What I Hate About Nursing Is...

dreamon · Oct 14, 2008

Aren't there lots of threads like this already?:wink2::)

oramar · Oct 14, 2008

I can handle almost anything except for excessive patient loads. I particularly dislike what happened at my last two jobs. The census dropped for a quarter or two, so staffing was cut. No sooner was our staffing cut than the census went to maximum and there was no staff to care for the patients. Managment just shrugged and said, "do the best you can". They then walked away and left me there with the chaos, the sight of their shrug and their backs as they walked away will stay with me forever. The staffing got even worse very quickly because I made a quick exit.

Flightline, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2008

Dangerous patient load

Unprofessional staff

Hostile work environments

And what makes the above so bad is the utterly crushing responsibility a nurse has for their patients. Fortunately, I have rarely had a job like that, but in my traveling, I have been there, and I will never stay in an environment like that.

The place I'm trying to get into now, hopefully will be the opposite of all that. We'll see.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2008

Here is what I hate about nursing. Some of you have seen this before.

1. The lack of respect from doctors, patients, family members, coworkers, managers, and society

2. The increase in accountability for patient outcomes, without the corresponding increase in salary

3. The fact that new nurses are churned out into the workforce every 6 months, further saturating the job market for nursing

4. The general consensus that nurses are warm bodies who simply fill shifts

5. The low workplace morale that can often be observed at many healthcare facilities

6. The low self-esteems and passive aggression of some nurses

7. The increase in lateral workplace harassment

8. The public's very outdated perception of the nursing profession

9. The fact that there is a myriad of different ways to become a nurse (LPN, ADN, BSN, MSN, Ph.d)

10. The female domination of the nursing profession

11. The desire for hospital administrators to maximize profit margins, without regard to nursing staff or patient safety

12. The practice of recruiting new nurses, rather than the retention of highly experienced nurses

13. The expectation that nurses can "do it all" while working understaffed, and lacking supplies

14. The expectation that the nurse is also the customer service rep, bellhop, concierge, waitress, clerk, messenger, courier, pillow fluffer, and receptionist

Atheos · Oct 14, 2008

The strange idea people get that because we are pros at taking care of others that it somehow means we should be the portrait of taking care of ourselves or even worse, that we can't have anything wrong with us!

CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2008

Being cooped up in a hospital on a lovely air conditioned with sunshine day; and, on your first day off after working 3, your loved one hesitates to take a drive to the forest for a stroll.

Otherwise, nursing has more positives than negs in MHO.

Flightline, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2008

Here is what I hate about nursing. Some of you have seen this before.
1. The lack of respect from doctors, patients, family members, coworkers, managers, and society
2. The increase in accountability for patient outcomes, without the corresponding increase in salary
3. The fact that new nurses are churned out into the workforce every 6 months, further saturating the job market for nursing
4. The general consensus that nurses are warm bodies who simply fill shifts
5. The low workplace morale that can often be observed at many healthcare facilities
6. The low self-esteems and passive aggression of some nurses
7. The increase in lateral workplace harassment
8. The public's very outdated perception of the nursing profession
9. The fact that there is a myriad of different ways to become a nurse (LPN, ADN, BSN, MSN, Ph.d)
10. The female domination of the nursing profession
11. The desire for hospital administrators to maximize profit margins, without regard to nursing staff or patient safety
12. The practice of recruiting new nurses, rather than the retention of highly experienced nurses
13. The expectation that nurses can "do it all" while working understaffed, and lacking supplies
14. The expectation that the nurse is also the customer service rep, bellhop, concierge, waitress, clerk, messenger, courier, pillow fluffer, and receptionist

Well said!

RS0302 · Oct 14, 2008

What I dislike the most is going into work hardly having a chance to get organized, then going out on the floor and running my butt off for the entire shift hardly being able to get a sip of water, nevermind eating a meal or take any sort of break, and STILL feeling like my patients deserved better care, even though I know I did the best I could with what I had.

nrsang97, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2008

Here is what I hate about nursing. Some of you have seen this before.
1. The lack of respect from doctors, patients, family members, coworkers, managers, and society
2. The increase in accountability for patient outcomes, without the corresponding increase in salary
3. The fact that new nurses are churned out into the workforce every 6 months, further saturating the job market for nursing
4. The general consensus that nurses are warm bodies who simply fill shifts
5. The low workplace morale that can often be observed at many healthcare facilities
6. The low self-esteems and passive aggression of some nurses
7. The increase in lateral workplace harassment
8. The public's very outdated perception of the nursing profession
9. The fact that there is a myriad of different ways to become a nurse (LPN, ADN, BSN, MSN, Ph.d)
10. The female domination of the nursing profession
11. The desire for hospital administrators to maximize profit margins, without regard to nursing staff or patient safety
12. The practice of recruiting new nurses, rather than the retention of highly experienced nurses
13. The expectation that nurses can "do it all" while working understaffed, and lacking supplies
14. The expectation that the nurse is also the customer service rep, bellhop, concierge, waitress, clerk, messenger, courier, pillow fluffer, and receptionist

I couldn't have said it better myself.

MIcrunchyRN · Oct 14, 2008

Working nights.. with two very young kids. OTherwise I love it!

RN1982 · Oct 14, 2008

Being asked by doctors to do things against protocol that would harm my license. Like last night, a patient's potassium level is 2.8. She was receiving 20 mEq via peripheral line. We always dilute potassium if we give it via PIV. The doctor wanted me to shut off the IV fluids and run another potassium. When he asked me to do that, I suggested placing a central line that way I could give the 100cc potassium bags with 20meqs but he didn't want to put a line in. Thats fine. She has about 45 minutes left of the potassium that was running.