So you don't like Nursing? Let's fix it!

[BusinessGrad]

I have been a loyal user of this website for quite a long time, but I didn't sign up for an account until a few months back. Just for reference, I will be starting my BSN program Fall 2010.

Anyway, with all that being said, I noticed a huge trend of people complaining that they hate their job and hate the field of nursing. There seems to be a significant amount of complaints no matter what the topic is. So, I had an idea. Tell us on this thread, what would you do specifically to fix the problems with Nursing? I can almost guarantee that a site this large has a huge number of influential people in the medical profession who peruse this website and might just latch on to some of your ideas and help ensure that they finally get put in place to help future generations of Nursing professionals. Even if that does not happen, hopefully this thread will help all nurses think about problems in a way that they haven't in the past by listening to all of the great and diverse ideas. All it takes is one little snowball getting rolled down a hill to turn into a huge boulder. Is this a cheesy way of describing this? It sure is, but I think that by offering real-life suggestions for improvements, maybe one day the profession can become even greater than it already is and this may also be slightly therapeutic for some of you.

So, what do you dislike about Nursing and the more important question, what is a reality-based way of fixing these problems that you list? Everyone have a good day!

[Riseupandnurse]

Two words. Wouldn't cost a dime. Visiting hours.

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

My biggest complaint would be the paperwork. We are so bussy documenting what we did, it takes forever to go on to the next step. It seems nursing's answer to EVERYTHING is to slap a form over it. If a patient complains about something.......slap a form on it to prove it was done from now on. If radiology claims we take too long to get patients to their test after they call........make a form recording the time of the call on it. Case Management doesnt want to go through charts looking for what they need to know.........have the nurses fill out forms for them. Now most hospitals even have a form we have to do for transporters. It never ends. This is mostly the result of amateur/detached leadership.

The solution is simple. First, go back to documentation being focused on communication, not lawsuit prevention. Second, stop giving administrative jobs to people who are not capable of directing the facility with means other than "hey, slap a form on it" thinking.