Soo tired of bedside...

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It has been 10 years since I graduated nursing school and have been working at the bedside in a hospital setting. Needless to say, bedside nurses experience burnout on all different levels, emotionally, spiritually, and physically! I'd say that I love my job and love helping patients and families in times of great need. Its perhaps the purest form of helping people in an occupation which is why I was drawn to nursing in the first place. However, while doing this for 10 years, it becomes so draining when having to deal with staffing issues, micromanaging, pressing demands from hospital administrators, as well as workplace violence from patients. I feel at a crossroads where I know staying in the hospital will eventually eat at me alive the way things are going. What are your thoughts on this? Do you have guys have similar views? Did you feel bedside is for you anymore?

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It has been 10 years since I graduated nursing school and have been working at the bedside in a hospital setting. Needless to say, bedside nurses experience burnout on all different levels, emotionally, spiritually, and physically! I'd say that I love my job and love helping patients and families in times of great need. Its perhaps the purest form of helping people in an occupation which is why I was drawn to nursing in the first place. However, while doing this for 10 years, it becomes so draining when having to deal with staffing issues, micromanaging, pressing demands from hospital administrators, as well as workplace violence from patients. I feel at a crossroads where I know staying in the hospital will eventually eat at me alive the way things are going. What are your thoughts on this? Do you have guys have similar views? Did you feel bedside is for you anymore?

I'm eight years in and feeling no burnout, but I've never felt spiritual or emotional about my work.

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What sour lemon said... I'm fortunate in some ways that this is a well paying job for me, not a calling or spiritually fulfilling endeavor. That's a lot to put on a job.

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I commend you for working eight years and not feeling emotional at least when things can go sour or work piles on. If I may ask, what area do you work in?

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Yes, putting a calling spiritually is a lot to place on a job but there are others that have had a calling that place a great emphasis on their work and feel some type deep connection to their job.

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I commend you for working eight years and not feeling emotional at least when things can go sour or work piles on. If I may ask, what area do you work in?

I've worked (or currently work) med/surg, ortho, psych, and med surg for psych patients. I've definitely had hard working days and been piled on, I just don't attach much importance to it if that makes sense. When I leave work, I'm gone from work. I can actually forget access codes and such after being off for just a few days. That's how gone I am.

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Specializes in Neuroscience.

I don't remember any of my patient names and I know them by room number. I will chat and use therapeutic communication, discuss issues and foreseeable roadblocks to health, but I don't know their names.

Someone bounces back to PCU, my co-worker will tell me that Mr. X or Mrs. Y is back. I am clueless until they explain their diagnosis or issues. My first year I was so emotionally attached to everyone that I was mentally and physically exhausted, gained 30 pounds, and could not enjoy my days off. Now I do, and I don't know why not remember names helps, but it does.

I am sorry you are experiencing this. Perhaps you need to start looking at jobs available away from the bedside. Best wishes and I hope you can decompress some!

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.

Nursing is a broad field. Perhaps you just need to switch it up. I work private duty home care pediatrics, and I love it.

Find your niche.

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Specializes in LTC.
I'm eight years in and feeling no burnout, but I've never felt spiritual or emotional about my work.

You're a lemon tree! Of course you don't feel spiritual or emotional burn out! :roflmao:

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
Nursing is a broad field. Perhaps you just need to switch it up. I work private duty home care pediatrics, and I love it.

Find your niche.

Anen!

Sometimes you gotta kiss a lot of Warhols before you find your Rembrandt.

The first 20 years of my career, I work, in addition to psych, med surge, ER, home health, and administration. I've been at Wrongway Regional Medical Center for 15 years, predominately in geriatric psych, and I don't mind at all coming into work.

I too have to deal with short-staffing, administration's BS, and other things, but I like, sometimes love, the work I do, the patients, and coworkers.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

Whenever I have worked in any facility in which I felt the pressure to have

PASSION for being a NURSE, to further the cause of nurses everywhere, to

have a deep love for putting patients first and understanding the spiritual

CALLING that led me to pursuing the dream of nursing! i.e. when I worked

in the facility that was trying to achieve Magnet Status... That's when I

have felt the MOST burned out in my nursing career.

Especially since, in this facility, the nurses were overworked,

and the surgeons were treated like Gods.

I don't hate being a nurse, at least not anymore. I don't have

passion for my job as a nurse. I have learned that that is OK. I

do a good job, my patients are happy, they are well taken care

of. I go home knowing that I've done a good job. I totally

leave work at work. It has all done wonders for my burnout.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.
Anen!

Sometimes you gotta kiss a lot of Warhols before you find your Rembrandt.

Ayyy! Nothin' wrong with Warhol!

Edit: That image is way big and I can't get rid of it, sorry!

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