I feel like everywhere I go people are expressing their hate for nursing rather than their love. I want to go into nursing, and I want to love it. WHY does everyone (almost) hate it so much? Is it really that bad? Can someone express their love for it? I would really enjoy hearing why you love your nursing job.
Personally I could never work in a nursing home, but my goal is to work in the OB/NICU or the ER.
I don't think nurses necessarily "hate" nursing. Rather, they "hate" what has changed about nursing. Most nurses got into the profession to care for patients and help patients to get well and hopefully return to a decent standard of living. Just as little as 15 - 20 years ago, nurses spent about 75% of their time hands on caring for patients. It gave a great sense of accomplishment and job satisfaction. Now, due to a great part of political and financial reasons, nurses spend 75% or more of their time redundantly documenting a bunch of crap in order to satisfy political interest groups in an effort to assure the hospital makes more and more money. Further, this assures administrators and health care leaders make their enormous bonus checks and get huge pay increases. Therefore, you find yourself as a glorified paper pusher making it possible for those at the top to get rich, while you work your ass off. You learn the reason you thought you were getting into nursing actually only comprises a small percentage of the actual profession. It is a stable, steady career with decent pay, but unfortunately far from the idea most thought it would be. The changes are easier for new nurses to adapt as they don't understand how nursing was, the way it should be - direct patient care most of the shift, not relentless mostly unnecessary documentation. Know what you really are getting into before you start. Make sure your expectations are realistic. Then, you shouldn't have disappointment or dissatisfaction. Good Luck.
I've been a nurse 20 years, half of those years spent on a med surg unit. Med surg nurses have to be highly organized, patient, have good communication skills, and in depth knowledge in order to deal with patients and families on a longer term basis. A few years as a med surg nurse gives you the experience, knowledge, and background to successfully move smoothly into other specialties. It used to be a requirement to have a minimum of 2 years med surg nursing background before getting into another area. Honestly, it really should still be that way. It's one of the most difficult areas to work and if you can do it well, you'll likely succeed anywhere else you choose to go. I enjoyed it and have a great respect for the med surg nursing staff. I highly commend you for starting your profession as a med surg nurse!
I have been a bedside hospital nurse for over 3 decades. Nursing used to be fun, rewarding and highly satisfying. I regularly received compliments from patients, family and management,
Unfortunately, society, in general, has become an immediate gratification expectation collection of often times impatient, rude, angry mass of people. Nurses meet these people when they are not at their best, which fosters negative reactions. Thus, as we try to meet needs, we now find that we cannot do so quick enough, well enough in the patient or family's opinion. This makes nurses feel unappreciated no matter how hard we try to meet needs.
Additionally, and more importantly, health care has become very political and micromanaged. While we are told that patient satisfaction scores must rise, we are also told we must adapt to and follow ever changing requirements in order for hospitals to receive justly due compensation. So, now although we yearn to deliver high quality care, emphasis by management is to follow rules upon rules. The threat of termination follows us as managers micromanage ALL aspects of care delivery.
So, while I have developed massive experience and confidence, I find my ability to exercise any autonomy is quickly squelched by management because they prefer puppets that obey their every directive. This crushes job satisfaction, professional growth and development, critical thinking, and overall morale.
Thus, the result is very few happy nurses, high turnover rates and ultimately poor patient satisfaction scores, which drive compensation down as well.
I worked in a hospice inpatient unit as a CNA and after 10 years quit due to burnout. I found that serving the patient's and their families to be both emotionally challenging and quite rewarding. I was a perfect match for the job and was paid well above the normal range.
The problem? I am a male and worked with all female nurses or sometimes a gay male nurse. Even in my 50's I had rarely worked with more than one or two women at a time and was in for a cultural shock. I had no idea the depth and severity of backstabbing, lack of integrity and visciousness that I would encounter over the years with most nurses. Almost every nurse expressed to me a substantial preference to working with males in nursing due to what some nurses refer to the females behavior as "cat fighting." Thank God I had 3 nurses who "protected" me but it was very, very. stressfull navigating the treacherous waters. I still managed to get written up about every couple months by a supervisor teaching me who is boss. The nursing part of the job was something I enjoyed and felt proud to do. The personalities were like landmines. I woud love to again do that type of nursing and even go back to school to get my BS in nursing but am very apprehensive of making that committment only to get burned up and out again.
God bless all the wonderful nurses I had the honor of learning from and sharing with.
Ps. Do they offer classes on how to enjoy your work inspite of the bad nurses?
I love nursing and unfortunately there are so many nurse out there and on this forum down nursing. There are times it has been overwhelming, frustrating but in the end theresult is no other career. This is second field I know that we discourage nursing student and new students.
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
As I have said many times; "If it's in your blood, it's in there to stay, and is a God given gift." I am currently disabled and no longer able to perform those tasks, but it doesn't mean my heart isn't in it. For instance, just two weeks ago while I was in church, a member began to collapse. I was sitting in my wheelchair at the time and offered it for him to sit in while my caregiver helped me sit on her chair. It just made me feel good to even help a little bit. Now that's the heart of a nurse who has the gift.
To be perfectly honest, after you graduate from nursing school, the only place you're really qualified to work in is med surg. You don't have enough knowledge to work in critical care, peds or NICU. The only difference is with the OR, because no matter where you've worked or how much experience you have, you need a rather extensive orientation period because the OR is unlike anything else.
That's absolutely not true. New grads can be and are successful in critical care when they come straight out of nursing school. Where I used to work, the CTICU and the MICU managers hired new grad nurses and they did fine. Both units delivered excellent care.
Thank you so much for all of your responses and opinions. I liked reading them all and it has given me a lot of information to be honest, and I love it! Even though I have "dream jobs" in mind, working in med surg could be very good for me should I have trouble getting in OB/NICU/ER or maybe by the time I am done with nursing school and have done rotations I might have a different idea .. since all of you say you learn everything up there, it might be a real eye opener. :)
I have been a nurse for almost 45 years, still working. I wouldn't continue if I didn't absolutely love it. My career has been varied, from ICU, CCU, ER, teaching,doctor's office nurse, director of professional services, and home health. I found my niche in home health. Have been in it now for 21 years. Don't listen to negative comments. You create your own happiness and joy in your profession in whatever you choose to do.
I have been a nurse for almost 45 years, still working. I wouldn't continue if I didn't absolutely love it. My career has been varied, from ICU, CCU, ER, teaching,doctor's office nurse, director of professional services, and home health. I found my niche in home health. Have been in it now for 21 years. Don't listen to negative comments. You create your own happiness and joy in your profession in whatever you choose to do.
I can't speak for everyone, but I HATE my job at this current moment. I was a new grad and was hired straight into an ICU. The hospital that I work at is unionized and upper management sucks. My schedule sucks, I get calls to try to make me come in almost every day that I have off, we are very short staffed, I'm working 4-5 days a week. My insurance sucks - I can only go to certain places and even then get sent bills and have to fight to not have to pay them, we have paper charting, etc.
I agreed to take the job because they offered it to me as a new grad. I'm going to stay there a year I guess. Only 4 more months, but I have been miserable. No one is happy and over half of our staff are travelers.
Nurse Matilda
2 Posts
I don't think nurses necessarily "hate" nursing. Rather, they "hate" what has changed about nursing. Most nurses got into the profession to care for patients and help patients to get well and hopefully return to a decent standard of living. Just as little as 15 - 20 years ago, nurses spent about 75% of their time hands on caring for patients. It gave a great sense of accomplishment and job satisfaction. Now, due to a great part of political and financial reasons, nurses spend 75% or more of their time redundantly documenting a bunch of crap in order to satisfy political interest groups in an effort to assure the hospital makes more and more money. Further, this assures administrators and health care leaders make their enormous bonus checks and get huge pay increases. Therefore, you find yourself as a glorified paper pusher making it possible for those at the top to get rich, while you work your ass off. You learn the reason you thought you were getting into nursing actually only comprises a small percentage of the actual profession. It is a stable, steady career with decent pay, but unfortunately far from the idea most thought it would be. The changes are easier for new nurses to adapt as they don't understand how nursing was, the way it should be - direct patient care most of the shift, not relentless mostly unnecessary documentation. Know what you really are getting into before you start. Make sure your expectations are realistic. Then, you shouldn't have disappointment or dissatisfaction. Good Luck.