What is Your Biggest Challenge as a Nurse or a Nursing Student?

[Brian]

Take a brief survey here : What is your biggest nursing challenge?

We've had several articles and threads recently dealing with many problems and challenges that nurses are facing today. We get so caught up in caring for others that many times we forget about taking care of ourselves. So many issues nurses face on a daily basis can lead to emotional and physical burnout, job dissatisfaction, anxiety, illness, and more, unless we learn how to cope with the stresses that won't go away. Although the root of many of these challenges seem unsurmountable, there are things that can be done for how we react under the stresses many of you are experiencing.

This got me to thinking…...what can we do about this? I know many of you come here to vent about the challenges you are facing. And that is good. But how can allnurses be more supportive to you than just offering a sounding board?

I'd like to know: What is your biggest personal challenge as a nurse or nursing student? What's keeping you from enjoying your job or your preparations to be a nurse? What is taking the joy out of your life?

I'm really curious and I want to know. In order to help, we need to know more about those stresses you are facing at work or in school. So please take a few minutes to answer some questions.

Click here to answer a few questions.

Your feedback by participating in this short survey will be instrumental in helping us as we develop things that we hope will help you with your challenges....before you reach the state of burnout. This is your chance to have an impact on our plans for future developments and offerings through allnurses.

To express our appreciation for you taking time to answer a few questions, we will be having a random drawing of (4) $50 gift cards to those who complete the questionnaire.

I look forward to hearing from you!

After taking the survey, please feel free to share your feedback in this thread. Go ahead and vent. Sometimes talking about it is very therapeutic.

Thanks

[Ryn RN]

I guess you just have to be in the right area. Florida has many openings Posted for nurses. However, with the way things are many other places in the country I find this puzzling since it seems either there are no nurses in Fl. (which is not true) or they are not filling them! Strange.....

[Ryn RN]

so very true!

[CHESSIE]

Getting to eat lunch. That would be my biggest challenge!! lol- j/k (partly).

Biggest challenge has been being understaffed and trying to provide good/safe care to my patients. Also, RN's are increasingly expected to take on more and more responsibilities without extra compensation. No wonder nurses are burning out left and right!

I agree, and have had to skip lunch, or dinner, if on the 3-11:30+ shift. However, some days it was a challenge to have time to use the bathroom! I am not joking.

You are, also, correct when you state that nurses are burning out "left and right." This especially applies to some of the new, but not necessarily young, graduates who cannot find anyone with time to be their preceptor or mentor, and are thrown into the "fray." Unless they have worked with their AD or have been LPNs, even CNAs they have little or no clinical experience. They quickly become overwhelmed, and often leave the hospital setting and seek employment in, what they hope will be, a less stressful setting such as a physician's office or a home care agency

.

[Boberty]

Nursing job is serve to other people .Its not only his/her duty but also accountability .For this reason he/she spend so busy life. Though nurse is for serve other but are also human being they have personal life to enjoy.But its real to maintain career and personal life at same time.click here to know about more nursing life

[she244]

My biggest challenge has been trying to work in a male dominated area and accepting that as a female my opinions and experience in Nursing are not respected. Changes will be made with regards to the job I am responsible for and I will have to clean up the mess when things go wrong. A CNA identifies as a Nurse and no one corrects the misunderstanding to patients. Being a Nurse who is patient centered has made me stay well past when I should have left the job. Also I have a ADN in Nursing. With everyone wanting BSN degrees most of us are at a loss of finding a new nursing position without going back to school. I have varied Nursing experience from working 2 jobs for over 30 years and have kept my certifications up to date, but without the BSN behind my name I may as well be a new graduate. Good luck to all Nursing professionals. I knew at a young age that I wanted to be a Nurse. Best decision I have ever made.

[she244]

Alice I can sympathize. I had my check opened was told by management they were sure it was a mistake and nothing was said or done. I have had my documentation for a procedure copied and pasted in charts when I am not even at work that day. When bringing it to my managers attentions I was told it would be handled. Nothing was done. So now I spend time checking to make sure charts do not have my name or anything else on them when I am not there. The office manager will talk to Insurance companies and use my name. Nothing is done. Say something, get fired is where I am at. Not liked my management due to saying something about this. I am told Don't Take it Personal!

[RobtheORNurse]

There are many challenges to being a nurse and depending on your specialty, it is different than others. I have worked in many specialties in my career over 30 years. From ER nurse, ICU, Med-Surg, Psych, OR and finally as an educator. I think the biggest challenge that I faced was lack of understanding from those who govern our livelihood, be they hospital administrators or government officials, no one understands what it is like to be a nurse, except another nurse. The government puts un necessary and un realistic regulations on our industry, just to make themselves feel good, that they did "Something" to contribute. Administrators look after the finances, and only the finances. They do not understand acuity of a patient or that the acuity can, and often does, change in the blink of an eye. A seemingly improving patient can have an MI or Stroke right in front of you, and your other patients still need to be turned, medicated, bathed, iV change or re-start,. Families need information and demand that you give them time to talk about their loved one's condition., all the while, you are calling a code and doing CPR. Very few administrators understand or can grasp the enormity of our tasks on a day to day basis.

So, What is my biggest challenge? I think it was being held down by a system that was more concerned about how things looked on paper, so a surveyor or government reviewer will know that we are doing a good job, regardless of the fact that the facility was hemorrhaging experienced nurses with no signs of slowing. I was held back professionally and had to leave a job that I loved but the facility had lost track of why it existed in the first place. Now, I travel the globe as a nurse educator and I couldn't be happier. Will I ever go back to a hospital? Never say never, but I don't see it on the horizon.

Never stop chasing your dreams, you never know where you will end up. Carpe Diem!

[SleeepyRN]

Alice I can sympathize. I had my check opened was told by management they were sure it was a mistake and nothing was said or done. I have had my documentation for a procedure copied and pasted in charts when I am not even at work that day. When bringing it to my managers attentions I was told it would be handled. Nothing was done. So now I spend time checking to make sure charts do not have my name or anything else on them when I am not there. The office manager will talk to Insurance companies and use my name. Nothing is done. Say something, get fired is where I am at. Not liked my management due to saying something about this. I am told Don't Take it Personal!

I'm speechless at this