BlackieRN

Brazuca- has your facility never heard of LIFTS. SARA, LIKO, HOYER,etc. No one should be carrying a pt from a bed to a chair!!

sonia211- I am a bedside RN and I LOVE my job!!! I have been at the same hospital for >10 years. I work in a small, rural, union organized hospital. I believe people should get in to Nursing when they have had a "calling" to it. I knew I wanted to be a nurse when I was 15, I have never had a problem with poop, vomit, blood, etc.... and I loved taking care of people. I can care for ANY patient as long as I feel nurtured, by my home life, my work life(co-workers understand what you are dealing with better than anyone), AND by Admin!!! But you are right, when a nurse is not respected in her job by the patient, administration or physicians it makes the job much more difficult. Doing "waitress" type work is part of caring for your patient, doing "waitress" work for the visitors is good for the FACILITY. Unfortunately healthcare has become a business and EVERYONE but the bedside nurse is worried about the bottom line. The bedside nurse just wants what is best for her/his patient. So I think you need to figure out if it is Nursing you don't like OR if it is nursing in your current situation that you can't stand. I hope you find some peace and satisfaction soon-

Where do you live and work NayRN? $550 a week? No breaks? Are you protected by a union? Yes, nursing is a difficult job, demanding, sometimes unrewarding, but working for a hospital that does not support it's nurses is unacceptable and must be changed by the nursing staff. Unhappy nurses produce unsatisfactory nursing care. Nurses that are tired, overworked, and burned out make more mistakes, are less patient friendly and are less collaborative than nurses that are well supported by their employer. This is well researched and documented. I love bedside nursing, I work in a small hospital that is in financial trouble, staffing is tight, but we support each other, our CNO supports us. I am paid well for my time, overtime is highly discouraged, but not punished. Education is provided and encouraged. I was a LPN for 10 years and am a RN now for 3, all in this same facility. It is a union shop. The employer cannot screw us and we all work together to work things out. Maybe you need to move to a union protected facility. Maybe you would find joy again in your job.......