"You've never said you liked nursing." A vent.

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

Had a really tough shift the other day, and I brought it home. My husband asked me what was wrong, and I just rambled for 15 minutes. When I was done, he said to me, "You've never said you liked nursing."

He's right. I've never said that. Ever. I didn't even realize that I've never said it.

I've been on these boards since I was in nursing school. I read the descriptions of experiences by so many other posters, I talked to nurses in my family, and you never really get a good perspective on it. You think, "Maybe it's the facility; maybe it's the manager; maybe it's the unit."

I float now. Same ****; different place. Acute care floors are all the same.

Oh, yes. There are days where I feel like I truly cared for my patients and watched out for them. But those days are maybe one day a week, if I'm lucky. The rest of the time? I'm frustrated with so many things that end up sucking my time from taking care of patients. Vitals machines not working, glucometers not being docked in a timely fashion, meds missing that need to be tubed, orders put in by residents that need to be corrected or parameters entered, no one able to help on a complex sacral dressing change for a 400 pound patient because who has 30 minutes of spare time.

It's so difficult to find your niche in this profession without job hopping like crazy. I see posts by people who were miserable in one area, but found a job they love, and I'm happy for them. And jealous. There is one specialty unit I float to that I actually like, though. Hrmmm...

I have time off coming up in January, and I need it. I missed three weeks of work due to a medical condition that wasn't fun, but other than that, I haven't missed a single stinkin' day of work in the past 18 months, and I've not taken any PTO. Time to destress and consider my options.

This whole post is a ramble, but I just needed to get it off my chest. There's a lot more I want to say, but, quite frankly, I can imagine the posts I would read in response, and I'm just not putting it all out there. Anyway, thanks for reading!

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Rant away Dudette, my pal. All of what you wanted to say but didn't is true. The only way is out, somehow find a way out.

[debfeathers]

But isn't is a shame that almost every nurse you talk with, no matter where they are from or what area they are working the story is the same. I have worked 40 years and retired, but nothings changed. Why is that? My theroy. Too many Chief Nurses playing the good ole boy game to keep themselves safe at the top, and selling the staff down the river. Thoughts?

[barbyann]

Too many Chief Nurses playing the good ole boy game to keep themselves safe at the top, and selling the staff down the river. Thoughts?

Ain't that the truth!

[FLmed]

Just wanted you to know that I read your post. Sending you hugs.

[mspontiac]

I hate my job. I've been a nurse now for a year and a half, and I've been telling myself from the beginning that eventually I wouldn't be so stressed and I would learn to love it. Nope.

I work in a stroke unit on night shift. We are short several RNs and we only have one night tech. The nights she's off, we often work without a tech even though the matrix calls for one because the house officer says we don't really need one. We are expected to give half of the total care baths on night shift. So, for example, last week I had ALL of the total care pts as my assignments. That means in addition to caring for my duties as an RN for 5 pts, I'm bathing them too and also doing whatever duties that the tech cops an attitude about. And she has quite a big attitude a lot of the time.

I'm leaving nursing. I'm not going to jump all over the place and waste my time. I'm 43....I don't have time to waste. The whole culture of health care is cut-throat with short staffing no matter where you go. I've enrolled in a program at a local university and in 3 semesters, I'm looking for a job in a new career field.

[Mulan]

It's the same everywhere, different states, different hospitals, it's still the same ****, different place.

[Anoetos, BSN, RN]

And yet...

...if you say you're in it for the money and the security, you get piled on.

[Mulan]

And yet...

...if you say you're in it for the money and the security, you get piled on.

So everyone lies and says they love, love, love it?

[Anoetos, BSN, RN]

So everyone lies and says they love, love, love it?

Can't speak for anyone else, I've had worse jobs...I don't dread going to work and I have had jobs like that, but it's not the "wonderful world of care" some present it as being...

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

And yet...

...if you say you're in it for the money and the security, you get piled on.

I am in it for the money and the health insurance!!!!!! If I didn't get that, I would go work in retail or back to an easier office or restaurant job ( like the easy ones I have had before)! I am not ashamed of that or saying that to ANYONE who asks. I have reservations, obviously, about revealing it in real life, but to family and friends and some coworkers, I do not hide it if asked out right. It is A JOB. One of the reasons, if not the top reason, I like it is because of the PAY, the second top reason ( sometimes first) is because of 3 twelves. It is the same bs everywhere but some places have more of it than others. When we are fully staffed and the aides do their job it is such a world of difference. i have had HORRIBLE shifts where everything goes wrong with patients, but if I am working with a good crew, it is WORLD of difference. I don't care if they are in nursing to save the world or what, all I ask is for competent NON LAZY PEOPLE. Aides and nurses who will help you without going off for having to get off their butts to change a pt " not in their assignment". The point of a job for the majority of people IS for the pay and insurance. Any job from dog walker, to general surgeon to accountant. People get jobs to pay the billsl

[JBudd, MSN]

I know the current culture is tough, and there is much to complain of, and I am afraid it is only going to keep getting worse. Our little community hospital got taken over, and corporate thinking has taken over.

That said, I like nursing. I like what I do, although there are times when I can't take as much time to do it as I might like. Even the annoying and frustrating episode with the obnoxious drunk I ended up putting in restraints last night, didn't ruin my whole night.