ljb2584

I have been an RN for about two years now. My fiance is in the military so we have moved around a bit. So in the last two years I have been through four hospital orientations. I understand that there is a nursing shortage, and during your interview, the nurse manager will say that her unit is always staffed properly, blah blah blah. "4-5 pts per nurse, one tech for every 10 pts." But as soon as I start my new job, same ol' ****. 6 pts a piece, lucky if you have one tech on the floor. im working on a medcine stepdown/tele floor currently. i was told the ratio was 1 : 4. and one tech for 9 pts. but this is not the case. im frustrated because i feel as if im not giving good pt care. for example, last night 3 out 5 of my pts were incont. of stool and i was not able to keep them clean and turned because so many other things were going on. there were only 2 techs for 36 pts, so i was basically on my own. it sucked, and i felt like crying. i really feel like giving up on nursing. is this really what i spent 4 years in school for and now $50,000 in debt? any suggestions, or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

i usually have 6-7 patients, which is tough sometimes. A lot of the people I work with are moody and have terrible attitudes. I have always been overly sensitive, so I take everything personal. So i tend to dwell on things that i probably shouldnt. I like working nights because I think that overall its the least stressful shift. I have worked day shift and theres just too much going on. and I like the 12's because I like only having to be at work 3 days a week. I am definitely gonna go talk with my doctor asap. thanks so much for your advice.

Hi everyone - I have been a nurse for about two years. I have always had some anxiety before going into work, but recently it has been getting really bad. I started my new job about 6 months ago on a med/surg floor working 3 12's, 7p-7a. I absolutely HATE it. I feel like I cant handle the stress of my responsibilities at times. Recently I was driving to work and I almost had to pull my car over because I was hyperventilating and my heart was racing and I felt like I was going to vomit. Usually I am okay once I get moving on my unit. But its the few hours before my shift when I feel horrible anxiety and sick to my stomach. Anyone else ever experience this? Should I be considering a career change? Thanks so much.