This is the end of this nightmare for me!!

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Specializes in Med-surg/oncology.

Hello fellow nurses;

I wrote in earlier about my interest in switching to HH from Med/Surg. I have been trying to put in applications around my area and making phone calls but all in vain. I was hoping i will hang onto my night mare job as i look around but last night pushed me to the wall. I can't take the stress of it all; the frustration of being overworked, unappreciated and worst of all working in an unsafe enviroment and providing paper work care instead of the patient care that my patients deserve. I can't take the stress and constant fear and palpitations i get each time my phone rings and i think my manager is calling me in for a grave error i could have made. I am sick and tired of 95 % of the times i work crazy assignments and don't even have a minute all night to find out why my pt is NPO or why they had the surgery they did and hence giving crapy report to the on-coming nurse. I am sooo exhausted by all that and devastated that i have to let this job that i thought would be my dream career go :cry: but i feel like it is the sanest thing to do in order to preserve my intergrity, licence and love for nursing. I would rather spend 5min listening to my pt's concerns about their diagnosis than 15min trying to figure out why the printer is jammed and won't print out the MARS; or 10min giving my pt a bath than running around to get other departments to do their jobs so i can do mine.

I have written out a 2 paged letter to my manager only because i need not to BS my way out but leave knowing that i have been pushed to the limit and have let them know about it ( Of course they don't give a #$@& but it feels right to me). I plan to hand it in this coming monday and i am scared to death especially since i don't have a plan B at this moment. I have a pending HH application and i am waiting and praying for a miracle that i get the job. But like my fiance said this morning as i :crying2: my way through the letter writing, i need to protect my career and not my job and that i deserve better.

Pleaaaeaase, somebody, anybody send me your thoughts on all this; whatever advice you might have will be appreciated.

I would like to believe that where there's a will, there's a way!

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Specializes in cardiac.

It seems like you work in a real messed up place.You might want to look outside medsurg, such as home health the way you are doing.alot of people go into medsurg, but you have to get proper training, and that usually takes place in teaching hospitals or large hospitals. what part of the country are you located? You can try a travel assignment with an agency or you can try a different specialty. good luck to you, but remember not all hospitals are the same. some treat their staff with alot more dignity.

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Specializes in Med-surg/oncology.

Thanks KCIN for your reply. I am in the San Francisco bay area and yes i have tried the travel agencies but most say they don't have HH positions. I haven't given up yet and i am still trying other places. I am working at a large teaching hospital which is undergoing a lot of inspections for several issues and we are paying the price for it.

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You realize that you may be unemployed for a very, very long time by resigning your job in the Bay area. Do not do this without giving it a great deal of thought. Good luck.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Home Health.

OMG, you sound EXACTLY like I did just 2 weeks ago. I found myself usually not having an answer to my patients' questions because I never had the time to review any chart. We worked on skeleton crew and lacked supplies, pharmacy was always late delivering medications, etc. I couldnt take it anymore and when a HH position came open I ran like the wind. I was gaining weight because of the stress (and it was unusually high stress). I started having anxiety attacks, came home upset every day because I just couldnt take it anymore. I just dont think ANY job is worth it. Good luck in finding a job that you can have peace.

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Specializes in Med/Surg,OR,Pain Management,Home Health.

Wow this sounds like a job I had several years ago in a small hospital, I worked 3-11 shift, by the time I got finished trying to care for my patients, who by the way had not had very good care during the day, I was working until 1-2 am on the charting, GOSH, I couldn't take it either and quit after only 2 months. And I had 12 years in MS. It was a NIGHTMARE for me too! Have you tried to talk to the super? Tell her/him that you don't feel comfortable, or will it be wasted time? I did, and she told me, well......we'll see what we can do...blah blah blah. hey or tell them you want to cut back to a few days a week, and look for other opportunities.....if not, then you know what you have to do to protect your sanity and license. Good luck!

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Specializes in Med-surg/oncology.

Hi guys;

Thanks for all your responses. I called off since that night and had 3 off days so i have kinda digested things a little. I am going to get more aggressive at finding that HH job that i want and give in my resignation letter after i get another job. With most of your advice and that of other friends i have decided it might not be very smart idea to quit before i find something else. But i don't know if i will be feeling the same way tomorrow because when i wrote that letter i did not care what happens and i feel that way a lot. I am tone between hanging in there until i get a nother job at the expense of possibly losing my license and running while i can and hope for the best.:confused:

I have talked to my manager in the past about cutting my hours down but apparantly there's a hiring freeze which has affected transfers and any kinda changes within the hospital ,soo.. And oh, he says i should "be patient, help is coming soon"...yeah right.

Anyhow, i really appreciate your advice and please keep them coming. If you live in the San Francisco Bay area and you have any ideas about HH positions please let me know. I will keep you'll updated on things.

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.

wow... I'm so sorry scoloya.. what a nightmare indeed. And exactly why I won't work in a hospital these days. You stated ALL the reasons. No way, no how.

Hang in there, and keep pounding the ground... something will turn up for you. (((hugs)))

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.
Hi guys;

Thanks for all your responses. I called off since that night and had 3 off days so i have kinda digested things a little. I am going to get more aggressive at finding that HH job that i want and give in my resignation letter after i get another job. With most of your advice and that of other friends i have decided it might not be very smart idea to quit before i find something else. But i don't know if i will be feeling the same way tomorrow because when i wrote that letter i did not care what happens and i feel that way a lot. I am tone between hanging in there until i get a nother job at the expense of possibly losing my license and running while i can and hope for the best.:confused:

I have talked to my manager in the past about cutting my hours down but apparantly there's a hiring freeze which has affected transfers and any kinda changes within the hospital ,soo.. And oh, he says i should "be patient, help is coming soon"...yeah right.

Anyhow, i really appreciate your advice and please keep them coming. If you live in the San Francisco Bay area and you have any ideas about HH positions please let me know. I will keep you'll updated on things.

This seems like a very wise decision right now.

The only thing i would like to add is in refernce to your resignation letter. For your own sake, keep it short and simple. Something to the effect on how it was a pleasure working there and circumstances make it necessary for you to resign. You will need them for future references and you cannot burn any bridges, as years down the line it may come back to haunt you for anything you put in that resignation letter. If the manager is interested in knowing your reason for resigning, you will be asked and can answer it verbally (although I wouldn't recommend it either); but, never put it in writing.

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Specializes in Pediatric home health, LTC,.

I have been in this position. Please pick up Tony Beshara's book, "The Job Search Solution", or "Acing the Interview" by the same author. Don't schedule another interview until you read one of them. Job change is very difficult now and these books give you the right way to handle the blood-chilling questions concerning why you left your last job. He covers tons of situations and how to handle them and convince the interviewer you are the candidate they can't live without! Best of luck to you!

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Specializes in Med-surg/oncology.

Ohhh! Guys, you are sooooo appreciated for your advice and i will be thinking about what you all have said every step of the way. God bless y'all:icon_hug:

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Specializes in Oncology, Triage, Tele, Med-Surg.

Scoloya,

I feel for you and hope & pray you find the perfect job. I like the team of nurses I work with and our hospital is nice - but Med/surg load/pace is wearing me out & I've been wondering about HH myself. Please keep us posted.

Good luck:redbeathe

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