Was it easier to practice as a nurse back in the day?

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All of my nurse managers are nurses that had their licenses since the 70’s and 80’s. All are in different settings. One said she is counting down her days to retirement. She stated that home care visits were  so much easier to work before the government stepped in and demanded all of this paperwork.  Another manager said similar, that it’s the paperwork driving nurses away. 

Specializes in PICU, Pediatrics, Trauma.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of compassion fatigue out there now.  Partly I believe caused by the Covid situation and I also believe burnout due to chronic understaffing which has become worse due to Covid.  

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Well the percentage of new grad nurses who left the bedside within the first year was last measured to be about 57%.  And that was back in 2014.  A part of me feels bad because you will probably die from old age before you ever pay off your loans for a BSN from a private university.  The other part of me says that's the price you pay when you enter a profession solely thinking you are going to make all this money and that nurses don't do anything but sit at a desk for 12 hours 3 days a week.  You didn't do your research.  Now they are leaving their staff jobs to travel with same mindset and canceling the travel contract within the first week.  SMH.  Travelers get paid more for a reason!  Oftentimes you are treated worse than dog ***.  That's why you get paid more.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results each time.  Here's a piece of advice, from somebody who's being doing this for a few years.  The only way you are ever going to have the knowledge base that an "old grumpy nurse" has, is to work at the bedside for 20 years like the old grumpy nurses have done.  There is no degree, no certification, no class you can take to fast track experience.  That's why hospitals hate hiring us and like hiring new nurses, because for the price of 1 old nurse who is probably more knowledgeable than the nurse practitioner, you can hire 2 brand new nurses who know less than the CNA.

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I took out 1 loan for $10,000 when I was in nursing school and it took me 10 years to pay it off, and my payments were $250 a month.  If you have $100,000 in loans, multiply 250 by 10.  That's what you would have to pay every month to get that debt paid off in 10 years.  That's why hospitals are "requiring" nurses to get their bachelors degrees.  It's a money making scheme and the government is profiting from your loan debt.

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It's a disaster trust me.  And now covid is surging again the number of cases is up 10% from last week.  Let's pray for them.

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Call it whatever you want but first year in nursing school, we had 125 nursing students.  Only 30 of us graduated.  The ones who weren't cut out for nursing didn't graduate.  Not everybody got a trophy.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
41 minutes ago, YUKONrn said:

Well the percentage of new grad nurses who left the bedside within the first year was last measured to be about 57%.  And that was back in 2014.  A part of me feels bad because you will probably die from old age before you ever pay off your loans for a BSN from a private university.  The other part of me says that's the price you pay when you enter a profession solely thinking you are going to make all this money and that nurses don't do anything but sit at a desk for 12 hours 3 days a week.  You didn't do your research.  Now they are leaving their staff jobs to travel with same mindset and canceling the travel contract within the first week.  SMH.  Travelers get paid more for a reason!  Oftentimes you are treated worse than dog ***.  That's why you get paid more.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results each time.  Here's a piece of advice, from somebody who's being doing this for a few years.  The only way you are ever going to have the knowledge base that an "old grumpy nurse" has, is to work at the bedside for 20 years like the old grumpy nurses have done.  There is no degree, no certification, no class you can take to fast track experience.  That's why hospitals hate hiring us and like hiring new nurses, because for the price of 1 old nurse who is probably more knowledgeable than the nurse practitioner, you can hire 2 brand new nurses who know less than the CNA.

I took out 1 loan for $10,000 when I was in nursing school and it took me 10 years to pay it off, and my payments were $250 a month.  If you have $100,000 in loans, multiply 250 by 10.  That's what you would have to pay every month to get that debt paid off in 10 years.  That's why hospitals are "requiring" nurses to get their bachelors degrees.  It's a money making scheme and the government is profiting from your loan debt.

I think you are being harsh toward the new nurses.  They are walking into a *** show created by corporate greed and malfeasance that left many places in crisis mode when covid hit.  Most people get into nursing to help people, but also make a living wage and good pay is very important when you have high student loan debt, which by the way is the worst debt out there with no bankruptcy options.  I worked with new grads with six figure debt and I felt sorry for them.  I'm not sure what their monthly payments would be as it partly depends on the interest rates of their loans which have been at record low interest rates lately.   I assume many had consolidated their loans to longer than 10 years, probably more like 15-20 or more and that is pretty sad as well!  As to the public student loan forgiveness it has been a dismal failure so far with a 98-99% rejection rate.  Biden is claiming they are going to expand forgiveness, but many people on the Student Loan Justice facebook page have said they are told they are not eligible for loan forgiveness who have worked 20 plus years before Obama first created PSLF.   I hope all these people will finally get justice and have their loans forgiven, but I wouldn't count on the government if I were a new grad.  The Republicans have even tried to cancel the program and when they get in power they might just do that so I would do my best to pay off the loans as soon as possible.  I think the anger and bitter feelings you harbor toward new grads should be placed where it really belongs your own hospital management!

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Specializes in Critical Care.
4 minutes ago, YUKONrn said:

Call it whatever you want but first year in nursing school, we had 125 nursing students.  Only 30 of us graduated.  The ones who weren't cut out for nursing didn't graduate.  Not everybody got a trophy.

Whose to say that wasn't a blessing for them?  I feel like the stress and poor working conditions harmed me physically and emotionally and I'm just glad I was able to quit and get out of there!  I'm grateful I'm free and didn't have a heart attack or stroke from the job.  So many times I would wistfully look back on my secretarial jobs and wish I could go back, but I couldn't afford the pay cut.  I don't think being a nurse means you got a trophy.  I think instead unless you are lucky you are going to be working in terrible places with high stress, understaffing and poor working conditions and also disrespect by management.  Finding a good job in nursing is like a needle in a haystack, especially if you stay bedside!  So again I say those people who didn't make it are probably the lucky ones!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Been a nurse since the 1990s. I can say it was better even then. I see it get worse in many respects, every year.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
On 11/16/2021 at 2:40 PM, brandy1017 said:

I think you are being harsh toward the new nurses.  They are walking into a *** show created by corporate greed and malfeasance that left many places in crisis mode when covid hit.  Most people get into nursing to help people, but also make a living wage and good pay is very important when you have high student loan debt, which by the way is the worst debt out there with no bankruptcy options.  I worked with new grads with six figure debt and I felt sorry for them.  I'm not sure what their monthly payments would be as it partly depends on the interest rates of their loans which have been at record low interest rates lately.   I assume many had consolidated their loans to longer than 10 years, probably more like 15-20 or more and that is pretty sad as well!  As to the public student loan forgiveness it has been a dismal failure so far with a 98-99% rejection rate.  Biden is claiming they are going to expand forgiveness, but many people on the Student Loan Justice facebook page have said they are told they are not eligible for loan forgiveness who have worked 20 plus years before Obama first created PSLF.   I hope all these people will finally get justice and have their loans forgiven, but I wouldn't count on the government if I were a new grad.  The Republicans have even tried to cancel the program and when they get in power they might just do that so I would do my best to pay off the loans as soon as possible.  I think the anger and bitter feelings you harbor toward new grads should be placed where it really belongs your own hospital management!

BUT if we forgive everyone's loans, who pays? Where is the reward for those of us who did not amass 6 figure debts, but rather went the ADN and later BSN and beyond routes? Who pays? Is it "justice" for the rest of us to have to pay?

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
On 11/16/2021 at 1:59 PM, YUKONrn said:

Well the percentage of new grad nurses who left the bedside within the first year was last measured to be about 57%.  And that was back in 2014.  A part of me feels bad because you will probably die from old age before you ever pay off your loans for a BSN from a private university.  The other part of me says that's the price you pay when you enter a profession solely thinking you are going to make all this money and that nurses don't do anything but sit at a desk for 12 hours 3 days a week.  You didn't do your research.  Now they are leaving their staff jobs to travel with same mindset and canceling the travel contract within the first week.  SMH.  Travelers get paid more for a reason!  Oftentimes you are treated worse than dog ***.  That's why you get paid more.  The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results each time.  Here's a piece of advice, from somebody who's being doing this for a few years.  The only way you are ever going to have the knowledge base that an "old grumpy nurse" has, is to work at the bedside for 20 years like the old grumpy nurses have done.  There is no degree, no certification, no class you can take to fast track experience.  That's why hospitals hate hiring us and like hiring new nurses, because for the price of 1 old nurse who is probably more knowledgeable than the nurse practitioner, you can hire 2 brand new nurses who know less than the CNA.

Thank you.

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Specializes in Infusion Nursing, Home Health Infusion.

The focus now is about patient satisfaction, not safety or quality care!  Bedside report is to jazz up the ratings, it is not conducive to a safe shift to shift report.  Instead of being able to sit down and listen and write all the pertinent info of the patient, you are there to be the cheerleader and end up distracted by patients needing to go to the bathroom.  You can dress it up all you like but it is not for the nurses benefit.  It is especially a disadvantage when dealing with the high acuity of patients now.  The right way would be to get report at the nurses station and then have a short meet and greet with the patient and family.  Even bedside report has devolved into scripting where you are told to upsell your replacements ability, and add in hourly rounding where you are told to say you have the time even when you don't!  The goal is to mold you into the perfect Stepford nurse! LOL .                                                                         This is so accurate and what I found to be true.Patients know that it is scripting and it does not feel like a genuine human to human interaction.I took the mandatory class and refused to do it and never have.I remember feeling insulted that I was being instructed to use the script after I had been successfully communicating with my patients for 20 plus years. I don't have any problems with hourly rounding and  done other aspects of the plan but the scripting part is so unneccessary. 

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Specializes in Critical Care.
10 hours ago, SmilingBluEyes said:

BUT if we forgive everyone's loans, who pays? Where is the reward for those of us who did not amass 6 figure debts, but rather went the ADN and later BSN and beyond routes? Who pays? Is it "justice" for the rest of us to have to pay?

I understand your feelings as I too worked hard and it took me over 20 plus years to pay off my student loans due to high interest rates at the time, needed to put them in forbearance a couple times and later consolidating them.  The government created the public student loan forgiveness program back in 2007, work ten years for non profits and pay for ten years and your remaining debt will be forgiven.  But that's not what's happened.  Instead 99% were rejected and told to start the ten year clock over.  There have been lawsuits by the teachers union and in the settlement more would get forgiveness.  Now Biden is saying they are going to extend forgiveness, time will tell if that happens.  Last I read the PSLF had a 98% rejection rate.

There is also the income based repayment plans of 20-25 years of I believe 10-15% of your discretionary income depending on which plan was in effect when you finished school culminating with forgiveness of any remaining debt, but I haven't heard of that being a success either.   I'm aware that there are over 100,000 seniors who are having their social security garnished to pay off their student loans which I think is terrible for people living on fixed incomes.  The real solution is to restore bankruptcy.  The reality is many people's student loans will be a monkey on their back till the day they die!   Sadly, some people have committed suicide over the hopelessness of their student loan debt situation.

I feel we are doing young people a terrible injustice to push them all to go to college and take out student loans with no bankruptcy options, even gambling debts can be discharged in bankruptcy, and no personal finance knowledge.  Students should learn about personal finance in high school before they ever consider going to college or taking out a student loan!  Sadly many adults know nothing about personal finance either.  If the parents don't know then they may take out Parent Plus loans they can't afford with no credit check or income verification.  You can literally take out Parent Plus loans, which have higher interest rates, even if you are disabled!

People can learn about personal finance on their own, but they have to take the initiative to read books or internet forums.  Thankfully credit unions give out a lot of free info on money, buying a house and loans and generally have better rates than a bank.

 

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