Stress and Nursing

TexasPediRN · Oct 17, 2005

Nursing is stressful. Any nurse will tell you that at some point in their career (or many times) they have wanted to rip out their hair or yell at an incompetent person.

Heres my list of the good and the bad..From the perspective of a Peds Nurse:

The Bad:

PITA doctors (pain in the..ya know)

Too many patients, not enough nurses

Working in these conditions day after day (see above)

Charting! (nursing is 75% charting, 20% patient care, and 5% who knows what)

Getting screamed at by patients family members

Patients family members, or worse yet, patients parents.

The 5 year old who fell out of the window and ended up in ICU since nobody was watching him…

The 3 week old who was dropped on her head and had bilateral subdural bleeds and a large skull fracture who I subsequently had to transfer somewhere else more equipped to deal with her injuries.. (first and only time I almost broke down at work)

Patients who think they are you’re only concern, and who only want you when you are trying to console above patients family while preparing to send their child by ambulance to another hospital. (thank you to the nurses aides who deal with said patients)

The Wonderful!:

Awesome doctors to work with

Awesome nurses

Nurses who bake (treats are always good)

Nurses who will help you and teach you

Knowing you made a difference

Teaching a nursing student or new grad a skill- what an awesome feeling.

Watching them perform the skill correctly

Thank you’s (they are few and far between)

A family member apologizing to you for being an a** to you previously in the shift (HAH)

Knowing you are right

Someone telling you that you’re right

Having a child draw you a picture

Having said child tell you that they love you

Making the ‘owie’ go away with a spiderman or carebear bandaid.

Watching the tears fade away and the smile break through

Being done on time

Holding the little babies when parents go off the floor for a much needed break.( all stress melts away when you look into their eyes)

Reading a book to a patient (yes we have time to do it!-its just extremely rare)

Having the nursing supervisor tell you ‘you are the only one who can argue with me and I still like you afterwards” (best compliment EVER!)

Having the crazy patient tell you that ‘You have beautiful hair, just like a model” (keep those compliments comin..!)

Having wonderful nurses aides on the floor who help out your patients while you're trying to get a hold of a doctor for the third time that night..

I know I had more but i lost it all trying to post the first time, so this is the 2nd try..

Anyway- the good list can go on forever..and should. You always have to think about the good to get through the bad.

nursing is stressful, and anyone will tell you that. But its also rewarding in a way that words cant describe.

I recommend trying it, and if you dont like it, at least you can say you tried. I love nursing, and dont regret it for a moment. Despite all of the 'bad' , the 'good' is just the most rewarding thing in the world...

Good Luck!

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To the world you may just be one person; to one person, you may just be the world"

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KatieBell · Oct 18, 2005

Part of nursing school should teach you how to deal with stress- so you don't lose your composure.

But to be honest it is really stressful. really very stressful. It comes from all angles, management, our co-workers and our patients.

Of course, there are several routes to take in a nursing career, and you could find yourself working in some lower stress areas.

I'd discuss with your professors your reaction to stress and see if they can't give you some guidance.

RudyMvp1 · Oct 18, 2005

Heck,,,im allready stressing out cuz i got a letter from the college that i start the ADN program in summer 06. Now im freakin out! Im not sure why,,,ive been on the waiting list and now the reality has set in that...its really happening...

Tweety, BSN, RN · Oct 18, 2005

Dealing with the stress of nursing is something you are going to have to develop.

It's good that you are aware of your weaknesses. Nursing school is not the real world stress of nursing. You'll find that out when you are own your own later. Knowing you don't handle stress well is step #1. You'll find out what works for you and how to deal with it.

I stumbled many times along the way in dealing with the stress of nursing and every now and then still have a meltdown, or express stress inappropriately. Interestingly enough I'm calm during a code or during a bleedout or critical situation. It's just the daily grind that sometimes gets to me. But learning to deal with the stress was a learned process for me, and sounds like will be for you do.

Just don't give into the self-concept "I'm no good under stress" because you're setting youreself up to fail.

nicunana · Oct 18, 2005

I see at least 2 red flags in your post.

1. You know that you do not handle stress well.

2. You aren't really sure why you wanted to be a nurse in the first place, other than you enjoy working with people.

Given those two facts, I think you would be wise to pursue a less stressful, but still interactive, profesion. How about something to do with travel? People who are on vacation would really enhance their experience by interacting with a "people person" like you.

Nursing is tough enough (albeit very rewarding at times) when you have a burning desire to be a nurse. I can't even imagine dealing with all the stress if that burning desire isn't there.

I think you are smart to realize this now, so that you can redirect your efforts before wasting any more time in a profession that you will very likely leave in your first year on the job.

Good luck to you-- and hold out for something that ignites your passion. Somebody (I don't remember who) said "Find something you love to do, and then get someone to pay you for it." That sounds like excellent advice to me!

flaerman · Oct 18, 2005

Stress is an inherent part of life irregardless of whatever you do in both your professional and personal life as well. There are always bills to pay, family and personal issues, everyday life/issues etc. Life is what you make out of it and handling stress in some form or another will always be a part of it. You say that the stress helps you with the book/learning aspect of school and if that's the case then turn it to your advantage when you start clinicals. The first few times are scary but it does and will get better. Do very good data collection and patient preparation prior to clinical, TALK to your patients(not at them) and listen to them-talk to them in terms they will understand(a lot of what we learn has some big and words associated with them and you're not impressing your patients when you use these words while talking to them, only either confusing them or making them feel stupid), and listen to your patients(what they say and don't say, look for non-verbals clues that they may have pain, anxiety etc). A good rule of thumb I have found is to treat your patients the same way that you would want yourself and/or your family/loved ones treated. Don't be afraid to ask questions, it's always better to ask questions first if unsure then to do something stupid or detrimental to your patients. Use your instructors as a resource(that's his/her job, plus you're under their license too) and the nurses on the floor too(now on occasion you can find some Nurse Ratchet type who may resent students but thats because they have forgotten that RN wasn't on their birth certificate and that they too were once students). Also network with your fellow students, see if there's something they are doing that may help you or something you are doing that may help them(you're all in the same boat).

I have been an RN for over 20 yrs in a variety of hospital based settings in 3 states and wouldn't trade it for anything. I have laughed, cried, had good days and a few bad ones as well in nursing over things on the job, but I have done my job to the best to my ability at all times and my patients have benefited from this. No matter what you do there will always be a day from "HELL" but if you work together as team(and survive the day) or die as a group. The beauty of nursing is there are so many things you can do within it, while in clinical start thinking what type of nursing you might want to, you can move from one area/specialty to another(find what works for you). I have friends and colleagues involved in just about every aspect of nursing that you can think. I myself have work M/S, Oncology, PCU, ICU, ER, and now am an Administrative Nursing Supervisor(there are good days and days I want to run screaming from the building, but I LOVE it) Sorry for the rant, but hope that some what I said helps you, if you ever need to rant or some advice feel free to PM me, I love working with students. :) Paul:)

AMARTIN1 · Oct 18, 2005

Everyone has pretty much summed up everything!!! You should be proud of yourself for questioning your decision and I agree that if you're not sure why you want to be a nurse, go no further until you do more research. I have days where I would love to crawl back in bed and ask myself why? but I too love nursing and the personal rewards from it. I work with adults and those simple thank you's and seeing someone leave for home is a great feeling!! You learn to deal with stress once your out on your own and it's challenging but can be done. If you do pusue nursing, do alot of observing and see how others handle their jobs and stress in the nursing field. Good luck to you in your decision. You will know whats right and your already on the right track. GOd Bless:icon_hug: