We tell the student nurses to run for their lives."

Nurses General Nursing

Published

"Nurses may constitute the most dissatisfied professions in the United States today. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, slightly more than two-thirds of registered nurses (69.5 percent) reported being even "moderately satisfied" with their jobs. By contrast, 85 percent of workers in other industries and 90 percent of professional workers are satisfied with their jobs."

http://www.afscme.org/una/sns06.htm

-HBS

*I had not seen this posted before. Very interesting.

heres what I dont understand about all you dissatisfied nurses- why dont you change nursing jobs? Your skills are the most marketable in the world- you dont have to put up with that charge nurses BS- move.

okay, I know its not always that easy, but I think nurses have more power than they know.

I'm a student and I work at a hospital so I have some idea what I'm getting myself into( I'll stop short of saying I KNOW what I'm getting myself into) and I see alot of happy nurse where I am, it can happen. I certainly dont want to save the world. I just want to be a good nurse, add a moresel of good care to the lives of teh people I care for.

The nursing shortage is only getting worse, which means the choices for qualifed nurses should get better.

But you know one of the biggest reasons I want to do nursing is to work with other nurses- you heard me right. Y'all dont give yourself enough credit. Nurses deal with that point at which life is most intense, it makes them interesting, in general.

Anyway, just let me be naive for now.

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Originally posted by germain

heres what I dont understand about all you dissatisfied nurses- why dont you change nursing jobs? Your skills are the most marketable in the world- you dont have to put up with that charge nurses BS- move. okay, I know its not always that easy, but I think nurses have more power than they know.

That's exactly what I'm going to do if things get bad. I will quit in a heartbeat, and work at 20 different jobs if that's what it takes to find the right situation.

Now I'm lucky in that there are a bunch a jobs within a half hour drive from where I live. But that's also the reason I chose nursing. I wanted lots of options, and nursing does provide that.

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Originally posted by germain

I think nurses have more power than they know.

I agree totally. I just wish some of us were a little better at exercising that power. I left Advanced Practice Nursing (still in health care) for a job that offered more money, better working hours, stronger positive stereotypes (it's a male thing) but I still have a connection to nursing that just won't die (in spite of my best efforts). God help me.

-HBS

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See my avatar? Thats me smiling.......I love to smile, its my best feature. The greatest thing about smiling is that no one can take it away from me.

With that said, as a student, I don't know what it is like to be a Nurse. See, that's the good part. The "seasoned" nurses are dissatisfied with nursing in general because its not what it used to be.........I dont KNOW what nursing USED to be 20 yrs ago. When I step out on the floor as a new grad, believe me, I will be scared (alot of resposibility involved). But NURSING AS IT IS TODAY is what I will know......If it wasnt for this bb, I would have never known how nurses feel about their jobs.

I appreciate that...Can you see my veiw of the picture?

Hugh, sorry if I seemed to "kill the messenger". I re-read my post...thats my bad, lol. It bytes, yaknow....I just want to be a nurse.......w/o all the baggage.

Sooo, I will keep on smilin' and countin' the days

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Originally posted by hbscott

I agree totally. I just wish some of us were a little better at exercising that power. I left Advanced Practice Nursing (still in health care) for a job that offered more money, better working hours, stronger positive stereotypes (it's a male thing) but I still have a connection to nursing that just won't die (in spite of my best efforts). God help me.

-HBS

Told it would come back LOL

To: germain

You are correct and it is up to each individual to find that right fit. I have worked many areas I am personally not a dissatisfied nurse but I do see all the things that cause our profession to have a very disgruntled populace. We do work under very strenuous stressfull conditions but we have obviously chosen to pursue a job in a high stress field. The nursing shortage is not always what you may think of as a true shortage. There are nurses that will not take many of the positions being advertised Due To the conditions surrounding that job, so while there are positions that are going unfilled others who for one reason or another have to work there and they have to continue to work with unfair Pt ratios because somebody has to do it. I fear that if all the nurses did as you say and simply quit there current unsatisfying positions and went in search of their ideal jobs there would be many more Pts that would go uncared for because these jobs are the positions that are filled.

I (almost said we) don't have to be personally dissatisfied with my current position to find the article that was the reason for this thread interesting and most likely based on accurate stats and as a notice as it were to others that Nursing as a career may be deserving of a second look before you make it you major.

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Originally posted by Pretzlgl

I remember feeling very idealistic in nursing school -

For all of you nursing students - I hate to say it, but you will find out for yourselves before too long.

Gee, thanks for the heads-up. See, this is what Im saying.....where is the support? Why must it be this way? Why,Why,Why, oh Why? lol

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Originally posted by CCU NRS

Told it would come back LOL

notice as it were to others that Nursing as a career may be deserving of a second look before you make it you major.

Why didn't anyone tell me that 3 semesters ago?

(joking)

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Originally posted by happystudent

Why didn't anyone tell me that 3 semesters ago?

(joking)

yep its like late cancellation but you won't get paid for 4 hours LOL

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Originally posted by happystudent

I dont KNOW what nursing USED to be 20 yrs ago.

Dear Happy Student,

Thanks for your wonderful posts, keep up the good work and optimistic outlook. It is so very important to maintain a positive attitude in all things (good and bad). I admire you for that (and people like you).

I want to make it clear that things have improved in nursing from 20 years ago. That is not my grievance per se. What concerns me is the perceived inequities that persist in compensation, work environments, and other perks commensurate with both education and experience for the professional nurse. Things could be better. Things need to be better if we are to attract and retain wonderful people like you in nursing.

Thanks again for your kind words. And by all means have fun in your chosen career. Make the most of it one day, one patient at a time.

-HBS

:)

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Originally posted by lizz

Of course it speaks volumes, and obviously I am, in fact, listening. Your collective arguments are so convincing that I'm now ready to go elsewhere. So tell me where to go.

It's not your job to be a counselor? Well, that's great. But you're more than happy to send all of us out into the job market where the alternatives may, in fact, be worse.

That's really lame. If you want students to take your complaints and advice seriously then, give us some serious alternatives. And if you can't do that, then I stand by my statement.

Do you guys have any clue what the job market is like out there? Perhaps you've heard of the recession? Thousands of layoffs? High unemployment rates?

Do you think hospitals are the only greedy corporations that screw their employees? Not by any means. And have you ever worked in any non-nursing jobs that are much better?

That's what I'm asking for. I'd love to hear about experiences other than mine, but if you can't offer that then you don't have a clue. And you certainly can't justify telling students to get out if you haven't been out there yourself.

I may not have a clue about nursing, but I do have a clue about the alternatives out there, and it ain't pretty.:angryfire

Are people deciding to become nurses because there's nothing else to do?

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Originally posted by Brita01

Are people deciding to become nurses because there's nothing else to do?

:lol2:

No. It just means there are very few professions where there is an actual labor shortage, with high demand and decent pay.

(BTW, I was born in Jackson, MS, and grew up in New Orleans. ;))

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Originally posted by happystudent

See my avatar? Thats me smiling.......I love to smile, its my best feature. The greatest thing about smiling is that no one can take it away from me.

Love Your Smile! I will now (of course) share mine "through the years" (before, during and after nursing).

hugh%20scott.jpg

-HBS

;)

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