Watkinsrn10

I feel the same way, I love the ER, I come home and watch trauma Life in the ER after work, I love the blood the guts the craziness but I HATE HATE HATE the tasking. Whenever I am in the regular 4-6 patient room assignments, I don't even have time to care about what the patient is telling me, all I am focusing on is what needs to go in the computer, what labwork I need to draw, if my patient is breathing or not next door, and whether they need 2 IVs or one, ISTATS ran, urine dipped, etc etc. They start telling me more and I have to not care and interrupt to ask the next question that is needed for their triage or else I will get behind. I feel like the only way to be happy at your job as an RN is to not give a crap and turn off your emotions completely which I am unable to do. I have never felt this burnout and never ever thought I would be the one to get burned out. All I ever wanted to be was a nurse and this is just depressing. I literally googled. "why do I hate being a nurse" and this feed popped up. I agree that maybe when we start feeling this way, we need a new environment. At least we have this option. I guess we also need to just be our own cheerleaders and keep telling ourselves we are doing a good job even when others aren't and then appreciate those wonderful patients who do say thank-you and who do appreciate us. God help us all, and good luck to us all

I know exactly what you mean. It is so difficult when someone who you are trying to help is deliberately being rude to you. I can't wrap my head around it. I don't know if you are a woman of faith, but what gets me through is knowing that Jesus dealt with all types of people and always did so with a heart of love and forgiveness. He even forgave those who were hanging him on the cross. I try to go through my day knowing that I am doing the Lord's work and not my own, and then you get those super sweet patients who truly are sick and who are so thankful to have you as a good nurse that makes it all worthwhile. Another thing that really helps is reading Chicken Soup For the Nurses Soul. It is a good reminder of why we became nurses and gives good stories of times where other nurses have made a difference and you do too every day, it's just those aweful patients that seem to stick out. Another thing I have learned is don't let them walk all over you or you will get burned out quick. Some people you just can't make happy and that isn't your fault. Others are just abusing the system, and that isn't your fault either. Just provide them good safe care and that is all you are required to do. It isn't McDonald's have it your way, it's do what they need to stabilize them and provide them the care that is required and from there they can just well....suck it up. Lol It is impossible to please everyone

Thanks so much, that seriously makes me feel better. I think I am being too hard on myself. I just want to do my best and do what is best for the patient, but with 4 level 2 patients, it is definitely tough to keep up with everyone. I am 26, with 4 yrs of experience so yes every day is still a learning experience. Just hoping to never screw up enough to end up in patient harm... :/.. so scary!

What I have the hardest time with is knowing what to say. I have been to Haiti where the people there would kill just for a drink of water let alone a doctor who would see them and treat their needs. Coming home from that to these selfish people is almost unbearable. If i hear "I'm starving, I haven't eaten all day.." One more time...all I want to say is "try going to Haiti and not eating for a week!!!!!"

I have been an ER nurse for over 4 years now. I started out in a level 3 small, low acuity setting then went to a struggling level 2 trying to obtain Level 2 trauma status who finally did and came a long way but either way it was a painful process...and now a travel nurse on my first assignment at a Level 1 teaching hospital. Everyone tells me I do a great job but I consistently feel incompetent. I do really well at making the patient feel comfortable and important and providing for their basic needs and I love doing that but when I start to get 4 super sick, high acuity patients that I am trying to care for, I don't feel like I am doing enough or like I am missing something. I get so task oriented that I forget the small stuff, like starting Heparin on a bilateral PE pt and not realizing that coag studies hadn't even been drawn yet, thank God the nurse signing off with me noticed it. Or having platelets ordered and then total brain fart as to how fast they go in, do I hang it with blood tubing and document like I am giving blood, they are A pos but B pos PLTs were ordered then I get so anxious I have another brain fart and can't remember what Rh types are compatible with one another, so I google it. I never do anything without being sure but still I just feel like I should know this stuff and I never feel like I know enough, I am constantly scared I am going to kill someone.....maybe it is still just because I am in a new environment, I just feel like everyone looks at me as a travel nurse and expects me to know everything. Any suggestions or encouragement would be great. Struggling.. another thing, all I have ever done is ER, maybe I am missing the floor nurse nack for noticing the "not what is right here right now" kind of stuff...