GiGiOm

Bless your heart! That sounds like a nightmare first day back. I was a supervisor in LTC, and I have to agree with the other comment. Where was your nurse supervisor during all this? It sounds like the facility got stuck with a lemon from the agency, and that she just didn't want to be bothered with it. Wow!

I am so glad not to be alone in this. Thank you for expressing what you are feeling so articulately. I also feel the same way. I have nursed for twelve years in multiple areas. I've always enjoyed learning something different. But lately, I just want to keep on driving when I reach the turn-in to the hospital. Press Ganey has destroyed morale for nurses. It's gotten downright Orwellian at my hospital. If you don't get your patients to fill out a survey and mention you, you must not be a good nurse. Well, I don't need my name mentioned in a survey to know what kind of nurse I am! I care about my patients' outcome. That is more important than a stinking survey with my name on it! I don't believe in sticking surveys under sick people's noses when they are at the hospital to get better. And the throughput is unbelievable now! They just slam people through the doors as fast as possible. We got two admissions in at the same time. One was coding as soon as we got them in the bed and the other was having chest pain from an acute MI! We had to choose between coding someone and tending to someone's MI! I felt horrible when I got off work, like I just hadn't done my job well. I know it's impossible to "schedule" admissions, but we shouldn't have even gotten the patient who was coding! That patient should have gone to ICU (I'm in stepdown). And people DO feel so entitled these days. The patients who are the sickest and neediest end up getting the short end of the stick because a routine surgery patient who happens to have sleep apnea (and has to be monitored overnight) is on the call bell with a new demand every five minutes - and their family is at the nurses station every ten minutes! So the sick patients who need the care get screwed. I'm just very frustrated. I am also sick and tired of never getting out on time and never getting finished with report on time, waking up hurting all over and feeling sick even when I'm off because I was so stressed and pushed for three twelve hour shifts in a row! So, I'm joining the growing number of disenchanted nurses who just can't do this anymore. Sorry this comment was so long!

I'm glad I'm not alone! I have begun to hate nursing. I was always proud of my nursing degree and the fact that I am in a helping profession. Over the last three years, however, I have gotten a little bitter. It's becoming almost impossible in the hospital setting now. I am sick of the pressure to keep surveys coming. Personally, I think it is rude to shove a survey under a sick person's nose and say, "Hey, fill this out." I don't need a survey to know I'm a good nurse. My patients know I care about them and want a good outcome, and they thank me for my care. I rarely get mentioned on a survey because I don't give them one. Certain nurses I know have to be making their patients fill those things out at gunpoint, because their names always get mentioned. These very same people are the ones that won't rotate IV sites, won't take off orders that have been sitting on the chart all day, AND their patients are filthy when I walk in. So, I guess I'm sick of all the bull we are being subjected to. I hope all of you find your niche. I hope things get better. I am thinking about changing careers altogether. It's just not working for me anymore. It's sad. I'm a good nurse. I'm just so tired of all the fiery hoops I have to jump through to get to what matters - the patient.

I did a lot of my student nursing in an ER. I loved it and was totally unprepared for working on the floor because it is so different. It's not a bad idea to get some adult med surg under your belt. That said, you have experience with emergencies that will give you an edge over a new graduate that has no experience whatsoever. Do some time as a tech in that ER. That will get your foot in the door. Then just go ahead and go for that ER job, since you like that kind of work and know you want to do it.

I am sorry you had to go through that. We all made at least one mistake at the start of our career. It is scary. To have someone bring it up a year later, and talk about you behind your back to others, is what some have termed horizontal violence. It's bullying, and our profession is rife with it. You did the right thing. You confronted her. Bullies typically only respond to a show of strength. Hang in there! As you've seen already, not all your co-workers will be bullies. Many of them will be supportive to a green nurse. :wink2:

I used to get aggravated with people's ignorance about what nurses really do. Now, I just ignore their comments. It's not worth getting mad over. And you will not convince them differently, so don't try. Save yourself the energy and don't bother getting aggravated. Simply respond with, "Hmm. I have not found that to be true at all. Let's not bother talking about this. It's too complicated for you to understand." That usually at least shuts down the ignorant comments. Believe me, you will not change someone's mind if it is already made up. It is a frustrating waste of your time and energy.

I am so sorry. Get the extension on your student loan. Find whatever job you can right now until all this blows over. AND write that congressman and tell him like it is (in a diplomatic way). Over the years, I have learned to turn my anger into action and write my representatives on issues I am passionate about. We ALL need to do that, or they will do what they want. There is a website up where you can find your representatives in the House and Senate and email them. I think it's Congress.org. Or just type in Congress, and this site should come up. Good luck!

I carry it. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. It's cheap. NSO has a good program. That's what I carry. But DON'T tell anybody you've got it!

Some of these stories are really sad! Love the one about the rectum being as stage IV! Hope that nurse has learned some anatomy since then! The one about the meds being initialed...can totally see that happening, too, in LTC. I can remember DRIVING to the drug store to PICK UP meds that the drug store just didn't want to be bothered with delivering. Of course, management needs to KNOW the drug is out of stock in order to get it. I have been left with unreported transfusion reactions, which really burns me:angryfire because it's company policy to stop the transfusion and call blood bank IMMEDIATELY and then the doctor. Yes, I think we have all followed some winners in our careers. It still sucks, though, because WE are the ones who get to spend half our shifts cleaning up their messes. I have seen pts given coumadin the night before a heart cath because....it was ordered. Needless to say, a full day spent giving vitamin K and drawing follow-up INR's just to have the cath delayed till the next day. I think I dropped to my knees and said a prayer of thanks that I looked at the MAR from the day before after seeing it on the home med list. That situation could have resulted in a death. I am not Supernurse by any stretch of the imagination, but I do try to give the best care I can give with the time and resources I have been allotted. Unfortuantely, some nurses just don't seem to care anymore. At least they are in the minority. Most nurses I know really do care. Of course, we all make mistakes. If we ever run across someone who hasn't made a mistake, he or she has probably not been working.

I just saw this thread. I've noticed I'm not as patient as I used to be. The pace has gotten so hectic that most nights we really do not stop. I feel pulled in fifty different directions most of the time. The paperwork has gotten so redundant and takes almost more time than the patient care does. Add to that the fact that our computers go down, our hand-helds that we have to use to give meds go down at the drop of a hat....well, I'm sure you get the picture. People have nasty attitudes these days, too. I've had visitors get literally up in my face about things that I did not even do because they were mad at the nurse on the previous shift. Also, I DO NOT want to work overtime. Three 12-hour shifts is PLENTY and I do not need or want the extra money bad enough to do four shifts in a row. I'm tired! I used to love nursing. Now I don't even want to get out of bed in on my days off. I just really don't want any human interaction at all. I'm not angry these days. I'm sad. Nothing is going to change in Mississippi. There won't be a union here. People get fired for even saying the word. I guess I should be grateful that I have job with livable working conditions. I'm just tired and trapped. I can't see a way out and it makes me exhausted. Why go somewhere else? I've done all that. It's the same old crap anywhere else you go.

Here's mine: "No, a hamburger does not qualify as a "snack", especially when the cafeteria is closed (it's midnight, HELLO!). BTW, pt just got finished eating a full supper tray at 9:00 p.m.

PLEASE START DOCUMENTING! You need dates, times, and any witnesses. Sit down and document them! Especially document your interview in which this NM asked about your race (BIG NO-NO!) and stated that calling in to take care of children annoys her (discrimination against people with children). Write this down. Call a lawyer who specializes in labor law. You could possibly have grounds for a lawsuit. I wouldn't want to go that route, but you need real legal advice about how to handle this situation without it getting uglier than it already has. You also want to make sure that this horrible experience does not haunt you when you search for another job. It sounds to me like your NM does not know the law (what a surprise in OUR profession NOT!) and is banking on your not knowing it either. Do some soul-searching about whether or not to actually sue. This information does get out in the community and you don't want to be wrongly labeled a litigious trouble-maker. None of the things you've done have resulted in harm. Nurses do make mistakes. No, you are not paranoid. Your NM IS out to get you because she doesn't want to pay maternity leave. This means they are not going to be treating you any better once the baby is born. You probably have enough to show cause right now, but you need to write EVERYTHING down with times and dates. Get legal advice and see about obtaining letters of recommendation from others besides your NM to show to other prospective employers. It's time for you to leave a paper trail. I was kicked to the curb after surgery (it was a big one) because the doctor would not release me to go back to work after four weeks. I did not pursue it. I probably should have and wish that I had now. They didn't fire me. They "filled my position to serve the needs of the elders" was how they put it. Never mind I gave them 14 hours a day 6 days a week of my life (on salary). Get REAL REPRESENTATION and show your teeth. Find out your options before you take any major actions. And by all means, GET OUT OF THERE! You're working for bad people.

What a wonderful summation of working in LTC. I also worked in LTC and miss it. I found my clinical skills in critical care, but I really found my soul in LTC. I had moments like that, too, and am thinking about going back. I miss working with elders. It is more challenging and rewarding than people think it is. Thank you so much for writing such a beautiful post. It was a shot in the arm for me!

So sorry. My heart goes out to you. Yes, you are exhausted and in burnout. Is there any way you could cut your hours back and see if that helps? I've been there. I think we all get burned out in this job, and that it is cyclical. I've burned out several times and come back from it by doing certain things. I switched jobs for a while, until I figured out I was still burned out and was simply finding a change of scenery. If you can, cut back on your hours. Sit down with a pen and a piece of paper and make a list of pro's and con's of your present job. Then make a list of things you like to do and what interests you. Finally, most importantly, make a list of things you DO NOT want to do and are NOT WILLING to do. Start getting more sleep because you are definitely sleep deprived. Sit down and talk to your spouse about how you're feeling and see what kind of input she has for you. Even with school, she might be able to help a little. Don't judge yourself for how you feel. You're human. We are supposed to be professionals, not martyrs. Find an interest outside of work and make some time for it at least once a week. Try to surround yourself with positive people. After you do all this, take a step back and see if it's time for a job change. I hope that helps. These things worked for me, but everybody's different. Things will probably ease up when your wife graduates, too. It's stressful to go to school, and it's stressful for the family. Good, and necessary, but still stressful.