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.

You only have ONE coworker like this, wow, you are lucky. Ha ha. Just kidding. Granted, I have worked with nurses who are the nicest people in the world, and will be my friends for life, but I cannot understand why this profession attracts some of the most rude people that I have ever met. I would just do your job, and act in a professional manner, and only converse with her when you need to. I know it is hard though, when you have to deal with someone like this on a daily basis. Good luck.

Yea, I think most nurses think this way. Nurses should make more money. We are making life and death decisions, and doing a lot of things at our jobs that most people would not touch with a 99 and a half foot pole. In my opinion, I think that working conditions are WAY more important than money. I am content with living comfortably at a decent wage, but would never expect to be wealthy. I would even take a pay cut in order to have less patients, and less responsibility. Nurses are expected to do WAY too much. Have you ever noticed how EVERYTHING is our responsibility. Doctors can make horrible mistakes, but if a nurse so much as says something wrong, watch out. Ancillary staff can easily say, "thats not my job." Well, guess who has to pick up the slack? It is funny when you hire a contractor, a cleaning person, etc, and they can easily say, "oh we don't do that." Wouldn't it be nice to say, "no, I'm sorry, I don't give out pain pills after 9 o'clock." We simply cannot say "I cannot do that" because our jobs are too important. It is both a blessing as well as a curse. I would have to agree with you that a lot of nursing is depressing on so many levels. What nurse doesn't have a closet full of sad stories regarding patients and families that they have cared for. Add that in with all of the frustrating stories regarding how nurses get treated by management, staff, patients, etc. My wife so much as got kicked at work by another nurse, and nothing was done about it, but that is a whole other story in itself. On the positive side, I feel that you can make a difference in people's lives by doing a good job. Also, I have been a nurse for 13 years, and I always had work, and it always paid the bills. I am most grateful in this terrible economy that I have a job, period. It may help you out to look into other areas of nursing too. I recently became an occupational health nurse, and it is the best job that I have ever had. It is so much different than the Med/surg and Long term care nursing that I am use to. It does not pay as well as the hospitals, but my stress level is about a "1" when it used to be a "10." So, I'll be poorer, but I will live longer. Ha ha. Good luck to you. Hang in there.

I never worked with babies, other than in nursing school, but I used to get this all the time when I worked in Long Term Care, and Med surg. This was a popular response from the older population who were not used to seeing male nurses. I think as more males become nurses, this will diminish. My response was always, "I am not that crazy!"

Thanks to all of you. This really helps out. I kind of figured that most schools had similar requirements. I'll probably stick with this school, dig in, and see how it goes. Happy Holidays to all.

I am interested in getting my RN to BSN, and have recently applied to Linfield nursing school in Portland. They say that it is an accelerated 18 month RN to BSN program. However, you need 125 credits total to graduate from the school. Nobody can do that many credits in 18 months. My question is, do all schools have similar requirements? I am doing research, but you can only get so much info online. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

to: lamazeteacher Patients aren't your employees. They can refuse meds and go AMA. Foley6: True, but the point IS, shouldn't we all have the same rights??? You are an employee of your facility, and to maintain the position that pays your way, you have an obligation to do what you're told, as long as it doesn't conflict with your rules of licensure or endanger anyone. Foley6: If your employer jumped off of a bridge, would you go too? Whatever happened to being able to think for yourself? Not endanger anyone?? What about the % of people who will get gillian beret syndrome, or alzheimers, or whatever, from the mercury and God knows what else they put in the vaccine. Normal healthy people will just lie in bed for a few days with the flu, big deal. I have done it lots of times. I would much rather do that than have a lifelong illness that my insurance company would probably not pay for. I do feel bad for those who have other health problems, which would put them at risk for complications from the flu. The other problem I have with this issue is that there is no way to prove if the vaccination will actually work? Look at all the people who get the flu shot every year, and still get the flu. until they can prove that it is safe, and it will work, I cannot support it. Are they going to test people for H1N1 if they get sick AFTER getting the flu shot. I don't think anyone would pay for that. If someone wants the flu shot, fine, but I hope that they are given, and understand the fine print that goes along with it. If they are OK with that, fine. If they are not don't force them. If you endanger your patients by refusing immunization that gives you (and therefore your patients) protection from catching a lethal disease, that is not consistent with your employment (and your status as a health care professional). Foley6: the flu a LETHAL disease? What is clear, is that the vaccine is safer than the disease for 99% of people. What isn't clear, is why you think you can upend your employment, most probably cause infection for yourself and your coworkers, family, and patients, spreading a diosease that's already going like wildfire, and contradict your source of income, becoming a pariah to prove your point! Foley6: You certainly have the right to your opinion, as do I, but don't believe everything you read, or hear. Many of the people flocking to the ER do not even have the flu. The media is eating this up just like SARS. Remember that? You know, the disease that was going to wipe us all out. This is where your focus diverges from yourself, to others. That's called maturity. Foley6: I understand your strong desire to help others, but this is a tough one. It is difficult to see how much of a threat the swine flu REALLY is. If wish everyone could be honest with us, but when will that ever happen. Also, I do not think it is appropriate to tell a pre-nursing student that they should find another line of work just because they have an opinion that differs from yours. We need more skeptical nurses that don't want to push pills and vaccinations just because the big greedy drug companies want more money. If we had more nurses like this in our profession, we could teach more about health prevention, which is a whole other subject in itself, so I will quit now. Thank you. Foley6 (RN for 13 years)

to: lamazeteacher Patients aren't your employees. They can refuse meds and go AMA. Foley6: True, but the point IS, shouldn't we all have the same rights??? You are an employee of your facility, and to maintain the position that pays your way, you have an obligation to do what you're told, as long as it doesn't conflict with your rules of licensure or endanger anyone. Foley6: If your employer jumped off of a bridge, would you go too? Whatever happened to being able to think for yourself? Not endanger anyone?? What about the % of people who will get gillian beret syndrome, or alzheimers, or whatever, from the mercury and God knows what else they put in the vaccine. Normal healthy people will just lie in bed for a few days with the flu, big deal. I have done it lots of times. I would much rather do that than have a lifelong illness that my insurance company would probably not pay for. I do feel bad for those who have other health problems, which would put them at risk for complications from the flu. The other problem I have with this issue is that there is no way to prove if the vaccination will actually work? Look at all the people who get the flu shot every year, and still get the flu. until they can prove that it is safe, and it will work, I cannot support it. Are they going to test people for H1N1 if they get sick AFTER getting the flu shot. I don't think anyone would pay for that. If someone wants the flu shot, fine, but I hope that they are given, and understand the fine print that goes along with it. If they are OK with that, fine. If they are not don't force them. If you endanger your patients by refusing immunization that gives you (and therefore your patients) protection from catching a lethal disease, that is not consistent with your employment (and your status as a health care professional). Foley6: the flu a LETHAL disease? What is clear, is that the vaccine is safer than the disease for 99% of people. What isn't clear, is why you think you can upend your employment, most probably cause infection for yourself and your coworkers, family, and patients, spreading a diosease that's already going like wildfire, and contradict your source of income, becoming a pariah to prove your point! Foley6: You certainly have the right to your opinion, as do I, but don't believe everything you read, or hear. Many of the people flocking to the ER do not even have the flu. The media is eating this up just like SARS. Remember that? You know, the disease that was going to wipe us all out. This is where your focus diverges from yourself, to others. That's called maturity. Foley6: I understand your strong desire to help others, but this is a tough one. It is difficult to see how much of a threat the swine flu REALLY is. If wish everyone could be honest with us, but when will that ever happen. Also, I do not think it is appropriate to tell a pre-nursing student that they should find another line of work just because they have an opinion that differs from yours. We need more skeptical nurses that don't want to push pills and vaccinations just because the big greedy drug companies want more money. If we had more nurses like this in our profession, we could teach more about health prevention, which is a whole other subject in itself, so I will quit now. Thank you. Foley6 (RN for 13 years)

Too true, once it is injected, you can't take it back!!

How many times do we tell patients that they have the right to refuse medicine? Why shouldn't we have the same right? Nobody should mandate that you have to put something into your body that you do not approve of, especially something that is not 100% safe.

Have you thought of signing up with a nursing agency on the side? It is a great way to explore other areas of nursing. I have been a physical rehab/med surg nursed for 13 years. After I moved to Portland a little while ago, I started with a staffing agency, which I had never done before. They mostly send you to Hospitals, and nursing homes, but also may send you to other areas as well. I started to go to an occupational health job, and I loved it. I was in the right place at the right time and landed a full time position. I will say though that almost every med surg job they sent me to sounds exactly like what you are going through now. Nursing is tough, but hang in there!:)