direct care. I kept my per-diem med/surg job to keep up with my skills and for some extra income. It became so bad that I finally called it quits. I am totally done with floor nursing, and hope to never return to it. I would have to be quite desperate to do so. I have been a nurse for over 20 years, and it seems to be getting worse. I blame most of it on the drug problem. I started to feel like a narcotics dealer. There seems to have been quite the increase in code grays called (dangerous person) than ever before. As agency nurse, I was often treated poorly by the staff as well. On one occasion, I called a staff member by the wrong name, and she threatened to key my car. I may not make the money that I used to, but my stress level is lower, and I do not have to put up with things like this. It is a shame because I too got into nursing to help people, but most of the time it just feels like everyone is angry with you.

Nursing can be quite scary, especially when you are new. I almost quit nursing school several times. I felt as though I never really quite fit in. I see that some have stated how you do have a charge nurse, and others that you may get advice and help from. However, a lot of times when you ask too many questions, and/or help, they see you as being weak, and annoying. I think this is really wrong because as a new nurse, you should never do anything that you do not feel comfortable doing, and you SHOULD ask a TON of questions. I know that I did, but I also had veteran nurses give me a really hard time. I know all of this is no fun, however, it is my opinion that any nurse should have a good foundation before finding a job off of the floor. I worked long term care, rehab, and med/surg for over 10 years before I got lucky finding a job in Occupational Health. I totally love it. I finally have a nursing job that does not make me cringe. I don't even mind working extra if I have to. The stress level is SOOOOOO much less. Unfortunately, so is the pay. Anyway, I never want to go back to floor nursing full time. I do still work for an agency per diem just to keep up with my skills. However, If I had to go back full time, I may do something totally different, and get out of nursing all together. Once you experience alternative nursing jobs out there, you never want to go back. However, getting back to one of my points, I never know what type of health problems I am going to have to deal with in the clinic, so my diverse background really helps me out.

I know someone who will probably be commenting on this. My story is not as interesting. However, I work a side job as an agency nurse. I go to many different hospitals. I am not always treated well be the staff. Anyway, I recently had an encounter where I happened to write my CNA's name on a dry erase board. I got her name wrong, which is not that big of a deal. I get a call from her stating that she knows what my name is, so it is really rude that I do not know hers. She stated that if I better watch out or she may key my car. I was listening to this with the speaker as the charge nurse was sitting right beside me. She just gave a weird look and walked away. I stated, "is she serious, or just joking?" Since I am agency, I did not wish to get anyone into trouble. I also had to work with the CNA for the rest of the night. So, I apologized to her. She laughed and said, "Yea, you are a real %&*#!. It seemed as though she was joking, but I felt that it was really inappropriate. I let it go, lucky for her. If she did one more thing, I probably would have reported her to the administrator. However, since I am agency, and not an employee of the facility, I am not sure if it would have done any good.

Yes, I hear that Costco treats it's employees very well. Why do we rarely hear that from companies? I believe that it has a lot to do with capitalism that is WAY OUT OF HAND. Most companies, including hospitals, care only about the bottom line. They live by a different set of rules that us workers cannot comprehend. I used to be a charge nurse at a busy teaching hospital. If your staff to patient ratio was off even a little, you got your face ripped off. They did not care how well the nurses or patients were taken care of. They cared about the budget and the scores that the patients mailed in. When the patients complained on those scores, I will give you one guess as to who got the blame. I am SO glad that I gave up floor nursing (for the most part). I work in a clinic now. It is funny that this article mentions Costco. a friend who is also a nurse was a victim of bullying from another nurse. She has been out of a job for a while by choice because of it. I told her she should at least get a job at Costco for now.

That is a great statement, "you can't learn to swim by taking the online course."

I am glad that I do not work at a union job. I am very liberal, but I am not pro union. In most peoples eyes, that does not make sense. I think that they had there place in history, but not sure if they are relevent today. I hear very little positive comments from the nurses that I know who work a union job. They do seem to pay more, but is it worth all of the hassle. I applied for a job that was union, and I was told on the interview that during the probationary period, the other workers would make it very hard on me to be sure that I was a good worker. Once hired, it was nearly impossible to be fired. this sounds terrible to me. So, you would be stuck working with the same people, and if they were bad workers, you knew they would not be fired. Luckily, I did not take the job. My current boss used to work at a union job in Occ health. She states that she felt powerless because every nursing decision that she made had to go througn the union (non-nurses).

I never thought that it would be "fun." I hoped for a good job with decent pay, benefits, job security, etc. Compared to other jobs, I suppose that this is correct. However it seems a lot has changed during my career as a nurse. I cannot say that I like what I see sometimes. As I get older, I become fearful of keeping and finding employment, as it seems to be a young persons world. Employers want work as cheaply as they can get it. They do not care how much experience one has. It is sad. This is a field where you are helping people, and saving lives, and yet it all comes down to money. I hate that healthcare is a business. It does not seem right.

Also, once you get more experience, you may consider working for a nursing agency. I do this on the side. The nice thing about it is that you move around. You go to several different hospitals. You do not work for them so you are not involved in all of the corporate BS and backstabbing. You do your shift, and you may not see the same staff for months.

Hang in there. Get some experience under your belt, and then look into other areas of nursing that are less stressful. They are out there. I work in Occupational Health, and it is the best job I have ever had. It does not pay as well, but I get weekends and holidays off, and is WAY less stressful than hospitals. I used to work at 2 different large teaching hospitals (med/surg). I know exactly what you are saying.

SO if one is rejected for a position at the VA does one get a rejection letter? Does ANYONE know? I am going on 3 weeks since interview. The person who interviewed me says that she does not have any information for me. This person says I will hear from HR. Does anyone know?

I am in the same boat! Different location! I just hope b/c I am a bedside volunteer that they like me!

same boat different location....

Hello! I got a interview 10/2012 early in the month at the VA. I called the person I interviewed with today, (2 weeks later.) The manager said that they had no info for me and said all candidates will be contacted by HR. Should I call HR? They never had a contact name listed for the HR just the general info. Should I wait? Does it matter? How long until I know? How long did you wait until they phoned with the offer? Thanks for your help!

Maybe she ate too much cheesecake. ha ha.

I thought the same exact way when I was in school. Granted I had a few instructors that I actually liked, but most of the ones I had seemed like they came from another planet. I had one instructor who was not going to pass me because I had longer hair. I had another one who planned her wedding in another room somewhere and left us on our own most of the time. I think instructors should be stern since it is such an important profession, but there are ways to do this, and maintain a professional and positive attitude. It is way different once you get a job. I felt it much easier to do skills when someone was not breathing down my neck. Of course, only once I felt confident enough to do something on my own. Stick with it. I know it is tough. I almost quit nursing school like 9 times. I even had the withdrawal form in my hand. Here I am 13 years later, and I have a job right now, which is a lot to say in this terrible economy. I am so glad that I did not quit.