The Worst Nursing Job You Ever Had

JazzyRN · Dec 31, 2009

CNMC. worked in the pediatric ICU. it was grossly understaffed with high pt acuity. nurses would take 3 patients regularly and it was very unsafe. you rarely got lunch. coworkers were all so busy, it was hard to get help or relief. i would feel sick and anxious prior to each shift i work and found myself praying to make it through the shift. luckily it was only a travel assignment with and not a real job for me. i pray that things are better over there now for the sake of the nurses and their patients.

VICEDRN, BSN, RN · Dec 31, 2009

Grady Memeorial Hospital.... Why? every reason you can think of.

uhhh...can you be more specific? Its, uh, kind of really relevant to me this semester.

TIA

Trauma Columnist · Dec 31, 2009

First, please do not list particular hospitals!

My worst job was on a med-surg floor where we worked 8 hour shifts and worked all three shifts in one week!!! It was brutal.

sharpeimom · Dec 31, 2009

my worst job was on a med-surg floor where we worked 8 hour shifts and worked all three shifts in one week!!! it was brutal.

i absolutely hated that! :down: :down: :down: :down: :down: :down:

kathy

shar pei mom:paw::paw:

oneLoneNurse · Dec 31, 2009

OSU rehab as a traveller. I am male and encountered whiplash sitting at a stop sign in Columbus. The regular staff made the worst assignments for travelling nurses and noone cared that I had injured my back. I was forced to continue doing alot of heavy lifting. At the end of my time at OSU the nurse manager told me I had not done a good job then invited me to stay on. They acted surprised that I would not.

:yawn:

Schmoo1022 · Dec 31, 2009

It seems to be a trend...understaffed, bad management, crazy hours. Most nurses LOVE the nursing part and it is all the crap we need to go through to do our job well

coffee4metech · Jan 1, 2010

The worst is when there is NO teamwork and a lack of respect for each other ..... that will bring a whole unit down!!!

LeLeeFNP · Jan 1, 2010

OP, can you tell us why you want to get out of nursing if you think you job is pretty good?

My worst job has to be the job i am working now which is med-surg. I hate it because there is not enough time to do anything. we are constantly rushing and doing things half way just to get it done. i don't feel like you should be forced to take short cuts when these are people's lives you are dealing with. but what can you do when you have 7 patients who all need and want you at once? This is the reason i am leaving med-surg. I'm running like h-e double hockey sticks and never looking back.

coffeentea · Jan 1, 2010

Ortho/ Rehab lots of heavy lifing also heart breaking for patients with pathological fractures.

sunnycalifRN · Jan 1, 2010

Heh heh. I've only been a nurse for three years. This is my first and only job and it's pretty good. Just looking for reasons to count my blessings...

I've only had my current job in a med-surg ICU and it's great. Great management, great co-workers, some great patients. Compared to all the misery I read about on this site, I consider myself very lucky!

firstyearstudent · Jan 1, 2010

There are a couple of reasons why I want to get out of bedside nursing, despite having a relatively cushy job (I'm on BMT and our population is mostly independent and our ratio is 1:3).

I'm in my 40s and already feeling like I might not be able to do this when I'm 60 and there is no way in heck I'm going to be able to retire at that age.

Salary ceiling.

Fear of making a stupid mistake and being fired. (Someone on our unit gave a patient the wrong chemo -- terminated!).

The constantly sacrificing. (Holding my bowels for hours, not getting a break to eat, etc. Why is this considered okay?)

The lack of respect from administration, other healthcare workers, patients, doctors, the public.

I have a BA and an ADN and the work required to get a master's degree in nursing just sounds like too much. I'm thinking it would be easier to get a master's degree in public health. Then maybe I could do something like diabetes education.

LeLeeFNP · Jan 1, 2010

"I really hate to be a party pooper, but can we start off the new year on a positive note. How about "Best Nursing Job You Ever Had?" "

- Why not start a new thread for this. I believe this one is meant for those of us that want to vent. After all, that is what this site is all about, having discussions, whether they be positive or negative.