What do you absolutely LOVE and absolutely HATE about your job as a nurse

Nurses General Nursing

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I'm currently a student and would like to know what parts you love and hate about your job.

Specializes in Ortho and Tele med/surg.

I love seeing how the patient's quality life improves after surgery. I love the idea that I played a role in that process. I love to admit new patients and make a great first impression. Many of the pre-op patients have that genuine look in their eyes that says I'm scared to do death. I get the priviledge of sitting and talking with them right before they go up to the OR calming their fears and reassuring them that everything is going to turn out well. Then I come back to work after the surgery and they give you a hug and say "You were right." I love to make my patients laugh even when it feels like they have no hope. I love to hear their stories especially on days when I'm feeling down. I love the challenge of learning and seeing something new every day. It keeps my brain sharp.

What I hate:

The politics. The fact that I spent more time doing paper work than I spent with my patients. The fact that everyone is not in healthcare for the right reason. That nurses don't always treat each other with respect. I hate that hospitals sit there and tell us that we have to treat the patients with dignity and respect, but they turn around and treat us like we're animals. That nurses don't always give CNA's the respect they deserve. I hate that when things go right nobody says anything, but the moment something goes wrong they blame us. That docs get treated like their God or something. I hate to break to them, but their only human with many years of schooling. They don't know everything.

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I am a new grad nurse working on a renal/med/surg floor.

I love...

-helping to take care of a variety of people and seeing a variety of conditions.

-the endless learning opportunities.

-working 3 days and having 4 days off every week.

I hate...

-the feeling of chaos sometimes. Juggling 5-6 patients can be overwhelming sometimes depending on the patients, their conditions, and what procedures they are having done. Even though I may have a great plan in the beginning of the day, it often gets thrown by the wayside with patients ringing their call light, demanding families, new admits, discharges, changes in conditions, etc...Alot of times I am running all day and there is never a finish line (except when I go home)

-lack of resources and supplies. The job is already stressful enough without having enough computers, iv pumps, etc... There is a total of 2 computers for all the nurses and doctors on our ward to use. Not to mention the lack of space. The nursing station is like a can of sardines sometimes.

-being told different things by different nurses and then having issues because of that.

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Specializes in L & D; Postpartum.
LOVE: Providing care to patients. I do this for about 10% of my day.

HATE: Administrative work; phone calls; running to different floors for supplies; looking for a BSC/working pulse ox/IV pole; attending meetings; charting the same information in 85 different places; hunting down doctors; hunting down charts; hunting down a computer that will let me log in; hunting down the one and only accu-check machine that works; changing the battery in my spectralink for the 10th time; faxing lab results; refaxing lab results; getting yelled at by the doctor who states he never received the faxed lab results. . .I could go on here, but you get the idea. This is the other 90% of my day.

Maybe you work where I do!

I will add to this: I hate having a nurse manager who was hired with no managerial experience, and who has half the RN experience that most of the rest of the staff has.

I hate her passive-aggressive personality; I hate her patronizing approach to many things.

I love my co-workers.

In short I love the work, hate the job.

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Specializes in OB, Peds, Med Surg and Geriatric Nsg.

What I absolutely love about being a nurse is the compassionate care that we provide to our residents. It's rewarding and increases the feeling of self-worth. The pay and benefits comes second.

What I hate about it is the non-stop running around that you have to do. There is just so much things to do with so little time. It is stressful and you need to be mentally stable to get through this profession. Or else, you'll lose your sanity by the end of your shift.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

I love the flexibility.

Patient care can be challenging, but mostly with excellent outcomes (where I work now, anyway).

Love my colleagues, docs, RTs, etc.,

Don't like the dumb rules.

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Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

I agree with the many opinions that the part of the job that we all seem to hate is lack of resources, whether it be staffing, computers, supplies or equipment. I would love to have this streamlined in my OR, but my ideas to implement said streamlining have fallen by the wayside...because of guess what?? Short staffing. My manager can't give it a good look because she has to staff in a room and can't tend to managerial duties that need to be done RIGHT THEN. I swear, if given the choice, I would rather have money allocated to having the needed equipment ready (and plentiful) than have a raise. Money is transient. Sanity is not.

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Specializes in med-surg, telemetry.

I love hands-on patient care: assessments and wound care. I don't even mind changing briefs because it brings me more contact with the patient and a chance for a thorough skin assessment. I love working with the doctors from our hospitalist service. I love patient education (when I know the answers!).

I hate combativeness (patients) and grouchiness (fellow staff). I hate calling certain doctors in the middle of the night. I hate receiving new patients during the 2200 med pass.

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I love how difficult situations,difficult patients and coworkers are shaping me into a proffesoinal I am becomming, I love how I take charge of my emotions and carry on and do my job. I love how each time I go to work I am reminded how blessed I am to be healthy have a healthy family and just have a job.

What I hate? - nothing worst than a lazy coworker.:rolleyes:

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