marie-francoise

I'm wondering - have any of you gone through either the AIDET or the Disney "customer service" training/in-services? If so, what were your feelings about them? (I sat through an AIDET in-service that made me queasy - I agree we should be nice to peop...

Some of the most miserable moments in my life: 1) The day before med-surg clinicals (dreading them) 2) Being at med-surg clinicals (hated them more than I've ever hated doing anything else in my life) I got through nursing school with high marks; but...

I hated nursing clinicals more than anything I've ever done in my life - esp the med-surg hospital clinicals; but, really, all of them. Was never so miserable. Totally turned me off to bedside nursing. I kept thinking, "who the heck would do this ...

I'm done with nursing school, but have to say that it taught me that bedside nursing has got to be one of the most difficult jobs around. It seems to me that the level of stress & expectation placed on nurses is abusive. I don't want to subject...

Do what you want to do. Listen to your gut, not the opinions of others. I also cannot see myself at the bedside for very long.

It's almost laughable - I like when staff coach the patient by asking the ill patient who is lying in his/her bed not giving half a $!%# about these survey questions, "So would you say you'd 'DEFINITELY' recommend this hospital to a friend?" It's a s...

True - and you will see on Web boards that older nurses regret & rue how nursing has changed over the years. It is a repeated theme. The mighty dollar now rules health care, and this has made for some bad changes over the years - short-staffing,...

I think it's entirely normal to hate nursing. There are a lot of RN's out there who are not at the bedside. They will talk about the good sides of nursing, yes; but they are not at the bedside. Believe me, don't worry - you are not alone in how you f...

The NCLEX-RN was one of the most bizarre tests I have ever taken. Weird questions. Did not reflect what was taught in nursing school, or the content of those thousands of NCLEX practice questions. I did very well in school, and now I just feel bla...

What you are observing is a common theme in bedside nursing - much of it does suck. My eyes started opening in nursing school during clinicals. Too much patient turnover, too many patients per nurse, too much documentation (related to the constant wo...

I really do think that the nursing shortage (that was) has to do with these real stresses of nursing. Desk jobs ARE easier, and frequently better compensated. And working conditions in nursing seem to be getting worse (too much charting, number &...

I think that families don't see that there are alternatives between the extremes of tubes everywhere vs. doing nothing. I guess it's denial. I heartily agree with what you're saying.

Ah, what they DON'T teach us in nursing school. There seems to be a studied avoidance in nursing school of discussing the topic of nursing's true stresses & martyr-level sacrifices, not to mention the many ridiculous aspects of today's $-driven, ...

I'm a recent grad also wondering if hospital bedside nursing is worth the stress & abuse. One of the major lessons I learned during clinicals is, "now I know why there is a nursing shortage!" Having had other jobs, the contrast between those rel...

I agree with this. Not all truths are palatable, and I would say that this is true, that this is truly what's happening.

Disclaimer: I'm still a student. Yes, even just from clinicals I can totally see why you'd be depressed at the thought of going into work. I'm having many second thoughts about going into nursing. I don't want to face every workday as a day that I dr...

I'm in the same boat you're in. Almost done with my ADN, and the one big lesson I've learned from nursing school is that much of the nursing scene today (esp. hospital nursing) is an abyss I don't ever want to step into. But, my advice would be - jus...

Who is, though?

I guess "shortage" depends on what we mean. Hospitals may deliberately not hire enough nurses; so a shortage will then exist on the unit, which becomes understaffed and not as safe for patients. So, in that case there's a shortage yet no jobs poste...

Don't feel survivor's guilt!! Don't feel guilty. Lots o' people are away from the bedside not feeling guilty. Not sure if you're male or female - but I've noticed that women tend to feel guilty more easily than men. We morbidize over little things we...

I won't flame you - I agree with you. You're being honest. I can see how real-world nursing can be much worse than clinicals - you have a real patient load, and all the responsibilities and impossibilities that come with it. And you do three 12-hour ...

This is so TRUE! I mean, can't they tell us how a shift goes? - the sequence of report, assessments, etc.; and how to look at the wall board, when the physicians visit, how and when to check the physician orders, what a MAR is, how a chart is laid ou...

Yup! I've hated clinicals from day one - especially the med-surg clinicals. I'm soon to graduate, and my hatred for them has increased further, esp. now that we're doing 12-hour clinicals. I've felt like quitting during every clinical, but I've co...

If I were you, I'd look into the costs of an individual health insurance plan. I'm on one now. You don't have kids, so you have flexibility. Kids change everything. So, maybe take advantage of your single state w/o dependents while it lasts.

I agree. I'm finishing up my ADN after working at desk jobs. I also have two other degrees (went into nursing later in life). BUT, I have to say, after learning about nursing and going through clinicals, I am DREAMING of a nice desk job. I'm nostalgi...